180 



iill)c JTarmcr's iHonU)ly l)isitor. 



^ 



densed in a retort, and llie oil beiii^ of less spe- 

 cific {jiavity tliuii tlife wiiIht, floals on llie ssuilace. 

 Tlie vvaf!! ii) llie lotort is |iurnicllH;| to escape liy 

 a inl'e lieneatli ilie snitace of the walei in the 

 retiiit, on which the ojI floats. The ininl, after 

 beinii; disiilled, is taken tVoiii the hoiler «ilh a 

 book, anil ihf lioder filled with Ifesli niitit and 

 water, until the uhole crop is distilled into oil. 



Tiie process of purifviny it frnni all extrane- 

 cus matter, is to filtrare the oil thioii^h clear 

 white pape--. It is then placed into tin canisters 

 coiilaisiiiij; about twenlj-Hve pounds, and tightly 

 corked uiKi scaled, and is then prepaied for mar 

 ket. 



Many persons who have cidtivated it for years, 

 have realizfd handsome foriimes, and without 

 inierferiuf; with the regular production of other 

 crops on tiieir farjns. 



I may slate in conclusion, that for several 

 years past the specidalors of the cities, have 

 monopolized, by private purchase, nearly the en- 

 tire crop in this rcfiion ; and this year they have 

 jinrchaced Me mint, and deslroyed the most of it, 

 so as to demand a greater advance on Inst year's 

 supply of oil. ELIAS COST. 



Oak's Corners, .V. Y. Sept. 1st. 1847. 



From Dowmri;;*s Morticulturist. 

 Culture of the Peach Tree. 



BY A PENNSTLVAKIAN. 



As 1 deem tlie result of ex[)eriments in horti- 

 ciil'in-e of more general interest ilian the pro- 

 midgalion of theories, I venture to send you 

 sijne brief notes of my experience in the culti- 

 vation of the peach tree. 



In yoin- mosc valuable standard work on fruits, 

 yoti have, 1 think, pjoved very plainly that the 

 disease of the peach tree, called the Yellows, is 

 CHU.sed liy bad cidlivatioii in a light or poor soil. 

 1 am very well convinceil that other maladies to 

 which this fruit tree is subject are tlie residt of 

 the same causes. It is the common and popu- 

 lar belief that the peach tree should always be 

 planted in a light sanily soil; nay, that a thin 

 sandy loam is the liest for it. 1 suppose this 

 opinion has arisen from the ciicumstance of the 

 low price at which many tracts of laud in New 

 Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, can be turned 

 into peach orchards, and (hat, \.oo, profiialily. 



But it is well known that these peach orchards 

 are short lived. From three to five years is their 

 average duration, ami most planters do not ex- 

 pect to get more tlian one or two crofis of fruit 

 from their trees. They then give them up as 

 diseased or worn out, anil plant new orchards. 



It is well known, also, that such is the natural 

 duration of the peach tree, that, in the deep soil 

 of Ohio the frees bear and grow well from ten to 

 twenty years ; ami the natural exi.stence of the 

 peach tree in our climate is ut least a dozen 

 years of fruii fulness. 



Wliat I gathered some years ago from this 

 reasoning is, that we niailu a mistake in this part 

 of the Union when we plant orchards will) the 

 expecnilinii of raising the finest fruit, or healthy, 

 long-lived trees on tii^ht. thin soil. 



It is my own belief; based on some little oh- 

 gervalion and practice, that no soil v\ill grow the 

 best peaches, i. e., the largest and finest flavored, 

 exci-pt it is good wheat lainl. 



1 have some hii:d In this county of the char- 

 acter usually selected for peach orchards, and I 

 have grown a limiied orchard for many years 

 past, with the usual success, viz., tolerable fruit, 

 and short lived trees. About I'ight years ago, 

 after visiting a neighbor in the upper part ol 

 New .Jersey, where the soil is good strong wheat 

 land, 1 deieruiined to change my plan of raising 

 liiem ahogeiher. I consideied that we mistook 

 the nainicofthis fruit tree ; that it really re- 

 quires more gtnirous culinie. 



Choosing u tolerable good field on my farm, I 

 set about prep.-irlni.' it for .-n. orchard. This was 

 in Oeiolier. It was on a fair sandy loam, rathi^r 

 light, on a subsoil of gravelly loam. 



My idea was to deepen and enrich the soil of 

 ■ this fii Id before phmting the lices. It is not, I 

 believe, considered well to subsoil where the un- 

 d..rlayer is f ravel. Bin I made the experiment, 

 «ieveithele<is; as it was, I ihoughl, my only 

 chance for decided succe-s. 



