104 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[Oct. 21, 



After settling it that the poorest land is as j the fcorer, and olhor vermin, which " work at 

 gooii as any, Agiicola directs to " plant your seed j the roots" of trees are orener.iled in animal ma- 

 where jou intend yoiir orchard. In new lands 1 niire. In illuslration of his theory he says, | 

 I would recommend never to use the plough, or !>■• where 1 h:ive put animal m^inure almut my! 

 to remove the rocks and stones." Under these i trees I have I'ound iniiU|„|.rahlp tribe' ol ant-, or ! 

 directions the land for an orchard is to become | pismires travelling- up anil down, and dopnsiting ] 

 wholly unproductive, for at lea«t seven years. I green egg^ or lice under the leaves of the ex- 

 The" roclis and stones" render it until for mow- 1 treme twigs oi branches." That ants or pis- 

 ing. The prohibition of the plo\igh exchules ■ mires have some strong attraction lo the es- 

 lillage, and the destruction of the trees would ; treme branches of tVuit trees of luxuriant growth 

 be the certain consequence of pastuijng. What j such as would be produced \>y rich inanin-e is 

 intelligent farmer will be induced to make this ' manifest ; but tlie object of these harmless tribes 



sacritice of the proi'it of his lanil for so long a 

 period, when it is in his power, iu one year, to 

 have as mature an orchaiil as by this process he 



in resorting there is wholly different from thai 



supposed by Agricola. They find, already dp. | 



posited by some other insect on the most surcu- I 



can obtain in seven ? It is admitted that rocky i lent and tender parts of the twis;, " green eggs 

 land, where the soil is good is favourable for an or lice" which in their mature state are denom- 

 orchaid; and that ploughing is unnecessary if inated Aphides or IMant Lice. These insects 

 the trees are well cultivated by other means :' derive their nourishment from the sap of the 

 but the tree should not be placed there until it I leaf or twig, and through tuberous ajiertures in 

 has nearly attained its bearing state. A close their abdomen impart it to the ant in a fluid re- 

 9l Iyto rods sf,i:2re will coiituin trees sutScient sembling honey dew. An attentive observer 

 for an acre of ground, with ample room for their | vvith a magnifying glass will be amused in wit- 

 growth, and render them less liable to be injur- nessing this curious process. This saccharine 



ed when transplanted to the orchard 



Agricola prefers grading to budding to be per- 

 formed the seventh or eighth year: this is no 

 doubt, the best under his plan lor an orchard : 



exudation is also found inspissated on the perfo- 

 rated leaf or twig, a rich repast lor Hie ant. In 

 llees' Cyclopedia it is stated that the Aphis a- 

 bounds with a sweet and grateful moisture, and 



but where trees are prepared in a nurservi '^U''' ! '* therefore eagerly devoured by the ants. — 

 ding is to be preferred, as it is more expedil'ous I The disposition of the ant lo devour the Aphi 



and occasions no lasting injury !o the stock- — 

 Where there is a probability of obtaining a bet- 

 ter variety of fruit by waiting for the natural 

 produce, a susjiension under all the disadvantage 

 of late grafting might be judicious. But since 

 we are in possession of an extensive and valu- 

 able assortment for all domestic purposes, it is 

 more wise to select what we wish (or wilhou' 

 trusting to chance. 



The doctrine that it is important fo graft ear- 

 ly fruit on early slocks, and l.ile fruif on such as 

 are naturally lale is not sanctioned by sufficieni 

 demoiistr.ition. The fact may well be doubted 

 when ive consider the more obvious laws of na- 

 ture in this creative process. The peculiar or 



1 have not been able to discover. The inter- 

 course appears friendly. The ants jiass over 

 and among them with evident caution and kind- 

 ness, apparently taking an interest iu t'leirpies- 

 ervation. It is not, however, improbable that 

 they occasionally kill one for the luxury of good 

 eating, or other good purposes, as a tanner kill* 

 a fat calf, or consigns an unprofilable cow lo the 

 shambles. I am not conversant with Ihe natural 

 history of these insects, although they abound 

 on flower pots as well us on fruit trees. There 

 is a succession of them through Ihe whole seas- 

 on ; and so long as the twig continues in a 

 growing, tender stale. They change their col- 

 our from green to brown; and in their mature 



ganization of the buib or scion concocts such ali- state, quit the tree, a winged insect. Their 

 ment from its jiKrse as it imbibed from its pu;CH(. odour is strong and loathsome. 1 have tried 

 The a[iple from a graft, in size, form, colour various methods to dostroy them. On hniKe 

 and taste, correspoufls precisely with the fVuil i plants, strong tobacco smoke vf ill dislodge them 



of the tree from whieh it was taken. Why then 

 should it d!:Ter in the period of its maturity. Is 

 it philosuphica! to suppo.^e that a Siberian 

 crab can rear a delicious fruit, foreign from its 

 own nature, in so many essonlial (pialities, and 

 withhold its peculiarity of being early or late? 

 Nature is too perfect in her known laws to admit 

 the supposition. 



