MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
SEPT, H 
DAILY EUBAL LIFE 
Prom the Diary of a Centleman near New 
York City. 
THE HICKORY SCALYTUS. 
One of the largest White-Heart hickories 
(Carya tomentona) in nap grounds has not 
looked healthy for the past year or two—the 
leaven were quite small and of a yellow, rusty 
color. A careful examination of the stem 
near the ground revealed no signs of Injury ; 
but it became quite evident that the tree was 
dying, consequently I ordered it cut down 
for firewood. When felled 1 soon discovered 
the cause of its sickly appearance, for from 
within about ten feet of the base to the top¬ 
most branches the hark was perforated with 
holes made by the Hickory Scolytus—a small, 
black, cylindrical beetle with dark-brown 
elytra, varying in length from one-eighth to 
nearly a quarter of an inch. 
This very destructive insect is supposed to 
be the ScolytuH 4-epinosus of Hay. 1 use the 
term “supposed to be,'" inasmuch as Micro 
has been some doubts in regard to the iden¬ 
tification of this species. Although Mr. Say 
w r as a most excellent entomologist, still many 
of his descriptions are somewhat vague and 
lack that minuteness or clearness which 
would enable one to readily recognize a spe¬ 
cies when found. After Mr. Bay’k death bis 
cabinet was entirely destroyed and with it, 
of course, all the types of the different spe 
cies which he described, hence the entomolo¬ 
gists who follow him have only his writings 
to guide them in identification of any one of 
the many hundreds which he named and 
appended full or partial descriptions. 
frof. Chas. V. Rjlky, in his Fifth Annual 
Report, gives a very minute and careful de¬ 
scription of this same Hickory .Scolytus or 
a closely allied species, which is very destruc¬ 
tive to the hickory in the Western States, 
Of course no one but the scientists is partic¬ 
ularly interested lu having the question set¬ 
tled whether Prof. Riley’s Scolytus cur pa¬ 
in the same as Hat's S. 4-spinosus, but it is 
well for the owners of hickory trees to know 
that such pests are about and quite numer¬ 
ous ; but in passing I must give Prof. Kilby 
the credit of giving us a full description of 
his S. car pa in all its different stages and 
also both sexes, while Mr. Bay only described 
the male, to which the name 4 spinosus is 
appropriate, as it lias four spines on the hind 
part of the body or venter, while the female 
is destitute of this uppendage. 
IHOW THIS BEETLE WORKS ON HICKORIES. 
Both sexes are supposed to attack hickory 
trees, boring small, round holes through the 
bark. The female then excavates a shallow, 
perpendicular burrow about an inch long in 
the soft, inside bark, although in some in¬ 
stances the burrow will be about half its 
diameter or more in the sapwood. After 
excavating this burrow she lays her eggs in 
a row and near together along both sides. 
The young lftrv® or grubs, as soon ns hutched, 
commence feeding upon the alburnous mat¬ 
ter uuaer the bark, making minute burrows 
at right angles from the old one made by the 
parent beetle. As the young grubs become 
large they commence to diverge from the 
course at first taken, about one half of the 
number going in one direction and the other 
the opposite. Now, it can be readily seen 
that these grubs in their feeding crossways 
of the grain or aroiuid the tree cut off the 
sap vessels aud when very abundant soon 
check or greatly interfere with the deposi¬ 
tion of new layers of wood. 
In stripping the bark from the tree re¬ 
ferred to above, 1 found hundreds of the fe¬ 
males but very few males. Some of the 
former were accompanied by males and the 
depositing of eggs not yet commenced, while 
in other burrows the j'oung grubs were al¬ 
ready at work, having advanced an inch or 
more from the parent burrow, the mother 
beetle still remaining within, standing guard 
as it were, over her destructive progeny. 
NATURAl ENEMIES AND REMEDIES. 
Two parasites have been described which 
attack tliis pest, and it is also doubtless 
preyed upon by some of our smaller insect- 
eating birds, but thus far they have done 
little towards checking its ravages in locali¬ 
ties where now most abundant. Applica¬ 
tions to the bark of the tree, to prevent the 
beetles boring iuto it, is of course out of the 
question because, as I have said, its point of 
attack is usually high up on the stem aud, in 
fact, it does not spare the large or small 
branches of the tallest trees. This is a se¬ 
rious intruder upon our hickory forests and 
plantations, aud I learn that in Illinois some 
fine groves planted especially for timber have 
been already or nearly quite destroyed by 
Scolytus. Iutested trees should be cut down 
during August and September, and by strip¬ 
ping off the bark the grubs would be destroy- 
ei. 1 have killed a good many thousand in 
this manner to-daj', but there are doubtless 
enough left to keep up a supply in other trees 
near by, which do not, as yet, show arty Bigns 
of injury from this pest. 
