Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-08-01
Farm, Garden and Household.
Destroyers OF Fruit.

Va
DIR. Trimble, of New Jersey, exhib-
tied to the Farmers Club specimens of
several worms destructive of fruit
plants and trees, and some branches
and leaves showing the ravages of the
destroyer. Among the specimens was
the currant worm, which, DR.. Trimble
said, several years ago almost entirely
destroyed the currant crop in Western
New YORK. The worm, rather pretty
creature, DR.. Trlmble stated, was a
species of slug. He thought it advisa-
BILE to allow young chickens to run
among the bushes attacked by these
worms as they make their first appear
ance in the under part of the bushes,
and the chickens can easily pick them
up. Another worm exhibited was one
which destroys apples, which DR.. Trim
BILE denominated the ''apple borer," on
account of its boring it's way, gimlet
like, into the apple. Several sprigs of
trees in the New York city parks were
shown with leaves almost destroyed by
caterpillars. DIR. Trimble said that he
had experimental with the sparrows in
the parks by endeavoring to induce
them to eat caterpillars. The birds
would take the worms in their beaks,
apparently out of curiosity, and would
then reject them. The caterpillars were,
he was satisfied, perfectly safe among
the sparrows. There were large colo
MES of sparrows in the parks, and the
caterpillars were undisturbed and daily
increasing in number. The worm was
plentiful in the southern part of Central
Park, but were scarcer in the northern,
because there we're other birds to be
found there besides sparrows.
Commercial Manures.
1t is said that more than half mil
lion of dollars are now annually paid
for commercial fertilizers in the New
England States. ALI which are now
offered for sale are analysed under the
direction of the Board of Agriculture
according to law, for the protection OF
farmers against fraud. The use OF
phosphates is very highly commended
for all old lands. Corn is made more
productive by their use and the crop
natures earlier, which is great pre-
ventive of mischief from early frosts.
But the English farmers have found
that it is most profitable to use COM
mercial manures as supplement to
farm-yard dung that without dung
the humusin the soil is soon exhausted,
and chemical manures then fail, par.
ticularly in dry season. Mr.. Mech
is in favor of stock-feeding and fatten
ing as the cheapest way of permanently
manuring the land, although he also
buys both bone material and guano as
supplement to his farm-yard dung
which is carefully kept under cover tc
prevent its waste.
Farming In Prairie Land.
A Plymouth county farmer writes tc
the Massachusetts PloWghmdo, that
excessive toll and continuous privatior
are too often the lot of the prairie farm
er; when he pays for his land there il
no timber on it to build him log
house, and he must pay from $50 to $50
per thousand for lumber to build hin
a balloon house; this, he says, leaves
most of the farmers with 10 per cent
mortgage on their farms. The "farm
ers live in houses with curtainless win
dows, from whose broken panes flute,
the signal rags of poverty" and "seven
tenths of all the farms are under ruin
GUS mortgages" the cry for more cur
rency is as distressing as that of thu
man in delirium tremens for NOR,
brandy. Let the farmers of the Eas
think twice before they attempt emf
grating to the West.
&. MuIchtng.
The Germantown Telegraph trul,
says: Trees transplanted this sprinl
should be mulched as soon as tn
ground becomes dry. For this purpos
grass is as coed as anything. Don't pu
around the tree too much at time
Remove it two or three times durln
the summer, and stir up the groun
we'll, then replace. It will save man
tree, if the season should be hot an
dry. Strawberry, raspberry and BLACK
berry beds should also bewell mulched
Any quantity Of dry stuff about aplact
especially leaves, scrapings, ETC., G
short grass cut from the lawn will d.
An application of the contents of ho
he'd ia varv hanaficia1