46 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Scraps about Trees. 
1. Cherry Trees split by Frost. —It is well 
known that the trunks of cherry trees, and espe¬ 
cially those of the most vigorous growth, are often 
split in the winter by the severity of the frost. 
This is probably owing to the quantity of sap being 
disproportionate to the wood, which being over¬ 
charged by the distension, and incapable of expan¬ 
sion, bursts in the direction of the grain, (as it is 
called) and sometimes lays open the wood to the 
centre of the tree. I have been informed of instan¬ 
ces where this has proved fatal. I am able, howev¬ 
er, to report from my own observation, an instance 
where no serious injury followed. A cherry tree a 
dozen years old, and ten or twelve inches'in diame¬ 
ter, in the severest frost of winter was split so that 
one’s hand might be thrust to the centre of the tree. 
The fissure extended from the ground entirely up to 
the first offset of branches. The remedy applied 
was to protect the wounded part by a thick cover¬ 
ing of woolen cloth closely wound round the tree, 
and kept there until late in the spring. The parts 
united the same season, and neither the growth or 
fruitfulness of the tree seemed to be affected. 
Two years afterwards, in the coldest weather of 
the winter, the tree split again in the same manner, 
and was treated as before. It flourished and bore 
the following summer as well as ever, yielding some 
eight or ten bushels of cherries. 
2. Seedling Cherry Trees. —The tree above 
mentioned is a seedling, the fruit of which has some 
affinity to the Black Mazzard, but is larger, thinner- 
skinned, and more pulpy than any known variety of 
that cherry. The tree itself is not excelled in size 
or bearing by any in this vicinity. Eleven bushels 
of choice fruit have been gathered from it the past 
year and measured, besides some three or four bush¬ 
els by estimation, not measured. The yield has 
been not less than eight bushels in any year, for the 
last five years; and the tree, being now about eigh¬ 
teen years from the seed, is still rapidly growing. 
I mention these particulars as suggestive to our nur¬ 
serymen, upon the subject of experimenting with 
seedling cherry trees. If seedlings are apt to be 
more vigorous, longer lived, and greater bearers 
than grafts; though but one in a thousand should 
prove of a quality worth preserving, is it not worth 
while to try them more extensively? I do not mean 
to insist that the above instance proves that a seed¬ 
ling is in any respect better than a grafted tree, 
because the favorable circumstances of soil, shel¬ 
ter, supply of moisture, &c., which might be men¬ 
tioned, may have been so combined as to have pro¬ 
duced a similar result without regard to the charac¬ 
ter of the tree as a seedling. It is adduced as one 
instance of many, the comparison of which may be 
of use in connection with the favorite theory of some 
tree-growers in favor of seedlings. 
3. Trees Exposed to Sea-winds. —What species 
of tree is best for places exposed to the rude winds 
from the Sea? The Savin is undoubtedly best adapt¬ 
ed to these situations, but it is a slow grower, and 
the method and proper time of transplanting and 
rearing do not appear to be well understood, at 
least in these parts. I have tried the Elm with indif¬ 
ferent success, perhaps from want of proper care. 
Have any of the patrons of The Cultivator on Long 
Island, or elsewhere on the sea coast, succeeded 
with the Elm on the immediate bank of sea water, 
and where there is no shelter from the winds? Let 
us have the results of their experience. I find the 
following in that valuable work, “ Sears’ Pictorial 
Description of the British Islands;” i 
Jan. 
“ Pennsylvania castle, the residence of the late 
Governor Penn, is the only place in Portland assu¬ 
ming the dignity of “ a seat;” and is also the only 
spot on which any thing like a clump of trees is vi¬ 
sible. An old historian speaking of this circum¬ 
stance says 1 there be very few or utterly no trees 
saving the elms about the church. There would 
grow more if they were there planted; yetis the 
isle very bleak.’ This simple remark has been am¬ 
ply verified in the grounds before us. The common 
sycamore will stand the severest sea breezes, and 
under the shelter it affords, almost any forest tree 
may be grown. By surrounding his land with a 
ring fence of them, Mr. Penn succeeded in embos¬ 
sing his house with a very agreeable variety of 
trees and shrubs, while all around him was a de¬ 
sert.” 
The shores of Narragansett Bay, in this State,, 
though beautiful in some of their features, are defi¬ 
cient (and especially the islands) in trees. I am 
assured that many of the farmers down the bay 
would border, if not surround their lands with these 
same “ring fences,” if they had any confidence 
that the trees would grow when there planted. 
4. The Aphis on Apple Trees. —This insect has 
been very destructive to the fruit all along the New 
England sea coast the last season—more so than ev¬ 
er before. The disease or blight occasioned by it 
is often mistakenly ascribed to other causes. A 
friend has related to me his experience in the appli¬ 
cation of the Whale-oil soap to the trees early in. 
the spring, by which he prevented a recurrence of 
the plague. If I can obtain the details with suffi¬ 
cient accuracy, I will forward them for publication. 
J. H. W. North Providence , R. I ., Dec., 1849. 
Osage Orange Seed. 
Much difficulty having been experienced in causing 
the seed of this celebrated hedge plant to vegetate, 
various expedients have been devised to remove the 
difficulty, as soaking the seed, exposing it to frost, 
&c. We are induced to believe that the failure to 
grow has often resulted from the long time that has 
elapsed after gathering till the seed is planted, most 
of it being procured in Texas, and often a year or 
two old. Under such circumstances, it must come up 
more thinly than when fresh. The best success ever 
experienced by the waiter was wdth seed gathered in 
one of the Southern States by a careful friend, and 
forwarded immediately. It was planted with no 
preparation, and came up very thickly. We w r ould 
suggest the propriety of dealers employing reliable 
agents w r here it is grown, who will forward it when 
fresh. 
The Curculio. 
Many persons adopt some particular remedy , to the 
exclusion of all others. Paving under the tree, re¬ 
pelling by the odors of fermenting manure, jarring 
down on sheets, shutting out with a high tight fence 
and destroying by geese and sw'ine, all have imper¬ 
fectly or w'holly succeeded, as the remedy has been 
partially or vigorously applied, or as the insects have 
been few' or numerous. A combination of two or 
more of them will often be found most efficacious. 
Paving, and a high fenco are costly, large heaps of 
manure are not neat, and swine do not always do 
the work up wholly. Jarring down too often fails- 
from beginning too late, and intermitting too fre¬ 
quently. We have secured completely large crops, 
in seasons when the curculios were so abundant as 
that single trees would yield 15 or 20 at a single jar- 