HEADING-OFF RURAL ADVERTISERS. 
Of course I do not refer to those who ad¬ 
vertise in the Rural New-Yorker, but to 
the miscreants who deface and mar the beau- 
tiful scenery along our rivers and railroads 
by “daubing’’ the rocks, trees and fences 
with names of vile compounds. They defy 
all the laws enacted by Legislatures as well 
as those of common decency in their smear¬ 
ing of old board fences, outbuildings, as well 
as natural objects which otherwise would be 
worthy of admiration. One of my neighbors 
who, having borne the insolence of the 
“daubing fraternity” about os long as he 
thought it necessary, and finding protests of 
no avail, concluded to try his hand at the 
same business. Providing himself with a 
suitable brush and paint he appended a word 
or two to each and every advertisement 
painted upon any object about his premises. 
We now read :—“ Take the Golden Bitters 
and Din;” “Jones’ Cholera Drops arc Sure 
J)ealh; y> “Canterbury Liniment is a Poi¬ 
son "—and so on to the end of the chapter. 
If this plan was well followed, it is quite 
likely that men who have an article to sell 
would confine themselves to proper channels 
for letting the world know It instead of mak¬ 
ing the most beautiful scenery in the world 
odious in proclaiming their wares in daubs of 
various-colored paints. Another good plan 
to stop this indecent method of advertising 
is for the people to refu-e to purchase an arti¬ 
cle. offered in this mauner. 
TEN-LINERS ON TOMATOES. 
A tig. 2?>, —The second brood of the Colorado 
Potato beet le has appeared and a thousand 
times more numerous than the first, owing 
to the neglect of my neighbors to destroy 
the first. The general idea seems to prevail 
in my neighborhood that this pest will be¬ 
come so numerous next year that potato cul¬ 
ture had better b<* abandoned altogether, 
hence it is useless to attempt to destroy it. 
There are many acres of late potatoes in 
farms adjoining my own, which are literally 
alive with grubs and full-grown beetles, and 
the owners are doing notning towards their 
destruction, hence one can readily imagine 
how tilings will be in this line another year. 
In my own grounds 1 have fought the pests 
inch by inch with Paris green and various 
other poisons, and the results are neither 
early nor late sorts of potatoes arc injured to 
any considerable extent. But within the 
past few days the grubs have appeared upon 
my tomato plants, and this I consider the 
“unkindest cut of all,” for it will not do to 
“ pepper” our tomatoes with Paris green or 
other similar poisons, 11. must be hand-gath¬ 
ering or nothing with such plants, and this 
shows what we may expect if the ten-liners 
are permitted to go unchecked. 
If we stop growing potatoes they will feed 
upon hundreds of other kinds of wild and 
cultivated plants, for it has long been known 
that this Colorado potato beetle only attacks 
the potato through preference and not be¬ 
cause it cannot thrive and multiply on scores 
of otliers. Our fields, forests and gardens 
furnish abundant food plants for this insect, 
and all talk, about starving it cut is sheer 
nonsense, as many a farmer will doubtless 
find out to his sorrow. Tomatoes, potatoes, 
tobacco, egg plant and petunias appear to be 
its most natural food among our cultivated 
plants ; but it will take to the cabbage, tur¬ 
nips and others when forced by hunger. 
With all kinds of plants the fruit or leaves of 
which are consumed as food, the application 
of Paris green or other poisons would of 
course be a dangerous operation, consequent¬ 
ly it is best to plant potatoes and then kill all 
the beetles or grubs found upon the tops be¬ 
cause this can be done with safety, the tubers 
not being in the least danger of becoming 
poisoned. 
--- 
Curculio Remedy.— The Horticulturist 
says Prof. S. B. Heigos, President of the 
Pennsylvaina Fruit Growers’ Society, in his 
late address before that association, stated 
that for two years past he had no difficulty 
in saving his entire crop of plums from the 
ravages of curculio. His remedy was sim¬ 
ple, but had, nevertheless, proved effectual. 
