THE CULTIVATOR 
39 
and never would I add any to the vinegar. Vinegar 
makes mother, but mother does not make vinegar. 
A Constant Reader. 
Respected Friends —I can give S. E. T. a receipt 
for making Vinegar, that is infallible. To every barrel 
of cider, add one and a half gallons of good whiskey; it 
will give it strength and body, and the change will 
speedily be wrought. R. T. Bentley. 
Sandy Spring, Md. 12th mo. llth, 1842. 
Cement for Glass _The best decidedly that I have 
tried is common white-leati, paint. It is applied to the 
broken edges, and they are then tied closely together 
and remain a month or two, when they are found to have 
firmly adhered. J. J. T. 
anb tlje dDrcijarii. 
THE PEAR TREE. 
J. Odell, Esq. of New-York, in a recent letter to us 
says,—“ I lately purchased half an acre of ground near 
this city, on which was a fine Virgalieu Pear tree.— 
This, you may well suppose, I prised very highly. It 
blossomed freely and made a full show of fruit. As soon 
as they made a little size, they became rusty, cracked 
open, and every one had a worm in the fruit, which was 
small and nurly. The attack of the worm I am aware is 
no uncommon thing, and others in the neighborhood who 
had trees once bearing fair fruit complain of this black, 
rusty, cracking, open appearance, the fruit all falling 
prematurely and worth nothing. The premature falling 
is of course produced by the worm, but the black rusty 
appearance with the cracking open is certainly a new 
thing in the neighborhood which is on Long Island, 
near the city, and near the water. If, gentlemen, you 
can throw any light on this subject that the evil may be 
remedied, you will confer a favor on one of yonr sub¬ 
scribers certainly, and perhaps on others.” 
Our correspondent is right in supposing that the pre¬ 
mature falling of the fruit of the pear-tree, is owing to 
the worm. This is the larvae of the pear weevil, Cur- 
cuUo Pyri, which attacks the blossom buds, depositing its 
eggs in them, causing the young fruit to turn dark and 
fall off when the insect has attained its perfect state, but 
while the fruit is immature. They sometimes prove 
friends to the pear-tree by reducing the too great quanti¬ 
ties of fruit which in some years loads the tree. If they 
become numerous they may be destroyed in the same 
manner as the plain curculio, by placing cloths under the 
tree early in the spring, while the insect is at work, and 
shaking or jarring them from the branches. 
As to the blight or dark color and defective state of the 
fruit, two or three causes may be assigned. The first is 
the attack of a pai’asytic mould or fungus on the fruit 
which injures the vitality of the part affected, checks its 
growth, causes it to crack open, and renders the fruit 
more or less worthless according to its prevalence. It 
is a common disease of apples in the colder sections of 
our country, and to one variety of this disease, is the bit¬ 
ter rot which so much injures some varieties of the apple 
owing. Another cause, or perhaps only another form 
of the pi’eeeding, is the occurrence of unseasonable 
frosts after the fruit is developed, not sufficiently severe 
to destroy it, but to injure its vitality on the most exposed 
parts, thus stopping the growth of one part without affect¬ 
ing that of the other. The fruit changes its color, and 
the injured part cracks open. Another cause is thus sta¬ 
ted by McIntosh in his work on the Orchard and Fruit 
Garden: ‘‘Root pruning is sometimes necessary when 
the roots penetoate into a wet, cold, or otherwise uncon¬ 
genial subsoil, and also when the roots penetrate too 
deeply even into a good or over rich soil. In the former 
case are produced canker, cracking of the bark, and 
skin of the fruit, which latter also become stony or grit¬ 
ty, shedding the fruit at the season of the seeds forming; 
and in the latter the forming of strong watery shoots, 
which grow until late, and do not ripen their wood pro¬ 
perly in autumn.” 
Where this is the case, the roots maybe shortened and 
health be restored to the fruit and the tree. As in the 
present instance the blight or cracked appearance has 
not been observed before; it is probably owing to atmos¬ 
pheric causes, or the agency of temperature, and there¬ 
fore not liable to occur again. A very large portion of 
the apples in some parts of our country suffered last year 
from a similar cause, being dark colored on one side, 
cracked and nurly. A knowledge of the character of 
the subsoil, would determine whether this cause or the 
one given by Mr. McIntosh, was most probable. In a 
late number of the Gardener’s Chronicle, Prof. Lindlev 
in reply to an inquiry as to the cause of a similar injury 
to fruit, gave as the cause a succession of showers with 
an increased temperature, after a dry season, which had 
checked and blighted the fruit. 
PEACH TREES. 
It is well hnown that in a large part of the state of 
New-York, including chiefly the central portion, the 
cultivation of the peach is scarcely ever attempted, from 
the frequent or general destruction of the crop by frost. 
It is believed that in many places this difficulty would be 
prevented, if instead of planting the trees in low and 
sheltered situations, elevated and exposed ground be se¬ 
lected. Several facts strongly confirm this opinion. 