The trees in this orchard were to bo planted 

 bi.xtcen fp'jt iipart. .\s labor and maniiie were 

 both of consetnience to me, 1 detcriniiied to make 



my first e.vperiment by subsoiling only half the 

 area to be set out with trees. 



This 1 did by plowing' and thorciigldy subsoil- 

 ing straight strijps across the whole field, eight 

 li'Ct wide. The subsoil plow followed alter the 

 common plow, and bad two yoke of cattle to 

 draw it. By this ineatiS I loosened and stirred 

 up the gravlly substratmn to the depth of six- 

 teen inches; it became, also, considirably min- 

 gled Willi the top soil. The land was in lolera- 

 hle goo I order, but I had it dressed with a strong 

 lime compost, (lime and peat) just before the 

 siibsoilinc was began. 



The remaining strips of the field were simply 

 plowed in the common way, and the whole har- 

 rowed together. 



1 then planted the rows of trees, as nearly as I 

 could, in lines running through the middle of 

 the snbsoiled strips. This gave then) a prepar- 

 ed surface four leet wide on each side, and six- 

 teen feet in the row from tree to tree. 



The trees grevv more vigorously the first sea- 

 son after transplanting tliaii i ever saw any do 

 before. Here and there as I saw a sickly look- 

 ing one, during this and the next two years, ! im- 

 mediately took it out and filled its place with an- 

 other of healthy growth. 



The result of my experiment lias been most 

 satisfactory. The orchard is in excellent health 

 and a good bearing state, though it has been in 

 bearing now to the sixth year. The flavor of the 

 peaches raised in it is much finer than 1 have 

 ever raised otherwise in the same soil. And a 

 small orchard set a year since mi a joining farm 

 in a soil quite like my ov^■n, but planted in the 

 ordinary way, that is, on thin light soil unprepar- 

 ed, bore its two cro[is of fruit, then failed, and 

 had to be rooted out. 



There is no doubt my success would have 

 been more complete if I had suhsoilcd the 

 whole of the land. This 1 could not aflbrd to do 

 at the lime, but those having capital would of 

 course no so. I remarked during the first three 

 years, when I raised root crops in my orchard, 

 that the growth of the crops was a great deal 

 finer, and the yield nearly a third mora on the 

 strips that were prepared or siihsoiled, than on 

 those that were only surface Jilowed. 



Your readers may draw their own conclusions. 

 I will add, before finishing my letter, that, after 

 some little practice, 1 ;nii strongly in liivor of the 

 mode of shortening in the peach, which you have 

 so strongly urged upon all cultivators of this 

 fruit. It appears to me to be a great improve- 

 ment upon all other modes of pruning the peach 

 tree. Your friend, S. 



Bueks county, Pa. Sept., 1847. 



Note. — Having practiced planting trees upon 

 land prepared with the aid of' the subsoil plow, 

 as above slated, I fully concur with the writer in 

 recommending ils use, not only in planting 

 peach, but apple trees, particularly in clay or 

 compact subsoil. 



Some years since I planted a peach orchard 

 upon land of but modera'.e qualily, and gave il 

 thorongli preparation with the common and sub- 

 soil plows. 1 took the trees liom the nursery in 

 the hud — ihal is, the spring after tliev were bud- 

 ded, or when they were one year old from the 

 seed, and just as the inserted buds were swelling. 

 Some of these trees, notwithstanding their re- 

 moval, made a growlli, by the close of the sea- 

 son, of the main stem, of nine feet. When 

 peach trees are to bo removed but a short dis- 

 tance fi'oin the nursery to the orchanl, il is- de- 

 cidedly the best lime to plint them befiire the 

 inserted buds put out, as llie roots will necessa- 

 rily be more or less miililnled in lakiii<.' up; and 

 as the top is to be sbortein'd down to the bud, 

 the siibsi'ipient growlli Is less aft'ecled at this jie- 

 rioil lliMii at any oilier. 



The shortenina in herenllndcd to by S.np|dies 

 only lo lieariug trees, and is sim|dy culling from 

 all llie brauelK^s about one-b.ilf the length of the 

 previous summer's growth. It shoiihl be recol- 

 lected that the fruit is produced only on ilie 

 shouts of the last season's grow ih, and by n.'iuov- 

 ing nne-halj' of this yon consequeaily take with 

 it a porliou of the fruit buds, thereby reducing 

 the liiiiis in number.-', which Icids greatly to 

 cause the increase in size, and much inprove the 

 iiualily of what remains. 



This operation is peiforined in the laaer part 



in 



\t 



of winter, or in early spring. In shortening and , 

 pruning, attcniion should be paid to giving u well 

 formed, ecpially balanced head to the tree. 



H. P. Byram.] 

 Oakland Garden and .\'urseries. 



Big Cattle. 