It consisted in preparing a solution of old, 
putrid whale-oil soap, aud syringing his 
trees effectually with the preparation, so as 
to coat every leaf if possible. This was ap¬ 
plied frequently and always after a shower 
of rain, commencing when the petals were 
falling from the blossoms, and ending only 
when the fruit arrived at the ripening sea¬ 
son, 
CURRANTS AND GOOSEBERRIES. 
The Vermont Watchman and State Journ¬ 
al says :—Wc have just picked and marketed 
(August 0) the lost of about thirty bushels of 
currants, grown on about five hundred 
bushes, and sold at to £1 a bushel—a 
very comfortable addition to our income 
from laud otherwise unavailable, the b lshes 
being set in n young orchard where there is 
too much shade for any other crop except 
gooseberries, of which we raise about the 
same quantity. 
Now, If it wero not for the currant worm, 
about which there is so much scolding, we 
could not sell a bushel a }*ear of either cur 
rants or gooseberries, because many of our 
customers would raise them for themselves 
and the rest (the lazy ones) would get a gru 
tuitous supply from “the neighbors.” Yet 
we are every year telling people how to pi-e- 
vent the ravages of this worm and every 
year burning up a surplus stock of young 
currant and gooseberry bushes from our nur¬ 
sery, that people will not buy because of the 
“ worms.” It costs us loss than a quarter of 
a cent a bush to utterly destroy these pests, 
hut yet we cannot get people to follow our 
directions, and consequently we have to raise 
their currants for them. The trouble with 
most people who try to kill the currant 
worm with the hellebore powder is, that they 
will never think of it until they see the 
worms, au inch long, all over the hushes. 
Now, it only takes these vermin about half a 
day, when they reach this size, to entirely 
strip the bushes of leaves and destroy the 
crop for that year, besides weakening them 
so much that they will bear but little the 
next neason. To be effective, the powder 
must be applied whm the bushes arc hi blos¬ 
som. You cannot see any worms then, un¬ 
less you search the leaves near the ground 
very carefully, and this early application ut¬ 
terly destroys them before they have done 
any harm. A second application, is occasion¬ 
ally necessary to kill a second brood of 
worms. 
There are a number of improved varieties 
of currants, not very generally known, but 
much superior to the common sort. Among 
these the largest are the Versailles, or Cherry 
currant, and the Red Dutch. In good soil, 
kept clear of grass and weeds, either of these 
1 varieties will give berries three-eighths of an 
inch in diameter. Of white currants, the 
White Grape and White Dutch are the larg¬ 
est and best. But in productiveness these 
are all surpassed by a variety called the Red 
I’rovence, or Red Gondoin, a French sort 
with a very rank growth, producing bushes 
of great size and astonishing productive¬ 
ness. Sixteen bushes of this variety bore, 
this season, four and a half bushels, or more 
than a peck to a bush, while the average 
product of all our bushes was less than two 
quarts. In quality and size this variety does 
not equal the other kinds named, yet they 
are not so inferior as to attract notice; in¬ 
deed, they are called remarkably nice, and 
they certainly exceed the others in the length 
of the bunches, many of which have up¬ 
wards of twenty berries upon each. It has 
also the advantage of being late, ripening 
about ten days alter the others. This pecu¬ 
liarity is shared by a variety named May’s 
Victoria, but the latter is a veiy poor bearer 
and grower on our land. The improved 
American gooseberries are a valuable fruit, 
both for pies and for eating from the bush 
when ripe. There are five varieties of these 
in cultivation, as follows : 
Downing's Seedling.— A large, round ber¬ 
ry, green in color when ripe, aud the best for 
eating uncooked. This variety is, we think, 
a hybrid with the English species, and like 
that, subject to mildew, though not so badly. 
Smith's Seedling. — Originated by Dr. 
Smith of Hanover, New Hampshire, from a 
seed of the Houghton. Described as large 
Rnd fine, but in our garden a very poor grow¬ 
er and bearer. 
Mountain Seedling. —Originated with the 
Shakers. A very large variety, and sells the 
best, green or ripe. Shape, oval; color when 
ripe, dark red. Bush, a strong, upright 
grower; qualitj- of fruit when ripe, nearly 
as good as Downing. 
A merican Seedling. —A low, spreading 
sort, very productive ; color red when ripe. 
Houghton's Seedling. — Similar to the 
American, and even more productive. 
- *-*-4 - 
PREVENTING DECAY IN RARE FRUITS. 
