to the belief that in such situations it would and show us that there can be no final restill do as well as any other kind. I should mission of the crusade against him. The be glad to learn from some of your readers few that have survived will doubtless obey whether they know of any place in America, the command to increase and multiply, and where it is doing well, as I incline to the will not forget in future years to act worthily opinion that our country is well fitted for its of the renown of their ancestors, as many growth, and that a thriving trade might be people do. carried on with the Londoners with it, who But the seasons in which all our fruit is prefer it to any Newtown Pippins, Lady destroyed by cold are comparatively so rare Apples, Rhode I. Greenings, and Spitzen- that we could get along with that well bergs, which we now send them. I do not enough, were it not for those appalling much believe in this innate degeneracy, forms of disease that attack our full grown for in addition to my reasons above, I saw apple and pear trees, especially the latterlast fall near Philadelphia, a large tree of generally, though very indiscriminately, the old English Autumn Bergamot, a variety called the blight. We think we have had literally as old as 'Julius Cæsar,' in perfect several forms of this disease; but its preshealth, and bearing in abundance. Yours, ent form is far worse than any other. JULIUS.-Philadelphia Florist.

REMARKS.-I am glad to find that brother Henson agrees with me in his unwillingness to adopt the theory of wearing-out. continue to collect evidence against it.

Report from Illinois.

Let us

ED.

The severe cold in winter is supposed often to kill both fruit and trees, especially the Pears and Peaches, while, if they escape this trial, the spring frosts often take them. The soil is surpassingly rich, and the trees never fail to do the very best the frosts, insects, and blights will allow. Their growth, and the abundance and fine qu lity of fruit is almost incredible, when not interrupted by any of these casualties.

The last winter was severe; however, the trees generally escaped injury, but the fruit did not. There are no peaches, few pears and cherries, and but a moderate crop of apples.

The plums are far more abundant than they have been for years before. Those kinds that escaped the frost have generally matured their fruit well; having been totally destroyed by frosts in the bloom the year before, but few of the progeny of the Grand Turk survived the famine to continue their work of destruction this year. However, there is evidence that enough of them survived to perpetuate the race by some means,

It first appears to the careless observer on the terminal shoots, which turn black and perish for several inches on the apple, and some times for several feet even on the pear, in a very few hours.

This is generally attributed to the soil or climate, but I am fully satisfied that this is not the cause; for, as a writer in the Prairie Farmer has truly remarked, it appeared last year on our native crab-apples and forest trees, especially the lickories and elms and oaks in this vicinity, as well as on cultivated trees, and on my grounds it was generally worse on Native Seedling Pears raised from the seed for two generations on the spot, than on any others; and much worse on the Native Crab-Apples than on trees more cared for. Besides, this form of blight is beginning to appear in all soils and climates, from Maine to Georgia, and also in Europe; and is it true that no soil and no climate suits the Pear at this particular crisis-not even crab-apples, oaks, and elms? I can not believe it.

I was compelled to believe that it was some change or casualty totally irrespective of both soil and climate, before I discovered what I think to be the true cause.

That there is a blight caused by heat or by cold, by soil or by climate, and also by the Scolytus Pyri, and by several other insects which infest the pear and apple, I am constrained to admit, from the testimony of gentlemen of undoubted capacity in these matters, and several of these forms of blight I have myself seen on my own grounds.

But there is a form of blight here more fatal to the pear tree especially, than all

