MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY JOURNAL. 
SHEEP WASHING, 
BREAKING MILKING COWS. 
I As the season for washing sheep is now Now is the time to break in and thor- 
l at hand, I beg to suggest a word in relation oughlj’' discipline young cows, who have 
I to this subject Wool imperfectly washed calves for the first time. Many young ani- 
) commands a less price on sale, than when mals are so viscious, and their early train- 
/ well washed, by more than the difference of ing so injudicious, that they lose one-half 
I weight between the two conditions. Of of their value as milkers; and, though giv- 
^ course, the seller sustains a loss. But my ing the richest quality of milk, are not un- 
) object is not to urge the expediency of wash- frequently turned off" to fat, or to the dro- 
> ing wool well, and doing up the fleeces ver at his own price. 
> handsomely, both of which aid materially There is scarcely any animal, however 
; in securing a good sale; but it is, to urge the savage and ferocious, but what may be 
; reasonableness and propriety, of handling thoroughly subdued, and made perfectly 
; the animal kindly and carefully, in the pro- obedient and kind, by a steady and judi- 
cess of river washing. It is exceedingly un- cious course of proceeding; from which 
kind and unwise, to treat them so roughly thei'e must be no let up — no half way 
as is often done. They are tender and timid, measures—but a steady course till they are 
wholly unfit for rough treatment. Consti- concpiered. 
tutionally they are a warm animal, and Iiave A young animal that has not been ac- 
great antipathy to water, except for purpo- customed to general handling before calv- 
•ses of drinking. It is an immense shock ing is often refractoi'y, and gives a good deal 
therefore, to plunge them into cold watei', of (rouble. On learning the fact of kick- 
and continue them there twenty or thirty ing, provide yourself with a stout, tough 
minutes. And it is savage, to add need- sprout of the size of your finger, two and a 
lessly to the severity of this shock. Wash- half feet long, and take it under your left 
ers often seem to regard this service as a arm, drive the creature into a corner where 
frolic, and that free license is conceded, to she cannot readily get out of the way—put 
treat the animal as roughly as they please, your hand on her kindly, and set down with 
I have seen them pitch the sheep from a the pail, watching constantly her near leg. 
bridge or bank, or an'abutment, several feet The moment she kicks, give her one severe 
down into the water, giving a terrible shock, stroke across the back, and then one loud. 
Such conduct to so timid and helpless a authoritive word; if she offers to run, be 
creature, is barbarous and unpardonable, and quick and strike one smart blow over the 
must have an injurious effect upon its health nose—and so proceed, as often as she re- 
and constitution. In the whole process of peats the kick, administering the punish- 
river washing, the sheep should be treated ment promptly, keeping yoim own temper 
as kindly :is possible, and be kept in the wa- in the meantime, and never use a coaxing 
ter no longer than is indispensable to secure word till she is broken of the trick. No 
the desired object. cow was ever known to withstand this dis- 
It is not to be expected, that every farm- cipline; even old animals of ten or twelve 
er can command the local facilities for this years, are as readily cured as young ones. 
