THE CULTIVATOR. 
41 
ly accu-ed of being the mother of ini.-chief, instead of a friend y 
ally, which should be patronized. Among others, the Sussex N. 
J. Register, had, about six years ago, a belligerent article against 
this supposed enemy. 
Knowing that, even in a moderate degree, heat proves fatal to 
the cut-worm, I was led to try its effect on the peach worm ; hav¬ 
ing placed several in the hollow of my hand, 1 found that water 
not uncomfortable to my skin, killed them. I thence commenced 
applying boiling water, from a watering pot (without the nose,,) 
pouring it around the tree, about eighteen inches above ttie ground, 
in sufficient quantity to heat the bark ; the quantity was varied ac- 
ording to the thickness of the bark and size of the tree ; this proved 
completely successful for several years, and as lorigas it was con¬ 
tinued. The time for using the iieat, was the last of summer, 
and again the middle of the autumn, lest some might have es¬ 
caped or more recently arrived. 
The Pea Bug. —Tnis may also be an American insect ; we hear 
nothing of it abroad, and imported seed is without it. Its march 
through our country preceded that of (he peach worm, about twen¬ 
ty-five years, and in like manner travelled from south to north 
about ten miles a year. This insect is too well known to need a 
description. It lays its eggs on the half grown pea-pod opposite 
each grain; the maggot, when hatched, penetrates the pea ; the 
skin closes over and it extends itself to a large size, but contracts 
into the pupa state to one side the pea, fr«un whence > merges in 
the spring the perfect bug, ready to perpetuate its species. 
To coumeract this evil, I have in my garden, sown imported 
clean seed, seed two years old, containing no live bug-q or I have 
scalded infected seed, with equal sin cessr that is, the crop was 
but partially infected, and that I imputed to the proximity of the 
garden of my le?s careful neighbors. 
These insects would be eliminated from our land, if every body 
would scald their peas on the day of sowing them ; this is easily 
effected. The farmer may put two bushels into an open flour bar 
rel with one head, pour on them one gallon of boiling and half a 
gallon of cold water mixed; cover the cask a few minutes; this 
would produce enough heat to kill the bugs, and would facilitate 
the germination of the peas. 
I have not been a'Je to ascertain the parentage of the insect that 
attacks the young fruit of the apricot, plum, and other smooth 
skin stone fruits. Its attacks are probably made in the early morn- 
ino-, (a time not particularly propitious to my habits of investiga 
tion ) formerly I gratuitously considered it a winged insect; it make: 
a couple of wounds, as if by pincers, in the skin < f the fruit, in 
which it deposites an egg; the larva or maggot from thi=, eats to 
the centre or stone, injures the fruit and causes it to fall prema 
turely: afterwards the larva penetrates into the earth to winter 
there; in the spring it works its way to the surface, to renew a 
similar round of existence for its progeny. In the middle of my 
garden were two apricot trees, bearing abundance of fruit, but 
not one perfect. I removed the surface, and formed an area around 
each tree, similar to the gravelled walks; from, these I had the 
fallen fruit removed daily to the piggery; after this I had plenty 
of good fruit. Near to these trees was a nectarine and several 
plum trees, being on my boundaries, were not treated in like man¬ 
ner; they produced no sound fruit. It would thence appear that 
the insect may not be winged or migratory to much extent, but 
may belong to the order apt era, wingless, and probably of the 
genus phalangium. Of these there are several species, all less 
and of shorter limbs than the well-knnwn father long-legs; I know 
one variety with claws like a crab, capable of inflicting the above 
described wounds; they escape observation by their light color and 
slow movements. Other means than those, I pursued for the pro¬ 
tection of these fruits. I have often seen narrow strips of sheep¬ 
skin, wool on, fastened around the body of the tree before the 
blossoming season and continued during its ripening. In the 
absence of these, rolls or bats of coarse wool might answer the 
purpose against these crawlers, if such they may be. A still bet 
ter security may be obtained by planting this kind of fruit trees in 
a yard where pigs and poultry comd have free access during the 
fall of their fruit. 
