It is often noticed in very vigorous trees that 
the bark of the trunk is split longitudinally ; 
whenever this is apparent, such trees are 
always free from this form of blight, as the 
pressure upon the cellular and vascular tis¬ 
sues has been relieved. From a series of ex¬ 
periments commenced in 1857, it, is demon¬ 
strated, that whenever trees whose bark had 
been longitudinally incised and divided, 
never showed any signs of this form of 
blight. 
Mr. Henry Bowen, chemist, of Philadelphia, 
Gustavus Ober, Esq., of Baltimore, and Mr. 
Geo. E. White of New-York, all of them 
recognized as having a good degree of knowl¬ 
edge and familiarity with the subject, w. 
PEAR BLIGHT 
FERTILIZERS—THEIR MECHANICAL 
CONDITION. 
REPORT OF A COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN P0M010G- 
ICAL SOCIETY. 
Hon. Marsh a le P, Wilder, President 
American Homological Society :—Dear Sir— 
The committee appointed at the last annual 
meeting of this Society, to investigate the 
cause of pear blight, and, if possible, recoin 
mend a remedy or preventive therefor, beg 
leave to submit, as follows : 
The task alottcd to your committee is con¬ 
nected with unusual difficulties, as the sub¬ 
ject is one that has for more than a quarter 
of a century remained an unsolved problem. 
We therefore entered upon the performance 
of our duties with the conviction that our 
efforts must fall short of doing justice to the 
object in view. 
Pear blight assumes different forms and 
has consequently different causes for its 
origin. One form attacks trees gradually; 
its approach is slow and may be detected for 
months, and often during the preceding sea¬ 
son of growth, before the tree is fully affect¬ 
ed. This form, which may be termed grad¬ 
ual blight, is seen at all seasons during the 
period of active vegetation, from early spring 
until September. Its progress is usually 
arrested by a liberal top-dressing of liquid 
manure, so far as the roots extend and a 
severe cutting back of the branches. This 
must be done whenever the tree assumes an 
unhealthy appearance. The cause, then, 
may be safely attributed to exhaustion, and 
the remedy consists in replenishing the ex¬ 
hausted supply of plant food. This form of 
blight is often noticed in orchards left un¬ 
worked and where the annual or biennial 
top-dressing with fertilizing agents has been 
withheld. 
Another, and this is the most fatal form, 
attacks u tree or a portion of it suddenly, 
causing the aflected part to blacken in a few 
hours after the tree is struck ; this is com¬ 
monly' termed fire blight. This lorm is peri¬ 
odical in its attacks and migratory, as it sel¬ 
dom remains permanent in a locality',’ but 
leaves an interval of from ten to fifteen years 
between its occurrence. Its greatest intensity 
is on its first appearance, which occurs usual 
ly when the fruit bus attained half its size ; 
it decreases as the season of vegetation ad¬ 
vances, but reappears again the following 
summer with less of its previous intensity. 
After decimating a section o£ country' during 
two consecutive seasons, there will be an 
interval of a 
RECLAIMED LAND 
As a modification of the opinion which has 
generally prevailed for a few years past, 
that phosphatic material, such as bones, 
guano, rock phosphates, and apatite require 
I HAVE a piece of land that was once a pond 
of standing water, that is now ditched ; but 
the land Beems to have no life in it. What 
can I do that will improve it 1 Is gas house 
lime valuable for n fertilizer ? If so how 
should it be applied, and in what quantity 
per acre? o. p. h. ’ 
Macon, Bibb Co., Ga. 
If your soil is of the character we suppose 
it to be, that is, peaty' soil and alluvium (you 
should have described it), gas house lime ap¬ 
plied to it at the rate of 100 to 500 bushels per 
acre, plowed in and left without cropping six 
months or a year, will be likely to give it 
'‘life.'’ Gas house lime should never be 
applied direct to land from which au imme¬ 
diate crop is to be taken. Tt contains too 
much sulphur; but if mixed with the soil 
and exposed as wo have described above, or 
composted with muck and manure, and al¬ 
lowed to remain in compost exposed to the 
action of the air, the sulphur will have united 
with the oxy'gen of the air, and become sul¬ 
phuric acid, which unites with lime, and 
becomes sulphate of lime, or what is com¬ 
monly known as land plaster or gypsum. 
When it has been exposed long enough to 
the action, of the air to assume this form it, 
will be valuable. Gas house lime should be 
composted or mixed with the soil, because it 
contains considerable ammonia, which the 
soil or compost will absorb. 
If, however, you desire to crop your land 
immediately, you should apply air slaked 
lime to it—say 100 to 300 bushels per acre— 
and mix it thoroughly with the soil. 
ursentair 
NOTES FOR HORSEMEN 
How to Subdue on Unmanageable Horse. 
—The Turf, Field and Farm says:—A gentle¬ 
man out West recently purchased a high- 
spirited horse t hat had never been shod. On 
the smith attempting to shoe him lie resisted 
all efforts, kicked aside every thing and near¬ 
ly crippled himself ugainst the anvil, when 
ho was finally returned to his stable unshod. 
