APflfi 29 
disturbed by the plow, and when the larva 
hateUes out, it makes tne grass roots its favor¬ 
ite lood. it is long-lived aud stroug-lived, 
and is, ttierefore, hard to destroy. 
Remedies. 
Numerous remedies have been suggested for 
this peat, a few of wilted we present to our 
readers, ni view of tUe mauy queries wo ure 
constantly receiving Concerning remedies or 
preventives lor tUe ravages ot me wire-worm. 
Prof. Cyrus i'nomas says that the starving 
process, he is satisUed, is the best piacucal 
metnod of ligutuig them except m small 
areas such us garden plots, where hunt¬ 
ing them out may sometimes be followed. 
If they are to be starved ihey must be de¬ 
prived ot food, and Ltns moans keeping the 
ground perfectly free ot vegetation, riunply 
allowing tue held to remain fallow one, or 
even two, years is not sufficient; one gear’s 
fallow with the ground kept wed and deeply 
stirred aud hoe ot Weeds and grass, will be 
more elfectual than Lvvice the time without 
this precaution. Strong lime plowed iu dry, 
in late Spring or early Summer, will probably 
prove advautageous, and assist hi driving 
these worms a way. A dry season is best for 
the starving process. 
For capturing tue wire worms ou a small 
scale, an elfectual remedy is to scatter pieces 
of cut potatoes iu the rows throughout the 
garden, aud the worms will collect upon them 
to leed, or gather beneath them. The pieces 
shuuid be examined every morning and the 
insects cuptured uud killed. Since this worm 
eats' into the seed alter it is planted, it may 
be found desirable to sunk Lhe seed in a solu¬ 
tion of copperas or saltpeter, and roll it in dry, 
air slaked Inue, or mix every pound of seed 
with halt a pound of sulphur and sow them 
together. Dust trom forges, couimou salt, 
ashes, lime aud plaster are also to be recom¬ 
mended, the ashes, charcoal dust aud the like 
to be tnoroughly mixed with the soil. There 
is, of course, more or less uncertainty about 
these latter remedies, aud the best advice we 
can give for tue protection of held crops i mm 
the lavages of this msect is the fallow system 
spoken ot above, aud tor garden crops, the 
potato-trap method, or hand digging. 
Cue Worms. 
The cut-worms are the larva of the Dart 
Moth 01 Agrotis, of which there are several 
species. Harris mentions the cabbage 
Cut-worm, the corn Cut-worm aud the 
caterpillars of the Winter dart moth, the 
Eagle-moth aud the Antler-uiotb, the lat¬ 
ter bemg strictly a European species. Riley 
speaks of the Large Black Cut-worm, the YV- 
marked Cut-worm, the Dale Cut-worm aud 
Cochran s Cut-worm, Tue last mentioned as¬ 
cends tue apple, pear aud grape uud eats oil 
the fruit buds. However, as to the common 
species of the cut-worm, a remedy that cun 
be sucessfuiiy used with one can also be ap¬ 
plied to another, and a consideration of geu- 
ei ai remedies is sutlicieut for our present pur¬ 
pose. 
Among remedies which have been tried 
with good success w e note the spnuklmg of 
uulaached wood ashes or air slaked lime close 
about the stems ot plants; or cover the grouud 
about the plants with fresh puie sawdust; 
wet the sawdust with gas-tar water diluted or 
with u strong decootian of tobacco, come 
protect their cabbage plants from cut-worms 
by wrapping a walnut or hickory leaf around 
the stem, before planting out, or paper may 
answer tue same purpose. Ou a small scale, 
asm a garden, no remedy is so sure ua dig 
ging up the •• grubs” w-ilti a stick and crush¬ 
ing tuem with tue foot. It is the only certain 
method of putting uu end to the trouble. 
YY uere cut-worms are abundant iu the Held, 
the iallowing remedy spoken of above under 
wire-worms is the surest. As a preventive 
from injury to iruic buds by the cut-worm 
which ascends trees, Mr. Cochran, after 
whom the iuseot wa-> named, gives the follow¬ 
ing: iuko a tin tube, six inches long, opened 
on one side, uud close it about the truuk of 
the tree, it must tit closely and enter the 
grouud an iueh or so. He prououuces this 
effectual. 
Eggs of Bruch lis Fabm, the Bean Weevil. 
