568 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



compost heap they are of inestimable value, and 

 also as a dressing for turnips, cabbages, beans, &c. 

 Even leached ashes are now bought up by farmers, 

 and applied as a top-dressing to lands in grain and 

 grass. They are also used with success as an in- 

 gredient in compost, and for giving increased ener- 

 gy to fruit trees. There is scarcely a single modi- 

 fication of vegetable life which is not essentially 

 and powerfully benefited by their application. — 

 Norway Advertiser. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE RED RUSSET. 



Mr. Editor : — A friend has called my attention 

 to a communication in your valuable paper of the 

 2d inst., making some inquiry in regard to the Red 

 Russet apple. With your permission, I give such 

 information as I have. 



The original tree is now standing in this town, 

 on the farm of my father, Aaron Sanborn, and I 

 had the pleasure, a few days since, to assist in 

 gathering its fruit. The circumstances of the ori- 

 gin of this new fruit are these. Ten or twelve 

 years since, my father grafted the branches of a 

 large tree of natural fruit with grafts of the Bald- 

 win. This tree stood near a large Roxbury Rus- 

 set tree, and some of its branches extended into 

 the top of the latter. When the grafted tree be- 

 gan to bear, it was noticed that those branches 

 most remote from the Russet tree bore Baldwins, 

 (like the scions) and those nearest a different fruit, 

 which resembled in its outward appearance a com- 

 pound of the Baldwin and Russet. The fruit of 

 this new kind was put by itself, and its character- 

 istics noted. In two or three years its remarka- 

 ble and valuable properties were clearly perceived. 

 It had its own clearly defined and strongly marked 

 peculiarities. I should add, that a part only of the 

 branches of the grafted tree, which were nearest 

 the Russet tree, bore the new fruit; side by side 

 with the grafts bearing the Red Russet, were oth- 

 ers bearing Baldwins. One graft, however, then, 

 and since, has borne only one kind of fruit. 



I consider the Red Russet a compound of the 

 Baldwin and common, or Roxbury Russet, contain- 

 ing the best qualities of these two kinds, modified 

 somewhat by the native stock in which the grafts 

 were set. Of the cause of this combination of dif- 

 ferent kinds of apples, to form a new kind, I am 

 not well enough acquainted with vegetable physi- 

 ology to speak. Of the fact itself, however unu- 

 sual, there is no doubt. 



Your correspondent inquires if the Red Russet 

 is a permanent fruit. On this point, I can say, 

 that my father has now in bearing condition, a 

 dozen trees of different ages and kinds, which he 

 grafted with grafts from the original branches. 

 From these trees, we have gathered this fall fif- 

 teen or twenty barrels. In all cases the fruit is a 

 true type of the original. We have tested, in ev- 

 ery respect, the fruit from these trees, (in years 

 past) and find it like the original. 



Others, among them, Mr. Editor, your lament- 

 ed predecessor in the Farmer, Mr. Cole, have had 

 grafts from the original tree. In all cases, the 

 fruit has been like the graft. Of the 'permanency 

 of this new fruit there can be no doubt. 



I consider the Red Russet the best winter apple 

 raised in this country, and think that when gen- 

 erally known, it will take the place of the Bald- 



win and common Russet, both for our domestic 

 market, and for exportation. It keeps longer and 

 better than any apple I have ever known. I think 

 with us, it will keep and retain its good qualities 

 nearly two months longer than the Roxbury Rus- 

 set. We keep them in our own cellar until July 

 and August, and they remain apparently as firm, 

 juicy and rich as ever. The Red Russet tree is al- 

 so a great bearer, as much so as the Baldwin, 

 which indeed, in this particular, it closely resem- 

 bles. 



I see by my paper that I am spinning a long 

 yarn. I do not know whether I have given your 

 correspondent (having mislaid his communication) 

 information on the point which he desires, but 

 hope so. After all, however, what I have written 

 is about as much like the reality, as the "smell of 

 the mug" was like the Dutchman's "goot" cider. 

 Respectfully yours, 



CnAS. H. Sandorx. 



Hampton Falls, N. H, Oct. 20, 1852. 



HUMAN LIFE. 



According to the statistics on the subject, hu- 

 man life has been prolonged materially since the 

 advent of science and civilization, and the average 

 duration of life is now steadily on the increase. 

 In the city of Geneva, in the 16th century, 1 in 25 

 died annually ; in the 18th century, 1 in 34 ; and 

 at the present time 1 in 45 is the average mortali- 

 ty. In the British Navy, among adults, the mor- 

 tality is only 1 in 100, or thereabouts. In the 

 American Army, wdth superior medical facilities, 

 the mortality is said to be only about 1 in 300. 

 In London, during the last century, the mortality 

 was 1 in 32; in 1838, 1 in 36. Within the last 

 20 years the mortality in Russia has been 1 in 27 ; 

 Prussia, 1 in 36; France 1 in 39.07; Holland, 1 

 in 39 ; Belgium, 1 in 43.91 ; England, 1 in 23.07 ; 

 Sicily, 1 in 82 ; Greece, 1 in 30 ; Philadelphia, 1 

 in 42.03 ; Boston, 1 in 45 ; New York, 1 in 37.02. 

 The great rush of immigration to New York has 

 made the mortality or that city the greatest — 

 otherwise tfae health is equal to any American 

 city. 



These statistics might be given more abundant- 

 ly, but with the same tendency. Enough has 

 been presented to show that science, knowledge, 

 cleanliness, and virtue, conduce to the prolonga- 

 tion of human life. A great deal is doubtless 

 owing to the increase and diffusion of medical sci- 

 ence, which has changed habits of living, attract- 

 ed attention to ventilation, and examined into the 

 causes which preserve health or produce illness. 

 These statistics certainly establish a pleasing fact. 



Aiming at Eminence. — Do not trouble yourself 

 about "rising to eminence." If, in consequence of 

 your writings or your deeds, you should become 

 eminent, very well ; but to do anything for the 

 sake of "rising to eminence," is unworthy of a 

 man. Very comfortable and very noble lives are 

 led in obscurity. Moreover, true eminence is not 

 attainable by any man who places it before him as 

 his chief object, because that indicates an inherent 

 weakness of character. — Home Journal. 



flT Drinking water neither makes a man sick, 

 nor in debt, nor his wife a widow. 



