Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1868-03-27
1uka, Miss.
Diseases of Fruit Trees.

EDITORS SOUTHERN CULTIvAToR Il
see in your August number an article on Pear
blight, from Mr.. Van Buren. I will not
discuss the subject Of our fruit trees; but
will merely state sew facts, as they have
come to my notice. U
The apple or pear begins to fail; next
thing wo know, it is turned over by the wind
all the roots having rottcd, save, it may
be, ono. Blight also destroys lage number
Of our pear txces. I have tried every romcdy
l could hear or read Of, or my mind could
suggest. From somo source I learned, that
driving few ten penny nails in my trees
would save them. I took. my hammer and
nail box and wont to work-driving three or
four such nails in each apple and pear tree.
I have mover lost any pear and but two apple
trees since. Ono of those was on tho decline
at the time. never, lose tree until it goes
into bearing. have pear trees now twenty
to- twenty, five feet high. drive nails in my
trees now a days when they arc two and three
inches in diameter. A friend had beautiful
orchard of pear trees, (dwarf) Blight attack
cd, and destroyed nearly all Of them; but
one, which was thrifty and quite green, drew
his attention. On examination, he found
some one had placed largo iron hook in the
fork of tho tree; the wood and bark had
grown around it firmly. 1t was imbcdded
i'll the tree; and he supposed it must have
been the iron which saved that thrifty trco
only, out of large number.
Do drivn thn po;l too o1oco 49, -.
the nail and hit the tree, for that will cause
sore place. I often drive nails through nv
smaller trccs-thcy soon grow over thcm.-
] believe it will answer good purpose il tho
peach troo against tho borer, though never
had occasion to try it.
10 keep your apple and pear trees smooth
and clean, every spring wash them with soft
soap and salt, as high as you can reach--say
ono quart Of salt to two gallons of ordinary
soap. Apply with mop.
once procured some grape vines from
Georgia-they were diseased in the spring
the young leaf would turn white or spotted
--crimp up, with excrcscenccs over them
The vine grew but did not fruit This dis.
case spread over my small vineyard and dcs.
troyedit except the Scuppefnong, wi. ;oh has
resisted tho disease. tried tho nails in the
vine without any good effect. The rust Of
iron does not appear to be curative, but a
preventative | formerly lost from six to ten
trees yearly, with rotten roots and turning
up. It has been years since lost any in
that way, except tho two have mentioned.
Trees do occasionally die from othor causes -.
/ drive the nails a, foot or so from 10 ground.
Yours, II; RAYMOND.
Mississippi, JAN 1868
AN APT ILLusrnATIoN.-We heard a
very worthy old freedman, who is beginning to
understand the working Of the League, give
,his opinion Of IL the other day as follows:
"Itell you, dc Leagae and de tlarkies list
remind mo of when,oidy ymass'r an me use TO
putpp de fattepin hogs. I'd take some corn
and scatserit long, aid soon as do hogs. ,ud
tastc ~, dey' follow rigRt'long picking up
deTgraihs, and .nevers$l l6oaisg~ AHEAD j, a6a-aS
fust thing dey know'd dey was In do pen a,,
dc, gap up An derodoy staid till wo knock a
Qua indie hcad."' =