134 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
are among the best of our large shrubs ; the 
Persians are smaller, with more delicate 
foliage and blossoms. Their fragrance, also, 
is less strong. Josikea and Charles X. are 
excellent varieties. 
Flowering Almond (May).-Sometimes 
called Double Dwarf Almond; a very fine, 
early flowering shrub, so well known and so 
much admired as to need no description or 
recommendation. 
To these we might add the Garland Deut- 
zia, Calyeanthus, Deep-green Forsythia, 
Corchorus and many others, but the above 
are sufficient for an ordinary collection of 
small shrubs. 
SHRUBS FROM FOUR TO TEN FEET HIGH. 
XJpnght Honeysuckles (May).—It will be 
hard to find more desirable shrubs than 
these. There are two varieties, one with 
white, the other with pink blossoms. They 
both form neat, compact bushes, with globu¬ 
lar heads. The foliage appears quite early 
in Spring, and remains fresh throughout the 
season. The blossoms cover the bush in 
every part, and are quite fragrant. These 
are succeeded by crimson berries in the Fall, 
of which the robins are exceedingly fond. 
Fragrant Clethra (August).—Not so fine 
in its habit and foliage as tiie last-named, 
but its spicy, rich-scented plumes of flowers 
make it worthy of cultivation. It is a great 
favorite with those who happen to possess it. 
Flowering Currants (May).—Here is a 
family whose acquaintance is worth making. 
The common Missouri Currant, with its yel¬ 
low and sweet-scented flowers appearing in 
May, should form part of every collection. 
The crimson-flowered, double and single, 
are very desirable, but in some situations 
the double variety is a little tender. Gor¬ 
don’s Currant, said to be a cross between 
crimson and yellow, is hardy and excellent. 
Fringe Trees .—Of these, there are at least 
two sorts, the Virginian with white flowers, 
and the Venetian with red flowers. Of the 
first, it has been well said that “ the flowers 
which appear early in June in great profu¬ 
sion over all the branches, look like tissue- 
paper fringe most exquisitely cut, and con¬ 
trast, in their snowy whiteness, admirably 
with the dark green foliage.” 
Altheas (August and September).—With 
those who have seen this class of shrubs, 
we need not spend words in their praise. 
To us, their great attraction lies in their 
laie flowering, making the garden gay after 
nearly all other shrubs have done blooming. 
The single varieties are the hardiest: the 
double ofien have abortive flowers. 
Burning Bush .—Often called Strawberry 
tree, and Spindle tree. These are excellent 
shrubs for massing. The foliage of the 
European is darker than the American, and 
hangs on very late in Autumn. The Ameri¬ 
can fades off in September into a rich, pur¬ 
plish crimson. The broad-leaved Euro¬ 
pean is, however, the flower of the family. 
All of them have bright scarlet seed-vessels 
in Autumn, which hang on in Winter, and 
produce a striking scene. 
But we have exhausted our space without 
exhausting the subject. We might speak of 
the Berberry, the purple-leaved variety of 
which produces a fine effect against a back¬ 
ground of evergreens ; of the Silver Bell 
tree, with its pendant, bell-shaped flowers ; 
of the red-twigged Dog-wood; the Missouri 
Silver tree, with its grey branches and 
leaves; of the Syringas,the flowering Haw¬ 
thorns, scarlet and white ; the Indigo shrub; 
the early white Viburnum, and many others 
too numerous to mention. The above-named 
ate the cream of the catalogues. 
THE PEAR AND CHEERY SLUG- 
The Selandria Cerasi is one of the worst 
enemies of the fruit-yard, and this is the best 
month for making war upon him. Though 
this slug attacks the cherry tree so much 
that the tree has given it a name, it is found 
upon the pear quite as often as upon the 
cherry. The fly which lays the egg is of a 
glossy black color,except the first two pairs 
of legs, which are a dirty yellow, with black¬ 
ish thighs, and the hind legs, which are a 
dull black, with yellowish knees. The wings 
are transparent, with iridescent hues. The 
body of the female measures rather more 
than one-fifth of an inch in length ; that of 
the male is smaller. They usually make 
their appearance upon cherry, pear and 
plum trees, from the last of May to the mid¬ 
dle of June. They begin to lay their eggs 
very soon, just within the skin of the leaf, 
on the under side, and in about three weeks 
disappear. In two weeks from the laying of 
the eggs, the young slugs begin to make 
their appearance, and are found upon the 
trees from the first of June to the middle of 
July, according as the eggs have been de¬ 
posited, early or late. The slugs are at first 
whitish, and then of an olive color, and cov¬ 
ered with a slimy, adhesive coat. They 
grow to nearly a half inch in length. Their 
shape is something like small tadpoles. 
