1826.] 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



301 



writingrs, that he mentions among other decaying 

 varieties, tlie goldeu pippin and stire ap[de 

 trees ; but, trom his note in the introductory 

 remarks on the objects of the horticultural so- 

 ciety, he relies principally upon the golden [dp- 

 pin as proof of his theory. Phillips says, " Hav- 

 ing observed among the apples in CovenI Gar- 

 den Market, in 1819, a great quantity of the 

 real golden pippin in a perfect slale, the author 

 was induced lo make particular inquiries re- 

 specting this fruit, and has received satisfactory 

 accounts from all quarters that these trees are 

 last recovering from a disease, or canker, which 

 appears to have been brouglit on by a succes- 

 sion of unpropitious seasons ; but that the sum- 

 mer of 1818, and the following year, have 

 gie.illy improved them." 



" When the author had decided to publish 

 this hiotory, he waited on some gentlemen who 

 are well known in all parts of the world fori 

 their practical knowledge in the cultivation ofj 

 apples. Mr Hugh Ronalds, j»n. of Brentford,! 

 informed him thai he had lately seen a tree ofi 

 the golden pippin kind, which had been planted, 

 against a wall in a south aspect, which was in] 

 a thriving condition, and the fruit in a perfect 

 state 



'• Mr Lee, of Hammersmith, who showed me 

 five hundred varioire--klnds of apples, was decid- 

 edly of opinion that the apparent decay of some 

 trees was owing to the unfavourable springs we 

 have had for several years. I 



" Mr Knight of the King's road, Clielsea, has j 

 also favoured us with his opinion, which per- 1 

 fectly agrees with that of Mr Ronalds and Mr 

 Lee. , I 



" We are informed by Thomas Harrison, Esq. | 

 who resided several years in Madeira, that there | 

 are at this time a considerable number of the: 

 true golden pippin trees growing on the moop- ; 

 tains of Madeira, about fourteen miles from the' 

 capital of that island, which regularly produce' 

 abundance ot fruit. Grafts which were sent to 

 this country [England] about three years ago,; 

 produced fruit at Clieshunf, in Hertfordshire, 

 the second year, and proved to be the original 

 golden pippin. These trees are also in a thriv-! 

 ing state in several parts of America, as has 

 been shown by the excellent quality of the fruit 

 Jately sent to this country. VVe observed them 

 also in several parts of England during the sum- 1 

 mer of 1821, in as healthy a state as most other; 

 apple trees, particularly in the gardens of Mr; 

 Kirk, of Old Brompton, and ^Ic^srs Humphreys, 

 at Chichester, where the fruit was of a size and 

 perfection which has been rarely surpassed." 



We shall nrav adduce the testimony of our 

 countryman, William Coxe, Esq. of Burlington, 

 IS". J. In his work on. the cultivation of fruit 

 trees, printed in 1817, he remarks, "Writers of 

 the highest reputation concur in the opinion, 

 that the existence of every vaiiely is limited to 

 a certain period ; no kind of apple now cultivat- 

 ed is supposed to be more than two hundred 

 years old. The stire apple of Hereford in Eng- 

 land, is supposed lo have long passed the zenith 

 of its perl'ection, and to be rapidly declining 

 there; yet in the growth and vigor of at least 

 one hundred trees planted in my orchard, there 

 appears to be no deficiency ; on the contrary, 

 they attract the notice of all who see them, fori 

 the extraordinary luxuriance as well as the j 

 be.juty of their grow! i "' iMr Coxe »ays " there 

 appears to be no deficiency." " What signifies i 



talking of seems, when wc are liere on the spot." 

 It is passing strange when men will not believe 

 the testimony of the real presence of their own 

 senses ! 



3Ir George Bliss, in hislale work entitled (he 

 Grower's Instructor, says " having had lens of 

 thousands continually under my care, it has 

 given me an opportunity of becoming thorough- 

 ly acquainted with the constitution of the apple 

 tree; and I am confident that it is nothing I, tit 

 bad management and ill treatment which is (he 

 cause of the general decay of our apple trees 

 and principally from want of jiroper attention to 

 the canker. This is quite evident, from all our 

 new sorts becoming aiJecled by it as well as (he 

 golden pippin." 



In another part of his work, ho remarks on 

 the golden pi[>pin, (hat " 1 cannot pass over this 

 fruit, without making a few observations, know 



article has lieen cleansed, instantly immerse it 

 in cold water; let j( (hen be wrung, and hung 

 up (o dry — Fcrmcr's J<mr,ml. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMF.R. 



FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 1826. 



POTATOE. 



Judge Bi'EL of Albany, one of the mo«t scien- 

 tific, practical Agricultuiisis in (he United 

 Slates, has publisbeil Ihe fullow.ing remarks on 

 (he culture of pola(oes. 