In despair his owner was about consigning 
him to the plow, when an officer, who had 
fought in the Mexican war, took a cord about 
t he size of a common bedcord, put it in the 
mouth of the horse like a bit, and tied it 
tightly on the animal’s head, passing his left 
ear under the string, not painfully tight, but 
tight enough to keep the ear down and the 
cord in its place. This done, he patted the 
horse gently on the side of the head and 
commanded him to follow, and instantly t he 
horse obeyed, perfectly' subdued and as gen¬ 
tle and obedient as a well-trained dog ; suf¬ 
fering his feet to lie lifted with entire impu¬ 
nity, acting in all respects like an old stager. 
The officer states that this was a means re¬ 
sorted to in Mexico and South America for 
subduing wild horses. The plan is as ingen¬ 
ious as it is simple, and well worth the atten¬ 
tion of those who have unmanageable horses. 
Contracted Feet in Horses .— Wm. Horne, 
V. 8., says, in the. Western Farmer that the 
following will cure contracted feet in an old 
horse Have the hoof pared close ; open 
the cleft, of the frog outwardly. Pare until 
ymu can sue the blood, then stop. This will, 
no doubt, make her more lame, but don’t be 
afraid; don’t let the blacksmith, or those 
same wiseacres scare you. I am giving you, 
not what I think or suppose, but what I 
know from experience, to be correct. When 
the hoofs arc paved down, let her hobble 
around as best she can upon the snow, bare¬ 
foot. Let her continue barefoot, and if you 
wish to use her by'-aud-by, when the roads 
permit, have a pair of toe tips, made from a 
pair of her old shoes, tacked ou to save the 
hoof from breaking. Make an ointment of 
mutton tallow one pound, gum turpentine 
one-fourth pound, spirits turpentine two 
fluid ounces. Mix over a slow fire and apply 
every day. 
Sowed Corn for Horses, —Capt. E. B. Beau¬ 
mont is informed that we luive fed sowed 
coin, fresh cut, to horses, but have never 
used it after it is cured for winter forage. 
He asks if it makes good winter forage for 
horses, and what growth should be allowed 
before cutting—how it should be stacked, 
there being no means of putting it under 
roof. Also, Low the ground should he pre¬ 
pared f He writes us from Texas, We shall 
be glad if any of our readers, who have had 
experience in the use of sowed corn for win¬ 
ter forage, will give it for his benefit. 
series of years, during which, 
blight in its other forms may occur, but there 
will not be a wholesale destruction us during 
the prevalence of epidemic blight. Every 
observation tends to the conclusion that fire 
blight is caused by zymotic fungus, whose 
presence is not detected until life is destroy ed 
in the affected parts. This fonn of fere a 
wide field for the investigation of microscop- 
ists, and from their future labors, we hope to 
arrive one day' at the origin of this fungoid 
growth. We are unable to arrive at a satis¬ 
factory conclusion, as to what peculiarities 
of soil and temperature induce the favorable 
conditions for the development of this 
fungoid vegetation. 
In the Experimental gardens of the De¬ 
partment of Agriculture at Wusbmglon, the 
following mixture is prepared : Place a half- 
busliel of lime and six pounds of sulphur in a 
Sample ok Brands— (See page :’«].) 
an annual top-dressing of manure usually 
escape the contagion. 
The third form of blight caused by mechan¬ 
ical action is seldom found in orchards where 
the soil is left undisturbed, but is so common 
in gardens or where the trees are thoroughly 
worked, that it has become only a question 
of time for the entire destruction of one’s 
orchard. 
In the Southern States this form of blight 
is the most destructive, as it has become 
endemic to all highly cultivated soils. Wlier- 
summer. Since this preparation was used, 
no trees thus treated have been lost, although 
small limbs not coated with the mixture 
were attacked and destroyed. Carbolic acid 
has also been used without any perceptible 
difference in the result from the lime and 
sulphur mixture. Boiled linseed oil, applied 
to the trunk and limbs has been tried near 
Norfolk, Va., with marvelous cures, as re¬ 
ported. We mention this instance of the 
use of an extraordinary ingredient resulting 
in good effects as contrary to what is usually' 
the result when using this application upon 
the body of trees, its effects being to seriously 
injure the tree if it does not destroy it. 
Still another form of blight is doubtless 
caused by' mechanical action, by the rupture 
of tissues consequent to a sudden super¬ 
abundant flow of sap. This attacks only our 
most thrifty-growing trees, either in early 
spring, when vegetation first becomes active, 
or after a period of drouth and partial stag¬ 
nation of vegetation, when abundant rains 
suddenly force out a luxuriant growth ; 
moderately' vigorous trees are never attacked. 
JosiAH Hoopes, f committee. 
[This will answer some questions asked us 
u this subject.—E ds. Rural New Yorker.] 