It is often a source of vexation with those 
who may have retained extraordinary speci¬ 
mens of fruit for exhibition to friends, or at 
horticultural gatherings, that decay attacks 
their specimens which sometimes are entirely 
gone before they can be brought under no¬ 
tice. An English journal says : 
It has been fouud that by cleaning out the 
place affected and removing all the dirt and 
disorganized and bruised matter, and filling 
up the cavity with plaster of Paris, further 
decay may be arrested and the fruit become 
fully ripe. A little space may be worked out 
from under the edges of the skin, so that 
when the plaster is pressed inward it will 
keep its place. The. exclusion of the air con¬ 
sequent upon this application is all that is 
necessary to prevent the progress of decay. 
This would, of course, be inexpedient in 
many cases, but when large and Valuable ap¬ 
ples and pears are involved, the trouble will 
be but trifling in comparison with the result 
accomplished. 
P0M0L0GICAL NOTES. 
Ripening Fruit, at. Will, — A correspond¬ 
ent of the London Gazette mentions a vine 
on a portion of whose branches grapes were 
ripened by conducting them into a heated 
room, while otherpartsof the vine bore unripe 
fruit. This shows that the ripening of fruit 
is in part dependent on the temperature of 
the top of the tree or vine as well as of the 
root. Many have doubtless noticed t he same 
fact nearer home in grape vines whose hang¬ 
ing clusters over kitchen doors or windows 
will ripen several days earlier than on other 
portions of the same vine. We have ob¬ 
served this often, and it suggests a possible 
means of ripening early peaches, apples, 
grapes, or other fruit by inclosing the speci¬ 
mens, while hanging on the tree or vine, in a 
glass case, admitting light aud heat freely 
aud excluding cold air, especially _in the 
night. Such an experiment is well worth 
trying. A common glass bee box to admit 
the fruit will answer for the purpose. 
Fruit (ironing and Fruit Drying .—“The 
West will not dry much fruit tliis season. In 
fact, we shall not produce enough ripe fruit 
of any variety to supply the legitimate de¬ 
mand. Of strawberries wo had a fuirsup 
ply, nothing more ; all other fruits hove been 
and will be scarce. No, we must except 
grapes; there will be plunty of Concords at 
least, if no disaster shall yet overtake them. 
We must depend upon our Eastern growers 
for much of our fruit. We reckon there are 
plenty of apples East, and to spare.” Bo 
says the Chicago Times. Our observation Ls 
that there is a general scarcity of apples, 
pears, and other fruits, both East and West, 
excepting peaches and, in some sections, 
grapes. These will be the fruits in best sup¬ 
ply, and t hey cannot hold the market very 
late in the season. After that we may look 
for a scarcity. 
©he ®meprd. 
BLACK-ROT AMONG GRAPES. 
Black- hot iu grapes is one of the diseases 
of which we know little beyond the fact of 
its appeal anee and disastrous results. Like 
the pear blight, apple tree blight und black- 
rot in apples, it is one of those microscopic 
fungoid diseases which appear and disappear, 
leaving us no wiser in regard to causes or 
cure. We have known the olack-rot iu grapes 
to be very destructive in dry seasons, espec¬ 
ially during cool, then again in hot, moist 
weather, as in the present summer, when 
few varieties have escaped. 
The vines during the prevalence of this dis¬ 
ease, do not appear to be affected in the 
least, the growth may be vigorous and the 
leaves large and healthy, whne every grape 
on the bunches become black and fall off. 
The fruit on young vines is as likely to be 
affected as those on old—in fact, our eldest 
Concords, planted some thirteen years ago, 
are well loaded with healthy fruit, while 
that on younger vines has nearly ali disap¬ 
peared. Rogers’ Hybrids are a total failure 
this season, the black-rot making a clean 
sweep of the different varieties. Martha is 
not affected, neither is the Clinton nor Delaj 
ware, although all stand in close proximity 
to others which have rotted badly. 
Sulphur is frequently recommended as a 
preventive against this disease, and we have 
seen it tried with apparently good effect. 
But the price at which the best varieties of 
grapes have sold during the past few years 
is rather a strong argument against spending 
much time, in attempting to ward off disease. 
Tne vineyardist, however, runs no greater 
risk in raising grapes tfian the orchardist 
with his pears, apples and other larger kinds 
of fruits, for all are liable to fail occasionally 
and when everybody has an abundant crop 
prices are certain to run low, 
