238 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
OST. g 
«§Mi[tr cf a pluralist. 
DAILY RURAL LIFE. 
From the Diary of a Centleman near New 
York City. 
PROTECTION FOR PFACH TREES. 
Sept. 20.—Years ago, when Northern New 
Jersey was a “ new country,” peaches were 
one of ita staple crops. But as the woods 
were cut away, the land exhausted of its 
fertility and the insect - eating birds killed 
off, the peach crop decined, and now we 
hear no more of this fruit being cultivated 
for profit. An occasional tree, however, is 
seen in a garden, or growing in some neg¬ 
lected fence corner or hedge row, where a 
seed has been accidentally dropped, showing 
that under proper conditions this fruit will 
succeed here as well as It did years ago. The 
three conditions mainly required appear to 
be—protection from the peach tree borer, 
protection from cold winds, and a soil rich 
in potash. The first is readily given by keep¬ 
ing the base of the stems, in summer, wrap¬ 
ped in tar paper or old sacks smeared with 
coal tar. These wrappings should reach 
from an inch below the surface of the soil to 
a foot or more above. This will prevent the 
parent moth of the peach tree borer deposit¬ 
ing her eggs on the soft bark near the base 
of the stem, which she almost invariably se¬ 
lects for a nidus. 
Protection from co’d winds may be se¬ 
cured with the aid of evergreen tree* more 
cheaply than by any other moans known to 
me. But a man must not expect to plant 
the evergreens at the same time ho does 
peach trees, and have them protect the lat¬ 
ter. It usually requires a “ long look ahead ” 
for a farmer or fruit grower to make things 
all conic out right, in the end. When a man 
finds that certain kinds of fruits begin to 
fail as the country grows older, he should 
endeavor to restore former conditions as 
near as may be under the changed circum¬ 
stances. If the winds sweep too severely 
over his farm, on account of the disappear¬ 
ance of the original forests, it is very easy to 
restore them in part by planting belts and 
groups, and generally a low evergreen trees 
will afford as much shelter as a large forest 
of deciduous kinds. Orchards in such situa¬ 
tions, should not only be surrounded by ever¬ 
greens, but it would a'so bo well to inter 
mingle the same among the trees over the 
entire extent of land thus occupied with 
fruit trees. 
The warmth given off by evergreen trees 
in whiter is considerable, to say nothing of 
their protecting influeiieos against cold winds. 
Of course, a man cannot cover ids farm with 
forests and cultivate oilier farm crops, still, 
if he can plant one-fifth with trees, aud ob¬ 
tain as much from the remainder as he 
formerly did from the whole, there is cer¬ 
tainly something to be gamed by the operar ' 
tion. I bel'eve the time has oomc, in many ' 
localities, where the original forests have * 
been destroyed, that a re-plan ting at the < 
rate of one acre out of e very five would re- 1 
suit in an Increase of productiveness in tho ' 
remaining four-fifths, to more than balance 
the loss of that withdrawn from cultivation. 1 
This, of course, is only applicable to prairie 
regions, or where the forests have been de- a 
stroyed. ® 
Bat to return to pencil culture in my own ; 
neighborhood, and further northward, where * 
this fruit was once a great success, but now P 
almost abandoned. In my own ground I v 
have found that a temperature of 20° below t 
zero did not injure the fruit buds cr poach ^ 
trees protected from cold winds, while they " 
are frequently destroyed by a temperature 
not far. if any. below zero, if exposed. 
Peach trees, nke the raspberries, will also ^ 
do well when partially shaded in summer, . 
and, in localities where they are usually ten- s 
der, it is au excellent plan to plant them 
among trees of larger growth, even in the ,D 
edges of forests, only being careful to give al 
the roots a fair chance to extend, and not be v< 
crowded by those of other trees. I have 
gathered this season ns handsome peaches 11 
as one wou d wish to have from a three year v ‘ 
old seedling tree that is almost completely 
shut out from the sunlight by large oaks aud 1,1 
chestnuts, in fact, I have been somewhat ea 
surprised myself, at the health, vigor and ,u 
productiveness of trees under what would tr 
generally be termed unfavorable conditions. 