Last October a quantity ot bush beans aud 
Lima beaus were guthered in my gurden and 
put in the garret for seed next Spring. Iu a 
few days wo were annoyed by the presence of 
numbers of the little beuu-wcevilstlying about 
iu the house. Oue of them alighted ou the 
back of iuy sou’s hand, and not being dis- 
tui bed, laid seme tiny white spots, then flew 
oil', i transferred these spots to the micro¬ 
scope, when they proved to be three perfect 
eggs, two of them bciug agglutinated together, 
side by side. They were white and smooth, 
of oval form, 4-5 rnui. in length and about half 
that in thickness. The eggs were exhibited at 
the January meeting of the N. J. State Mi¬ 
croscopical Society, but they had not kept 
their form well, haviug been for over two 
mouths mounted in balsam. I was very par¬ 
ticular to examine the beetles iu both kinds of 
beans. They were the same, although the bush 
beans were much the worse infested, as mauy 
as five beetles emerging in some iustauces 
from oue beau. I have at this writing num¬ 
bers of the beans containing the live beetles 
and larvae in different stages. 
Freehold, N. J. s. i>. 
tion, except in certain special soils composed 
largely of sand and peat, oue or both. These 
berries, like the chtstuuc, are seldom if ever 
found growing on calcareous sods,and it would 
be folly to piaut them there. The same is in 
some degree true of the low running black¬ 
berry of the sandy pine lauds ot New England. 
farm topics. 
SOME HORTICULTURAL AND OTHER 
NOTES AND NOTICES. 
B. F. JOHNSON. 
After a series of dry and hot Summers in 
the valley of the Mississippi noi th of Cairo, we 
appear to have entered upon a compensating 
series of moist, wet aud comparatively cool 
seasons, which will prove favorable to plan ting 
out orchards, shrubs and vines. For the two 
or three years previous to 1881, severe Summer 
droughts extended over greater or less areas 
aud last year they were nearly universal. 
During all these years, much of the horticul¬ 
tural work started came to nought, aud, all 
things considered, there is a greater call than 
for a long time for all kinds of nursery stock. 
Judgiug trom the experiences of the past, it is 
safe to assume that if there is not an excess of 
rainfall for this and the two or three Sum¬ 
mers coming, there is nothing to be uppre- 
hended from severe drought and little or 
nothing to be feared of a repetition of the 
enormous losses which followed planting in 
certaiu great sections in ’79 and ’80 and over the 
whole Western country in 1881. The published 
tables of Prof. Cyrus Thomas, the State Ento¬ 
mologist of liliuiois, show that these dry aud 
wet weather epochs appear with considerable 
regularity every seveu yeurs, that the destruc¬ 
tion of the cereals aud fruits from bisect depre¬ 
dators are synchronous with the dry seasons, 
that crops suffer from excessively wet weather 
in rainy seasons, and, finally, that the fruitful 
years are those which occupy a mean between 
the two. But for the soils of the Mississippi 
Valley there is rarely raiufall enough to in¬ 
jure young nursery stock for the first or 
second j ear after planting, and therefore if 
the Spring and Summer of 1882 should prove 
to be wet, it would be rather advantageous 
than otherwise. Let those, then, whose planta¬ 
tions have failed aud brought nothing but loss 
aud disappointment for three or four years* 
fear not to make another trial now, for it is 
certain as almost anything in the future, that 
two or three good seasons for horticultural 
planters arc before us. N ursery men ought to 
make themselves acquainted with these facts as 
to the procession of the seasons, and in so doing 
they would be able to advertise to the public 
the best epochs or periods for planting aud 
advise their patrons without leading them 
astray. 
I sometimes think we do not sufficiently 
respect the physiological aud other peculiari¬ 
ties of trees, shrubs uud vines, when we 
choose them for this, that or the other soil 
and situation. Just now there appears to be 
a boom got up for the benefit ot the native 
chestnut. It is claimed it will do well in 
almost any soil and section and that uo oue 
can go far wroug in planting it where trees 
are wanted for shade, shelter or ornaluenc. 
But the fact is, the chesnul of all our valuable 
forest trees is particular about the land it 
grows on. On the rich loams of the West 
most of which are underlaid by a compact 
aud calcareous olue clay, where the Burr Oak, 
the walnut, the Blue Ash, the Sugar Maple aud 
many other valuable timber trees do excep¬ 
tionally well aud attuin gigantic proportions* 
the chesuut infallibly dies within ten or fifteen 
years after planting. But on gravelly or saudy 
soil, or where beneath a rich loam there is a 
deposit of porous sand or gravel, the chestnut 
may be safely planted. If an indorsement of 
these statements is needed let me quote the 
lion Jardinier which says, “The chestnut 
grows with vigor in silicious sands where it 
lives many centuries aud attains remarkable 
proportions, but it inevitably perishes iu cal¬ 
careous soils and subsoils.” 
