370 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



;iIAY 36, 1-4 1. 



" Jiidf.'e Riiel observed, 'a taste for Iiorticiiltiire 

 i3 acquired by a few practical lessons : and when 

 once acquired not easily lost." ll is moreover an 

 eniplo)nient that gives interesting |)leasiire through 

 life, and when a love of it is once acquired, nothing 

 would tempt the man to give it up. It is a fasci- 

 nating occupation, and a good antidote against in- 

 dolence and vice. 



"As to the expense, it will be allowed, that the 

 establishment of a fruit orchard, containing a suc- 

 cession of the best varieties for all seasons of the 

 year, will be attended with some trouble and ex- 

 pense ; but what then ? will not the advantages 

 arising from the occupation, the health and happi- 

 ness it will insure, and the profits from the products 

 greatly outweigh all this ? And after all, it need 

 not necessarily be attended with a heavy expense. 

 Let there be an association of noighbors — say ten, 

 if you please, who shall obtain a selection of the 

 choicest varieties of fruit trees, to be used by the 

 company as common stock, from which to take 

 buds and scions. Suppose they purchase 200 trees, 

 at the cost of 25 cents to one dollar each, averag- 

 ing 50 cents each, or one hundred dollars for the 

 whole. The trees divided among the members, 

 would give 20 for each individual to cultivate and 

 keep labelled, at the cost of ten dollars. The 

 most difficult part of the business would be, to 

 make the selection from the endless varietie.i which 

 crowd our nurseries. It would be necessary to 

 know the character of the fruit, the time of ripen- 

 ing, and adaptation of the variety for our climate. 

 This knowledge may be obtained from any of our 

 experienced horticulturists, who are ever ready to 

 communicate knowledge of this sort, by an atten- 

 dance upon the weekly exhibition of the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society; from Kenrick's Or- 

 chardist; and from IManning's Book of Fruits — an 

 excellent work, describing only such varieties of 

 fruits as have; been tested by the author. 



"Every family should have a small patch of 

 ground devoted to a nursery, where stocks should 

 be set out, or raised from seed. Every boy should 

 be early taught the art of btfdding and grafting in 

 all the various ways. With this knowledge, so 

 easily acquired, the vigortnis nursery of stocks, 

 and tho buds and scions the company's trees would 

 afford, would soon put in possession of evi'ry fami- 

 ly, trees not only for themselvc", but also for their 

 more imiirovident neighbors, who are always glad 

 enlSiigh to avail themselves of tha improvements of 

 their more enterprizing neighbors, especially if they 

 can get them without much trouble and cost. The 

 time may seem long, to look ahead for tho produce 

 of the trees, and some may say, we shall not live 

 long enough to gather the fruit, and we had rather 

 invest our money where there will be a prospect of 

 a more immediate profit. In speaking of the back- 

 wardness of may of our farmers to invest money in 

 agricultural operations, where the profit is some 

 years ahead, a friend of mine observed, that he be- 

 lieved the word redize was written on the brow of 

 every Yankee farmer; for, as a general thing, there 

 was an unwillingness to invest money, unless thore 

 was a chance of realizing an inmicdiate harvest. 



" The late lamented Judge Buel did not act up- 

 on this principle. At the age of 44, he commenced 

 planting his orchnrds, decorating his grounds and 

 improving his lands, lie did not hesitate on ac- 

 count of his age, nor the distant prospect of a pro- 

 fitable return ; but set about the business, as every 

 good citizen should, fciding it to be a duty he owed 

 posterity. And what were the results ? Why, he 



lived to see his most ardent hopes more than real- 

 ized. He has left an evai.Tple worthy the imita- 

 tion of every farmer or landholder in the country. 

 He did not begin and thou leave off, but kept on 

 planting and improving until the very last of life. 

 It was my happiness to make this celebrated man 

 a visit a few months before his death; and I as- 

 sure you I was greatly surprised to see how much 

 he had effected, by converting a barren tract of 

 land into a fruitful garden, and surrounding him- 

 self with such a profusion of every thing delightful 

 to the eye and pleasant to the taste. His house 

 was embowered with ornamental trees and shrubs 

 of every description ; his orchards bending with 

 fruit of the mo.--t delicious varieties; all tiie work 

 of his own hands, and accomplished in the short 

 space of 15 or 16 years. 1 have known an old 

 man 80 years of age, industriously employed in set- 

 ting out quince bushes; and who, though laughed 

 at by his neighbors for his folly, as they called it, 

 lived to the age of 95, and many years received a 

 handsome sum for his quinces. 



" We consider it the duty of every one to plant 

 and improve, from the inorning of life to its close, 

 without considering for a moment wliether he is to 

 enjoy the fruits of it or not. It is a duty we owe 

 posterity, and cannot bo omitttd by the patriot or 

 christian." 



EXTRACTS FROM AN ADDRESS 

 Delivered before the .Middlesex Horliculiurnl Soeiely, 



at Lowell, Oct ]2lh, 1840, hi/ John L. Russkll. 



"Although we may scarcely compete with the 

 efforts of tho State society, there yet can be no rea- 

 son why ours should not be jiroporliowdly as great. 