We jiromised last week to give our readei 

 (the editor of the Belknap Gazette in purlieu 

 who was boasting of a pair of oxen in his vi! 

 lage, that weighed 3688 lbs.,) an account of souit 

 excellent cattle in tins neigbliorhood. , 



The first ofw'iich weshall speak is the "Gra.x-, 

 ITE Ox," owned by Mr. Paul F. Aldricb of Swan-, 

 zey, whose weight has exceeded 4000 lbs. Hi; 

 color black, moves majestically, and is a sight I 

 look upon, that will astonish llie beholder. Sa; 

 ox is eight years olil. Mr. .■X. has also alleifeii 

 six years old, weighing ^200 lbs. Her coloi , 

 pure while, fit as a squab, walks majeslicallj , 

 the " Queen of Cows," and is the admiratio 

 all who may look upon her. She has never haf ,p 

 a calf nor produced niilk, but is large and ban 

 some enough to do bulb. 



Besides this King of Oxen and Queen 

 Cows, Mr. Aldrich has a Trio of Sleei>, all prt^ 

 duced al one birth — the three being so near i| at 

 size and color as to require close observance r 

 disiinguish one from the other. Their genen 

 color is white, with spoiled noses and red ear 

 They are docile, easily managed, appear very a! 

 fectionate and are exceedingly uneasy when sepji m 

 arated. They vary but litlle in weight. Tin 

 last time they were weighed, 4 lbs. was the on; 

 (lifTerence. Their weight was 2000 Ihs. eaci 

 making GOOD lbs. for the three. 



Mr. A. proposes to winter them in Keeiie 

 where they will be for exhibition. They \\; 

 exceed any other caravan of a like number l 

 animals. He informs iis that be took at tin 

 U'orceter cattle show $220, at only l'2h cents i 

 ticket. 



The same day that we saw the above de ij 

 scribed cattle, on their way from Massachu.selt? , 

 we met with the following, but a little over tin 

 line of the Granite State: 



Mr. M. S. Morse, of the American Ilolel, Win I 

 clieiidon, Mass., has an Ox 5 years old which wi 

 saw driven upon ihe sctiles, that weiiibed 251 

 lbs. His color pure black, is well built, and i 

 high fiesh : Mr. M. has also 3 pairs of iw 

 years old Steers. One pair weighing 291.5 lbs 

 anoilier pair twins, resembling each other a 

 perfectly as two speckled beings, (for they ai 

 speckled,) which weighed as we saw them np"! 

 the scales, 27J5. This pair look the first pre 

 mill m of two years old, at the Worcester callli , 

 show this fall. 



He has also another pair weighing some 2300 

 Besides these, he directed his man lo bring on §[ 

 upon the scales a pair of well matched yearliiij j 

 Steers, which weighed 1975. These were of" i 

 grizzled color, part Durham, and bid fair ti 

 come up to those of a year's senior. 



Keene Philanthropist. 



Vermont Agricultdral and Horticcltcr- 



alSocietv. — We are [ileased to learn that t 

 society willi Ibis title was organized at iMoiiiiie 

 lier, on the 28ib of October last, lis otlicers art 

 Charles Paine, of Norihlield, President ; Leon- 

 ard Sargent, of Bemiington Co., (Jeorge T 

 Hodges, of Uulland, William Nash, ol" Addison. 

 L. (». IJingliam, of (^liillenden, B. B. Neivloii, ol 

 Franklin, Samuel Adams, of Gnind Isle, Ariel 

 Hiiiilon, of Ijanioillc, Wm. J. Hastings, of Or- 

 leans, D.iniel Baldwin, of Washington, K. B. 

 Chase, of Caledoui i, ileuben C. Benton, of F.s- 

 sex, A. B. W. Teniiy, of' Orange, John Purler. 

 of Wiiidsm-, Frederick Holl-ronk, of Windham. 

 I'ice-Presidenls ; E. t.^. Tracy, of WindMir, Rrc 

 Secretary; C. Goodrich, of liiirlingtoii. Cor. Sec- 

 retvfi , (Jeo. \V. ScoU, of iMoiiipelier, 'J^rcnsurer ; 

 I". P. Jewelt, of iMonipclier, .'hiditor ; Harry 

 Bradley, Burlington, Francis Wilson, llines- 

 l.iiigh," Geo. W. Collamer, Barre, J. M. Howes, 

 IMoiiipelier, Executive Committee; C Goodrich, 

 Burlington, S. K. Hall, Shallsbnry, David {ieed,|ti 

 Colchester, Publishins; Cum. 



The people of Vermont are nmnng the niostit 

 eiitei-prising in the country, and the organiza- 

 tion of this soriely is but anoilier evidence of 

 their detci niinalion to improve the valuable re- 

 sources of their slate. — Cultivator. 