" A pracdce has been recommended to me to 

 prevent (he deterioration of (his crop, a misfor- 

 tune which seems (o follow plandng, successive- 

 ly, seed raised on the same farm. Two years' 

 experience ba» (endtnl lo satisfy me of its u(ili- 



ly. The recommendation is, to select seed o f 

 ing an impression is made on some gentlemen i good size, to cut off and (brow away a slice 

 (lull the golden pippin is entirely wearing out. | from the seed end, ,ind (o cut Ihe residue into 

 In this 1 must beg leave (o differ. The cause 1 two, three or four pieces, according (o (he re- 

 of i(s early decay is entirely owing lo Ihe can- j maining number of eyes. Its utility is based 

 ker. The golden pippin is one of its (the upon the sujiposilion, and I may say the fact, 

 a|)his) greatest fwouriles; therefore, by keep- jthat where the several stocks grow clo^e togeth- 

 ing (he body of the tree sound, you may depend ; er, the vegetable will be of a diminutive size; 

 on your golden pippins flourishing as well as j and that (he discarded slice which has from 

 ever." (hree to six eyes, may be correctly compared to 



It is useless (o go on multi|>lying instances of] the lips and butts of the car of seed corn, which 

 the lacts which controvert Mr Knisjht. If what are rejec(ed as useless because they produce rn- 



we have aildiiced are not snfTicient to shake 

 one's faith in the theory, it mus( be, we (hink, 

 from an inveferate prejudice. The prismatic 

 spectacles of an hypothesis are on (he mind's 

 eye, and until they are taken off, nothing can 

 be seen truly or clearly. We think Mr Knigh(*s 

 notion is a dangerous one to propagate, because 

 il teaches us to look for the cause of decayed 

 orchards, not in bad pruning, not in sufFerino- 



variably sickly plants. The best po(a(oe soil is 

 one which is cool. mois(, and light, such as is 

 afforded by swamps abounding in vegetable al- 

 luvion, and vvell drained. The seed should not 

 be [danled so deep, nor the plants earthed so 

 high, as (o exclude (he influence of air and 

 light ; but frequent stirrings of (he ground, w ith 

 the plough or cullivator are highly material.'' 

 This statement of Judge Bi:Er, is corroborated 



rass to grow abou( (hem, not in an exhausledi by a communicalion, which we published in (he 



soil, not in overbearing, not in the disease of 

 the canker, not in a series of cold and unfavour- 

 able season^, not in carelessness and want of cul- 

 ture — but, in an undefined something, a hypoth- 

 esis not founded in facts; contrary to the histo- 

 ry of tree*, contrary to the observations of the 



New F.ngland Farmer, vol. i. p. 53, with the 

 signature " J. W. Kyega(e, Vermon(.'' This 

 gendeman oliserveri (hat ho "took a quantity of 

 middling large potatoes, and cut oflthe butt and 

 top ends from each, and cut (he middle jiieces 

 in(o qnar(ers, and -jilanled a row wi(h butts, an- 



most experienced gardeners, absurd in itself, ' other row with tops, and the third with middles, 

 and ridiculous in its appearance. land placed five pieces in each hill throughout 



— (he whole. I did not weigh nor measure the 



rE.ACH FREES. \^ivoi\iiCebul found that the niiddlc picas produced 



It is not generally kaown, we believe, that ! much the largest crop. The produce of the other 



lamp oil, or fish oil of any kind (that which is two rows were about equal; by which it ap- 



inferior is equally as good for this purpose as! pears that to reject both ends and plant the mid- 



Ihat of a better quality) poured at the root of ' dies onlv, will produce much the best crop." 



he peach tree will elleclually prevent the rava- 

 ges of the worm that has heretofore proved so 

 destructive to that valuable fruit tree. It should 

 be observed, however that the oil will not com- 

 pel the worm lo quit Ihe body of the tree, if 

 there when it is applied, but will prevent its 

 getting into it after the application. We are 

 assured (hat the same process is in use on Long 

 Island, and is found lo be the only means which 

 will secure the preservation of the tree. 



Columbian Rcpub. 



To Wash Woollen Goods. — This art of wash- 

 ing woollen things so as to prevent them from 

 shrinking is one of the many desiderata in dom- 

 estic economy worthy of being recorded, and 

 it is therefore with satisfaction we now explain 

 this simple process to our readers. All descrip- 

 tions of woollen goods should be well washed 

 with soap in very ho? water, and as soon as the 



Mr Loudon says, " Knight has found that for 

 a late crop small sets may be used, because the 

 plants of late varieties always acquire a consid- 

 erable age before they begin to generate tubers, 

 [roots] bul lor an early crop he recommends Ihe 

 largest tubers, and he has found that these not 

 only uniformly afford very strong plants, but 

 also such as readily recover when injured by 

 frost ; for being fed by a copious reservoir be- 

 neath the soil, a reproduction of vigorous stems 

 and foliage soon takes place, when the first pro- 

 duced are destroyed by frost, or other cause. — 

 He adds, " when the planter is anxious to ob- 

 tain a crop within the least possible time, he 

 will find tlie position in which the tubers are 

 placed to vegetate by no means a point of indif- 

 ference ; for these being shoots or branches^ 

 which have grown thick instead of elongating, 

 retain the disposition of branches lo propel their 

 sap lo their leading buds, or points most distaot 