But the virgin soil and protection from cold 
winds " is what did it,” 
brs than the “ ten-liners.” What are they? below the ground to a foot or two above 
—J. A. I*CUBES, Allegany Co., N. Y. with coarse brown paper, bass bark, or old 
Sept. 21.—Th r re appears to be a grand pre- sacks of any kind, after which smearing the 
concerted move at co operation among the outside with coal tar will prevent the depre¬ 
insects this year, to send up the price of po- dations of such vermin. During the rainy 
tatoes by lessening the yield. I do not. know days of autumn these wrapping materials 
as the "Patrons ” have bad any hand in this may be prepared without much loss of tune 
or not, but one thing is pretty certain, and from other work. There are probably very 
that is, the chance for a crop next year will few farmers who do not know how to pro¬ 
be very slim, if all the ]tests which have as- tect their Trees from mice, still thousands 
sailed it this year pass safely through the will mourn their losses next spring and won- 
eoruing winter. The three beetles which you der why th**y did not apply a preventive and 
sent inclosed alive, in a wooden tube, had thereby avoid the necessity of seeking a 
played the game of the "Kilkenny Cats,” remedy, 
by devouring each other, although there 
was enough left to identify the species, and 77 , , ~ ~~ “ ” 
it is the common oil beetle, or Mtloe angus- Aril'll I flit ttttfl Wit? (VlllT 
tioollis of Say. This insect, belongs to age- (TrLtUUlJUj (lUM- 
nus closely allied to the Cantharidee, or Blis- ____ 
ter Beetles, which are frequently very nuruer- ___~~ 7 " 
ous and destructive to the potato. It has PRINCIPLES OF FERTILIZATION. 
tog b een known that the Mdoc* would eat Fbom Pro , GocsM ^ 7 , eotun . ted 
leave, of the potato but I never before heard Seleatldc Farmer. 
and Useful 
PRINCIPLES 
FERTILIZATION. 
ONE MORE POTATO BEETLE.: 
Daily Rural Life. — I found the enclosed 
"bugs,” and more of the same sort feeding 
upon my potato vines. Apparently, they are 
doing more damage in proportion to naiu* 
to of their being so abundant anywhere as to 
r, do a-y considerable damage, 
ch Our entomologists have described fourteen 
p- species of Mtfoc an native of various parts of 
p- the United States, and it is to be presumed 
tlj that there are others undiscovered. They 
;h are principally of a dark indigo blue, or 
to black color, with large, soft, abdomens, wing 
ie covers thin and somewhat abbreviated, 
it- scarcely covering the body. Tho neck, or 
Be thorax, is narro w, eyes and head large, hence 
e- one of the common names of the species you 
send "narrow necked oil beetle.” The an- 
e- tenure of the male are curiously knotted or 
re twisted m the middle. This species varies 
to in length, from five eighths to an inch, scl- 
it, dom longer. Some of t he Southern and VVest- 
is era species are considerably larger. There 
t- is not much danger of any species of Mdoe 
” becoming so numerous as to do much darn- 
;s age to plants of any kind. 
n PKOTECTI.HQ HAtf-HARDT PLANTS. 
j Sept. 23.—Much as we might wish to avoid 
^ the trouble of protecting half-hardy plants, 
still, it is usually much better than running 
r the risk of losing choice things by cold dur¬ 
ing the winter. There are hundreds of kinds 
of shrubs and herbaceous plants which are 
.j quite hardy, seldom being killed outright, 
s but oflen injured, moro or less, if not pro- 
, tec ted. 
For all herbaceous plants, a liberal appli- 
, catiou of coarse straw manure from the 
barn-yard, is usually sufficient protection 
i against cold, but with teuder vines and 
, shrubs, something more is needed beyond 
the mere covering the roots an extra depth 
i in autumn. With the trailing or climbing 
k plants, such aa honeysuckles and clematis, I 
have found no better plan than to take down 
from the trellis or stakes at the approach of 
cold weather, and coil them in a heap over 
the roots, and then cover with a little coarse 
manure or soil Tin's should not bo done too 
early, for if warm weather follows there is 
danger of heating and decay, But almost 
every person knows at about what time the 
ground is likely to freeze, consequently, they 
can usually guess within a few days of when 
this last chance is likely to occur. It is well 
to throw the plants down early, and then by 
having them in position, tho covering can be 
done very rapidly. 
For protecting low-growing evergreens 
and deciduous shrubs, including roses, which < 
are planted in masses or single, stakes may J 
be driven in the ground about them be- i 
fore it freezes, and then straw or coarse hay, i 
put in about and over the plants after cold i 
weather sets in. Evergreens, and especially < 
the broad-leaved kinds, like Hollies aud < 
Rhododendrons, are very likely to suffer in 1 
winter for lack of moisture, if the leaves are i 
tightly "done up ” in straw, as is frequently f 
practiced among eity gar deners, consequent- i 
ly, it is a much better plan to put up stakes, I 
and crowd in straw or hay amoug their t 
stems and brauohcs. j: 
Tho principal object in giving protection l 
in winter, is to ward off the cold wind, and E 
afford shade, which, in a gieat measure, pre- ^ 
vents sudden changes of temperature, fol- c 
lowed by rapid evaporation of the mob tore s 
from the leaves. Climbing roses, grape ^ 
vines and similar coarse growing woody c 
plauts may be bent down and merely held c 
in posit ion by a stone or lightly covered with c 
earth. In localities where deep snows fall 
iu winter meiely placiug such plauts pros- *•' 
trale on the ;ur.ace, is sufficient protection, ° 
but in cold and dry regions, like some locali- 
ties on the Western plains, covering in addi- 01 
tion to laying down is necessary. st 
PROTECTION AOAINST MICE. 
