102 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
barbed wire, which can be introduced into the hole for this purpose. | 
Where the hole is too crooked for this, soap suds, or strong decoction of 
tobacco, injected into it, will destroy them. Whatever mode is adopted 
to destroy them, the operation should be repeated several times during 
the summer, in order completely to extirpate them. 
3. Ihe Caterpillar has heretofore been the most formidable enemy to 
the apple tree in western New-York. It first makes its appearance in 
the spring, just as the leaf buds begin to open, when it is not the tenth of 
an inch long, and no laYger than a cambric needle. It is then very easily 
destroyed by means of a brush dipped in some caustic or poisonous solu¬ 
tion, as of lime, soap, or tobacco. It is destroyed with less ease as it in¬ 
creases in size. When fully grown it is two inches long and a quarter of 
an inch in diameter. It then spins a cocoon and passes to the pupa state, 
and in the latter part of the summer cornes out a brown miller. It then 
deposites its eggs near the ends of the smaller branches, in the form of a 
band or broad ring round them, each ring of eggs containing about five 
hundred. These may be cut off and destroyed at any time during the au¬ 
tumn or winter. Every ring of eggs thus destroyed, will prevent a nest 
of caterpillars the next season. 
4. The American Blight, (so called,) is caused by the Aphis lanata, 
a small insect, so thickly covered with fine white hair as to appear enve¬ 
loped in fine cotton ; hence it is sometimes, and more appropriately, term¬ 
ed white blight. In England, apple trees have been greatly injured, and 
sometimes destroyed by it. The insect is described as furnished with a 
fine bristle-like beak, with which it pierces the bark and abstracts the 
nourishment from the cambium or newly formed sap wood. The sap 
wood being thus wounded rises up in excrescences over the whole sur¬ 
face—the limb grows sickly, the leaves turn yellow, and the branch pe¬ 
rishes. Branch after- branch is assailed in turn, until they all become 
leafless and the tree dies. The insect spreads from tree to tree, by be¬ 
ing carried on the wind by means of its long cottony tufs of hair. It i3 
easily destroyed on young trees, and those older which have been recently 
attacked, by a coating over with a painter’s brush, the affected parts, with 
a mixture consisting of equal parts by weight, of rosin and fish oil, melt¬ 
ed together and applied warm. This prevents the escape of the insects 
and stifles them. The operation should be performed early in the season, 
or as soon as the hoaiiness accasioned by the insects, appears on the 
branches. As this insect has as yet been introduced into this country in 
but small numbers, it becomes important to watch it closely, and destroy 
it now at the outset before it becomes extensively spread. The applica¬ 
tion of soft soap has been recommended for its destruction when it first 
appears on trees from infected nurseries. 
The canker worms is perhaps the most destiuctive insect to the apple 
trees which has infested American orchards, but itappears to have been 
hitherto confined to certain parts of the country only, particularly of New- 
England. It ascends the trunks of the tree in the spring and in a short 
time destroys all the leaves of the tree, and thus eventually causes its 
death. The most common method is tarring daily the body of the tree, 
during the season of its activity, and thus preventing its passing up the 
tree. 
Quince. —The most formidable, and perhaps nearly the only enemy to 
the quince, is the Borer, which attacks the tree in the same manner as 
that of the apple. The same remedy is to be applied. It is said that the 
borer may be excluded by enclosing the lower part of the trunk in tan or 
unleached ashes during the spring months. Grafting the quince above 
ground on pear stocks, will also in a great measure save it from the at¬ 
tacks of the borer, as the pear is rarely touched by it. 
Pear. —The pear, in common with the apple and other trees, is liable to 
occasional attacks from the catterpillar, and sometimes from a few other in¬ 
sects, but its great and peculiar malady is the Fire Blight. This first af¬ 
fects trees generally during the early part of summer, sometimes later, 
causing the branches and leaves suddenly to turn black and die. It is at¬ 
tributed to a very small insect ( Scolytuspiri) which eats a small circular 
ring under the bark, round the branch, thus cutting off the upward flow of 
the sap. Where the insect has been discovered, it has been some inches 
below the affected part. The only remedy is to cut off the diseased 
branch immediately, at some distance below, and commit it to the fire. 
This course when faithfully and unremittingly pursued has been found en¬ 
tirely effectual in preventing the ravages of this formidable enemy of the 
pear. Some attribute fire blight to other causes than the work of an in¬ 
sect, but all agree that the only effectual cure is to cut off and burn the 
limb. 
Plum. —The principal enemy to the plum, as well as to all smooth 
stone fruit, is the Curculio. This is a small beetle or bug, about a quar¬ 
ter of an inch long, (its head and thorax resembling at first glance, a long 
beax, serving at once to distinguish it,) which punctures and deposits its egg 
in the young fruit. A worm proceeds from this, which feeds upon the fruit, 
and causes it prematurely to fall to the ground ; when the worm passes 
immediately into the earth,and continues(as is supposed) in the pupa state 
during winter, and the next season comes out in the perfect state to propa¬ 
gate its species by again puncturing the fruit. Now if, when the fruit falls, 
it be destroyed immediately, before the worm escapes, the fruit of the suc¬ 
ceeding year will be saved. This may be easily affected by suffering a 
number of swine to feed among the trees to devour all that fall. But 
where swine cannot be admitted, the best way is to jar down the insects 
during the time of laying their eggs, by a stroke of the hand or of a mallet, 
when they may be caught in white sheets of cloth spread under the tree to 
receive them, and destroyed. Where this operation has been performed 
two or three times a day, it has soon cleared the tree of them. 
