366 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Nov, 
autumn fruit, possessing much delicacy and richness, 
and an exceedingly agreeable flavor, and great bearer. 
But it must be eaten at the moment it is at its best state, 
and it nearly always becomes poor when sent to long 
distances. 
The Second Evening was occupied with the discus¬ 
sion of the Pear Blight and the Curculio. In rela¬ 
tion to the former, it was generally admitted that the 
knife was the best remedy— thorough, prompt, and, if 
needed, repeated excision generally proving effectual, 
except in very virulent cases. Some trees, it was sta¬ 
ted, had been repeatedly attacked with blight in differ¬ 
ent years, and by cutting had been saved, and were now 
in a healthy bearing condition. In other cases, the dis¬ 
ease had been so severe as to destroy the tree at once. 
Sometimes, as Dr. Warder of Cincinnati observed, the 
blight first made its appearance at the foot of the trunk, 
when of course no remedy could be applied. When 
severe, the disease was generally regarded as conta¬ 
gious. 
As to its immediate cause, nothing satisfactory was 
claimed by any one. Like the potato rot, the more ex¬ 
tensive and minute the observations, the less appeared 
to be ascertained. P. Barry strongly advocated the in¬ 
sect theory; but as no insect was ever seen,* and as all 
other injuries or poisons to vegetables by insects are 
quite local in character, the evidence was regarded as 
too slender to support this theory, and the convention 
did not favor it. 
For the Curculio , the best and most certain remedy 
was conceded to be jarring down on sheets, while the 
confinement of pigs and poultry was a valuable auxiliary, 
and where the insects were not abundant, sufficient in 
itself; the trees being protected from the pigs by stakes 
or twigs of sweet-briars. It was stated that a chief rea¬ 
son why jarring had sometimes failed was the softened 
pounders used for striking the tree. A small limb should 
be sawed off, leaving a short stump, against which a 
sharp sudden blow may be given by a hammer or axe, 
without any injury to the tree. A quick sudden blow 
is necessary to loosen at once the hold of all the insects. 
The use of lime had been found both troublesome and 
ineffectual, the least chafing between fruit and leaves 
being sufficient to wear off small portions of the lime, 
through which the insect quickly punctured the skin. 
The Black Ant. 
Complaints have been frequently made, of the tjjack 
ants which infest gardens; and various plans to expel 
them, have been proposed. I doubt however, if expul¬ 
sion is the best remedy. If we drive them from their 
nest, by rendering it uncomfortable, they generally, if 
not always, make another very near, so that nothing is 
permanently gained by the process. 
Instead of expulsion, I would therefore propose ex¬ 
termination ; and this may be easily effected by placing 
near them, a basket of ripe apples. If one finds it, the 
whole nest is quickly apprised of the discovery; and 
while feasting they may be quietly carried to the water, 
or crushed—by letting out only a few at a time, on a 
barn floor. This morning I carried off more than a 
hundred at once. D. T. 
* These remarks not applying to the injury by Scolytus pyri. 
Good Vegetables and Small Fruits. 
Editors Cultivator —I have, after carefull observa¬ 
tions, for a term of years, come to the following conclu¬ 
sions:— 
1. That the best table pea, is Hair’s new mammoth 
Dwarf Marrow, combining dwarf size (two feet) with 
great productiveness and unequalled richness. Darey 
Marrowfat is the largest pea I have ever seen, but Hair’s 
is only next in size, and superior in other respects to that 
and the Victoria marrowfat, and some'dozen other of the 
choicest peas from the London market, which I have 
proved. I prefer the Early Emperor pea to any other 
early Pea. The Champion of England is fine, but only 
a week or two earlier than Hair’s, and decidedly inferior 
in all other respects. I obtained Hair’s Dwarf Pea from 
Thorburn,H. Y., two years ago, and the Darey Marrow¬ 
fat from a friend who left London in February last. 
2. I cannot tell whether the Early Shaws I received 
from Columbia County, or the premium Potato of Mr. 
Smith of Buffalo, at the State Fair at Syracuse, is the 
best early potato. They have both proved earlier this 
season in my garden, than the ash-leaved kidney, and 
are both of very superior quality and size. 
One of Mr. Killam’s seedlings, from Mexico, H. Y., I 
rather think surpasses in quality the Carter, or any 
other potato I have tried, and is almost as early as the 
two first mentioned, and is decidedly the finest potatoe 
I have ever seen. 
3. We still prefer the Celery, or as thought to be, the 
Curled Silesia Lettuce, to any other of the more cele- 
brated varieties. It has a finer flavor, and retains it bet¬ 
ter with us than any other variety. 
4. We have monstrous gooseberries in my garden this 
season—larger than Crompton’s Sheba Queen, but none 
that at all compare with it in flavor. 
5. All my strawberries have done well this season; 
but Burr’s new Pine has surpassed all in flavor and pro¬ 
ductiveness. We will see how it will compete next sea¬ 
son, with “Walker’s Seedling” which I have just re- 
ceived. and McAvoy’s Superior, and some other new 
kinds. 
6. Rivers’ Hew Giant Raspberry has been the most 
productive berry of this kind on my ground; but being 
only the first season of trial, it ought not to be consider¬ 
ed conclusive. The Ohio Everbearing has fruited for 
its second crop, which the large fruited monthly has not 
done as yet. The large American White bears largely, 
and is a strong grower. R. G. P. Palmyra, N. Y. } 
Sept., 1851. _ 
Advantages or Draining. —Edward Brooks of Bos¬ 
ton, stated at one of the Agricultural meetings, that af¬ 
ter thoroughly underdraining a piece of wet ground, the 
soil not only became firm so as to bear a team, but that 
the crops may be started a fortnight earlier. 
Painting Roofs. —The roofs of all buildings should 
be painted of as light a color as practicable. Dark colors 
or black, absorb the sun’s rays, warp the shingles, and 
render the garret and upper rooms uncomfortably hot. 
Hydraulic Ram. —J. J. Conet states in Moore’s Hew 
Yorker, that he erected a water-ram which sends water 
62 rods, at the rate of 15 gallons per hour, to his house 
and barns, elevating it 100 feet. 
