Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-03-23
From the Southern Home.
FRuIT TREES.


Mr. Edator Several years ago, while on
pastoral visit at the house of Alexander Glib
son in Lemley's Township, I was asked to 60
into the garden to see wonderful thing
The previous winter part of the orchard
had been cut off by a fance, and enclosed in
pasture, in which were put sheep and geese
and calves. The wonderful thing was, that
in the pasture the fruit was 6ne and very
sound while over the fence in the field it was
very faulty, very wormy.
These facts recalled some reading in my
boyhood. An editor had seen row Of plum
trees on millrace. The branches overhang-
ing the water had sound fruit; the others
very wormy. Philosophizing upon the facts,
he said that instinct taught whatever it was
that pierced the young fruit not to deposit its
egg where its young would perish, when the
fruit would fall into the water.
Many persons have noticed how sound
peaches are about old house sites, turned out
and much frequented by all kinds of ranging
stock In such places it would be hard to
find wormy peach, or the borers in their
roots.
An Ohio lady lately wrote that she had a
dozen plum trees in her yard, utterly worth
less, because the fruit was always wormy and
shed before ripening. One year she placed
her coops under one tree and fed her poultry
there That season that tree, and that alone,
had sound fruit.
These facts seem to support that editors
instinct theory. The matter is worth more
observation and experiment than has hither-
to been bestowed. Do the insects propagate
only, or even principally, throug gh fruit? If
so, would it be possible to exterminate them
through pasturage at the proper time? When
would be that time? Will fruit-growers
please take notice, and communicate all facts
bearing on these questions, that they may be
able to collect? Respectfully,
A. RANSOM.
Huntersville, N. G.
Road DUST AND POULTRY DUNG.-Road
dust is worth many times its cost as an absorb
ent Those who keep poultry may secure, by
its use, valuable fertilizer, nearly as strong
as guano, with none of it's disagreeable odor
Place an inch or two of road dust in the bot,
tom of barrel; then, as the poultry house is
regularly cleaned, deposit layer an inch
thick of the cleanings, and 80 on alternately,
layers of each till the barrel is full. The
thinner each layer is, the more perfect will be
the intermixture of the Ingredients. If the
soil of which the road dust is made is clayey
the layers may be of equal thickness; if sandy
the dust should be at least twice as thick as
the layer of droppings. Old barrels may be
used for this purpose; and il previously soaked
with crude petroleum or coated with gas tar
they will last many years. If the contents
are pounded on floor into fine powder before
appl lying, the fertilizer may be sown from a
drill. Road dust is one of the most perfect
deodorizers of vaults-converting their con
tents also into rich manure Place box
or barrel of it in the closet, with small dip,
>. per, and throw down a pint into the vaul
each time it is occupied, and there will be nj
offensive odor whatever. This is simpler
cheaper and better than water-closet, anc
never freezes or gets out of order. Mixing
the road dust with an equal bulk of coal ashe
is an improvement, making the fertilizer mor'
friable.-COuntry Gentleman.
A Coop WH1TEwAsH.-For good, dura
BILE whitewash that will stand exposure to th'
weather, take half bushel of freshly burned
lime, slake it with warm water; cover it du
ring the process to keep in the steam. StraiI
the liquid through fine sieve, and add to i
seven pounds of salt, previously we'll dissolv
ed in warm water; three pounds OF groune