66 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



<?tntinn commences, which is a rule that ought to 

 be carefully observed." 



" Tlje iirst thing in transplanting trees," (says 

 an English writer,) " is, to have the ground pre- 

 pared hctbre ilie trees arc taken up, that so tliey 

 may remain out of tVie earth as short a time as 

 possible ; the next is to take up the trees. In do- 

 ing this, carefully dig away the earth rouiiil the 

 roots, so as to come at their several parts to cut 

 them off: for if they are torn out of the ground 

 without care, the roots will be broken and bruised 

 to the great injiu-y of the tree.s. When you have 



In " Memoirs of the Mw-York Board of Agricul- 

 tare" vol. ii. page 37, it is remarked, that " All 

 evergreens are transplan.eil witli ditiiculty. Bat 

 Judge Masters, Dr. Hannnond, and some otlieis, 

 have succeeded very well with tlie balsam, (pints 

 balsamtfera,) white pine, (piniis strobus,) pitdi 

 pine, (pinus rit^idus,) all the spruces, (pimts 7iign, 

 alba, and/rasfn,; &c. Those who have succeeil- 

 ed best, have been careful to avoid bending «r 

 distorting the roots. They cut off the roots care- 

 fully at the distance of oTie or two feet from tke 

 mam stem or trunk, and take up the trees withojt 



tr^cpt. 19, I82S. 



have succeeded. 1 attribute the failure in forniei 

 years to my inserting the graft too early. If the 

 scion is kept in a cool |)lace, till the vine has shot 

 into leaf, 1 find the success almost certain. Your 

 correspondent requests particular directions as to 

 the mode. I will state my own method, derived, 

 however, from European authorily. There arc 

 several methods recommended by French writers. 

 The two which I adopted were the following, 

 and both succeeded : — 



One is, to split the stalk of an old grape vine 

 of twci years growth, by a sharp knite, four inches 

 in lengtli, and to insert wedges to keep the slit 



taken them up, prepare them for planting by prun- ', pulling, or otherwise applying any force to thiin. 



in'^ the roots and heads. All the smalf fibres are They keep the roots moist, at least prevent their j open- then prepare a scion, pared to a wedge 



to'be cut off, as near the place from whence they ' drying, until they are set in the ground. Tlis |form at its two ends, and also pared to a wedge 



are produced as may be, e.iice|)tiiig perhaps when they do either by retaining the soil on the roots, 



they are to be replanted immediately after they are j or by covering them with wet moss, wet c!oths,&3. 



taken up. But it will require great care to plant ' " They avoid wounding the body and limbs ; 



them in such a manner as not to distort, or entan- 1 and never cut off a limb until at least one year af- 



gle the fibrous roots, which, if done, will bo worse j ter transplanting. Whenever they prune ever- 



tor the idant than if they were cut off. Then 1 greens, they cut the limbs four or five inches from 



prune off all the bruised or broken roots, all such | the body of the tree, and leave the remainder '.o 



as are irregidar and cross each other, and all ; wither or die before taking it oft" closely. 



downrio-ht roots. j advise to cover the woimded part with some kind 



" The next thing is the pruning of their heads, of adhesive paste. 



If the trees are designed for standards, you should " In selecting evergreen trees, care should 



prune off all the small branches close to the place taken to procure those which have grown im in 



where they are produced, as also irregular ones, open, exposed situations. And, if convenient, 



they ought to be taken from a soil similar in qual- 

 ity and state of moisture or dryness, to that in 

 which thev are to he set." 



1)9 



which cross each other ; and having displaced 

 these branches, you should also cut off all parts 

 of branches close to the place where they are 

 produced, as also irregidar ones, which cross 

 each other ; and after having displaced these 

 branches, you should also cut off all such parts of 

 branches as have by any means been broken or 

 wounded ; but by no means cut off all the main 

 leading shoots, which are necessary to attract sap 

 (Vom the root, and thereby promote the growth of 

 the tree. 



" Having thus prepared the trees for planting, 

 y-ou must now proceed to place them in the 

 earth. But first, if the trees have been long out 

 of the ground, so that the fibres of the roots are 

 dried, place them eight or ten hours in water, be- 

 fore they are planted, with their heads erect, and 

 the roots only immersed therein, which will swell 

 the dried vessels of the roots, and prepare them 

 to imbibe nourishment from the earth. In plant- 

 ing them, great regard shoidd be had to the na- 

 ture of the soil ; for if that be cold and moist, the 

 trees should be planted very shallow ; and if it be 

 a hard rock or gravel, it will be better to raise a 

 hill of earth where each tree is to be planted, 

 than to dig isito die rock or gravel, and to fill it 

 II)) with earth, as is too often practiced, by which 

 means the trees are planted, as it >vere, in a tub, 

 and have but little room to extend their roots. 



