390 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



Those persons who may wish to be more par- 

 ticularly or Cully informed of the practical effects 

 and profits of the marl from Cogiriiis Point, are 

 referred to Hill Carter, esq., of Shirley, Col. Col- 

 lier H. Minge, (now in Mobile,) and Dr. John 

 JVlinge of Weyanoke. And besides various 

 notices of our own, which of course we would 

 not adduce as testimony in such a case, state- 

 ments of some of the effects iaiowii by tlie gen- 

 tlemen just named, may be seen at pages 186, 

 189, 247 and 511 of vol. 5, Farniei-s' Register.— 

 Ed. Far. Reg. 



PEAR TREES. 



From tile Genesee Farmer. 



We find pear trees in less demand than almost 

 any other article in the nursery. VVhy should 

 this be so '? 'I'lie pear is one oi uur most lieliciuus 

 {runs : though Irorn ilie scarcity oJ trees in the 

 country, it is not improbable iliui many cultivators 

 have never tasied tlie better kinds. 



As an excu=e lor neglecting li.e pear tree, how- 

 ever, we have olien heard a said, '* they are so 

 long belure they begin to bear." Now ihis id the 

 very reason wliy iliey should be planted wiihoui 

 delay — why no time should be lost. 



The remark, iiowever, is only true in part. 

 Some pear trees, indeed, uke the Bergamot, re- 

 quire much time to get ready ; but others, like 

 me Juueiiiie, appear to come into bearing as soon 

 as the apple tree; and this irait ol character i- 

 ceriamly of no less uuporiance than the color or 

 the size ol" the Iruii, which pomologists are al- 

 ways so caielul to mention. If the time re:iuired 

 bv each kmd to come into bearing was ffenerallv 

 Known, purcliasers of young trees could ue mucli 

 better accommudaied. Delicious sorls would in 

 all cases be warned, but we could well afford to 

 wait several years ibr the summer rose, the rousse- 

 lette de Rheuns, or the belle el bonne, to grow larire 

 and gel ready, when VVilliainB' bon CiTretien, the 

 summer frankreal, or the bloodgood, wert- bearino' 

 111 the mean time. Of 81 sons noiiced by Man° 

 niiig m his " Book of i^'ruiis," 17 are mentioned 

 that " come early into bearing," ihouirh several 

 belonging to this class, he has not maTked ; and 

 at this tune we have in the nursery, many trees 

 of the Julienne, not more than six or seven feet 

 high, in lull flower. Grafts of this variety, of the 

 Cashing, of the Johonnot, &c., set up on old 

 Slocks, bore in two years. 



The pear is one of our hardiest fruit trees; 

 and so far as our observations have extended, it is 

 neither subject to the attacks of the caterpillar, 

 nor the borer. Some perieh, however, with the 

 fire-blight; but it should not be allowed. The 

 owner has as much right to complain of bad luck 

 when he stands by vvfhile his cattle are destroyins 

 his young trees, as he has when he stands idle, 

 without reaching forth a hand, while scolytus 

 pyri destroys his old trees. Possibly, however, 

 iliere are two kinds of fire-blight ; but be this aa 

 it may, many of our trees have stood more than 

 twenty years, without any losses of consequence, 

 though the fire-blight has been several times 



amongst ihem — owing entirely, as we believp, to 

 this circumstance : we have cut off the dying limb, 

 and burnt it without delay. f 



COfllPOST DRESSING FOR MOWING GROUNDS. 



From tlie Monthly Visiter. 



In low lands, whether with or without rocks, 

 with or wiihout hard pan, as well upon flat 

 elevations and side hills, as in drained swamps, 

 the crop of hay may be increased to almost any 

 extent by a piocess infinitely more simple, and 

 less expensive, and fnuch quicker, i han by plough- 

 ing and hand-labor. The method ol making 

 compost-manure is the most simple that can be 

 imagined ; it is done with laciliiy on the sides 

 of roads, and in the cow and hog- pens, with the 

 refuse ol chip yards, leaves from the woods, peat 

 and mud taken from the ditches, ashes, sand, 

 earth t:d<en from the back yards and sinks, scrap- 

 ings from streets, with mixtures from almost 

 every article that can be enumerated or imagin- 

 ed, — all will serve as manure lor mowing lands, 

 producing the most valuable and lasting effects 

 as used lor top-dressing only. These compost 

 heaps should be well turned and intimately mixed 

 belore they are applied, when the .spring or autumn 

 season will be equally suitable for their operation, 

 laking occasion to sprinkle over it a email quantity 

 of herds-grass seed. 



SUBSOIL PLOUGHING. 



From the New England Farmer. 

 Letter of E. Phinney, esq. to A. Huntington, esq,, 

 published in the Trunsactioiis of the Essex Agricul- 

 tural Society, 1840. 



j^. Huntingion, esq. — Dear sir — The ques- 

 tion is often asked, how can farmii!.g be made pro- 

 fitable ? 1 answer, by liberal manuring, deep 

 and thorough ploughing, and clean culture. 1 

 will venture to affirm, without fear of contradic- 

 tion, that no instance can be cited, where a farm- 

 er who has manured his grounds highly, made 

 a judicious use of the plough, and cultivated with 

 care, has failed to receive an .ample remuneration 

 for the amount invested — nay more, that has not 

 received a greater advance upon his outlay than 

 ihe average profit derived h"om any other busi- 

 ness. One great difficulty is, that most liirmers 

 seem not to be aware of theiact, that the greater 

 the outlay, to a reasonable extent, when skilfully 

 applied, the greater will be the profit; they there- 

 lore manure sparingly, plough shallow, and the 

 consequence is, get poorly paid for their labor. 

 This has raised a prejudice and given a disrelish 

 to the business of farming, especially among those 

 who are in the habit and are desirous of realizing 

 something more from their occupation than a 

 naked return of the amount, expended. 



The farmer who is so sparing of his manure 

 that he can get but thirty bushels of corn from 

 an acre, gets barely enough to pay him for the 

 expense of cultivation ; and in addition to this, 

 by the ordinary method of ploughing, his field, 

 at each successive rotation, is deierioraling, his 

 crops becoming less, and in a few years he finds 