these combined, as scores of practical men we have hit upon the right remedy; for in this vicinity would readily testify. We the trees on my own grounds, promptly all now unitedly believe it to be the work of treated with soap and tobacco water, spirits a microscopic insect, and notwithstanding of turpentine, and lamp-black, are thoroughthe strictures in the journals on my hasty ly restored; while a single row, omitted for article in the Horticulturist, I do not know want of time until the insects had hatched of a single man in this county, who has and gone into the bark, is still as badly dischanged his opinion in the matter, or is eased as ever, or almost as badly, the late likely to do so. We think we know what care probably having done some good. On we see here with our own eyes; whether it the contrary, one gentleman, one mile from exists elsewhere or not, is for others to say. me, omitted all care of his trees; they were This insect is not a bark-louse of any form, about ten or twelve inches through, and the nor is it anything described in the books or finest in the county. But they are all now horticultural reports, or any more like any dead, or worse than dead. Another gentleof these than a pig is like an alligator or a man, two miles distant, sceptical at first, rhinoceros. Its habits are still unknown, and finally, after a personal examination, became are likely to be for some time to come. But convinced, and applied whale oil soap to the that it is so small as to be invisible through blighted trees, with a caustic alkali to disordinary microscopes, and seen fairly only solve it afterwards, and all his trees are now, under a powerful solar microscope, is well as he informs me, free from blight, and in known to many; also, that it infests the order. Another gentleman washed his apneck, trunk, crotches, and larger limbs of ple orchard in simple soap-suds, and I am trees, upon the outer bark, and diffuses its told it can now be seen to the very tree to poison there, long time before the sudden perishing of the terminal shoots, is perfectly apparent to any man who has a jack-knife and a pair of eyes; hundreds have exarained and testified to this fact. Even before it was suspected to be the work of an insect, though the casual or careless examiner finds no symptoms of disease until the final, sudden death of the terminal shoot warns him of the danger. Now, in the case of the Scolytus Pyri and one or two other unknown insects, this sudden death of the terminal shoot is all there is about it; and generally, at least on the apple, it is all that ensuesthough the poison sometimes, even in these cases, will run down on the pear.

But in the case of this new form of insect, or microscopic insect blight, it is far otherwise. I have myself examined hundreds of trees, and I have never yet seen a terminal shoot affected with it, when I conld not find obvious evidences of the fatal poison below some times quite down to the ground; and in such cases the tree will invariably die to the ground, unless something is done to prevent it, though there may be many feet of perfectly sound wood, apparently, between the fatal spot and the withering shoot or twig. The experience of this year not only convinces us that this is the work of the insect described in the Horticulturist, but also encourages us to hope (and only to hope) that

what extent he applied it, as all trees so washed are healthy, and all others are blighted. Another still, applied a rope covered with tar, to some of his trees, and says that on those so treated there is no blight, while it is on all the others. This last case, however, I think will be found to be a case of blight that comes from a larger insect perforating the terminal bud, and not from the microscopic insect, so fatal to pears. Another gentleman from Massachusetts, quite unknown to me, wrote me in the spring, that he had discovered the same microscopic insect mentioned in the Horticulturist, on his pear trees, and had applied oil-paint with entire success.

Another still, writes from the South, that he has found the same insect there. So that I am induced to believe that this form of blight is not exclusively local. All the above cases, of course, did not come under my own notice, and I can only give the report as given to me. That every apple and pear tree, on my own place, was last year hopelessly diseased, as I thought-that all my privit bushes and hedges were, in midsummer, killed quite to the ground is quite certain, and that I have now totally eradicated the evil from my premises, except on the neglected trees above specified, and that several of my neighbors have done the same is quite as certain; while those who did no

thing last year have found the disease to steadily progress toward death, is equally sure. It may be thought that this insect follows the disease instead of producing it; but I think the evidence conclusive the other way, and wrote for the Horticulturist only in order that others might observe and be convinced of the fact-for it would be difficult, and perhaps impossible, to convince any man on this point, who had not examined, thoroughly, for himself, or at least received the testimony of a great many corroborating witnesses who had so examined; and it is not reasonable to expect or ask conviction from sensible men on any other ground-there is so great a liability to mistakes in matters so exceedingly small.

I can, however, state that so far as I know, every person whose attention was seasonably called to the phenomena, was fully convinced of the cause of the evil and all the remedies adapted to that view have, in every case, so far as I know, proved successful and satisfactory, while all other known remedies have failed.

After the writer in the Prairie Farmer spoke of the blight on the forest trees, I found the larvæ of this insect on the elms and hickories in my own yard.

It is barely possible that this blight will be found at last to be, not the result, but the cause of the spread of this insect; but I do not think any such result probable, nor am I aware of any one who has had any fair opportunity to examine the case in all its bearings, who anticipates any such result. The assumption that this insect causes the blight, fully explains all the known phenomena so far no other supposition does while that there are other forms of blight caused by insects, and other causes wholly different, there can be no reasonable doubt; but they have never proved so serious and fatal with us as this last form.

rough bark, two or three feet from the ground, where the scion was united to the seed stock, or in the crotches, or in any place where there is any roughness of bark, and when this bark is cut or pared off with a sharp knife, there the disease more fully appears.