The directions of Agricola on the .subject of 

 manure for his orchard, from their minuteness 

 and precision have the cast of knowledge and 

 oxpcrience; but on first reading them a farmer 

 would be at some loss to determine what sort 

 of manure he reprobates under the denomina- 

 tion of animal. My his definilion of vegetable 

 manure, made from barberry bushes, &,r. we; yours, 

 may infer that his aidmal manure is no other 

 than vegetable substances, passed through the 

 intestines of cniinals, producing the '-pi^smirc" 

 the origin in l!ie opiri m of Agricola, of' the in- 

 nun)eralilo tribes of insecis, \vhii.l) produce the 

 •leath of an orchard!" Had he Iraced the des- 

 tructive •' insects," (or worms if yon please) to 

 Ihe bott tiiai^^ot in horses there might at least 

 havJ been sonn plansibijity in his conjecture that 



and kill many. Caustic washes, if strong enough 

 for their destruction, may harm the already in- 

 jured shoot. The simplest of the efficacious ex- 

 pedients I have used, is, after removing Ihe dis- 

 eased leaves, to diaw the stem through a piece 

 of soft flannel, gently compressed by the hands. 



By this Ion? discussion, I apprehend, sir, I 

 may have satisfied you of one important fact at 

 least--that it is my opinion " that good soil is a 

 prime requisite for a good orchard — that animal 

 manure " is not prejuilicial to it — anil that the 

 ant or pismire" does not produce ijie insects, 

 which injure Ihe fruit, and destroy the tree. 



With high estimation for your paper, and 

 friendly regard for yourself", 1 am re«pcclfullv 



O. FISKE. ■ 



Mtninrks by Ihe Editor. — The piece -writti'n by 

 '*■ ^^i^ricolu^^ to wbicli our corresponderU refers in tlie 

 above article was oii^;inally putdished in tlit- liostou 

 CeatincI and republished in the New l'!ng1aiid fanner, 

 vol. I. pag-e 52. We intended, at the timi to have 

 made some remarlis on what appeared to us To be in 

 correct in AgricoLt's directions ; but the editorial head 

 of that week was occupied by a lonj cojinlumcation; 



and we inadvertantly suffered the article to pass with- 

 out comment. Our correspondent however, has sup- 

 plied our omission, and renders it unnecessary lor us to 

 gfoat length into real or sjpposed aberrations of Agri- 

 cola. We will, however, add some remarks, whicb 

 may serve as an appendix to the above communication. 



All the writers on the culture of Fruit Trees, whose 

 productions we have read, are of opinion that a good 

 soil is necessary for a good orchard. The last Ameri- 

 can edition of Willich's Encyclopedia, article " Or- 

 chard," says " with respect to soil any common field 

 or pasture, which produces ahundanl crops of corn, gra.-3 

 or culinary vegetables, may be chosen for laying out 

 an orchard. If it be of a rich loamy nature, it will be 

 a great advantage; though any soil of a good quality 

 may be prepared for the purpose ; but it must be nei- 

 iher too wet and heany ; nor too light or dry ; it should 

 be soft, easily worked, and have at least oue spade deep 

 of vegetable mould. 



" The choice of a proper soil and exposure is not suf- 

 ficientlj- attended to in the United .Stsles. MrKiley of 

 Marcus Hook, whose experience in Ctder is inferior lo 

 none, assured Dr Mease, that apples growing in a good 

 loose soil produce much more rich and generous liquor 

 than those that grow on a stiff clayey land. 



".Manure is an object of the greatest importance; 

 and for this purpose, the sweepings of streets, those of 

 cow and .slaughter-houses, the emptyings of drains and 

 light soil, are, in the opinion of Mr Bucknall eminently 

 serviceable ; as they " are more disposed lo facilitate 

 the growth and health of fruit-trees, than the manure 

 from the stable." 



" The following statement of tho surprising resusci- 

 tation of an old worlhless apple tree, appiared in the 

 •• SaleniKegister, of May l!,Oi;" and is now republish- 

 ed to show what good efTccts may proceed from mavui-. 

 iiig frvit trees. It is questionable whether t'orsyill 

 liMJlself could boast of a more signal inst nice o his ait 

 in recovering an apparently dying tree. It may be' 

 added in favor of the practice that the geiitleoian K.S, 

 Esq. of Princeton, regularly manures his trees every 

 year, and asserts that the speedy decay of common 

 peach trees is owing chiefly to a neglect of this prac- 

 tice. He even said that experience convinced him it 

 was owing to the same circumstance that peach stones 

 did not in general produce fruit like the original tree. 



*' In my garden is an apple tree, which about the 

 year I'G'S, sprouted from the root of a former tree; it 

 now gilts three feet six inches. From 17H-} to 1790 I 

 observed it to be bsrren. and a cuuibrn r of the ground; 

 year after year being the prey of caterpillars, and ex- 

 hibiting the constant appearance of innumerable warts 

 within the outside hark, which at the time I suspected 

 was natural instinct in the insect fi r the propagation 

 of its kind, 



" Tho garden, i-c. did not fall under my peculiar 

 care and cognizance until 179?. In the spring of 1793 

 I tried an experiment for giving It new life, as follows : 

 Very early In the season, I directed .my gardener wllh 

 a hoe to cleanse the outside bark of such excrescences ■ 

 as might bear the operalion with little difficulty. In 

 the next place I directed him to raise a wall of small 

 stones round the tree, at the distance of one foot, and 

 perhaps nine inches high ; and then to till the cavity 

 with manure from the resource of compost. 

 " The effect iu the succeeding season was truly worthy 

 of notice ; the warts disappeared, the bark clean ami 

 thrifty, and the tree so loaded with fruil. that about one 

 third of the boughs broke and came to the ground with 

 the cumbersome weight. Comparatively no caterpil- 

 lars since ; and on an average great jdinty of fiMit 

 ycSirly." 