service, which the writer has possessed.— __ 
They are suggested however, that those INQUIRY.— YELLOWS IN WHEAT, 
who can command similar conveniences, may Eds. New-Yorker: —Can you or any of 
be induced to use them. your observing readers tell us the cause of 
From a fine spring, a fall of six or eight spots in our wheat turning yellow in the 
feet was obtained, by conveying the water spring ? I have observed it for several 
a short distance in a spout, or troughs. The years past, to some small extent; and also 
water poured from this spout into a vat made that it is increasing every season. I do not 
of plank, 12 feet long, five or six feet wide, remember to have seen mention of it in any 
and about three feet high—just so high as publication, which induces me to believe it 
that the sheep standing in it, when full of is a new complaint, and that it may not be 
water, could just touch the floor with their known in other parts of the country. The 
feet, and have the water cover their backs, wheat grows and looks as well in the fall 
A platform or floor of boards, twelve feet as on any other ground, but as soon as 
long and extending on the ground about 18 warm weather begins in the spring, it turns 
feet, enclosed on three sides by a board yellow, and grows but slowly—soon the 
fence, and on the fourth side the vat con- outer leaves begin to die, and sometimes 
stituting the fence, formed the pen into the whole plant. I have seen the ground 
which the sheep were crowded. This pen become entirely barren of Avheat by the 
connected with a large yard, into which the middle of May, where it looked fine on the 
whole flock was collected. On the side op- opening of spring, and that without any 
posite to the yard, and adjoining the side of heaving of the soil, or insect to be found in 
the vat, was an enclosure of clean green the plant. It does hot usually die out in 
sward, on to which they walked when wash- this manner, but partially recovers so as to 
ed, and remained a while to dry. The wa- produce one-half or one-fourth a crop of 
ter, in falling from the spout, was divided, straw, but generally less than that of wheat 
and diverged, so as to reach the vat in two I have searched the plant and the soil thor- 
equal columns about three feet apart This oughly, but can find no uncommon insect 
enabled two men to stand in the vat, each What appears to me most.singular about 
holding a .sheep under tlic decending col- it is, that wherever it has made its appear- 
umn. ance once it continues the same or increas- 
Tlic volume of water should not be so es in every successive crop of wheat—Avhile 
great, nor the fall so high, as to injure the other grains and clover, grow as well as any 
animal by its weight or force. A very small where else. Manuring has no effect upon 
column, say four to six inches wide, and one- it. I have a spot near my barn of about 
eighth or one-sixteenth of an inch in depth, one acre, and which extends on to my neigh- 
is abundant. The vat is filled with sheep, bor’s field about the same extent, which o^ i 
two rows, standing side by side, leaving neither fiirm has produced any wheat of 
room only for the two washers to stand by consequence for some eight or ten years, 
the falling water—and Avhen their fleeces but has been sown every second or third 
arc soaked, so that the dirt is softened and year. This was originally some of the best 
loosened, the washers commence. Each wheat land on my farm, a limestone clay 
takes a sheep and exposes every part of the loam, lying high and dry. I have applied 
animal to the falling current, and it rinses unleached ashes and plaster liberally; this 
out the dirt most perfectly, in a few min- was done several years ago. The next time 
utes. No squeezing, no rough handling, it was sown I gave it a good dressing of 
nothing but a careful turning of the animal, leached ashes; and last season the field was 
so as to submit every portion of the fleece sown again when it received a dressing of 
to the falling current. When clean, the an- unslacked lime, about sixty bushels per 
imal is lifted over the side of the vat, to a acre—and now on the whole field, except- 
hand standing on the floor, whose province ing this spot, the crop looks very fine; but 
is to squeeze the water out of the fleece, this has the same yellow, sickly appearance 
before passing on to the grass plat to dry. ^ heretofore, and will probably amount to 
As soon as the washers take two sheep, the ,, • 
hands in the pen lift over two more to soak, • i n a.- i- i 
placing them at the end of the vat remote ^ noticed small spots affected m the 
from the washers, so that those longest in the same way on almost every farm in this sec- 
water will constantly come first to their hands. tion. Perhaps you may know the cause 
Now I have washed one thousand sheep and a remedy; if so you will oblige by no¬ 
in a season, in this manner, with half the ticing it. Do not say it is exhaustion of 
labor, and half the number of hands con- the soil for I shall not believe it—having an 
sidered necessary in the ordinary mode of evidence to the contrary. A few years 
river washing. And there is no farmer who since, in building a barn-yard wall I enclo- 
cannot afford to drive some distance, and to sed a small part of the old yard in the field 
pay a trifle, for the privilege of washing in adjoining that affected with yellows. The 
this way, to a neighbor who should, for his crop on this was affected the same as that 
own use, incur the expense, although small, cultivated for years. Yours, 
of making the fixtures. Arkwright. Sweden, N. May, 1850. F. P. Root. ^ 
N. Y. STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Judges appointed for the State Fair, to be held 
at Albany, September 3, 4, 6 and 6. 
CATTLE. 