They live mostly upon the upper side of the 
leaves, completely sucking out all their 
juices, and leaving them a mere mass of 
fibres. They have a disgusting odor emit¬ 
ted from them. Where they are sufficiently 
numerous—and they soon will be in any 
place, if neglected—they completely de¬ 
stroy the foliage in mid-Summer. The tree, 
of course, attempts to repair the injury it 
has sustained, and immediately develops 
the buds it had formed for another year. 
This prevents all fruit bearing, and if the 
process is often repeated, the tree becomes 
exhausted, and dies. 
Tne slugs remain twenty-six days upon 
the tree, during which time they cast their 
coat five times. They then burrow in the 
earth a few inches deep, in little ceils which 
they form for themselves, and at the end of 
sixteen days re appear in the fly form, again 
to lay a second brood. The leaves of the 
fruit trees are again covered in September 
and October, and the slugs descend again to 
the soil, to remain during Winter. 
Both insects and birds prey upon these 
slugs, but they multiply, no>withstanding 
their natural enemies, and the mutiiateu 
trees invoke human aid to rid them of these 
pests. Fortunately the task is not a difficult 
one. As the slugs appear upon the upper 
side of the leaves, they may be easily cot 
ered with powdered lime, or with ashes 
which adheres to their slimy bodies untn 
they die. A small sievg fastened to the end 
of a pole is a convenient article to put on 
the lime with. But most of them may be 
killed by simply throwing on the lime or 
ashes with the hand. This treatment should 
be followed up once a week, as long as any 
slugs are to be found upon the trees. 
Whale oil soap dissolved in water, in the 
proportion of two pounds of the soap to 
fifteen gallons of the water, and sprinkled 
over the trees by means of a garden syringe, 
will effectually destroy them. 
If the fruit grower will followup these ap¬ 
plications, he will rid himself of the pests, 
and raise fine cherries, pears and plums. 
The trouble with most fruit growers is, that 
they neglect remedies until their grounds 
are completely stocked with insects. Good 
fruit will not grow in the ground of the 
slothful. 
INSECTS INJURIOUS TO FRUIT. 
These are busy during the present month, de¬ 
positing their eggs for new broods. Young and 
tender fruits afford favorable situations in which 
to propagate their species, the pulp of the fruit or 
berry affording both protection and food for the 
newly-hatched insect. To successfully combat 
the various tribes which prey upon the products 
of the farmer, gardener, and fruit-grower, requires 
a careful study of the character, habits and trans¬ 
formations of the insect woild, much of which is 
very imperfectly understood by cultivators gen¬ 
erally. We can only give a brief description of a 
few in the present number, confining our remarks 
chiefly to the means of destroying those injurious 
to fruit, and particularly which require looking af¬ 
ter this month. 
Curculio, or Plum Weevil. (Rhynches nus Ne¬ 
nuphar.) This insect has of late years been so 
destructive to plums, nectarines aud apricots, 
that fruit-growers, in many localities, have aban¬ 
doned their culture. The beetle, in its depreda¬ 
ting state, is of a brownish color, about one-fiith 
of an inch long, and has mueh the appearance of 
a dried bug. It commences stinging the young 
fruit as soon as it is formed, and continues till 
about the midble of July. A punctuie, of a cres¬ 
cent form, is first made with its proboscis, or 
snout, into which it deposits a single egg, and so 
continues until the supply is exhausted, as it 
usually selects a new plum each time. The egg 
soon hatches into a minute whitish grub, ol a 
maggot appearance, which commences burrowing 
slowly towards the centre of the fruit, and enters 
the stone in its soft state. During the latter part 
of this month and early in July, the plums com¬ 
mence falling, as the insect reeches its heart, 
and having attained its full size leaves the fruit 
for the ground, where it generally remains till the 
following Spring. 
Preventions .—Commence as soon as the blos¬ 
soms are off, going over the tree? each morn¬ 
ing, and with a mallet strike the tree two or thre# 
smart blows, having previously spread sheets un¬ 
derneath. The beetles, instead of flying away, 
roll themselves up if as dead, and drop upon the 
cloth, whence they are to be collected and burned, 
the insects are numerous, repeat this practice 
twice a day, following it up as long as they are 
found, wh ch sometimes continues for several 
weeks. Care should be used not to start the 
bark of the trees in striking them. A woolen patj 