Qrchai'dists who have their trees girdled 
by mice in winter should uot forget that the 
same thing may be done again. Wrapping 
the stems of the trees from an inch or two 
A new era may be dated from the time of 
tho introduction of commercial manures. 
The farmer finds himself less restricted than 
formerly, he is more at liberty to choose ids 
crops with reference to his markets, thus 
tending to make his own business more re¬ 
munerative. Their importance can not be 
overestimated as long aa farmers allow so 
large a proportion of home fertilizers to 
waste, aud as long as the sewage question of 
the cities remains unsolved. 
Although we recommend the use of com¬ 
mercial fertilizers, yet it is only to make up 
for past losses and present wants. Our sys¬ 
tem of rotation aud management, in general 
farming, ought to bo so arranged as to pro¬ 
duce ou the farm manures required by the 
crops taken off for pecuniary reasons. In 
farming for special industrial purposes alone, 
will the-c fertilizers attain more and more 
prominence on account of their specific influ¬ 
ence upon the development of those constit¬ 
uents in tho plant which give to certain 
crops a peculiar commercial value, ns t. g., 
liberal supplies of potash increaso the 
amouut of starch in the potato, and sugar iu 
the beet, and produce a superior fiber in flax. 
Barn-yard manure is quite deservedly the 
main fertilizer in ordinary farm operations, 
yot its special value results more in its ben¬ 
eficial influence upon the physical than upon 
the chemical condition of the soil 
Analysis of ordinary barn-yard manure 
(1,000 pounds) : 
1Water. Nltro- 
Pot- 
Pbos, 
gen. 
ash. 
Acid. 
Fresh.. 
...I 710 
4 5 
6.2 
| 2.1 
Half rotted 
... 7.MI 
5.0 
6.3 
2.6 
Much rotted. 
. . 79d 
6.8 
5.0 
3.0 
Being informed concerning the require¬ 
ment of a complete manure, we know that 
barn-yard manure can rarely claim that 
title. Its composition depends mainly on the 
kind of food consumed, and on the nature of 
the substance used for the absortion of the 
liquid excretions; its first cost depends up¬ 
on the price of the farm produce turned to 
account for its production. The concentra¬ 
ted commercial fertilizers furnish an excel¬ 
lent means of correcting the composition of 
barn-yard manure produced Iu any system 
of farming, aud thus making a complete fer¬ 
tilizer for the crops under cultivation. Tho 
kind of fertilizer a farmer ought to buy is 
best learned from the composition of the 
articles he sells; he ought, therefore, to 
make himself acquainted with their char¬ 
acter. T here is no safer guide than the chem¬ 
ical analysis of the crops produced, of decid¬ 
ing the question of restoring to the soil what 
the crops have removed therefrom. It is 
quite customary, upon the best farms in 
Europe, to keep a book account of the 
movements of the plant food abstracted 
from the lands under cultivation. The 
intelligent farm manager considers ready 
plant fix'd the capital he has to put on in¬ 
terest ; on its fair return depends his 
pecuniary success. The large crops frequent¬ 
ly obtained in Europe, where artificial ma 
nures are largely used, best illustrate the 
benefits resulting from the practice. In the 
cultivation of grain crops, manured exclu¬ 
sively from the barn-yard, the yield of grain 
first declines, and then the straw ; and in 
case ol' high manuring the yield of straw in¬ 
creases and grain decreases, until the whole 
crop fails. The wheat crop first showed 
these features, aud the other cereals are 
tending in the same direction. Examination 
of the seeds of grain plants reveals the fact 
that these seeds contain a large proportion 
of phosphoric acid, as compared with the 
straw: 
Parts of Phos- 
ptiorlc Acid. 
Wheat, craln. 0.S2 
Wheai, straw. 0 23 
Indian corn, g ain. 0 55 
Indian corn, stalk and leaves. 0.38 
When the grain is sold, from two-thirds to 
» l four-fifths of the phosphoric acid abstracted 
from the soil is lost for the next crop, and so 
on year after year. Considering, also, that 
this loss is but slowly made good by natural 
agencies, the final result cannot be "doubtful. 