Shorthorns. —Richard C. Gapper, Thornhill, C. 
W.; Horace Capron, Laurel Factory, Md.; D. C. 
Collins, New-Haven, Ct. 
Devons. —Henry Parsons, Guelph, C. W.; John 
W. Proctor, Danvers, Mass.: Henry Whitney, N. 
Haven, Ct. 
Herefords. —John Savage, Salem; Joshua R. 
Lawton, Great Barrington, Mass.; Peter Keese, 
Keeseville. 
Ayrshires. —M. J. Hayes, Montreal, C. E.; Ar¬ 
chibald Frazer, Williamstown, C. W.; S. A. Law. 
Natives and Grades. —William Nicoll, Islip, L. 
I. ; B. McNeil, Carlisle,* Schoharie; Joseph Hast¬ 
ings, Brunswick, Rensselaer. 
Working Oxen. —John W. Lincoln, Worcester, 
Mass.; Harvey Dodge, Sutton, Mass.; Horatio N. 
Cary, Marcy, Oneida; Edward Fitch, Saratoga; 
J. C. Collins, Constableville, Lewis. 
Steers, 3 years old,. —Hon. Lester Filley, Otis, 
Mass.; Matthew D. Bogart, Clarkston, Rockland; 
Eli.sha W. Shelden, Sennett, Cayuga. 
Steers, 2 years old. —Eldad Post, Lenox, Mass.; 
John D. Johiison, Islip, L. I.; Robert Sears, Me- 
chanic-sville, Saratoga. 
Steers, 1 year old. —John Townsend, Walton, 
Delaware; Tliomas Cooke, Beekmantown, Essex; 
David Maine, De Ruyter, Madison. 
Milch Cows. —Hon. Benj. J. Cowles, Otisco, 
Onondaga; John W. Beckwith, Columbia, Her¬ 
kimer; B. Gauss, Jr.; East Bloomfield, Ontario. 
Fat Cattle, Stall-fed. —Isaac W. IloberLs, Phil¬ 
adelphia, Pa.; Gideon TJiompson, Bridgeport, Ct.; 
Thos. F. Devoe, Jefferson Market, New York. 
Fat Cattle, Grass-fed. —Jas. McIntyre, Fonda, 
Montgomery; H. Slocum, Troy; Lewis Sherrill, 
Greenville, Greene. __ 
Fat Sheep. —Paoli Lathrop, So. Hadley, Mass.; 
Geo. Goodyear, Cobleskill, Schoharie; William 
Willcox, Covevillo, Saratoga. 
HORSES. 
All Work. —Gen. Samuel Strong, Vergennes, 
Vt.; Ela Merriam, Leyden, Lewis; Jonathan 
Smith, Babylon, L. I. 
Draught. — Hon. Adam Fergusson, Woodhill, 
C. W.; Nicholas N. Van Alstyne, Sharon, Scho¬ 
harie; L. Joy, South Trenton, Oneida. 
Thorough Bred. — J. T. Wheeler, Burlington, 
Vt.; C. T. Albott, Western, Oneida; John D. Fel- 
ter, Haverstraw, Rockland. 
Three years old. —Henry C. Miller, Columbia; 
John C. Stoothoft’, Jamaica, L. I.; Ashley Daven¬ 
port, Copenhagen, Lewis. 
Two years old. —Myron Adams, East Bloom¬ 
field, Ontario; J. D. Warren, Plattsburgh, Clinton; 
Ezekiel Spencer, German E’latts, Herkimer. 
One year old. —Calvin Rood, Sheffield, Mass.; 
H. W. Vail, Islip, L. I.; John McDonald, Kort- 
right, Delaware. 
Matched. —A. M. Clark, Watertown, Jefferson; 
W. Bacon, Ogdensburgh, St. Lawrence; E. N. 
Pratt, Greenbush, Rensselaer. 
Geldings. —H. Delamater, Rhinebeck, Dutch¬ 
ess; N. B. Milliman, Sandy Hill, Washington; J. 
D. Vanderheyden, Brunswick, Rensselaer. 
SHEEP. 