 The existence of many valuable varieties of fruits 

 among the farms and gardens of the vicinity, pre- 

 sents a curious fact in horticultural science. Seve- 

 ral of these, with which the books are hardly fa- 

 miliar, may be met with on our county farms, and 

 the product of old trees. The venerable relic of 

 the far-famed Chehiisford pear, is yet existent on 

 one of the oldest farms of that town. It is a natu- 

 ral fruit, of excellent market qualities, and known 

 as the Chelmsford, Tyngsboro', and Mogul Sum- 

 mer. A mere thin shell of tho once extraordinary 

 trunk, yet bears a few scraggy branches, and from 

 its roots are four strong suckers, all of which are 

 identical in fruit with the trunk. Before the great 

 gale of September, 1816, it was a very large tree, 

 but being much injured by that tornado, it rapidly 

 declined to its present condition. I he stem, how- 

 ever, bears an occasional crop, but was entirely 

 barren the past season. Mr Manning, the great 

 pom<dogist, of Salem, remarks, that it is a pear of 

 tho largest size, and extremely productive. For 

 many years he searched in vain for its origin ; 

 sparing no exp-nse in importing large pears from 

 the French nurseries to identify it. Inquiry on 

 my part enabled me to confer a trilling favor on 

 my friend, nnd to establish the claim of old Chelms- 

 ford to a fine native fruit. 



"The history of tho valuable Haldwin apple is 

 familiar to you, bearing in its cognomen a f.anily 

 name yet existent in our midst. A fine early ap- 

 ple has often been c.^;hibiled on your tables, origi- 

 nating also in Chelmsford, and known as the Spald- 

 ing. The addition of these three natural fruits in 

 our vicinity to pomology, is sufficient to encourage 

 a research into natural varieties, which ore as yet 

 but little known. It should lie our endeavor to 

 find these out, and no pains should be spared in 



the attempt. Useless, or next to futile, is it to 

 import rare and costly fruits from Hlurope, which 

 will survive our culture for a few years only, w liile 

 our own country is the region and natural' location 

 of the finest sorts. We must artificiidly cultivate 

 or raise from seed our own, that they may take the 

 places of those which are becoming defective. — 

 Horticulture should, in a great degree, be a domes- 

 tic instead of a foreign Biihjec.t of study and regard ; 

 and in your city where could it find greater ex- 

 amples of the benefit of such .' 



"The culture of the grape might be most suc- 

 cessful in tho vicinity of this city. Every south 

 and western wall might cluster with valuable and 

 delicious fruit. It is to be suspected that a preju- 

 dice against grapes has been raised from the for- 

 mer undue attention to those either of foreign 

 growth, or of a more southern latitude. In fine 

 warm summers and autumns, like the present, the 

 famous Isabella would ripen finely, and give a 

 most delicious crop ; but, ordinarily, it is compara- 

 tively a doubtful variety, needing longer seasons to 

 bring it to maturity. But our woods and river 

 banks furnish very good varieties of the fox grapej 

 by many considered little inferior to the Isabella. 

 Choice sorts are occasionally to be met with among 

 our farmers, and these equally productive, under 

 proper management. The grape needs a rich and 

 moist soil ; the refuse of your factories furnish ex- 

 cellent materials for its culture. Little or no pru- 

 ning is best for our native kinds, merely keeping 

 the vines open and clear from dead wood. Better 

 to have well ripened fruit of an inferior variety on 

 our tables, and for domestic uses, than unripe and 

 unwholesome of an uncertain crop. The value of 

 the grape to the farmer has not been duly estima- 

 ted. A little care regarding the kinds might cover 

 his walls with beauty and profit. Air Phinney, of 

 Lexington, has already set a noble example in this 

 way, and his broad, solid walls are exuberant in 

 clustering vines and valuable fruit. A farmer 

 might raise a ton or more per annum, which, at six 

 cents per pound, would afford no inconsiderable 

 revenue. E.xcellent wine can eas'ly be made 

 from these fruits as well as from the currant, and, 

 without any gn.'ater trouble, a beverage far more 

 salutary than that old fashioned product of tlje or- 

 chard, hard cider. 



"Of the culture of the plum in this vicinity, I 

 have no means of judging. Gradual experiment 

 can only decide whether such a distance from the 

 sea would be any objection. The plum is a native 

 of maritime districts, and thrives best in alluvial 

 soils in which are deposited marine substances. 

 Its immense value to the horticulturist, as an arti- 

 cle for market, is sufficient to induce wliatever ex- 

 periments may be necessary for its growth. 



"Pears need a rich soil, and warm, moist expo- 

 sures. Cities are particularly favorable to their 

 growth. Small dwarf trees, of the finer sorts, 

 might be introduced into the culture of confined 

 areas. The superb St. Michael has been found to 

 succeed best in some old gardens in Boston, and, 

 amidst all the diseases now incident to the variety, 

 to produce in such locations the fiiie.<t specimens 

 ol fruit. How far this disease, the blight, may be 

 overcome, remains to be proved. Could any mea- 

 sures be adopted to check its ravages on some of 

 the finest kinds of pears, they would be of a most 

 important bearing on the interests of horticulture. 

 But, meanwhile, we have the productive and deli- 

 cious Seckel,'and tho rich Bon Chretien, or Bartlett,. 

 and a host beside, too numerous for detail, and on- 