Some years ago, the writer budded a large number of 
peach trees situated in a valley, and although they were 
very healthy and vigorous, and the best buds only were 
selected, more than nine-tenths of the buds were de¬ 
stroyed by winter. Two or three years’ repetition of 
the experiment produced the same result. In other trees, 
forty rods distant, and the ground from thirty-five to six¬ 
ty feet higher, treated in successive years in the same 
way, not one bud in ten was killed. This great differ¬ 
ence was owing without doubt to the greater warmth of 
the low situation, urging a more rapid and succulent 
growth, and preventing the proper hardening of the 
wood in autumn—hence the top branches were generally 
also destroyed. But opposite influences operating on the 
elevated ground, the growth of the wood was not so ra¬ 
pid, and it became well hardened before cold weather. 
The increased severity of frosts in the valley, tended 
greatly to increase the difference. 
Thus also when bearing trees are planted in low pla¬ 
ces, the blossom buds are urged forward by the warmth 
of day', and the increased severity of night frosts de¬ 
stroys them. But on hills, these extremes of heat and 
cold do not occur; hence they generally escape. One 
of the early settlers of Wayne county, near Palmyra, 
twenty-four years ago planted a peach orchard on a hill 
nearly one hundred feet above the average height of 
land; and during twenty years since they first began to 
bear, he has lost only one crop by frost, while in ordi¬ 
nary situations one crop in four or five is destroyed. 
When the soil on hills is unfavorable, it should be 
properly improved, or large holes be dug and filled with 
suitable materials. Cold, wet, or spongy soils, should 
be avoided. 
There are of course exceptions to these rules, but as a 
general guide, wherever frosts are more severe in val¬ 
leys than on hills, the latter will be found far better 
suited to the culture of the peach, and the crop be far 
more certain. J. J. T. 
CATERPILLARS ON APPLE TREES. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —In this vicinity, the 
past season, the caterpillars have been very numerous and 
destructive on our apple trees. Owing to the dry and fa¬ 
vorable weather about the time of their spinning, we 
shall have enough next year, if let alone, not only to eat 
all our leaves from the trees, but to take possession of 
our houses for a cocoonery; as they walk in without 
knocking, some trouble will be necessary to keep such 
numbers out. The number of eggs for the next year’s 
crop, exceed all calculation. They are deposited about 
the 1st of July. The other day I found ten clusters of 
eggs on two small branches of one tree; each would have 
furnished worms enough for a good sized nest. They 
commence eating as soon as creeping, and spoil the 
shape of many fine leaves before their nests are visible. 
I am quite sure there would be a saving, to have these 
clusters of eggs all off and destroyed, thus preventing any 
damage. It is quicker done when found, but not so easi¬ 
ly found as the nests; but they can be found, most of 
them, without specs, especially after the leaves are off. 
The farmer could hardly devote a few leisure hours to 
better purpose. He has six or eight months to do it, and 
is hardly excusable to let any nests appear; and if a few 
do appear, can he be excused unless they immediately 
disappear? I had a curiosity to know whether the per¬ 
fect insect was a butterfly or miller; but no one could 
tell me. I have ascertained. On the 8th of June, I en¬ 
closed in a glass case, several caterpillars of full size, 
that were traveling in search of a place to spin their co¬ 
coons; the next day, two or three commenced winding. 
(Did any one ever reel these cocoons to test the quality 
of silk?) In twenty-two days, out came the perfect in¬ 
sect, an inch or more in length, three-eighths in diame¬ 
ter, wings close to the sides of the body, color reddish 
brown; lived but a short time, and moved only in the 
night. Their eggs may be found in clusters of hundreds, 
near the end of the limb, well glued on, covering it 
nearly round, three-quarters in length; the end of each 
one touches the bark; light colored, sixteenth of an inch 
in length, diameter less than a pin, shell very hard, and 
packed close. Over the whole is a thick coating of a 
dark shining substance, apparently water i)roof. Here 
they remain till spring. The warm weather that brings 
out the leaves, hatches the eggs also; the worms take up 
their line of march towards the trunk, until a branch puts 
off; there they make their nests, and are ready to devour 
as it comes out, all the foilage. 
Coxsackie, Sept. 6, 1842. M. Quinsy. 
BLACK RUST ON PLUM TREES, &c. 
Messrs. Editors —I differ from your coi’respondent 
P., in the manner of exterminating the ‘‘Black Rust,” 
which infests Plum Trees. His direction, (if I under¬ 
stand right,) is to “ cut the limb off.” The method 
which I practice is, to shave the excrescence close to 
the wood, being particular to scrape out every particle 
of the watery substance, and cover the wound with wax, 
and it will soon heal over. In this manner the limbs can 
all be saved and the health of the tree preserved. 
The Peach Tree. —^I have tried an experiment in 
manuring the Peach tree with the light and friable sub¬ 
stance that collects under the floors of barns and other 
buildings. The trees on which the experiment was 
made, were standing in the same soil, and of equal thrift. 