Long-wooled. —Hon. Stephen Haight, Wash¬ 
ington, Dutchess; Hon. A. McLean, Caledonia, 
Livingston; E. A. Johnson, Islip, L. I. 
Middle-wf^oled. — Sanford Howard, Albany; 
Wm. Teller,*^ Greenbush, Rensselaer; Wm. How¬ 
ard, Auburn, Cayuga. 
Merinoes. —W. C. Watson, Port Kent, Essex; 
T. Buel, Jr., East Bloomfield, Ontario; John 
Thoma.s, Stamford, Delaware. 
Saxons. — Augustus Sanford, Norwich, Che¬ 
nango; Wm. D. Dickinson, Victor, Ontario; Ste¬ 
phen Barker, White Creek, Washington. 
Natives and Grades. —Jas. M. Ellis, Onondaga; 
Andw. Mitchell, Spraker’s Basin, Montgomery; 
Stephen J. Matson, Schodack, Rensselaer. 
SWINE. 
Geo. McKie, South Easton, Washington; Wm. 
Logan, Broadalbin, Fulton; II. H. Eastman, Mar¬ 
shall, Oneida. 
POULTRY. 
C. N. Bement, Albany; 11. A. Pareons, Buffalo; 
H. G. Everett, Clinton, Oneida. 
FOREIGN STOCK. 
Cattle. —Lewis F. Allen, Black Rock, Erie; Ira 
S. Hitchcock, Oneida Castle; Thomas Bell, Mor- 
risania, Westchester. 
Horses. — J. C. Dann, Sacketts Harbor; Chas. 
D. Miller, Peterboro, Madison; D. L. Fouquet, 
Plattsburgh, Clinton. 
Sheep, long and midd.leioooled. —Enoch Marks, 
Fairmont, Onondaga; Hon. Josiah Porter, East 
Bloomfield, Ontario; S. W. Holmes, Portland. 
Saxsons and. Merinos. —Wm. T. Sammons, 
Johnstown, Fulton; Jas. Farr, E'ort Ann; Matthi¬ 
as Hutchinson, King’s Ferrj', Cayuga. 
PLOWS. 
A. Van Bergen, Coxsackie, Greene; John Dela- 
field, Oaklands, Seneca; J. Stanton Gould,' Hud¬ 
son, Columbia; Sanford Howard, Albany,' B. B. 
^Kirtland, Greenbush, Rensselaer. 
Plowing. — Jedediah Hosford, Moscow, Liv¬ 
ingston; Peter H. Brink, Saugerties, Ulster; R. 
Van Dyke, Cairo, Greene; Geo. B. Powell, Balls- 
ton Spa, Saratoga; Jo.seph Beach, Chesterfield. 
FARM IMPLEMENTS. 
No. 1.—Wm. Buel, Rochester; Roswell Reed, 
Coxsackie; Seth Whalen, West Milton, Saratoga. 
No. 2.—Hon. Henry W. Bishop, Lenox, Mass.; 
Rich. Peck, Wells, Hamilton; Austin Sexton, Se¬ 
ward, Schoharie. 
No. 3.—J. Stanton Gould, Hudson, Columbia; 
John McDonald, Salem, Wash.; Chester Moses, 
Marcellus, Onondaga. 
MACHINERY AND IMPLEMENTS. 
No. 4.—W. B. Reddall, Washington, D. C.; 
Robert Denniston, Bloominggrove, Orange; J. 
Rogers, Albany. 
DAIRY. 
Butter. —H. C. Bush, Houseville, Lewis; Jas. 
Cantine, Marbletown, Ulster; J. H. Carl, Islip. 
Cheese. —James E. Southworth, New York; 
Daniel Lassells, Ephratah, Fulton; S. B. Bur- 
chard, Hamilton, Madison. 
SUGAR. 
Walter Hanford, Walton, Delaware; Eliakim 
Sherrill, Shandakin Centre, Ulster; A. J. Davis, 
Charleston 4 Corners, Montgomer)'. 
HONEY AND BEEHIVES. 