'■ The next thing to be ob.served, is, to place 

 die trees in the hole in such a manner that the 

 roots may be about the same dcjitb in the ground 

 as before they were taken up : Then break the 

 oarth fine with a spaile, and scatter it into the 

 iioV", so that it may fall between every root, that 

 there may be no hollowness in the earth. Then, 

 having filled up the hole, gently tread down the 

 earth with your feet, but do not make it too hard, 

 which is a great fault, especially if the ground bo 

 strong and wet. 



" Having thus planted the trees, they should be 

 fastened to stakes driven into the gruund, to pre- 

 vent their being displaced by the wind, and some 

 n ulch laid on the surface of the ground about the 

 roots."' 



lOK THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



GRAFTING VINES AT THE ROOT. 



3Ir. Fessende.v — I was much gratified by your 

 repuiilicaiion of the letter of Mr. Coxk, of New 

 Jersey, on the propagation of the Grape by graft- 

 ing on the roots. Few men in our country arc 

 entitled to higher respect from horticulturists, than 

 Mr. CoxE, and every thing which comes from his 

 pen is worthy of notice. He is right in saying 

 that none of the European cultivators enumerated 

 by him, none of the standard works on horticul- 

 ture, have given even an intimation of the per- 

 fectly safe and sure mode of grafting vines on the 

 roots of other vines. But, at the same tiuje, it is 

 true, that Mr. Knight, President of the Horticul- 

 tural Society of London, has suggested it as a se- 

 cure mode, and some months before Mr. Coxe's 

 publication, having received some grape scions 

 from him, I inserted them into the roots of other 

 grajjes. Tlie process I adopted was exactly the 

 same as that of Mr. Coxe. I inserted them by 

 cleft grafting, using no clay, but drawing up the 

 natural soil about three inches above the insertion 

 — out of five scions, four grew. It is a valuable 

 discovery for our horticultural friends in the inte- 

 rior. They can always procure scions of the best 

 grapes, and insert them in the roots of our native 

 grapes, of which the country is full. The Isabel- 

 ! la would make an admirable stock for the foreign 

 grapes, and there is reason to hope that the more 

 ; delicate grapes would flourish better on our native 

 : vines, and probably be more hardy, than on their 

 ! own roots. 



This, however, is only speculation — experience 

 will decide. A correspondent of yours inquires 

 as to the mode of grafting grapes on the stalk or 

 stem. This, from my experience, is not a vei-y 

 easy or successful process ; but the late Mr. Pre- 

 ble was often successful in it. I have repeatedly 

 itricdit, and failed. During the present year, I 



form throughout its length — one eje only should 

 be inserted. As soon as the pegs whicij keep the 

 spht open are withdrawn, the wo<id will embrace 

 with great force the scion. Bind it with matting, 

 or with woollen yarn, tlien cither cover the whole 

 except the eye with clay, or, as I prefer, with a 

 resinous compound of rosin and beeswax. I have 

 They succeeded in this mode, but I prefer another. 



Take a scion with one eye only, four inches in 

 length — leave about an inch above the eye, and 

 three inches below it — pare away about half the 

 thickness of the scion, having cut the lower end 

 square — then make a corresponding cut into a 

 grape shoot of exactly ecpial size, terminating in 

 a square shoulder, upon which the scion will rest, 

 and which it should exactly meet — secure the sci- 

 on to the stalk by a bandage, and cover it as in 

 other grafting. 



It will be perceived that in both these mode.? 

 the main stalk is not cut oft", continues to grow, 

 ami will not feel the wound if the scion does not 

 take. If it takes, and is healthj-, then cut otTthc 

 stalk immediately above the insertion, and yon 

 will have fruit perhaps the next year. 



Still the operation is a doubtful one, and I 

 think the root grafting will eventually supersede 

 it in this country and in Europe, except in cases 

 where wo wish to change the fruit of a vine al- 

 ready introducd into a grape house. 



JOHN LOWELL. 

 Roxbury, Sept. 15, 1828. 



To nursery men, it seems to me, the practice of 

 root grafting affords some facilities which they 

 have not yet enjoyed. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



THE LONG RED POTATO. 



Mr Fessenden — There was an inquiry direcf- 

 cd to you by M. of AVrentham, dated so far back 

 as Jan. 2d 1827, to ascertain when, and from 

 whence, the long red potato was introduced 

 among us. It would have been some gratifica- 

 tion to have had light thrown on the subject, in, 

 as much as this kind of potatos has been gradual- 

 Iv improving in quality, and increasing in estima- 

 tion, as it has got better naturalised to our soil 

 and climate, and has got to be better known 

 among the consumers. But I do not recollect to 

 have seen any notice taken by any of your corres- 

 pondents, of said inquiry. I will, therefore, the' 

 at so late a period, ofter the following as a fact 

 well known to me. About twenty-three years 

 ago, the late Isaac Davenport, Esq. of Milton, 

 in the fall, went to Rhode Island in quest of young 

 iiuit trees. There were then but few nurseries 

 .lear Boston, and he was directed to a quaker, 

 where he suited himself. But the day being far 