The plum tree is liable to a disease sometimes called canker, which is 
an excresence upon the branches, at first green, and afterwards becom¬ 
ing black ; the diseased branch soon dies and the whole tree gradually pe¬ 
rishes. It is prevented by cutting off all the affected branches as soon as 
the disease appears, and burning them: By seasonable care, it may thus 
be prevented from doing further mischief with little trouble. 
A large number of plum trees in this state suffered greatly from some 
unknown cause, in the early part of the autumn of 1833. The leaves tell 
prematurely, in consequence of which the fruit was not perfected, and 
the trees themselves received a check from which many of them did not 
recover. A large number have since died ; many however, perhaps the 
greater part, are now recovering, and some have assumed their former 
thriftiness. 
Peach.— The peach is particularly subject to the attacks of an insect 
called the Peach worm, and to a disease known by the name of the Yel¬ 
lows. 
1. The Peach worm is produced from the eggs of a lepidopterous fly 
(JEgeriapersicce) which deposites its eggs during summer in the bark of 
the tree near the roots. The worms which these produce, penetrate the 
bark to the external surface of the wood, and commence the work of de¬ 
struction, sometimes devouring the inner bark entirely round the tree, and 
speedily causing its death. It is rare however, except in very small trees, 
that death is produced, as the worm seldom eats completely round; in 
which case the injury only retards its growth. Its presence is readily de¬ 
tected by the gum filled with excrementitious matter, which oozes from 
the tree, near the surface of the ground. The best remedy is to remove 
the earth from round the foot of the tree, together with a small portion of 
the injured bark, when the worm will be exposed and may be readily de¬ 
stroyed. All the holes should be traced to their end, in order to see that 
the tree is cleared of them, cutting the bark as little as possible, so as not 
to injure the tree unnecessarily. 
2. The Yellows. This disease is by far the most formidable evil which 
the peach has to encounter. It is entirely peculiar to the peach and nec¬ 
tarine. Its cause is unknown. It is first indicated by the fruit ripening 
three or four weeks earlier than usual, generally with red specks and 
blotches upon it. This commonly takes place on a part of the tree only. 
The following season, a number of very small wiry shoots grow from the 
larger branches, the leaves become yellow, the whole tree assumes a sick¬ 
ly appearance, and eventually perishes. What renders this disease the 
more to be dreaded is its contagious nature. If not checked, it commonly 
spreads through the orchard. The infection is supposed to be communi¬ 
cated at the time of flowering by the pollen or farina which is carried 
from tree to tree; the fruit thus receives the malady, which is quickly car¬ 
ried by the circulation of the sap through the branches and trunk. The 
disease is also always communicated where a bud from an infected tree 
is inserted on a healthy one; and even by prunning a healthy tree with a 
knife which has been previously used on a diseased one. After it has 
once attacked a tree, there is no remedy; it must inevitably perish.— 
Wherever therefore a tree is seen ripening its fruit prematurely, especial¬ 
ly if that fruit be marked with red blotches unusual in it, it is to be looked 
upon as a lost tree—nothing can save it; and nothing can save adjacent 
ones from becoming infected but by destroying it before it blooms again. 
No peach tree should be planted on the same spot until several years of 
intermediate cultivation; perhaps it will be best in most cases to plant 
fruit trees of some other species, which are not attacked by this disease, 
in places where such peach trees have stood. 
Nectarine.— This fruit tree is subject to the same diseases as the 
peach, of which indeed it is considered as but a variety; and the same re¬ 
medies apply to both. Its fruit is also subject to the attacks of the curcu¬ 
lio, for an account of which, see the article on the plum. 
Apricot —The principal enemies of this fruit, are 1. The worm or 
Algeria, which has been described in the account of the peach; and 2. 
The curculio, described in the account of the plum. 
Cherry. —In western New-York, the cherry has but few diseases or 
enemies, and those of little importance. Some varieties are attacked by 
an insect which causes large excrescences on the branches. Whenever 
these appear, they should be immediately cut off and committed to the fire. 
Perhaps the greatest enemy is the Cedar bird* The only known way ot 
repelling them is to thin their ranks by means of powder and shot, when 
they become suspicious and fearful, and less voracious in their depreda¬ 
tions. Small trees of choice varieties may be protected from the lards by 
covering them with a large coarse net, made of bass matting or other ma¬ 
terial. 
* This is a small bird about the size of the blue bird, of a light brown co¬ 
lour, readily distinguished by its crest; and is by its voracity very destructive 
to ripe cherries. 