E. H. St. John, West Troy; E. E. Platt, Al¬ 
bany; Samuel Car)', Albany. 
SILK. 
J. A, Corey, Saratoga Springs; Henry Church¬ 
ill, Gloversville, Fulton; Wm. Platt, Rhinebeck, 
Dutchess. 
DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES. 
No. 1.—Archibald Anderson, Johnstown, Ful¬ 
ton; Roland S. Doty, Rome, Oneida; Silas Ar¬ 
nold, Keeseville, Clinton. 
Pfo. 2.—J. C. Duff, Constableville, Lewis; H. 
Tibbits, Broome, Schoharie; D. K. Olney, Wind¬ 
ham Centre, Greene. 
No. 3.—Isaac Sloat, Blauveltville, Rockland; 
David L. Farnham, Fayetteville, Onondaga; Am¬ 
brose Wager, Rhinebeck, Dutchess. 
MANUFACTURES OTHER THAN DOMESTIC. 
Hon. Noble S. Elderkin, Potsdam, St. Law¬ 
rence; Hon. James M. Cook, Ballston Spa, Sara¬ 
toga; Henry Ten Eyck, Cazenovia, Madison. 
NEEDLE, SHELL AND WAX WORK. 
Mrs. George Vail, Troy; Mrs. George B. War¬ 
ren, Troy; Mrs. Jacob Lansing, Albany; Mrs. B. 
B. Kirtland, Greenbush; Mrs. E. H. St. John, 
West Troy; Miss Caroline Gallup, Albany; Miss 
Maria Van Bergen, Coxsackie; Hon. Wm. H. 
Robertson, Secretary, Whitlockville, Westchester. 
HORTICULTURE. 
Flowers — Alex. Thompson, M. D., Aurora, 
Cayuga; C. M. Hovey, Boston; Wm. Ward, Glo- 
vensville, Fulton; J. YV. Bailey, Plattsburgh, Clin¬ 
ton; W. A. McCulloch, Greenbush, Rensselaer. 
FRUIT. 
Apples and Pears —Hon. Asahel Foote, Wil¬ 
liamstown, Mass.; A. C. Hubbard, Troy, Mich.; 
W. B. Odie, Piermont, Rockland. 
Peaches, Plums and Nectarines —J. W. Hayes, 
Newark, NU J.; A. G. Thompson, Babylon, L. I.; 
James Cantine, Stoneridge, Ulster. 
(^vnees. Grapes, Melons, Cranberries — Rev. 
H. Ward Beecher, Brooklyn, L. I.; L. P. Gros- 
venor, Pomfret, Ct.; Eli.sha Howland, Mechanics- 
ville, Saratoga. 
Foreign Fruits — Herman Wendell, M. D., 
Albany; C. Downing, Newburgh; Rev. J. Mat¬ 
tocks, Keeseville, Clinton; Benj. Hodge, Buffalo; 
Hon. Elijah Risley, Fredonia, Chautauque. 
VEGETABLES. 
John Stewart, Waterford, Saratoga; Jacob El- 
tinge, Lloyd, Ulster; J. A. Cooke, Catskill. 
PAINTINGS. 
Animal Paintings —Sanford Howard, Albany; 
Francis M. Rotch, Butternuts, Otsego; J. McD. 
McIntyre, Albany. 
Paintings, Daguerreotypes, Drawings, S^-c .— 
W. W. Forsyth, Albany; D. Thomas Vail, Troy; 
C. S. Wilson, Utica. 
STOVES. 
No. 1 Cooking —Jesse Armstrong, Rome, Onei¬ 
da; James W. Baldwin, Kingston, Ulster; P. Bar¬ 
ber, Homer. 
No. 2 Parlor —Wm. Bacon, Richmond, Mass.; 
Hiram Mills, Lowville, Lewis; Joseph Bennett, 
Hudson, Columbia. 
SILVER AND BRITANNIA WARE, CUTLERY, AC. 