The Cut-worm ,.-—This is the offspring of th e phalena devastator; 
wings horzontal; white with small dark spots; under wings 
orange ; conceals itself from the sun during the day; lays its eggs 
Vol. II. 6 
near the root of grasses. These worms are of a bluish color, and 
they travel only in the night;. they cut off young cabbages, beans 
and corn; the latter is injured, but not destroyed by them. To 
shun it* depredations in gardens, be careful to plant at a distance 
from any grass plat or lawn. I have lost an entire crop of late 
planted beans by them, by planting near a! grass plat. Frequent 
superficial hoeing, in the middle of the day, by exposing to the 
sun, proves fatal to many of them. 
Another familiar enemy is the turnip fy. I have witnessed many 
a crop of cabbage and cauliflower plants, also melon and cucum¬ 
bers destroyed by these minute insects. To obviate this r on the 
first mentioned small seeds being sown, I have wetted the ground 
to the depth of an inch or more with boiling hot water; thus des¬ 
troying the flies and their eggs, and at the same time expediting 
the germination of the seed. For melons and cucumbers, I sow 
and rake in radish or turnip seed, on and around each hill; the flies 
are attracted by these, their more favorite food, from the melons, 
foe. Against the striped bug, another destroyer of melons, a 
brood of young chickens is a sufficient protection for a whole 
garden. 
Mr. Editor — I do not presume to think the above the only or 
best means of abating the evils we sutler from insects ; my object 
is rather to elicit from others the result of their observation and 
experience; the subject, in my view, is important. Has any one, 
more fortunate than myself, discovered the insect, for insect it 
most probable is, that produces the deforming warts and threaten¬ 
ed de-truction of our plum trees? A knowledge of the agent 
might lead to the means of counteracting its influence. May we 
not hope that some means may be discovered for palliating the im¬ 
pending evils from the wheat insect, by fires or smoke of some of¬ 
fensive kind, as of horns or hoofs of animals, made in the even¬ 
ings, at a particular stage of the opening ear. Many remedies 
and some of much practical utility have been suggested against 
the HesAan fly.. We ought not to submit to nor look lightly on 
these pests. Ants, insignificant as they appear m our view, have 
been suffered to multiply to such an extent on the island of Gre¬ 
nada, that a premium of £20,000 sterling has been offered, from 
the public treasury, for the best plan for their destruction. Poi¬ 
son and tires are employed. 
Let us exert our energies against the whole race of these des¬ 
tructive insects ; let us devote a few hours each year to this war¬ 
fare, and a though we may not gather laurels, we shall assuredly 
r<>ap a rich bounty. SENEX. 
Kinderhook , March, 18S5. 
Canandaigua, 3 Mo. 2.6th, 1835. 
ResPECTED Friend Jesse Buel, —Thine of 16th inst. duly 
reached me. As I am as ready to give as to receive instruction, I 
hope thou wilt be willing to give me thy opinion as to the proper 
depth of ploughing a field for corn. It contains 8 acres, is a rich 
sandy loam, leaning to the south, (a.) At the time of threshing 
last fall, had the straw of 40 acres wheat drawn to it and laid in 
heaps; this will be spread and raked into the furrow. It was my 
intention to spread it last fall, believing it would become sufficient¬ 
ly tender to be separated by the coulter; but some of my friends 
who had tried ir, found it not to answer, and advised my leaving 
it in heaps. It is my intention to sow plaster on the straw after 
it is spread. When ploughed, shall roll it, then harrow—and my 
opinion is, that it would be an advantage to roll after planting; (6) 
my oats and wheat iiave evidently been benefitted by the operation. 
I have come to the conclusion that most seeds vegetate sooner and 
stronger for having the earth pressed to them. Some ate reading 
has produced a conviction, that farmers generally place seeds too 
deep. What is the proper depth for corn on sandy loam? (c) I 
always harrow my ground before sowing wheat. 
Thou may think it strange that I should ask thy opinion respect¬ 
ing the dep hof ploughing. I will here state that I usually plough 
6 to 8 inches; but I have been staggered by the accounts of Earl 
Stimson’s (d) abundant crops from 4 inch ploughing. I think such 
stalem nts, unaccompanied by reasons for the practice, are calcu¬ 
lated to do injury. I have always supposed, that crops were less 
likely to be injured either by wet or drought on deeply ploughed 
land, and practice has been in accordance with this belief. I am 
aware that manure may be placed 60 deep that it will not ferment 
—but will that be the case at 8 inches ? (e) My experience says no. 
