NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



203 



For the New England Farmer. 

 SWEET APPLES— GRAFTING. 



No department of husbandry requires greater 

 care and judgment than in the selection of the 

 kinds of fruit intended for propagation either In- 

 grafting or by growing young trees. The differ- 

 ence between a wise choice and the opposite, is 

 the difference between a good tree and one that is 

 worthless. The reason that so many fruit trees, 

 comparatively worthless, are still allowed to "cum- 

 ber the ground," may be found, perhaps, in the 

 fact, that we are apt to confine the comparison 

 from which selections are made to limits altogeth- 

 er too narrow. Every neighborhood has its own 

 special favorites. These, like most other local mat- 

 ters, obtain a factitious importance and value, not 

 warranted by their intrinsict merits. Let a ma- 

 jority of our common farmers, who now rest satis- 

 fied with the varieties they have upon their farms, 

 take up Downing's or Cole's Fruit Book, and we 

 think they would at once extend their choice, and 

 introduce new varieties from abroad. 



Perhaps these remarks are applicable to one 

 kind of apple, which has been noticed several times 

 of late in the Farmer, and in a way, it seems to me, 

 calculated to lead to the unpleasant disappoint- 

 ment of many. I refer to the Danvers Winter 

 Sweet. By repeated notices in the papers, this ap- 

 ple has gained great notoriety, and has acquired a 

 reputation altogether above its merits. As I hap- 

 pen to know something of this fruit, as it is under 

 good cultivation, in various soils not twenty miles 

 from its native place, I deem it a duty to counsel 

 a degree of caution in regard to its cultivation. 

 To the best of my knowledge and belief, this fruit 

 has universally disappointed the expectation of cul- 

 tivators in this vicinity. The tree is not a hand- 

 some grower, the fruit is inferior in size, apt to be- 

 come spotted and to blight as it approaches ma- 

 turity, flesh rather tough, of a dull sweet, inclined 

 to bitter, and when kept late in the winter, becomes 

 affected with the potato rot, the skin over the 

 wdiole surface turning black so as to resemble that 

 disease. We regard it as in no respect equal to 

 some half dozen native varieties known here as the 

 Morse Sweeting, Flat Sweeting, Green Sweeting, 

 &c. There are other varieties, which I suppose 

 are superior to any of these, such as the Orange 

 and Ladies' Sweeting. In Worcester county, I 

 hear of the Rockport Sweeting, concerning which I 

 am unable to speak. I think, Mr. Editor, you 

 would render the public a valuable service by giv- 

 ing a short list of the best winter sweetings. I hear 

 constant inquiries for such a list. With my pres- 

 ent knowledge, I should select from the following 

 list :— 



Orange Sweeting, (see Cole or Downing.) 

 Seaver " " " 



Ladies' " " " 



Leicester or Flat, (who can describe ?) 

 Rockport Sweet, " " 



I would invite the attention of the editor and his 

 correspondents to this list, in the hope that it may 

 be so "revised and enlarged" as to furnish some- 

 thing reliable. 



The use of wax, instead of clay, ingrafting, has 

 become the general practice, and is found to an 

 swer ordinary purposes very well. But in graft 

 ing old trees, whose bark is rough and scaly, it will 

 be found that clay is much better, and can be ap- 



plied with greater facility. After setting the sci- 

 ons (as directed in the excellent article ofN. P. M., 

 March 20,) take some strips of cloth, and put in 

 each clay enough for the purpose, roll it loosely 

 in the cloth, and place in a basket. These can be 

 taken out and applied, without bringing the' hands 

 in direct contact with the clay and thus avoid soiling 

 them unpleasantly. A friend, of large experience 

 in using wax, informs me that mutton tallow is 

 better than beef. The wax made with it is less 

 apt to crack and is less injurious to the tree. It 

 is well to keep ready for use a quantity of grafting 

 clay, as it is useful in case of accident in apply- 

 ing to the wounded parts of trees. b. f. s. g. 

 West Newbury, April 6, 1852. 



Remarks. — Fruits, as well as everything else, in 

 these days of inquiry, are obliged to pass the or- 

 deal of severe criticism. Free inquiry, and a free 

 expression of opinion, if in the spirit of kindness 

 and with a serious desire for improvement, will 

 evolve the truth, and enable us to be pretty cer- 

 tain which are the best among the great variety of 

 fruits now presented to us for cultivation. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 A LARGE CALF. 



Messrs. Editors : — Mr. B. F. Dudley, of Mil- 

 ton, Mass., has in his possession a beautifully 

 marked, red and white bull calf, of the Ayrshire 

 breed, which on List Saturday was six weeks old, 

 and weighed two hundred and twenty-two pounds. 

 His first weight at four days old, was one hundred 

 and eighteen pounds, so that his average daily in- 

 crease from that time till Saturday of last week 

 was two and five-eighths pounds. During the last 

 week, however, he gained at the rate of three 

 pounds per day. His mother is a medium sized, 

 handsome animal, also belonging to Mr. Dudley. 



People in our neighborhood consider this calf an 

 extraordinary specimen of his kind; but they may 

 be perhaps mistaken, and if you or your readers 

 should know of anything surpassing it, you would 

 confer a favor by mentioning its ivhereabouts. 



A Subscriber. 



Milton, April 6, 1852. 



HARMONY OF NATURE. 



Some insects have no defence, except the diver- 

 sity of their motion. When the notopeda or elater 

 is lajd upon its back, it uses a spring hidden in its 

 breast, and, like a skilful jumper, it falls upon his 

 feet ; the butterfly escapes from the birds by its 

 zig-zag flight ; the spider runs away from its ene- 

 mies by letting itself down its thread, like a sailor 

 along a cable ; thegyranus describes with rapidity 

 circles on the crystal waters, and the tipula light- 

 ly execute their dances there without wetting their 

 paws. 



If we cast a passing glance upon the fishes, we 

 must perceive that the fluid which surrounds them 

 serves as a means of conveyance ; aided by their 

 fins, they travel through their domains with ease 

 and comfort. Nature has provided them witli a 

 bladder filled with air, which they have power to 

 empty and again to fill at pleasure ; and thus they 

 diminish or increase the weight and volume of 

 their bodies as they rise or fall in the water. 



It is generally known that some fishes, like 