Luke F. Newland, Albany; Benj. R. Norton, 
Syracuse, Onondaga; J. H. Chedell, Auburn. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Wm. Fuller, Skaneateles, Onondaga; J. M. 
Dederer, Blauveltvjlle, Rockland; C. P. Barber, 
West Troy. 
DISCRETIONARY. 
No. 1, Iron Composition —Hon. W. Merriam, 
Lewis, Essex; Benj. Enos, Do Ruyter, Madison; 
Hon. W. A. Wheeler, Malone, Franklin. 
No. 2, Wood Composition —Hon. S. Cheever, 
Bemis’ Heights, Saratoga; S. Norton, New Meirl- 
boro. Mass.; E. Butler, Hyde Park, Dutchess. 
No. 3, Iron and Wood combined — Hon. Pom¬ 
eroy Jones, Lairdsvillo, Oneida; Edwin Hiibbell, 
Coxsac^e; S. P. Chapman, Clockville, Madison. 
No. 4, Articles not included in preceding list. — 
Orville Hungerford, Watertown, Jefferson; B. N. 
Huntington, Rome, Oneida; G. S. Mead, Milton, 
Saratoga. ^ 
No. 5, Musical Instruments — George Warren, 
Albany; George Dutton, Jr., Rochester; George 
Denton, Buffalo. 
GRAIN, FLOUR, SEEDS, AC. 
Hon. Peter Crispel, Jr., Hurley, Ulster; A. El- 
dridge. White Creek, Washington; Hon. John 
Horton, Madrid, St. Lawrence. 
COMMITTEE OF RECEPTION A ARRANGEMENTS. 
E. P. Prentice, Pres’t; J. P. Beekman, G. Vail, 
John A. King, Ex-Presidents. 
SUPERINTENDENTS UPON THE GROUNDS. 
Cattle Department —Lewis G. Morris, William 
H. Sotham. 
Horses —J. B. Burnet, Gen. J. T. Blanchard. 
Sheep —J. McD. McIntyre, H. Blanchard. 
Swine and Poultry —Z. C. Platt, T. C. Abrams. 
Floral Hall —A. Thompson, M. D., H. YVen- 
dell, M. D., YV. A. McCulloch. 
Domestic Hall —Oliver Phelps, E. C. Frost, D. 
D. T. Moore. 
Dairy Hall —Nekson Van Ness, Joseph Car}'. 
Implement Hall and Grounds —A. Van Bergen, 
H. L. Emeiy, N. B. Starbuck. 
EntrancfS and General Superintendence of the 
Grounds—Al. YVagor, B. B. Kirtland and Gen. 
J. J.^Viele. 
Machinery, —C. C. Dennis and L. B. Lang¬ 
worthy. 
Gentlemen appointed on Committees, who may 
be unable to attend, will confer a favor by giving 
early notice to the Secretar)'. 
B. P. Johnson, Cor. Sec'y. 
ERADICATION OF RED ROOT. 
Ed. Rural New-Yorker:— The exper¬ 
iment of Mr. Kintz, of Greece, related in 
No. iV of your valuable paper, in the de¬ 
struction of Stein Krout or Red Root, re¬ 
minds me of the like practice of my father 
and other New Jersey farmers, many years 
ago. Wheat fields there, had become so 
overrun with this pest, "that many who de¬ 
spaired of finding a remedy, sold their farms 
at one-third their value and emigrated west¬ 
ward. Upon revisiting their old homesteads 
a few years afterward, they were surprised 
to find them entirely free from this weed, 
and their new owners raising as good wheat 
as ever had been harvested—and all from 
this discovery—from the complete success 
of the experiment of mowing the Red Root 
when in blossom, as is described in the ar¬ 
ticle referred to. 
I trust the farmers of Western New 
York who are suffering from this cause will 
not be disheartened but attack the enemy, 
front and rear, and never give over till their 
forces are totally routed. Serving Canada 
Thistles the same sauce, has an excellent 
effect, and I hope will not be neglected. 
Niagara Co., May, 1850. w. m. 
(li)rf^nrii aiih dariini. 
THE CURCULIO. 
