304 
TII E UULTI V AT0R. 
Oct 
The Apple Borer. 
This insect, so troublesome in many places, should 
be looked for early in autumn. We have never found 
anything better than punching them to death in their 
holes. The fresh sawdust-looking deposits, thrown out 
at the foot of the tree, are always an infallible indi¬ 
cation that the borer is doiDg his work. The sooner 
he is destroyed the better. A flexible wire is a good 
tool for destruction; but a slender, half-seasoned ap¬ 
ple shoot, answers a good purpose. The insect may be 
reached if five or six inches within, if he has not pack¬ 
ed the hole too closely with bis chips. As an intelli¬ 
gent friend quaintly remarks, “ we may always know 
when we have killed the borer by the squashing at the 
end of the shoot.” A little experience, and a mode¬ 
rate share of skill, are all that are required to clear 
a tree in a few minutes. It is always best to clear 
away the chips and outer bark with a knife, till the 
hole is distinctly found. Now is the time. Do not 
wait a day. 
-• • e>- 
New Seedling Grape—Muscat Catawba. 
Eds. Co. Gent. —It is with sincere pleasure I remit 
to you a drawing of a new grape destined to super¬ 
sede the present favorites for wine-making and the des¬ 
sert. 
The gentleman to whom we are so much indebted 
for this national benefaction, is Mr. Frederick Von 
Vleck, a practical vigneron from the far-famed Rhine, 
but now a citizen of New-York city. 
Mr. Von Vleck is an ardent and skillful cultivator. 
For a number of years much of his time has been de¬ 
voted to improving the native grape by crossing with 
superior foreign varieties. A happy result has been 
realized to his labors in his seedling, which he has 
named the Muscat Catawba. It is the offspring of 
that highly renowned grape, the Muscat of Alexan¬ 
dria, and the Catawba. To some degree it bears a 
likeness to both parents, but in habit of growth and 
hardiness, it is closely allied to the Catawba; the fruit, 
however, is entirely exempt from the austerity and 
rank aroma of the latter sort. As an example of its 
hardiness, I would state that a portion of Mr. Von 
Vleck’s vines were unprotected for the two past severe 
winters, and were unscathed, excepting about a foot of 
the extreme ends of the branches. 
The fruit is of the largest size, and adheres with 
groat tenacity to the stem ; the bunch is rather larger 
than the Isabella; the fruit has a rose-colored skin, 
so transparent as to expose the interior; the pulp is 
melting and surcharged with a delicious juice, highly 
perfumed and sweet. It ripens perfectly in the open 
air, and has not yet shown any symptoms of disease. 
Mr. Von Vleck last season made from the Muscat 
Catawba a few gallons of wine from twelve small vines 
Having had the pleasure of tasting it, I am qualified 
to state that I esteem it superior to most of the Rhen¬ 
ish wines imported to this country. It is of a clear 
light amber color, is quite heavy, rich and fruity, and 
possesses an exquisite perfume. It strikes me as hav¬ 
ing most of those qualities extolled by connoisseurs. 
In consequence of having cut down his vines very 
close last autumn to obtain cuttings for propagation, 
there is but a small crop of fruit this year—that in 
the open air has already commenced coloring. The 
fruit which I tasted was matured under glass. 
Mr. Von Vleck’s success will be an inducement for 
other cultivators to attempt the growing of native seed¬ 
lings, judiciously crossed with the esteemed foreign 
varieties. B. S. Ward. Jersey City , N. J. 
[The drawing accompanying the above was too im¬ 
perfect to place in the hands of the engraver. Will 
Mr. V. V. send us a bunch or two of this grape ?] 
Farm-Roller—Seed-Sower—Horse-Pitchfork. 
Messrs. McCammon of Kentucky, inquire through 
a recent number of your paper, as to the best method 
of sowing timothy seed. You reply that “you have 
seen no method preferable to hand sawing.” The 
thrifty farmers of our section scorn the practice of 
“ hand sowing,” when compared with the simple, 
cheap, and durable machine invented and now very 
largely manufactured by C. Bartholomew & Son, 
Etna, Tompkins Co., N. Y. The machine is by far 
the most useful, in consideration of its expense, of ail 
the farming implements of our vicinity, performing 
the labor of farm-roller, timothy seed and clover seed 
sower, plaster-sower and stone-gatherer. The ma¬ 
chine, as originally manufactured by them, was sim¬ 
ply a farm-roller, of different sizes, but ordinarily 
about six feet long, composed of two cylinders instead 
of one, each having two strong cast-iron heads, upon 
which are bolted heavy, hard wood staves. The di¬ 
ameter of cylinder is 3ft. 1 inch, and the weight of the 
entire ordinary sized roller about 1400 lbs. The cost 
of the farm-roller alone is $40; cost, with seed-sower 
attached, $55; and with both seed-sower and plaster- 
sower, $70. The roller has also boxes attached for 
carrying off stones disturbed upon meadows by horse- 
rake, which would interfere with the mowing machine 
the following season. The peculiar advantages which 
this implement possess, are, 1st. Its graduation en¬ 
ables the farmer to sow any quantity be may desire 
per acre. 2d. He will distribute it so evenly over the 
ground, that no space will be unoccupied, (thus saving 
a quarter at least of his seed,) while it is also rolled in 
precisely the proper depth, instead of being dragged 
in too deeply. 3d. The draft and turning around are 
much more easy than with a single long cylinder. 
4th. The farmer can sow seeds or plaster as well in 
windy as in still weather, while they can never be 
well sown by hand during more than the slightest 
breeze, which is a highly important advantage. 5th. 
They are more durable than any other implement of 
my acquaintance, intended for rolling. Combining 
these five important advantages at so small an ex¬ 
pense, they become at once an indispensable append¬ 
age of well managed farms. 
It may not be amiss at this point to state the posi¬ 
tion of Messrs. C. Bartholomew & Son as public ser¬ 
vants. Long and favorably known throughout south¬ 
ern New-York and northern Pennsylvania, as manu¬ 
facturers of Bartholomews’ improved iron platform, 
and a variety of other scales,—as gentlemen of un¬ 
doubted integrity, as well as mechanics of much skill 
and experience,—their standing a3 Agricultural Im¬ 
plement manufacturers, which department has recent¬ 
ly been added to their business, is an enviable one, as 
well as an important one to our southern farmers. 
Bartholomew’s Horse Pitchfork originated at this 
establishment, and is a wonder. Their trade in this 
branch ha3 increased in three years to as great an ex¬ 
tent as their capacity at present allows. Its value 
may be appreciated when it is understood that a man, 
boy and horse will unload from a wagon, in five or 
ten minutes, and throw into the highest barn-loft, a 
ton of hay or unbound grain. Its cost in full is but 
$15, which sum will be twice saved in time of hands 
in pitching 100 tons of hay. x. t. z. 