The general condition of farm lands, regard¬ 
ing their present reduced store of active 
phosphoric acid, alone accounts for the rapid 
and universal endorsement of phosphatic 
fertilizers ; for it is contrary to the teachings 
of exact experimental inquiry to ascribe to 
phosphoric acid a part icular virtue over any 
other essential clement of plant food. Not 
only are potash, phosphoric acid, nitrogen, 
lime, etc., essential, but, according to trust^ 
worthy experiments, they are of equal im¬ 
portance ; which means that in case one is 
wanting, as a general rule, tho rest cannot 
act. 
-- 
USES OF MINERAL MANURES. 
"The day has long passed when it was 
disputed whether saline bodies are promo¬ 
tive of vegetable growth. It is now determ¬ 
ined that some plants will not even live 
without the means of procuring certain salts. 
Borage, the Nettle, and Parietaria will not 
exist except where nitrate of potash is in 
the soil; Turnips, Clover, and some other 
plants, will not succeed where there Is no 
sulphate of lima. These ore facts that have 
silenced disputation. Still there, are found 
person* who maintain that salts are not es¬ 
sentia! parts cf a plant’s structure ; they as¬ 
sert that such bodies are beneficial to a plant 
by absorbing moisture to the vicinity of its 
roots, or by improving the staple of the soil, 
or by some other secondary mode. This, 
however, is refuted by tho fa t that salts 
enter as intimately into the constitution of 
plants a* do phosphate of lime into that of 
bones and carbonate of lime into that of egg¬ 
shells. They are part of their very fabric, 
universally present, remaining after the 
longest washing, and to be found in tho ashes 
of all and any of their parts when subjected 
to incineration. Thus Saussure observes that 
the phosphate of lime is universally present 
in plants.— (Sur la VegH, o, a, s. 4 .) The 
sap of all trees contains acetate of potash. 
Beet-root contains malato and oxalate of 
potash, ammonia, and lime; Rhubarb, oxa¬ 
late of potash and lime ; Horseradish, sul¬ 
phur ; Asparagus, super-malates, chlorides, 
acetates, and phosphates of potash and lime; 
Potatoes, inuguo i„, citrates, and phosphates 
of potash-*. me; Jerusalem Artichoke, 
citra:.- .. ate, sulphate, chloride, and phos- 
cf potash ; Garlic, sulphate of potash, 
i agnesiu, and phosphate of lime; Gerani¬ 
ums, tartrate of litnc, phosphates of lime and 
magnesia ; Peas, phosphate of lime ; Kidney 
Beans, phosphate of lime and potash ; Oran¬ 
ge*, carbonate, sulphate, and muriate of pot¬ 
ash ; Apples and Pears, raalatc of potash ; 
Grapes, tartrate of lime ; Capsicum, citrate, 
muriate, and phosphate of potash ; Oak, car¬ 
bonate of potash ; and the Lilac, nitrate of I 
potash. Let no one fancy that the salts are 
a very trivial portion of the fabric of plants. 
In the Capsicum they constitute one-tenth of 
its fruit; of Carrot juice ono-hundredth ; of 
Rhubarb ono-eloventh ; of Potatoes one- 
twentieth ; whilst of the seed of the Lithos- 
perraum officinale they actually form more 
than one-half. Their constituents being as 
follows 
Carbonate of lime. 437 
Silica...jg 5 
Vegetable matter, phosphates of lime’io.. S3.8 
These amounts of earthy saline matters 
are nearly as much as exist in human bones; 
but if we turn to the marrow, it only con¬ 
tains one-twentieth of saline-matters; the 
blood only one-hundredth ; muscle only one- 
thirty-fourth ; yet no one will argue that 
these saline constituents, though smaller 
than those iu vegetables, are trivial and un¬ 
important.”— Johnson's Scientific and Prac¬ 
tice of Gardening. 
■- +-*-+ - 
SCIENTIFIC AND USEFUL NOTES. 
New Indication of Death.—A medical 
practitioner proposes, as a method to ascer 
tarn death, to inject a drop of auamouia be¬ 
neath the skin, when, if there be life, a red 
spot appears, but if death, no effect is pro¬ 
duced. 
Light ae a Mechanical Motor .—William 
Crookes, P. R. a., has recently performed 
several experiments with an apparatus called 
the " radiometer,” which prove that light, 
apart from heat, may be employed as a me- 
chauical motor-. 
A Paper Substitute for Leather .—An Aus¬ 
trian chemist subjects the so-ealled parch¬ 
ment paper to a process which renders it 
pliable aud supple, ana exactly similar to 
leather iu color aud g'osa. It may be used 
as a substitute for aud is especially appropri¬ 
ate for book-binding, as it resists wear, docs 
not soil, aud is impervious to wet. 
qJi 
