1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



419 



Each order has its genera, as the Ruminantia 

 has its Ovidoe, or sheep tribe ; its Bovidce, or ox 

 tribe; its CervidiP or stag tribe. Each genus has 

 its species, and each species is composed of indi- 

 viduals. We have tlien the classification which 

 pertains with little modification, to all material 

 objects, each term including the following : king- 

 doms, grand divisions or departments, classes, 

 orders, genera, species and individuals. 



My next number will be upon the nature of 

 species — a knowledge of which is important to 

 every man. o. M. 



For the New England Farmer. 



THE TAP-KOOT---DECAY OP PEAR AND 

 APPLE TREES. 



When a seed of the apple or pear is planted, 

 it throws down into the loose soil along, slender 

 root called the radicle, and sends upwards a stem 

 called the plumule. The root, however, throws 

 out laterals, and the stem also puts forth side 

 branches. Undoubtedly, the cause of the root 

 making so direct a descent, is the want of mois- 

 ture, which it cannot find within an inch or two 

 of the surface. How far it would, or should go 

 down for its own welfare, independent of its lat- 

 eral or accessory roots, is a question. When the 

 young tree is transplanted, it is usually thought 

 advisable to shorten the tap-root, or radicle, so as 

 to multiply the laterals — thereby giving greater 

 power of absorption of vegetable stimulants, as 

 each delicate spongiole has a mouth at its termi- 

 nation, by which it sucks in its liquid nourish- 

 ment. As the tree advances in growth, we fre- 

 quently cut off" the leading stem to give the top 

 greater expansion. It is generally conceded that 

 the operation does not in any way impair the 

 tree or i;bridge its life. Does the shortening of 

 the tap-root injuriously violate the tree's natural 

 laws any more? Is the knife more repugnant to 

 it belov/ than above ? But it is said the tree 

 needs a long radicle in a drought to reach the 

 moisture of the earth. If such is the case, then 

 the tree has the power to strike one, and proba- 

 bly does so, just as it possesses the power of 

 forming a new vertical stem. In these respects, 

 the plant will take care of itself. There can be 

 no doubt, however, that the roots of a tree are 

 more spreading than the external branches ; in 

 other words, that the roots never go down so 

 deeply as the limbs extend upwards. And I very 

 much question, if two old apple or pear trees — 

 one having been planted without clipping the 

 tap-root, and the other with it shortened — could 

 be taken up with the roots entire, both having 

 had equal treatment, any marked difference could 

 be distinguished. I regard the single long tap- 

 root as a thing pertaining to the tree's early 

 growth, and that clipping it gives it new vitali-j 

 ty in transplantation, however the tree may sub-! 

 sequently vegetate or restore itself. Unlike thej 

 limb of a man, the vital part of a tree, when' 

 shortened, will grow again. I 



I was led to make these remarks by lately see-; 

 ing in the /''ar?«e/- some observations deprecating I 

 what seemed to be regarded the injurious muti-| 

 lation of the tap-root ; also from an article by 

 Mr. J. M. Ives, of Salem, whose writings no one j 

 reads with more pleasure than myself, published: 

 in the last Report of the "Agriculture of Massa-! 



chusetts." Speaking of pears, this gentleman 

 says : 



"Most of our newly introduced fruits show 

 symptoms of decay, while many of the old varie- 

 ties which are scattered here and there through- 

 out New England are still in a bearing and 

 healthy state." Mr I. is disposed to attribute 

 the decay of the pear tree to curtailing the tap- 

 root, to severe pruning, and to the "enfeebling 

 process," practised by Van Mons, by which some 

 of our first varieties have been produced. That 

 we get our best pears at the expense of longevi- 

 ty of the tree, I have sometimes been inclined to 

 believe, though not decided as to this point. The 

 most common and hardy old pear trees we see 

 around us, are the old '"Iron," or "Black Wor- 

 cester" variety. The fruit, as is well known, is 

 not fit, in an uncooked state, for a felon to eat, 

 and no one now propagates it, hardy as it is. 

 The demand at present is, good varieties at all 

 hazards. These old trees were undouljtedly 

 transplanted, as we see them set in order ; and 

 if transplanted, they probably lost (intentionally, 

 or otherwise,) a portion of their tap-root, besides 

 having their trunks denuded. They were, of 

 course, grafted, as we do not imagine the Iron 

 pear will re-produce itself from seed. We see a 

 less number of the St. Michael, a very fine fruit 

 when free from cracks ; also some Jargonells, 

 Harvards, k.c. The St. Michael trees are long- 

 lived, though the pear is now worthless. Sixty 

 years ago, only little attention was given to the 

 culture of the pear ; but undoubtedly propor- 

 tionate failures and decay were difficulties to be 

 met with then as now. We do not see the trees 

 which have prematurely perished, but only those 

 which have lived. A half a century or more 

 from now, it will be something worthy of a record 

 in history, if cultivators do not complain of the 

 premature decay of trees ; and they will point to 

 some of those which are now being planted, as 

 evidence that it was not so formerly. Will they 

 not see the Fulton, the Buffum, the Dix, and 

 even the delicate Seckel, besides others of our 

 natives ? and also the Vicar of Winkfield, the 

 Louise Bonne de Jersey, the Flemish Beauty, the 

 Glout Morceau, and others of foreign origin ? 

 And seeing them in hardy old age, what more 

 natural than for them to conclude that ours was 

 the golden age of fruit culture ? 



There will always be feeble varieties of apples 

 and pears — it appears to me — whether we pre- 

 serve the tap-root, and keep the knife and saw 

 from the top or not. And there will always be 

 others which will show their hardy nature in de- 

 fiance of mutilation. It is true these hardy ones 

 may not always be good, but we feel assured that 

 they need not be necessarily bad, nor the feeble 

 ones, without exceptions, excellent. Diseases 

 and decay are frequently induced by poor culture 

 and bad position ; and some seasons, in spite of 

 the best of treatment, the pear tree remains dor- 

 mant, (even before bearing,) its leaves small and 

 yellow, and its general indication deathly ; and 

 then in another year or so, it will make a heavy 

 growth, and all without any obvious reason. 



Whatever may be said of the hardiness of seed- 

 ling pear trees with their tap-roots undiminished, 

 I have not been so successful with some young 

 ones in a nursery row, as with those which were 

 grafted. They are liable to spring blight, uncoa- 



