254 



JNEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



June 



maximum of health and fertility, gradually sink 

 to decay, and at length disappear. Taking this 

 idea as a rule, the Golden Pippin was judged to 

 be in this last stage of existence ; and it was pre- 

 dicted, that not only were the old full-grown 

 trees to disappear, but all the young ones worked 

 from them would perish also. 



"These failures, 1 think, are caused by a careless 

 choice of grafts, — by working them on improper 

 stocks, and planting them in old worn-out soils, 

 instead of in fresh, well trenched, loamy soil ; 

 this latter opinion was the more feasible, because 

 there were many middle-aged trees in different 

 parts of the kingdom which were in full vigor 

 and bearing ; and although young plants in old 

 gardens and orchards were unthrifty, such as 

 were properly planted innewly broken-up ground, 

 if workeu on the best stocks, succeeded as well 

 as ever. This being the opinion of the author 

 respecting the failure of the Golden Pippen, and 

 other old sorts, he gave the subject his best con- 

 sideration, and set about proving how far his own 

 experience of 40 years was well or ill founded, and 

 arrived at the following conclusion, viz. : 



"If the stocks are raised from the most healthy 

 stocks, properly treated, and Avorked with the 

 most healthy moderate sized scions, cut from the 

 top of sound, lieallhy trees, and when fit for trans- 

 planting, be placed on well trenched, light, fresh 

 loam, having a dry bottom, they v/ill assuredly 

 prosper. On the other hand, if the grafts be takt^n 

 indiscriminately from any tree or from any part 

 of a tree, they will, nine times out of twelve, be in 

 some respects or other defective, and particularly, 

 if they be not afterwards planted in their favorite 

 soil, where their wood woidd not he sufficiently 

 ripened." 3. M. I, 



Salem, Mass., 1859. 



Jfi'or the New Engianii Farmer. 

 HUNGARIAN GKASS. 



In answer in part to inquiries frequently made 

 by correspondents of the Neiv England Farmer, 

 in relation to Hungarian grass, permit me to 

 state a single experiment I made with it last sea- 

 son. My son in Illinois sent me a small parcel 

 of seed which he brought from Iowa. I sowed it 

 on rather light, dry ground in low condition. I 

 waited till midsummer, and not being able to see 

 a single plant of the grass, I raked it over, and 

 sowed some turnips and late peas. Towards au- 

 tumn, I discovered a few plants on the borders 

 of the lot which I presume was the Hungarian 

 grass. It grew ten to fourteen inches high, with 

 a colored head — purplish, I think, full of seed, a 

 specimen of which 1 enclose you. Whether the 

 seed does not vegetate till late, like our wild 

 millet, that starts up on our stuhliles after the 

 grain is reaped, or whether the seed was picked 

 up by a flock of strange birds, I saw one day up- 

 on it, I cannot tell. This Hungarian grass did 

 not appear to be much superior to our wild mil- 

 let or barley grass, as we used to call it when I 

 was a boy, only the heads were larger. I have 

 seen millet growing far superior to this grass in 

 every respect, and that would afford a good crop 

 of seed and fodder. I shall try it, however, 

 again, on better land, to ascertain what another 

 experiment will do. Rurus McIntire. 



Farsonjield, Maine, 1859. 



J^or the New England Farmer. 

 FLOWER GARDENING. 

 BY ALBERT STACY. 

 [Read before the Concord Farmers' Club, March 30th,1859.] 



The cultivation of flowers is adapted to per- 

 sons in every condition of life. The high and the 

 low, the rich and the poor, all can partake of its 

 advantages. It may not pay in dollars and cents, 

 like corn and potatoes, but it affords a higher 

 gratification which money cannot buy. Some per- 

 Nons seem to have the impression that the body, 

 only, is to be attended to ; therefore, they will 

 slave themselves from morning till night, through- 

 out the year, not merely to keep body and soul 

 together, but to pile up the almighty dollars. 

 Such persons will ask. What is the use ? Does it 

 pay ? Does it afford meat and drink ? I an- 

 swer no, only to the mind ; and such individuals, 

 having no great stock, are certainly in want of 

 no great amount of food for it. These remarks 

 apply only to those who decry the cultivation of 

 flowers, and who look upon the time employed 

 upon them as wasted. Whatever will give grat- 

 ification to others, is worth doing. Selfish men 

 do not often cultivate flowers. But the social 

 man, who likes to have others about him enjoy 

 themselves, will appreciate the pleasure which a 

 neatly arranged flower garden affords .o all per- 

 sons of taste. It is an employment equally adap- 

 ted to ladies and children, as to men. Let any 

 of our young ladies employ themselves an hour 

 or two a day in the flower garden, and we should 

 not hear of so many dilapidated and dyspejjtic 

 spinsters, whose principal enjoyment is gossip 

 and bohea. It would give a fiesh bloom to their 

 cheeks, an elasticity to their step, which \rouid 

 make them fit companions to some of our faint- 

 hearted bachelors, instead of a drag to their ex- 

 istence. Downing, in one of his essays, says "that 

 he has a neighbor on the Hudson, a lady, whose 

 pleasure grounds cover many acres, whose flower 

 garden is a miracle of beauty, and who keeps six 

 gardeners at work all the season. But there is 

 never a tree transplanted, that she does not see 

 its roots carefuly handled, not a walk laid out, 

 that she does not mark its curves, no matter 

 what guests enjoy her hospitality. Several hours 

 every day, are thus spent in out-of-door employ- 

 ment." 



I suppose the reason why so many of our young 

 men leave the farm and seek employment in the 

 cities in mercantile life, is, that they have ac- 

 quired no taste for farming; and no person will 

 succeed in an employment which they do not like. 

 If you can cultivate a taste for flowers in the 

 child, you will have a stepping-stone, which will 

 lead to something more. Give him a small plot 

 of ground, show him how to plant the seeds, and 

 vou will soon see that he will take a lively inter- 

 est in the first appearance of the flowers, and his 

 play, as well as work, will be to take care of 

 them ; he will soon evince a taste for cultivating 

 the smaller garden fruits, such as strawberries, 

 raspberries, currants, then the various fruits of 

 the orchard will claim his attention ; the whole 

 will result in a taste for farming which will pre- 

 vent his roaming away to seek employment in 

 commercial life, at which so few succeed. Make 

 the labor of the farm attractive, and you can 

 commence in no surer way than to teach a child 