There will be found dead, gangrened blotches of bark extending sometimes quite down to the sap-wood, even where the outer bark looked sound and healthy.

These trees are some seven or eight years old, and of fine and healthy growth and appearance, and just coming into bearing-say with trunks from nine to eighteen inches in circumference. Now every one of the Newtown Pippin trees in this orchard have this plague-spot on them, more or less, while not one of any other kind is so affected, so far as I could find. What is the cause of this, will any gentleman explain?

The trees all look as healthy and fine as ever, and as the disease is so latent that it was not discovered till July, quite too late to do anything for their good this year, the probability is that the disease will ex.end and cause their sudden death, as several have already died at short notice, while in apparently full leaf and growth. I can not say what ails these trees, but I strongly suspect it is the same insect, as is found here at home on the Pear; and I also suspect that it has been the cause of so numerous deaths among the Newtown Pippins, elsewhere ascribed to soil and climate; and it is said lime cures or prevents their death in these cases by its action on the soil; but may it not be its action on this insect after all, about the roots of the tree? I throw out these hints merely as suggestive, and would advise all my friends who find that their soil or climate does not agree with Pear and Newtown Pippin apple trees, to look well to the rough bark of these trees, I found an apparently similar disease in especially spring and fall, and examine carealmost every one of my Newtown Pippin fully with a knife, and if they find symp apple trees, in an orchard of about twenty-toms of disease there, or any unnatural rusti five acres, on my farm, ten miles from this place. Most of these trees are of this kind, say about eight or nine hundred in number, the rest of the orchard standing, mixed promiscuously together with these, are of other choice varieties, all set out at the same time

and in the same manner.

This disease appears most fully on the

ness, or scurviness, or dead blotches, to cleanse them well with a knife, removing all the dead parts, and wash the whole tree in a decoction of strong tobacco water, mixed with about one-fourth strong soap, and enough finely sifted air-slacked lime to make it slightly thick and adhesive. This done in the fall, will also keep rabbits from young

REPORT FROM ILLINOIS.

trees, and in July, will kill off or keep off most of the young borers. It should also be done in March or April, for this blight insect, as well as in summer and fall, so as to destroy the larvæ.

Of all the things applied to the roots of the trees, I have found the following mixture did the best on our soil, the last year; -half peck of lime, half peck of ashes, two quarts of salt, one peck of powdered charcoal, dug in about the roots and piled against the stem, in the fall or early winter. Trees so treated, in addition to their washing, gave a more healthy and vigorous growth than from any other application to the root. As to Grapes we find no remedy for the rot, as yet, though it is far less fatal this year than last. I have dug a pit, 20 feet square, and bricked it and cemented it over top, bottom, and sides, making arched vaults for suds and other liquid manure under the whole, filling the pit wholly with artificial soils -and so constructed as to have at all times from the pits an abundant and regular supply of moisture without any excess. I shall have here a full opportunity to test the various effects of soil alone, and will report to the public in due time.

I have also other experiments in progress for testing the various effects of atmosphere and moisture on other vines, and I hope we shall all labor till the true cause of this deplorable rot is fully searched out.

My own present opinion coincides with that of Mr. Longworth, as I understand him; but I am not, after all, fully satisfied, that this also will not be found the work of an insect, at the root of the vines; for the vines, ten years old, which I took pains to dig out whole, though running over some 20 square feet of earth and some three or four feet deep last spring-presented to me appear ances which I could not fully account for on any other supposition. But as I have these now in the pits above named, I shall subject

them to future examination.

459

round shape, larger than the Catawba; skin rather thick, and not so spirited and highflavored, though quite good; to my taste inferior to either the Isabella or Catawba ; but those more accustomed to them, think them even better. This vine originated from the north-western part of Connecticut, and is there cultivated for its superior qualities. This Grape is worthy of serious attention in Illinois though probably not fit for wine.

Perhaps I ought to remark that I washed two Plum trees with strong soap and tobacco water, trunk and limbs, late in the fall, and again when in bloom, to improve their bark and growth. Sometime in March, also, I covered the ground under these trees with tobacco stems, about one inch thick, as far out as the limbs extended. Now these two trees are so loaded with ripe plums, that I was obliged to prop up all the limbs, to prevent breaking; and there are twice as many plums on them as on any others in the row, and few or no marks of the curculio. I mention the fact to pass for what it is worth. This year I do not consider that any such experiment proves any thing for reasons above stated, though attention should be called to every fact of the kind.

