140 



GENESEE F A R I\l E R. 



Sept. 1845 



HORTICULTURAL DEP ARTMEJYT. 



BV p. BARRT. 



A PATTERN FOR A FARMER'S GARDEN. 



The best farmer's garden we have seen in Western 

 Now- York, and one that we now take Ihe liberty of 

 referring to as a pattern, is that of Isaac Cox, Esq., 

 of Wheatland . We called at his residence a short 

 time ago, and were delighted be3'ond measure, with 

 the order, neatness, and beauty of his premises. 



His residence is beautifully situated about a mile 

 south from the village ol Scottsville, on the river 

 road, and from its elevated site, commands a fine 

 view of the river valley for a considerable distance, 

 and of the noble wood-lands, and rich iields, that as- 

 cend in an easy, graceful slope from the waters of 

 the Genesee to the distant horizon. As we sat with 

 him en his comfortable verandali, and gazed on this 

 grand picture, that bids defiance to the painter's pu- 

 ney imitation, we felt as though the man whose lot 

 is "cast in the country, even if it be toilsome, is in 

 reality happy — blessed — if he did but know it, com- 

 pared w ith his brother who is struggling amidst the 

 fickle fortunes, painful excitements, dust, dirt, heat, 

 turmoil and unceasing din of the city, with its awful 

 conflagrations, its fiendish incendiaries, its reckless, 

 lawless hordes of housebreakers and assassins, and its 

 shameful dens of infamy. Oh ! what a pity, we 

 thought,that so many farmers sons,should so far mis- 

 take their good,as to leave their happy country homes, 

 their farms and gardens — pure air — beautiful scene- 

 ry, and kind, candid, virtuous friends and companions, 

 for the tempting pleasures (?) of a city life. But to 

 our purpose : Air. C.'s vegetable and fruit garden 

 consists of a rectangular piece of ground of upwards 

 of an acre. It is conveniently laid out in plots, 

 ■with a main walk ten or twelve feet wide, through 

 the centre, and one on each side four feet wide, with- 

 in four feet of the fence, with cross walks at suitable 

 distances : most of the walks are edged with chives, 

 bush-Alpine, strawberry, or something appropriate. 



The part nearest the dwelling is devoted to vege- 

 tables ; and here, notAvithstanding the unfavorable 

 epring, and a protracted drought, we saw a very pro- 

 mising crop, in excellent condition, the ground all 

 mellov; and fine, and not a weed to be seen. The 

 fruit department is more extensive, and contains a 

 very choice collection of the finer fruits, adapted to 

 garden culture, such as cherries, plums, apricots, 

 nectarines, and a few peaches. He has a large 

 peach orchard, ju^t coming into bearing, immediately 

 adjoining the fruit garden. The collection of small 

 fruits, such as raspberries, currants, fee, is very ex- 

 tensive, and thec.-op of fruit immense. Among the 

 raspberries we noticed three American species, that 

 Mr. C. prizes very liighly, as being hardy and produc- 

 tive. Currants, several varieties, fruit in prodigious 

 quantities, and large and beautiful. Mr. C. made 

 three barrels of excellent wine from the surplus 

 currants of last year. Strawberries were mostly 

 gone, except the monthly Alpines, of Avhich ho has 

 ;.n abundance. These occupy the fence borders and 

 walk edgings, and were loaded with their delicious 

 fruit. We also noticed a fine collection of Dwarf 



Pear Trees, planted last spring ; they looked well, 

 many of them, even, bearing fruit. On one side of 

 the garden, the west, is a higltclose board fence, for 

 the protection and training of grape vines; these are 

 planted the whole length of the garden, embracing 

 a good collection of foreign and native varieties. On 

 the cast, or street side, is a sub.stantial cobble stone 

 wall, ornan)ented with climbing roses and honey- 

 suckles, clambering over its top, from withm, and 

 showing a profusion of flowers. 



The flower garden and shrubbery occupies a reg- 

 ular, handsume plot of ground, about one-fourth of 

 an acre, between the dwelling and the road, tasteful- 

 ly laid out and interspersed with gravelled walks. — 

 It is well \ lanted with ornamental trees, shrubs, 

 roses and herbaceous plants. An oval bed in the 

 centre, filled with seedling verbenas, self-sown, in 

 full bloom, was a splendid object. We counted 

 some ten or twelve different colors. Other parts of 

 the borders were filled with verbenas that had been 

 wintered in the house, anJ v>ith monthly roses that 

 had stood out all winter. 



But we have no space for further details, and we 

 have only thus referred to these matters for the pur- 

 pose of stimulating others to profit by the example 

 we have recorded, as far as means and other circum- 

 stances will justify. 



The country, as a general thing, is lamentably de- 

 ficient in good, or even tolerable gardens ; and we 

 deem it a portion of our duty, to point directly to 

 such instances as we may find Vv-orthy of imitation ; 

 so that while we advise v^hat should be done, we 

 can point cut what is, has been, and can be done. 



FRUITS OF THE SEASON. 



Although the present season has been one of the 

 most unfavorable for fruit we have had for many 

 years, still, we have had so far, a tolerable supply, 

 better by far than we anticipated. 



Apples — We have had Early Har\est, Red Juneat- 

 ing. Sweet Bough and some others: they have sold 

 on an average at about ^1,00 per bushel : as a' gener- 

 al thing they are of inferior quality compared with 

 other years. 



Pears have been rather pi entiful , but we have seen 

 very few fit for anything but baking. The price 

 has ranged from ^1 to $3 per bushel, according to 

 quality. The cultivation of the pear begins to at- 

 tract attention ;-^10 years hence, we believe we will 

 have one of the best Pear districts in America. — 

 One of the best early pears we have seen or tasted 

 this season, or we might say, that we have ever seen, 

 is the '^Belled Aout'' or Belle of August. It is 

 large, upwards of four inches in length, of a regular 

 pyriform shape, beautiful yellow color, with a light 

 red cheek — the flesh is while, very fine grained, jui- 

 cy and melting, fully equal if not superior to the 

 best Virgalieu— ripe August 24th, This is a very 

 rare variety, little known in this country, but emi- 

 nently deserving extensive cultivation. 



The specimen to which we refer, was produced on 

 a small dwarf tree in the Mt. Hope nursery, impor- 

 ted from France in the spring of 18-14, and trans- 

 planted again last May, It is described on page 334 

 of Downing's work, but not figured as it should be. 



Peaches. — The earliest good peach we have seen 

 this season, ia the " Early Purple, " raised by Mr. 

 II. N. Langworthy, of Irondequoit. Mr. L. sold 

 them on the 18th Aug. for $4 per bushel. This fruit 

 ripens immediately after the ''Early Ann," and one 

 bushel is worth three. 