Then there Is the quince, which very few 
soils suit, and that is the reason of its limited 
cultivation: that too requires an open and 
porous subsoil of a sandy or gravelly charac¬ 
ter, where permunent and abundant moisture 
is within easy reach of the feeding roots. The 
largest quince bushes and bearing the most 
fruit, which ever came under the writer’s 
notice, were on the bottom lauds of the Miss 
issippi River in Missouri opposite Cairo, where 
the water to-day Hows fully forty feet above 
the soil or surface where l saw them growing 
I have also heard any amount of talk 
about the successful cultivation of the YY’hortle 
aud Blue Berry iu variety, in spite of the fact 
that individuals of the tribe of vaccinium are 
not only short-lived, but difficult of cultiva- 
There is a sort ol spontaneity about the pro¬ 
duction of some crops on certaiu soils, which 
ought to afford valuable .suggestions to those 
who are seeking to introduce new ones. As, 
for example: the total production of broom 
corn in the United States is about sixteeu 
thousund tous, aud though the crop is scattered 
over the country, Irotn tUe Valley of the 
Mohawk to the Valley ot the Arkansas, four 
thousand tous, or a quarter of it, are raised 
within an area of a lew square miles ou the 
Chicago Branch of the Illinois Central Rail¬ 
road, about 15U miles south of Chicago, in the 
counties of DougLis and Coles. Here ou a 
very deep, rich aud black prairie soil, of 
which half the sunace is under water in the 
rainy season, broom corn has come to be a 
leading, as it is a profitable, crop, witnout so 
much as the outside world hearing of the cir¬ 
cumstance. 
Similar in spontaneity was the development 
of tobacco growing in certain counties of 
Southwest H'lucuasin, and watermelon raising 
near Terre Haute, liuliaua, both of wtiich were 
started some years ago. For later examples 
of the same phenomenon there is the munoply 
of celery growing held by the gardeners of 
Kalamui'oo, Mich., and the two or three 
thousand acres of watermelon farms in Mis¬ 
souri, near Cairo, the products of which load 
long trains daily for two months in the year. 
All these facts and circumstances show how 
easy it is to increase a crop when the soil and 
climate suit, and where the markets make it 
u profitable business, aud, conversely, how dif¬ 
ficult it is to ma-ie a crop a success where soil, 
climate and circumstances are against it, as. 
lor example, the sugar beet and tbe sorghum 
sugar cane crops. 
The quantity and comparative cheapness of 
several varieties of foreign potatoes, will no 
doubt suggest to many growers, gardeners 
aud others the propriety of experimenting 
with them for a crop. This can be done on a 
small scale aud if failure follows, nobody will 
be much hurt, but, the experience of the writer 
with English aud continental varieties, leads 
him to think little confidence can be placed in a 
successful result. Compared with early Ameri¬ 
can varieties, the early English, Irish and Con¬ 
tinental kinds are late,and compared with the 
Peacbblow no foreign potato approaches it 
either in quality or yield. Where the po¬ 
tato beetle abounds iu numbers, it is the 
sheerest folly to undertake to grow late pota¬ 
toes which require two to three months more 
of bug-fightiug than early kinds, aud since 
foreign potatoes are mostly of this character, 
the campaign of Paris green will, in almost 
every case, be extended far iuto September, 
if not beyond. But by all meuus, let many 
trials be made with every imported kind, as it 
is possible a prize may be found equal to the 
old Peachblow or the youuger Late Rose. 
Champaign Co., Ill. 
UNMANURED CORN LAND. 
1 see by au editorial ou page 2 :0, that you 
doubt that green manure will benefit corn 
land, especially in a drought. My eyes, and 
a bushel basket, tell me different. Across from 
my house & neighbor plowed last year a teh- 
aore meadow, the sod not haviug been before 
broken for 25 years. To the e> e, and all pre¬ 
vious indications of the hay crop, there was 
no difference in the fertility of thesoil. Upon 
oue-half, exteuding the whole length of the 
field, manure chat had accumulated during the 
YVinter was spread at the rate of 20 big loads 
]*er acre, and then turned under, the plow be¬ 
ing set at five iuehes. At first, there was not 
much difference in the growth of the two sec¬ 
tion®, but by the 4th ot July the manured part 
began to shoot ahead and wjis soon very much 
the largest. Then the dry weather “struck 
it,” aud from then to maturity it showed con 
tinual superiority and dried up l«ss, making 
about ouo-fourth more fodder, and when the 
corn was husked, the yield of the manured 
corn averaged 35 bushels more per acre than 
the other. Soil a clay loam; crops planted 
alike, tended alike, aud cut ao the same tune. 
Had Dr. Lawes and “ ye editor” beheld this 
field they for once would have had to “ac¬ 
knowledge the corn,” John Gould. 
- 
A Good Hoop for Barn Pails or Sap 
Tubs. —Take a wire the size you w-ant; cut 
the right length; bend a book on each end; 
then bend and hook the ends together and 
your hoop is um le. The hooks should hook 
at right angles, and at the same time turnout- 
ward. This hoop never bursts, rusts or drops 
off, because the surface between the hoop and 
stave is so small. Most of the hoops 1 have 
used of this kind for 10 years, have been made 
of wire taken from the top of old milk pans. 
