82 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



If the stock affects yra^ted frui', ils action musl be 

 regular every year alike; for havii)fr neither leaves 

 or branches, it is less subject to vicissitude tlian 

 any otjjer pari of the tree ; and therelbre no va- 

 riation in the flavor, shape, or color of the fruit, 

 can be justly ascribed to the stock, except it be 

 regular and every year alike. If il is not so, we 

 must search lor some other cause ; and even it it 

 is so, there nifiy be another cause. Several years 

 ago, vvp. had the Washington plum, of a light but 

 splendid red. The tree, however, never produced 

 Iruit of that color, eillier before or since. The 

 cause, therefore, could not be in the slocks. 



Again — we have three trees of the September 

 pear (summer bon cretien?) growing on pear 

 stocks; and several branches of this fine variety 

 on a Spitzenburgh apple tree. About nine years 

 ago, the latter bore pears that were redder, and 

 sourer, and more astringent, th.in the fruit from 

 the other trees; and we fancied that the Spitzen- 

 burgh had imparted some of its qualities. The 

 cause appeared very plain. Could it be in any 

 thing but the stock 1 Yes — they never bore such 

 fruit before or since ; and the pears are as yelloio, 

 and as sweet, and as pleasant, as any that are pro- 

 duced by the other trees. The stock, therefore, 

 could have had no agency in this mailer. 



We have two trees of the summer bell pear. 

 For several years past, one has borne large fair 

 fruit, changing from green to yellow as it ripens, 

 while the other tree has produced reddish pears, 

 but so knotty, astringent, and unpalatable, that 

 we have consigned them to the hogs ; and year 

 after year there was no improvement. Well, 

 what stronger proof can be wanted that the stock 

 affected ihe graft?— Not too fast. That tree has 

 begun to bear better fruit ; and we have no doubt 

 of its final recovery, though the disease we can 

 neither name or describe. 



The large white currant is a delicious fruit ; and 

 we have had some dozen or fifteen bushes planted 

 in a row, all from the same parent- variety, but 

 about one half of them bear fruit very superior to 

 the others— much sweeter and more juicy or melt- 

 ing ; and every visiter who has tasted tliem con- 

 curs in this opinion. And they are regularly so, 

 every year like. Well, is not this a clear proof of 

 the effects of the stock on the grafi ?— No— they 

 have no stocks— they stand on their own roots. 



PEAT MEADOWS. 



From the Rev. H. Colman's Address at Norwich. 



There are large tracts of a peculiar soil emi- 

 nently adapted to improvement in itself^ and to the 

 enriching and improvement of oliier soils, the 

 value of which has scarcely begun to be appre- 

 ciated. I refer especially to our peat swamps. 

 These are deep deposites of vegetable matter, the 

 accumulation of ages, which, in many cases at 

 an expense which one year's cropping will com- 

 pensate, may be made in the highest degree pro- 

 ductive in grass, potatoes, carrots, and ^Swedish 

 turnips, and in some cases, as experiment has 

 proved, in corn, rye and wheat. Three tons of 

 English hay per acre are not an unusual crop to 

 be obtained from these lands, and by proper man- 

 agement their productiveness seems almost inex- 



haustible. I will set aside altogether their value 

 as fuel, though in this respect, within twenty- 

 five miles of a large city, they must be considered 

 at current prices of liiel, as of very great worth 

 per acre. Alter two spits of luel have been taken 

 the land is still of considerable value to the 

 owner; and if (he top-paring, which is unsuita- 

 ble lor luel, be thrown back, it will in two years 

 afford him a liberal cuititig of good fodder lor his 

 stock.* But besides all this, the importance of 

 these grounds, as furnishing abundant resources 

 for his compost heap, and enabling him to enrich 

 his higher and perhaps exhausted grounds, is 

 incalculable. Now the amount of this soil in 

 New England is probably much beyond what 

 most persons would suppose. The island of 

 Nantucket, for example, is calculated to contain 

 985 acres of peat swamp, from one to fourteen 

 feet in depth, which is almost a tenth of its whole 

 territory ; and excluding the lour western coun- 

 ties of Massachusetts, which abound less in this 

 kind of soil than its eastern portion, it is calcula- 

 ted that there are at least 80,000 acres or 125 

 s(]uare miles of an average depth of six feet four 

 inches, within this single state. Whether, then, 

 we consider the value of this soil in itself for culti- 

 vation, or as furnishing the ready means of restor- 

 ing that which has been exhausted, we cannot 

 but acknowledge the advantages which it pro- 

 mises to our agriculture. 



MEAKS OF ENRICHING SOIL. 



The next inquiry which suggests itself is, 

 whether we have the means of enriching oursoils 

 and of rendering them as productive as they may 

 be made. We have first, then, the usual supply 

 of animal manure ; and as we are not exporters 

 but are importers of agricultural produce loa con- 

 siderable extent, this being consumed among us, 

 performs its part in restoring what has been taken 

 from the soil, and in further increasing ils produc- 

 tiveness. 



Further, in extraneous manures we are by no 

 means deficient. I have already spoken of our 

 peat swamps, and of the vast deposites of this 

 vegetable matter, which are scattered over our 

 territory. Several parts of our territory abound in 

 limestone and in calcareous marls, which it is 

 hoped will prove ultimately of great value. Our 

 sea coasts present an inexhaustible supply of sea- 

 weeds and fish, ami of marsh and dock mud and 

 muscle bed. Of ashes in various forms vve have 

 the usual supplies. Many of our various manu- 

 factories Jijrnish directly valuable manures or 

 materials for manure. This may be said, in par- 

 ticular, of our woollen manufactories; comb and 

 brush manufactories ; sugar refineries ; extensive 

 tanneries; soap factories; oil and candle esta- 

 blishments ; glue factories ; and slaughter houses. 

 Our large cities and villages furnish the usual 

 resources for manures to ihe neighboring towns. 

 Many of our lands, likewise, are sensitive to the 



* The editor questions whetlier tliis be true as a 

 general remark. The meadow must be remarkably 

 dry in which tfie land will be worth much for many 

 years after taking out peat two spittings deep. — Ed. 

 N. £. Farmer. 



