LETTERS. 
465 
adapted to our climate ; and with a careful selection of seeds from our best 
varieties, this could without doubt be accomplished. The scale or bark 
louse still infests our orchards, but I think not so extensively as they did a 
few years ago. The only remedy we know of heie is to keep the body and 
large limbs of the trees well scrubbed with strorg suds or lye, and when the 
tree is not in leaf, and while it is moist with rain or sleet, dust on ashes and 
lime, •he apple-worm, or codling moth, injures and destroys a large amount 
of fruit. The product of some apples is lessened, annually, probably one- 
half by this pest. Hoping that it will be of some benefit to apple growers, I 
will state that the past season I accidently discovered that the codling moth has 
a great liking for vinegar; and acting upon the hint, I prepared several open 
mouthed vessels, with vinegar and water, and hung them in my trees. The 
first night’s result showed that it was a success, as in some of the dishes 
there were as many as tw'enty or more of the millers, showing evidently, 
that the vinegar, t<5 them, was more attractive than the fruit, and every 
night during the season, more or less were caught, the number gradually 
growing less. I also caught other insects, in variety, and among them was 
the beetle known as the Indian Cetocia, a chap who has a sweet tooth, and 
takes to sweet apples, musk melons and other sweet fruits. I feel confident 
that this remedy will lessen, if not destroy, many pests of the orchard in the 
shape of insects, for they seem to like the vinegar as natnrally as Nasby does 
corn whiskey. 
« 
Of pear culture little can be said, as but very few sorts will withstand our 
cold winters. The Flemish Beauty seems to be the hardiest and most pro¬ 
ductive. I have the new pear, “ Clapp’s Favorite,” grafted on to the Flem¬ 
ish Beauty, and two or three other sorts, to test its hardiness, and to judge 
by its well ripened hard wood and its reputation to stand the cold in the 
eastern states. I anticipate that we can add another variety to our pears. 
Being two or three weeks earlier than the Flemish Beauty, and superior in 
quality, it will prove an acquisition. 
Plums, excepting natives, prove almost a failure, in consequence of the 
curculio, and occasionally the killing of the fruit buds by our severe win¬ 
ters. About every third year w^e get a fair crop. Of native sorts we have 
a few good ones. A variety known as the Winnebago is worthy of being 
grown in every garden or orchard, yielding annual crops of good fruit and 
being proof against the curculio and other enemies. 
After fifteen years’ experience x)n this place in grape culture, I give the 
preference to the Delaware over all other sorts grown here, although the 
past two seasons the Iona has done well, and yielded splendid bunches of fine 
fruit, ripening up with the Delaware; but the early ripening of the latter, 
both in fruit and wood, makes it preferable to all others. It has the reputa¬ 
tion of being a slow grower, but I find it the contrary, and when planted in 
our white oak opening soil, composed of sandy loam, underlaid with red clay 
and dug deep enough to mix the clay with the loam, and but little if any 
manure worked in, it proves to be a rapid grower and fruits early. The 
Ag. Tb,—30. 