This insect, the most obnoxious, deter¬ 
mined and insidious enemy that the grow¬ 
ers of fine fruits have to encounter, is now 
just making its appearance—and though, 
from the long continuance of cold and wet 
weather, none of the fruits are sufficiently 
forward to admit of its depredations, yet it 
is possessed of long patience and can bide 
its time. 
This depredator is strictly indigenous to 
this continent, and belongs to the beetle 
tribe; its wing cases are hard, and protect 
the true wings from injury; tlieir color 
is dark, a little speckled with grey dots, 
and they are about one-sixth of an inch 
in length, with a horny snout or probo- 
cLs, with which they scarify the skin of 
the fruit, raising a small half-moon shaped 
disc, under which the egg is deposited. It 
soon hatches, and takes the larvae or mag¬ 
got stage, penetrates to the centre, devours 
the vessels of vitality, the fruit drops to the 
ground, to which the larvae takes its course, 
and lays dormant till the next spring, when 
it changes to the perfect insect, and preys 
upon the smooth skinned fruits, that its na¬ 
ture indicates as the proper nidus to propa¬ 
gate its species. 
Contemptible as this little insect appears, 
it is the most prolific source of loss in the 
fine fruits, that the cultivator has to con¬ 
tend with. For a long time after it was 
found and described by Dr. Mitchell, of 
New York, it was supposed to be incapable 
of flying—but it is a mistake; and though 
when disturbed it rolls itself up and plays 
possum, shewing no signs of life, yet after 
a few minutes quiet, it crawls to some point 
where it can spread its clumsy wing-s, and 
flies freely. 
Gathering and burning the fallen fruit, 
has a tendency to wonderfully reduce their 
numbei-s in a particular location; but as 
long as neighboring premises do not follow 
that course, the enemy cannot be totally 
annihilated. Trees standing in constantly 
used walks, or in paved grounds, are much 
freer from their attacks, than those in grass 
or cultivated soils. Small trees that can be 
jarred by the hand three or four times a 
day, are found to be measurably exempt 
from their depredation. 
A person of our acquaintance, who has a 
large number of plums, apricots, and early 
peaches, preserves nearly his entire crop by. 
the following process:—He procure.s an old 
awning cloth, about twelve feet square, and 
slits it in the middle to the eentre, so as to 
place it centrally under the tree. About 9 
or 10 o’clock every day, he, with one assi.s- 
tant, suddenly jars' the tree, by some con¬ 
trivance not to wound tlie bark, and every 
one of the insects iristantly fall; in raising 
the cloth he brings them all together —they 
are perfectly docile and dead to appearance, 
and look like a small dried bud of the tree; 
he then secures or crushes them, and so 
proceeds through his premises, and it is the 
only safe and sure process that has as yet 
been practiced 
It is worth while for those who have nev¬ 
er seen the critter, to simply place a sheet 
under a plum tree the first week in June, 
and give it a smart blow; the insect instant¬ 
ly falls, and can be examined so as to form 
a bowing acquaintance the next time it is 
seen. _ _ 
ASPARAGUS. 
This vegetable is so easily produced, and 
when once introduced into a family, be¬ 
comes such an indispensable item for dinner, 
that those who do not provide themselves 
with a good bed of tliLs valuable article, 
treat all bountiful nature with contumely. 
It is as easily grown as parsnips, or carrots, 
only it is not fit to cut until its third year; 
and it then lasts a generation, with no other 
care than a yearly top dressing of manure. 
A shillings worth of seed, sown on a bed 
ten feet by twenty, deeply trenched and 
manured, will supply a family from April 
till early peas are in season, for which it is 
a very good substitute, and many prefer it 
Asparagus is of marine origin, and requi¬ 
ring, or at any rate its growth is increased 
by the free use of common salt. Brines 
used for pickling hams, beef or pickles, may 
be thrown over the beds freely. 
It is most commonly eaten with roast 
meats, boiled in water a little salted, and 
dressed with drawn butter on a sliee of 
toast—when it is one of the most delight¬ 
ful vegetable dishes that can be produced. 