Newark Valley, N. Y. m. d. o. 
<£xpcvimmt ot tb* plural 
Tests for iscxt auason, 
Iu a well-preparea test plot, we have planted 
to duy (Apia lx; me lufiowuig Xmas oi pota¬ 
toes: 
Blush. —Au intermediate kind of promise. 
It was La led at our farm last bummer aud 
yielded well. 
YY’ all’s Orange. —From I. F. Tillinghast, 
Tuts Mr. T, piaises very highly. It has the 
general appearance ol potatoes of me Early 
Rose class. 
Mother. —Daniel Rice of Michigan. A new 
potato wuicu Ue raised from seeu Uve years 
ago Lruin me Jersey Peacahlow. 
Early Household. —One of Mr. Pringle’s 
seeuimgs. We snould uarilly mink Mr. Pringle 
would care to nave tns seeds cautd •' n> bil- 
dized ” seeds. Tuis is being introduced by Mr. 
Buss the present season. 
Brownell's Best—O riginated with Mr. 
E. b. Brownell m 18*5. becond early. Intro¬ 
duced by Mr. Bass tue present season. 
V ERiioNT Champion.— Inti educed. as above. 
(Seedling ol Mr. A. Lund. 
Early Peachblow.— Mr. E. D. Main sends 
Us mis. Would ne Kindly state as toitsongin? 
Brook’s Seedling. —Mr. AHred Vuil of 
YVaierluo, N. Y., finds this an excellent potato 
for saudy soil. 
Chicago Market. —This was advertised last 
year for the first we believe. The seed pota¬ 
toes sent to u» by Mr. Win. Jackson, of Mad¬ 
ison Co., Hi., were badly sprouted and shriv¬ 
eled. 
English Seedling from Mr. John Payne 
“ four years old.” It is not slated w hat it is 
a seedling of. It is a heavy, fat, round-oval 
potato sometimes flattened, mo eyes some tunes 
suallow and sometimes deep. (June unilorin 
in its shape which is distinct. We have lost 
Mr. Payne's address and would be glad to hear 
from him, should this meet his ay e, as to its 
origin. 
A FiNK-looking potato from T. J. YY'right. 
YY'e have no letter regarding its name or 
origin. 
A kink potato from Mr. John Reinhard, of 
Missouri, sent for name. YY’e do not recog¬ 
nize it. 
Indiana. —from John S. Bodge. Red and 
while mottled. 
Early Buff Peachblow.—S ame. 
Wy son’s Peachblow.—R emarkably well 
preserved. 
Beside the above we shall plant about 25 
other kinds, some of which were offered last 
year, though we failed to test them—some of 
w men have not yet been offered. 
A rather novei te»t which we propose to 
make mis season is that of sow r ing a lew; seeds 
ol each ot the cabbages ottered by seedsmen in 
general, the plants to grow w here the seeds 
are sown. Y\ r e have aLo procured the seeds 
aud are preparing the plots to sow all of tue 
leading kinds ol beets, mangels, busu beans 
and lettuce. This involves much lussy, pains¬ 
taking labor, but there is no better way to 
arrive at a knowledge of the several nieiits of 
such varieties than by raising them side by 
side, so that a ready cotnpuiison Cun be made. 
During the YVinter we have raised many 
strawberry aud potato plants from seeds. 
The seeds were sown in nnd winter in lb-mch 
pots aud we me uow pricking them out 
separately and planting them iu three-inch 
pots. About the middle of May they may be 
planted in the garden. The potatoes will lorrn 
tubers from the size of a pea to that of a 
marble by Fall aud these are best preserved in 
sand dunug the YVinter in a temperature 
scarcely above freezing. Potato seeds ger¬ 
minate as readily as Morning glories, and the 
ouly wonder is that farmers do u it raise their 
own varieties instead of paying fifty ceuts or 
a dollar per pound for the new kinds intro¬ 
duced by seedsmen. Strawberry seeds if 
taken fresh from the berry wall germinate iu 
two weeks. Strawberries are now in the New 
Y’ork aud Chicago markets the year round and 
a single berry wil. furnish 60 seeds or more. 
-- 
THE WILSON STRAWBERRY. 
From being hailed on its advent and during 
the first few years of its dissemination as a 
great boou, the Wilson Strawberry, after 
heading the list and leading the market for 
years, hss at last become a reproach; und it 
has even been suggested to send missionaries 
to those places where there are no better soits. 
And why ? Simply because we can by ex¬ 
tra exertions ruise kinds that are bigger 
and sweeter, und still it is quite doubtful 
whether any of those later, larger and sweeter 