The quantity applied was a bushel to each tree, and the 
effect is quite apparent. The trees which had this dres- 
sing, sent out large and vigorous shoots, while those 
without, the limbs were smaller and of a more yellow 
cast. This substance contains a considerable quantity of 
saltpetre, an article necessary in the cultivation of the 
Peach. Yours truly, 
Lawrence Smith. 
Middlefield, Mass. Aug. 8th, 1842. 
MANURING THE VINE. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —It appears that many 
facts, considered as new discoveries by the moderns, 
were well known and practiced by the ancients. 
When I read in Liebig, “ that the best manure for vines, 
was the leaves and cuttings, cut into small pieces and 
buried at their roots,” I considered it a modern discove¬ 
ry, and was not undeceived until my daughter pointed 
out to me a proof of a similar application being directed 
by Mago, the Carthaginian, who wrote about two thou¬ 
sand three hundred years ago. I will quote from Lie¬ 
big and Mago, that your readers may judge how much 
has been lost to the world by the dark ignorance of 
past ages. 
“ On the manuring of the soil in vineyards,” (Liebig, 
p. 347,) “ I cannot omit the opportunity of again calling 
the public attention to the fact that nothing more is ne¬ 
cessary for the manure of the vineyard, than the branch¬ 
es which are cut from the vines themselves. 
“My vineyard has been manured in this way for eight 
years, without receiving any other kind of manure, and 
yet more beautiful and richly laden vines could scarcely 
be pointed out. I formerly followed the method usually 
practiced in this district, and was obliged in consequence 
to purchase manure to a large amount. This is now en¬ 
tirely saved, and my land is in excellent condition.” 
“ These branches were used as manure long since in 
the Bergstrasse. M. Frauenfelder says— 
“I remember that twenty years ago, a man called Pe¬ 
ter Muler, had a vineyard here which he manured with 
the branches pruned from the vines, and continued this 
practice for thirty years. His way of applying them was 
to hoe them into the soil after having cut them into small 
pieces. 
“His vineyard was always in a thriving condition; ,so 
much so indeed, that the peasants here speak of it to this 
day, wondering that old Muler had so good a vineyard, 
and yet used no manure.” 
Democritus and Mago praise a north aspect for the 
vine; because they believe it bears most in this situa¬ 
tion. But in gooclness it will not surpass others. 
“ In the planting of vines, let the sides of the trenches 
be lined with small stones. For these, says Mago, keep 
out the wet in winter, and in the summer the moist and 
damp fi-om the roots. This writer is of opinion, that the 
pressed out grapes, mixed with dung, strengthens the seed 
laid in the earth, because it draws new roots; but this in 
wet and cold weather warms at the proper time, and in 
summer nourishes the young vines, and makes them fruit¬ 
ful. If, however, the soil in which the vine is set be' 
poor, then must rich earth be found and put in the 
trenches.” 
“ For the pruning of the vine, once every two years 
suits very well. Iffie best time, however, as Mago 
says, is the spring, before the shoots become long, be¬ 
cause, being still full of sap, they may be easiest and 
most evenly cut, and they do not oppose the sickle. 
“ Mago, the Carthaginian, adds also to the rule for 
setting the vine: that the seed being planted, the trench 
should not be immediately filled up, but half of it left to 
the following year; by which, he says, the roots of the 
plant are forced to strike downwards.” 
Wm. Partridge. 
New-York, Jan. lOih, 1843. 
PeIch Worm—Tar—A neighbor informs me that the 
application of hot tar to the roots of peach trees, effec¬ 
tually excludes the worm. The earth is removed for a 
few inches down, and the tar applied. It is not intended 
of course to destroy the worm, but to prevent its entrance 
in trees yet unaffected. J. J. T. 
Inquiry. —I have in my front yard a young tree of 
the common black mulberry covered every year with 
catskin, but no fruit. I have grafted and budded from 
fruiting trees, without succeeding in the operation. Will 
one of your horticultural friends point out a way to 
change it so as to produce fruit? .1. Jones. 
INCREASE IN THE WEIGHT OF CATTLE. 
There are some farmers inclined to doubt the entire 
correctness of the inferences we have drawn, from the 
weight of the animals now sold at theSmithfield markets 
in London, and the Brighton in this country, that the 
weight of animals had nearly doubled within the last 
fifty years, but we think there can be little doubt of the 
fact. Mr. Norton, of Berwick, Mass, has furnished Mr. 
Colman the weights of some fat cattle killed in that 
place in 1790, and also some of cattle killed in 1841. We 
condense the results. 
1790. 
Hatch Ox, Total weight,.. 3611 lbs. 
Perkins Ox, “ . 511 
Hussey Cow, “ . 321 
Emery’s Oxen, 508—459 . 967 
1841. 
C. N. Cogswell’s Cow, . 77:2 
C. N. Cogswell’s yearling Heifer,. 662 
C. N. Cogswell’s 2 years old Heifer, live weight,. 1174 
Such instances as these, might be multiplied to any ex¬ 
tent; and they prove conclusively the benefits of careful 
breeding, and the existence of an improved husbandry. 