May not the soap and tobacco water have killed all the insects or larvæ, on or about the trunk and limbs ? and the tobacco stems those under the tree-or at least driven them away?

Some twelve years ago, I selected a quite famous wild Plum, from the forests in this county, which was noted for its fine flavor, and for its tendency to resist the curculio, when all others failed. It is of good sizerich and sweet-and a gentleman from New York remarked last evening, that he had seldom found so good a Plum in that market, to his taste, as this. The skin is rather thick, and the color reddish yellow, with rusty spots, quite rich and agreeable. From the trees I have propagated from this sort, we almost always have plenty of Plums, without care, even when they fail on all others. What the cause is, unless it be the peculiarity of the skin, I can not say. I intend to improve this Plum still further, by cultivation, as a last hope for the west, till

It should be noted in this connexion that I received this day, (Aug. 25,) from S. Francis, Esq., an editor and horticulturist of Springfield, of well-known and deserved repute in the west, a box of fully ripe Fox Grapes, which mature well in Springfield, the "Turk" capitulates.

Ill., in Mr. Francis' garden, every year, Gooseberries with me do well, when well even when all other sorts rot entirely. They pruned, manured, salted and mulched, in are a fine, large, greenish red Grape, of a early spring, never without.

Currants are always abundant.

In this region, Cherry trees, of the finer sorts, generally die about the time of the change of the outer bark, if not particularly attended to.

I enclose a rough draft and description of our most famous August apple in these parts. It was introduced here by Timothy Chamberlain, Esq., and named by him the Orange Apple. He says that the same has been called in Ohio, the Tallow Apple, and in the South, the Hoase or Horse Apple, but this I think somewhat doubtful. The apple I have seen as the Horse Apple, is an earlier and far inferior fruit. This apple now

brings readily one dollar per bushel in our market, while plenty of common apples can be had from twenty to forty cents per bushel.

I regret exceedingly that I shall not be able to attend the Congress; and I do not know that this hasty and ill-digested report can do any good, but I feel confident that under the inspection of such minds as will be there assembled, it can do no real harm, and may be the occasion of eliciting from others, more valuable thoughts and observations in future, on the same topics. It is, therefore, respectfully submitted as it is, by Yours truly, J. B. TURNER.

Coal-Boat Garden.

The Garden.

THE Londoners may be said to be inveterate gardeners. From the dark and sinuous purlieus of Drury Lane and Saffron Hill, to the open day-light squares and crescents of the West End, may be seen some indication of this passion for horticulture. But although in both instances, the same pursuit is displayed, the tastes are evidently different. In the one it may be called a love of gardening, and in the other a love of flowers. In the former it is a taste for cultivation, but in the other an admiration of the thing cultivated.

markets, in the streets, and on hawker's trucks. The Primrose, Daisy, Wallflower, Polyanthus, and Southernwood, are among the most popular; and in almost every lane. alley, and court, may be seen the various degrees of success with which these are kept in life. It is not only in the dwellings of the poor, however, that we have remarked this fondness for gardening. It would seem that some, who perhaps have no dwelling at all, or such an one as does not afford the facili ties for indulging even this harmless gratification, resort to other means; and it was but the other day we encountered, in our periWe have often wondered what extent of grinations, a well-cultivated and fertile spot cultivation these minds, in the neglected on the fore-deck of a coal-barge! Who of parts of London, are capable of, that dis- our readers would ever have dreamed of a play so much refinement in the assiduity flower-garden in such a spot? Even our with which they nurse a wild Daisy, or assiduous friend, Mr. Beaton, with all his Primrose, in a fractured tea-pot or ginger- train of fair followers, could never have beer bottle. There is surely something more thought of looking for a flower-garden in than the mere animal development here. such a spot, and that, too, floating on the Our attention has been more immediately very bosom of Old Father Thames. And a directed to this subject, in consequence of very pretty garden it was. There were no the immense quantities of the commoner circuitous walks; no ingenious devices; no flowers which are, at this season, continually grouping of colors; but there were some forced upon our observation, both in the bright Anemones, of all colors; Polyanthu