The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1873-02-15

the truffle oak and the truffle fly,
and, when he succeeds, further
generations of epicures will rise
up and call him blessed, and as
sign to him a higher place on
the roll of fame than to that other
Watt, whose genius made the
whole commercial world tributary
to the workshops of England.
1.-TWO elements are necessary
for the production of truff1e.
First, the truffle or green oak; Sec
ond, the truffle generating fly.
The cultivation of the truffle oak
has only been considerable since
1910 At that period a NJ. Talon,
of Saint SatUrnin, Bases Alpes,
remarked that the truffie was
partial to places planted with
these oaks. He made plantations
of them, which gave him con-
siderable income. At present this
cultivation is very extensive, and
Mons. Nalserres estimates that
no less than $4,000 hectares 1.-TWO
acres and a half EACH are devoted
to it. NJ. Bosseau, to whom M.
, Valserres had told his secret,
/ made trials at Carpentras, and
obtained such remarkable results
that land planted with the trufie
= oaks, which was scarcely worth
t % francs the hectaire, now brings
, in 1000 francs. The green oak
is indispensable for the production
of trutfieS, as it is on the rOotlets
of this tree that they are found.
e Hitherto, the truffie was supposed
to be u simple mushroom. NJ.
ValserreS denies it, and says his
system is based on practice and
: experience. 1t is simply subtle
raneOuS gall of the oak, of the
: same nature as those which are
F. found On various trees. That
which is called truff1e, and is
y only found Oh the truffle oak, is
l. due to a particular species of oil fly.
70 There are as many gals as there
" are species of flies producing these
n excrescenses; the proceedings ofthe
: insects are identical; the results
:, are different according to the eli
l. mate, land, etc.
it The female truffle-generating
fly is furnished with very strong
auger at the extremity Of the alb
domen. When the moment OF
II, laying its eggs has arrived, she
~ penetrateS into the earth, pricks q
- roOtlet of the oak, and deposits
IS one OF more eggs, at the same
time injecting a drop of very acrid
~ fluid, which causes a violent irri-
by tation in the spot, and produces a
no gall, OH which the insect is nOur-
ished, and which it pierces after
he having undergone its various
At transformations to attain to a
perfect state. Several specimens
TO of truftles pierced with holes
Iat which were made by the larvae Of
the trufte fly were handed round
We to the audience. In support OF
IFS this theory, the lecturer remarked
that all the phenomena hitherto
A0 iuexplicable in the cultivation o.
he this precious tubercle become very
IN clear and natural by his system
Thus, when the Summer is no
'pt and dry the truff1e fails becaus
the fly cannot penetrate the drieC
earth and reach the rootlet of thu
oak. Why is the truffle Onl,
found in open places, and exposed
oSt to the sun, or at the borders O
Gus forests or paths? Because tn
tho trutfle fly likes the sun and all
and from the day the oak give
CD, too much shade, or is surreunde,
the by brushwood, it can produce N
its more truffies. NJ. Maille, in th
DOrdogne, who had eighty het
ear taireS of truffie oaks, one day CON
planned to M. Valserres that hi
cen oaks no longer gave any produce
an He advised him to thin them, an
the next year there was a larg
ave quantity of truffies. Thus, ali
God light, and moisture in July, Al
in gust and September, the perio
, in which the truffle fly lays ii
'og' eggs, are necessarily for the PIT
, as duction of truffles. With respe,
tho 70 the soil. the best is the calcar
c. Gus siliceOus; mixed with iron.
luh is essential to keep the grOun
cial very clean, and to remove all ruI
pdi- Dish. The rain necessary
maintain the moisture must
oe supplemented by irrigation; b.
ting flooding is prejucicial, because,
hot weather ensues, hard crust
wbo formed, which the fly connot pc
citrate. NJ. Valserres himself on
and knows two sorts of truffle flies: OF