EDITOR'S TABLE. 



The followiii"', ■\\iiioli wo copy tVom the Maine Farmer, is interesting at tliis time, wla-n 

 the value of giiauo is exciting so much attention. 



GrvNO AND QurscE Stocks. — Durinj;; a hrief vi^»ii, last uutinnn, to an iiiti-Hijiiiit cultivator, ulio 

 ro<i(los in New .lorsey, on tho 1)anks of llio DclaAVare, sonic 20 miles above riiilailelj>hia, ami who 

 crows fruit and vogetahles for that market, while conversing ahout his facilities for obtaining 

 manure he remarked that stable mannre could be had, landed on the Ijank of his faim, from 

 sloop* nt $2 per cord, but thought gnano, at ^50 per ton, was decidedly cheaper, besides being 

 free from weed seeds, and he used it almost exclusively. The soil was what we should call a good 

 li.rht loam, although it is there termed a strong loam, in distinction from the sandy lands of east- 

 ern New Jersey. 



Amou"' the many things which attracted attention at this place, the one thfit interested me 

 most -waa an orchard of 1500 pear trees, on the quince root. These were not all planted at tho 

 same time, nor were they alike in other respects, for some 300 or 400 of them w<'rc grown in this 

 country, and grafted upon the common quince, probably the apple or pear quince, or seedlings 

 from them. These were dwarfish enough, and though they had been planted seven years, had 

 borne but little, and decidedly realized the idea which used to prevail, that quince rooted pears 

 were necessarily poor, weakly and short-lived trees; but the other 1100 or 1200 were fine trees, 

 imported from France, and grown on the Angers quince, or some other hybrid variety, equally 

 adapted to this purpose, and their condition was in striking contrast to that of the others — thrifty, 

 healthy, and of vigorous growth, and bearing all they were able to do without injury. Having 

 been carefully thinned out, the fruit was large and of fine quality, and presented a rich treat to 

 the eye, as well as promise of a richer one bye and bye to the palate. 



Among them were 150 trees, (three rows), of the variety called Duchess d' Angoulcme, which 

 had been planted four years, and were bearing nearly enough, and I am not sure but quite enough, 

 to pay the cost of the trees, planting, and the land they stood on ; for he had bargained the whole 

 crop to a dealer in riiiladelphia at %\ per dozen, who would undoubtedly realize 12i cts. each for 

 them- and how many pears, at that price, would it take to pay 50 or 75 cts. for a tree, and 25 

 cts. more to plant, and mulch, and tend it proi.erly the first year, and also the 400th part of say 

 S200, for an acre of land, (they were 8 feet apart, with 10 feet between some roAvs,) and for two 

 or three pounds of guano per annum, for three years, at 2\ cts. per lb. ? I reckon a dozen and a 

 half would not be out of the way. I plucked one or two of them, although not fully grown, to 

 bring home and compare with my own, which were growing on trees only two yeai-s planted, but 

 they weighed 15i and 16 oz., and mine only llf and 12 oz. 



This, by the way, is a variety which always succeeds best on a warm, rich, light soil, and as 

 mine was heavy, and the trees only planted some sixteen months, I didn't feel exactly inclined to 

 "give up the ship," as yet. 



But to return to guano, which came pretty near being lost scent of in running over this orchard, 

 there are two or three points of some consequence to be determined by the cultivator before using 

 it, and his success, presuming, of course, that he buys a good article, will be very much in propor- 

 tion to the correctness of his practice in regard to them,— the quantity, the time, and the mode of 

 application. The quantity should be enough; the time, long enough before the seed for it to 

 impart to the soil all its acrid and caustic properties, and become thoroughly mild; and the mode 

 should be to cover deep in light soils, and less deep in proportion as they are heavier.— ,S'. L. G., 



in Maine Fanner. 



* 



Martyxlv fragrans, in one of yo\ir late numbers, is represented as being rather tender. With 

 me it ripens its seed from plants self-sown in the natural ground, just the same as the common 

 one. This last— the common Martynia— I find much preferable for pickling. Charles Ellioit. 

 -Sandwich, C. W. 



