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NATURAL'HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part I, 



THE PEAR AND CRAB APPLE. 



producing a greater variety of fine apples 

 than Vermont. 



The Pear Tree does not grow so -well 

 in the northern and central mountainous 

 parts of the f-tate, but it flourishes in the 

 .soutlieastern and western parts, where 

 many choice varieties are cultivated and 

 bear well. A 'icvr Quinrcs and Pcadirs 

 are raised, but very little attention has 

 been paid to their cultivation. That as 

 good peaches may be raised in Vermont 

 as in any other place, we think will hardly 

 -be disputed by any who ate of those which 

 grew in "our own garden in Burlington 

 during the past and present year. Our 

 xemarks respecting the pear tree will ap- 

 ply also to the Phim. In the northern 

 parts of the state, the native, or Canada 

 Plum is much cultivated. It bears plen- 

 tifully, and the fruit is tolerable. Our 

 plum trees generally are very uncertain 

 bearers. After bearing profusely one year 

 they often pass several years without pro- 

 ducing any fruit. Clwrries flourish well, 

 and several varieties are cultivated. 



The Siberian. Crab Apple is cultivated in 

 the northern parts of the state, where it 

 flourishes well, and bears abundantly. 

 Witii sugar this fruit makes an excellent 

 marmalade. 



J^^uts. These are the M-alnut, chestnut, 

 butternut, beech-nut, oak-nut or acorn, 

 and hazle-nut. Of walnuts we have three 

 kinds, but the pignuts are much the most 

 common. The shell bark hickory is 

 found in some parts, but is not very 

 abundant. The chestnut thrives only in 

 the southern part of tiie state. Butter- 

 nuts are common in most parts, and some 

 years they are produced in very great 

 abundance. It is esteemed a luxury by 

 many, and in plentiful years large quan- 

 tities are gathered and dried. See paire'ilii. 

 The beechnut is the most plentiful nut 

 found in the state, and it abounds in all 

 parts. When the country was new the 

 early settlers depended principally upon 

 this nut for fattening their hogs. But 

 it was in many places as necessary that 

 Ihey should be attended by a guard to 

 protect them against the original proprie- 

 tors, the bears, as it was that the first 

 settlers should be guarded against the 

 attacks of the Indians. See page 212. The 

 hazlenut grows on a shrub four or five 

 feet high ; and, though quite common, 

 but little account is made of it. The 

 above are all indigenous, and grow in a 

 wild state without cultivation. Acorns 

 too were formerly plentiful in man/ parts 

 of the state, and these, like the beechnut, 

 were for swine and bears a favorite arti- 

 cle of food. 



Berries. Vermont produces a ver}^ con- 



siderable variety of berries, both wild and 

 cultivated, and many of them are highly 

 serviceable, not only for desserts, but as 

 articles of food. One of the most impor- 

 tant of these is the currant., of which we 

 have four species. Of these the red, 

 white, and black currant are largely cul- 

 tivated in gardens, but the two former 

 are most esteemed, and are much eaten, 

 stewed or made into pies when green; 

 and when ripe they are eaten raw, or in 

 pies, or are preserved in sugar, and their 

 juice mixed with clean sugar at the rate 

 of one pound of the latter to a pint of the 

 former, and boiled from If) to 20 minutes 

 in a tin or brass kettle, makes an exquis- 

 ite jell, which may be kept in glass ves- 

 sels for years without difficulty. The 

 black currant has a peculiar musky taste 

 and odor, and, though liked by some, is 

 not so generally esteemed. Black cur- 

 rants are found in a wild state in our for- 

 ests, and red currants are also found 

 growing wild upon our mountains, the 

 taste of which is much less agreeable than 

 that cultivated in gardens. 



Jl'/iortlrhcrrics. of the various kinds, are 

 produced in great jdenty in different parts 

 of the state, particularly on the pine 

 plains in the neighborhood of lake Cham- 

 plain. In ])lentiful years, the quantities 

 of these berries offered for sale in our vil- 

 lages along the western part of the state 

 are very considerable. In 1841, which 

 was remarkably productive in these ber- 

 ries, the quantity brought into the village 

 of Burlington between the 25th of June 

 and the Jst of September, could not have 

 fallen much, if any, short of 200 bushels. 



We have three kinds of raspherries, 

 the red, black and white, all of which 

 grow wild. The tvvo latter are much im- 

 proved by cultivation, and are consider- 

 ably cultivated in gardens. The red 

 raspberry is very abundant on most of 

 our hills and mountains. Gooseberries 

 are found growing wild in all parts, but 

 the fruit is generally small. Several 

 choice foreign varieties have been intro- 

 duced into our gardens, where they are 

 easily cultivated and brought to a high 

 degree of perfection. They are a luxury, 

 which, with very little trouble, every 

 family might enjoy. 



Blackberries, of two or three kinds, are 

 common, and they are universally regard- 

 ed as the most wholesome and delicious 

 wild berry found in the state. A varietj' 

 of this berry is occasionally found the 

 color of which is a delicate yellowish 

 white. It is sometimes cultivated in gar- 

 dens, and, contradictory as the terms may 

 seem, several have been able to assert, 

 without contradiction, that they could Cm- 



