American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1824-04-30
From the american Farmer.
ON THE
PRESERVATION OF PEACH TREES.
baltimore, 4h Month, 18Th, 1924

i AAASARF n "a AON Or EEACIl i EEo
Baltimore, 4h Month, 18th, 1924.
Respected Friend
| AgreeabIy TO thy request, now communicate
CIV brief remarks upon Peach Trees, and the sim
pie method which have SO succe ssfully adopted
Of defending them from the depredations OF sucl
insects as prey upon their roots.
! AS the peach is generally admitted TO be the mos
wholesome and delicious OF all our fruits, and a.
Its cultivation has been recently very precarious
| IN our own State, and almost wholly abandoned in
various sections of country where il had here
tofore toufshed, had resolved several years ago
to devote such time as could occasionally snare, to
investigate the cause Of the premature decay Of The
trees and above all, 10 devise the means OF secur.
ing them against the evil.
Being particularly DESTROYS OF preserving some
young trees OF rare kinds, which had survived
many others that had been very thrifty | concluded
to commence with them. On careful examna
ton OF the leaves, branches, and trunk nothing
was discovered that could have caused the trees 10
assume an aspect so sickly; on emoying the earth
however, from about the ROOTS perceived plenti
iul exudauon oil gum, from several minute aper.
lures which being opened by the pruning knife.
displayed the lurking destroyers to full view These
laTvs were about an inch in length, cream -coored
with Chestnut brown, and somewhat depressed
mead lhey had perforated the bark, generallv
NSSSe VIZ '''Sh OSHCdAH surface oil the earth.
and were devouring vorAtiousy both the alburnum
and liber; leaving the cortex and epiderms, as al
covering aud defence. Having carefully removed
these worms, and every thing that might retardI
me healng procesS applied some of Forsythe'sl
composition, and lett them onsoling myself With
lne fehecuon that they were safe during the season.
al least On returning home after an absence of
about six weeks. fastened to examine into The
CONDITION OF my Trees when 10 perceived with
cnasrh and dlsmay, young and voracious COLONY
q 'he same KINDS Of worms, laying waste what had
oeen leit BY their predecessors This fact demon |
strsted the netficacy OF the method heretofore re-
commended, OF removing lie earth from abou, H.
roofs during wIiter. In the resent instance the
oV4 must have been deposited about the commence.
ment OF the eighth month (August J tor the laiygI
were ilVe elEhths Of an inch ~ length. II was ey-
luent from this discovery, that must either contin-
ue the tedious, tsguing, and difficult practice Of
removing the worms throughout the spring, sum.
mer, and autumn, or endeayor to find out some
method OF preventing the access OF the insect. In
order 10 accomplish this last intention it was neces
saty 20 observe i III every state of its progress-n
olher words to make myself acquainted with lis ma
tural history. TO the mere en,omoloeist. tbis
would not have been hard task but the virilant
attention 1t required, made it incompatible with
olher duties, and could only expect TO arrive al
the object in view by slow degrees.
mad succeeded more than two years ago in nm
curing several aurelias, but these haylnp acco,o.
pushed their final transformation, had ali escaned
through an aperture in the vessel ia which thev
were confined. Last summer enclosed about
twenty more, but these persisted, except two-ons
O. which escaped, The other secured The spe-
cies does not appear to be described in InDeus but
accordlngto his SYSTEM it belongs 10 the order Hv.
InenoptsFa, genus Apis 1t may with propriety be
named "A Fers'ca TO which shall annex the fol.
lowing description.
Shining Black blue
Ihorax iurruginous,
Wings violet blue.
1noaonen blue with one interrupted yellow band
Legs and antenna black.
&c LOU .ne Close OF the 7th month July many
neSe insects having assumed the winged state
'''" ser opposite their eggs in peach trees, iust