1852, 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
189 
Black Knot on Plum Trees. 
Eds. Cultivator —There has been much speculation 
and research for the cause of the black knot on plum 
trees. Some persons have supposed it is caused by an 
insect. Some years ago I opened the knot and examined 
it ; but did not discover any appearance of an insect, nor 
the eggs of one. So far as I know, it has not been-satis- 
factorily learned what causes the knot. 
The gardens of my adjoining neighbors are full of plum 
trees. All the trees are filled the black knot, so as 
to appear as if a flock of small birds had lighted on the 
branches. Some years ago, I advised the owners to cut 
off the knots so soon as they appeared, or they would 
lose the trees—they thought best to leave them to the 
course of nature. The second and third set of their 
trees are now in the condition I have described, while 
my trees are free from knots. I have always looked for 
knots, when in the garden, and when one appeared, I cut 
it off at any season, whether it was loaded with fruit or 
not. The trees soon put out other shoots, which filled 
out the place of the limb cut off, and my trees are in full 
size, as if no limb had been cut off, and there is not a 
knot to be seen on them. From this treatment, I am of 
opinion, that if a knot is suffered to remain on a limb, 
the disease soon spreads, like a canker, and fills the whole 
tree, as it has the trees of my neighbors. It is a mis¬ 
conception, that when a tree is set, it does not require 
further treatment. 
Many years ago, I was in the habit of writing for the 
Cultivator, when it was conducted by our quondam friend, 
Judge Buel, and since, under your management; but, of 
late years, I have abstained from writing, because the 
type-setter has been so extremely careless or officious, 
as to add what I did not write, or substitute other words 
of different meaning from mine, thereby destroying the 
true sense. 
I’ll mention several cases. I gave a recipe of my mode 
of curing pork hams, by saying, that I put them into 
pickle of salt and saltpetre, after rubing them with sugar 
or molasses awhile before. The type-setter added, that 
I rubbed them full of fine salt. Another instance-. I 
wrote, that Education formed the Gentleman and Chris¬ 
tian. To illustrate this, I wrote that the delicate ladies 
of our cities, were too effeminate to w r alk the paved 
streets, except in fine sunny weather; and contrasted it, 
by saying, that when the country was a perfect wilderness, 
a single family settled near to Oneida Lake. The son 
said, that when his mother sought her com 7 in the woods 
afternoon, and did not find the cow, she made her bed 
where the night overtook her. The type said when the 
night overtook her, which spoiled the figure, as all ani¬ 
mals take rest when night overtakes them, except wolves, 
thieves, bats and owls. 
In another article, in speaking of the fleetness of the 
whale, as he appears to move leisurely, when he rises to 
breathe; the distance he has passed, shows that he moved 
like a steam engine, as he sculls with his tail, it being 
flat. The type said he sails with his tail. Yet another 
is within my recollection. In stating how the French 
peasantry of Louver Canada retain the ancient manners 
of their forefathers brought from France, that when they 
butcher a fat hog, they singe off the hair with lighted 
straw. The type said, with feathers. Ridiculous. I 
am entitled to a place in your Cultivator for the correc¬ 
tion of these aberations, to ward off the ridiculous, to 
those who shall read my former communications. Re¬ 
spectfully, David Tomlinson. Schenectady, March. 
Prices of Land in Virginia. 
Eds. Cultivator —It is possible I have before troubled 
you with a communication of the like tenor - but I have 
received many hundreds of letters the last few months, 
from those desirous of emigrating, or making inquiries in 
relation to Eastern Virginia. I would say it is perfectly 
useless for a man without some means, (say $1,000 and 
upwards,) to think of emigrating here. There is no worse 
country for a very poor man; but with means as above 
mentioned, many excellent locations can be found. Most 
want a farm of 100 to 200 acres, well situated, suitably 
divided into tillage, pasture, mowing and woods. Woods 
and tillage are plenty. The other part is not here. The 
prices may be as follows: The writer knoM T s a farm for 
sale, 18 miles from the city of Petersburgh, directly on 
the railroad, of 800 acres, 400 original growth, very com¬ 
fortable buildings, at $5,000—one adjoining of 150 to 170 
acres, (the writer’s,) trifling improvements, mostly in 
woods—the timber will twice pay for the land, $600—one 
adjoining, 550 acres, much very good land, $2,000—one 
two miles from the last, 275 acres, comfortable*buildings, 
$1,200—one adjoining, 1,800 acres and upM 7 ards, $5,000, 
large house, &c.; and probably there never has been ten 
bushels of grass seed sown on the whole. The lands 
above mentioned are rapidly rising in value, as many are 
'^commencing to improve their lands, by use of lime, marl, 
guano, &c.; and abundance of lands that three years ago 
would not produce five bushels of wheat per acre, will 
now and did the last season, 15 to 20, and that M'ith very 
moderate improvement. In fact, everything that can be 
raised in the State of New-York, can be here, and with 
the same labor, in as great abundance. No country is 
more healthy, and railroads, &c., diverge in almost every 
direction. Those that see fit to address the writer, may 
address box 271, Petersburgh, Vaand it M 7 ould be use¬ 
less for any one to waste money in time and postage, un¬ 
less they have means as above. 
Peach trees are now in bloom—oats, &c., are general¬ 
ly soM 7 n. Wheat, generally, looks backward. S. Clark, 
Jr. Petersburgh, March 16, 1852. 
Salt as Manure. —The Editor of the American Far¬ 
mer, says he has tried lime and salt, broadcast, upon part 
of a field of corn, the remainder of the field being treat¬ 
ed with lime alone. Both parts had been well manured, 
and yielded well,- but the part salted continued moist 
throughout the season, the other suffered much from 
drouth. He does not state the quantity applied. He 
thinks it would be an excellent dressing for grass lands. 
The Corn Crop and California. —Professor Mapes 
says, 11 Our corn crop is now over 700 millions of bushels, 
and may be doubled on the same number of acres, by judi¬ 
cious manuring and cultivation. Seven hundred million 
bushels, if exported either as corn or lard oil, would pro¬ 
duce $850 million dollars, and an increase of only ten 
busliels per acre throughout the country, would if ex¬ 
ported, return us more gold than twice our receipts 
from California.” Are not the home diggings the best? 
