Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1859-06-17
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From the .fmcricar. .9gricuitm1sf
Trees and their Insect Enemies--9Eis.
taken Notions.

/. 1t is mistake to suppose that digging up
the grass for foot or eighteen inches around
aa old apple-tree, does il any material good
That amount of loose soil about the stem of
newly planted young tree, would be of much
service. 1t would enable the air and moisture
to penetrate 10 the roots, and it would prevent
the soil from being exhausted Of the food which
the young roots needed But where are the
roots of fnll-grown apple-tree2 AT least, ten
or fifteen feet away from the trunk. The great
arteries, to be sure, are nearer, but the smaller
roots, the 6brous net work of spongioles with
their thousand hungry mouths are off, full rod
or more; and they laugh (if, indeed, they do
not weep,) at the man who thinks be Is helping
! them while grubbing away around the old trunk
| As well might one think that be is feeding bis
horse, by simply rubbing his back With an ear
of corn,
2. 1t is another mistake to suppose that cot
forwarding tied round the trunks and limbs of
plum aud cherry-trees, prevents the ascent of
the curculio. sBut my paper said it WOULD
exclains an indignant subscriber. Indeed bur
we are sorry to say that mistakes will sometimes
get into the newspapers, as surely as the Grand
Turk viii get into the plum-trees, and there's
no sovereign remedy yet discovered for either
affiction. 'But tell us how the curculio finds
his way into the treesa' Not by craving only,
else the cotton would stop his travels; bat be
has good pair of wings and knows how to use
them, and SO be flies to the forbidden fruit with
out let or hindrance from the great southern
staple.
PROFITABLE PEAR TREEs.-A gentlamen
near Vieksburg, Miss, recently sold fruit from
two hundred aud fifty pear trees, .eeeupziug
about two-and-a-half acres of land, to rle
amount of five thousand dollars, In single sea
son. They we're packed in boxes, holding about
three pecks each, and sold for four dollars a
box. The varieties were principally the Bart
lett, and the Beurre Dicl, and each box coz
tanned from four-and-a>balf to five dozen pears.
The fruit on single tree sold for eighty dol
lars.
an amateur in the same vicinity, sold last
season from single tree planted ten years ago,
one hundred aud twenty dollars worth Of fruit.
The variety was the Beurre d'Amalis, and the
quantity twenty-six boxes, of seven to eight
dozen each. Two years ago, the same tree pro-
duced twenty-five boxes, when it had been plant
ed but eight years. 1t bears only in alternate
years. He had many other trees of the same
needless to say that these trees had careful cul-
ture, and plenty of food. THE above item Is
from the pen of an Associate who has been at
the Soath since last Autumn. He has been
successful above many others in growing pears
in New England, and is justly eutitlcd to speak
enthusiastically of the value of pears as a pay
ing fruit. But so far as our observations have
extended over the country generally, we cannot
commend the culture of pears as certain to be
a safe and sure paying crop. They often do
we'll, and pay we'll, and no one should fail to
try them on small scale for home use at least
But 10 depend upon the growth of pears for
livelihood or fortune is, to say the least, a
hazardous enterprise-with the great majority
of persons. Great crops, ike those referred to
above, are by no means uncommon, bur they
are noted more as an exception than as results
to be generally looked for.-B.