1846. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



193 



Review. 



THE HORTICULTURIST, and Journal of Rural Art 

 AND Rural Taste. Edited by A. J. Downing. Pub- 

 lished by Luther Tuckkr, Albany. Monthly ; 48 pa- 

 ges, 8 vo. D. 31. Dewey agent, Rochester. 

 We have received from Mr. Dewey the first 

 number of this Journal. It is got up in beautiful 

 style, and contains a vast amount of matter of the 

 highest value to all who are interested in the 

 progress of Horticulture. It is embellished with 

 well executed engravings of "The two new Or- 

 namental Trees,"' the Jfuivlonki and the Deodar 

 Cedar, and with designs illustrative of "the im- 

 provement of an ordinary country liouse, besides 

 several outlines of fruits, &c. 



The most valuable article in the number is ''The five 

 best Winter Pears," by Col. M. P. Wilder, President of 

 the Mass. Horticultural Society, These he considers to be 

 the Beurre d Arrembcrg, Winter JNelis Columliia, Glout 

 Morceau, and Passe Colmar. Col. Wilder is, without 

 doubt, the most successful and experienced amateur culti- 

 vator of the Pear in the United States, and his statements 

 and opinions on this subject are consequently entitled to the 

 highest regard. We shall take occasion to refer to this ar- 

 ticle at some future time, in our notices of fruits. 



" T'he Fruits of IVextern Nho Yurk," by W. R. Smiih of 

 Macedon. The sum and substance of this article is, that 

 the " Northern Spy," our celebrated native apple, " deter- 

 iorates as the trees grow old," and consequently, Mr. Smith 

 says " however valuable for the garden or small orchard, 

 it is worthless as a market fruit, compared with the Bald- 

 win, Newtown Pippin, or Roxbury Russet." 



VVe respect Mr. Smith and his opinions very highly, but 

 in this case we think he has made a very great mistake. It 

 is admitted, by all who have examined the " Spy," that it 

 combines more excellent qualities than any other keeping 

 apple. The tree is a rapid, beautiful grower, bears when 

 young, and most abundant crops. The fruit is medium to 

 large size, unsurpassed in beauty and flavor, and with ordi- 

 nary care in preservation, retains its freshness till mid-sum- 

 mer. We admit that the fruit does deteriorate sooner on 

 old trees of diminished vigor, than many other varieties — 

 such as Rhode Island Greenings, Russets, &,c., — but by 

 no means so much as to render it "worthless as a mar- 

 feet fruit." It only renders more careful culture necessary — 

 such as pruning and manuring the trees, and thinning out 

 the crop. The List matter is scarcely ever attended to, and 

 with this it is very important particularly in old trees. 



It is much fairer and finer, under any circumstances, than 

 the Newtown Pippin, in Western N. Y. particularly. We 

 think Mr. Smith must be aware of this. It is altogether 

 superior in flavor to the Baldwin, and is in the highest per- 

 fection when the Baldwin is gone; and, as a fine table fruit, 

 it is as far superior to the Roxbury Russet, as the latter is 

 to a Swedish turnep. In fact its excellence must claim for 

 it in every market, where fine fruit is appreciated, the high- 

 est price ; and no cultivator can fail to discover, that it will 

 yield ample remuneration for that care and culture that all 

 fruit trees should receive. We have investigated the merits 

 of the fruit minutely, in order to estimate its value correctly. 



We know of one orchard in Mendon, the property of a 

 very careful fruit grower, which contains a row (14 we 

 think) of young trees, 9 or 10 years old, suckers taken from 

 the original tree. We have never seen a finer row of trees 

 than these, and none of their age we are sure, in this coun- 

 try, have yielded a greater nett profit to their owner. One 

 fact which we are bound to consider conclusive in regard to 

 the merits of this fruit, is, that all the superb specimens that 

 have appeared in our markets during the last few years, and 

 that have attracted such universal admiration, have been 

 produced in common country orchards, under r«ri/ ordinary 

 culture — such as our good eastern fruit growers, like Mr. 

 Pell, would consider absolute neglect. In such men's hands 

 as Mr. Pell the " Spy" would surpass anything Mr. S. or 

 any of us have yet seen. 



" Notes on a few fruits of superior excellence," by the 

 Editor. — The fruits noticed in this article are the Imperial 

 Ottoman and Jefferson Plums ; Crawford's late Melocoton 

 Peach ; Belle de Choisy Cherry ; Beurre d' Arrembcrg, 

 Beurre Bosc, and Dearborn's Seedling Pears. 



These, the Editor remarks, " belong to a small class of 

 fruits which seem to have a capacity of adaptation, that fits 

 them for soils and exposures of almost every character. — 

 Hardy, uniformly productive, and thriving in almost every 

 tolerable soil, they become sources of profit to the orchard- 

 istand of continual enjoyment to the possessor of small gar- 

 dens." 



VVe may remark that " Crawford's late Melocoton" in our 

 section will require our best seasons to perfect it ; but it is a 

 superb fruit, and should be in all collections large or small. 

 The " Belle de Choisy Cherry," we should not recommend 

 for small collections, except in Canada, or the colder por- 

 tion of this country, where its hardiness would be a consid- 

 eration. It is but a moderate bearer, and not equal in size 

 or llavor to many others. 



" Culture of the Laurel," by J. J. Thomas, of Macedon. — 

 This article, we think, loses much of its value and interest 

 to readers generally, from the fact that Mr. Thomas, con- 

 trary to his usual precision, has not stated what he meant 

 by " Laurel." It might be the common or Portugal Laurels 

 of Europe, or it might be some of the Kalmias or Hhodo- 

 dendums of this county, as these are all generally known 

 as " Laurels" by country people. We presume, however, 

 that he means the Kalmia latifolia or Mountain Laurel, a 

 beautiful evergreen, native shrub, that grows abundantly 

 on Long Island and tlie eastern parts of this state. Its nat- 

 ural locality is on knolls by the borders of swamps, and on 

 hill sides, in a thin peaty soil, where little else will flourish. 



The fact of Mr. Thomas' article is, that his father, David 

 Thomas, has succeeded in cultivating this shrub by plant- 

 ing it in soil obtained from "the banks of gulleys," sup- 

 posed to be free from the carbonate of lime, when he failed 

 in growing it on common garden soil. This shrub is culti- 

 vated with gretit success in European gardens as well as in 

 this country, but always in a peaty soil. 



The character of a soil in which a plant is found flourish- 

 ing spontaneously, is a correct guide to the cultivator who 

 wishes to move such plants to his grounds? — though multi- 

 tudes of trees, shrubs, and plants will flourish, after being 

 naturalized, in a soil quite different from that in which na- 

 ture produces them. 



" On the Culture of Peach Orchards," by Dr. J. W. 

 Thomson, Wilmington, Del. — This is a very valuable pa- 

 per, plain, practical, and minute, as one could wish. It has, 

 it appears, been originally written for the " Southern Plant- 

 er." Many of our readers will remember the account of the 

 prodigious profits of raising fruit in Delaware, that went the 

 rounds of the newspapers last winter — stating the product 

 of one Peach orchard to be ffti/ theusaud dollars. Dr. 

 Thomson contradicts this, and mentions one orchard of 120 

 acres, that in " the veri/ best season yielded a gross income 

 of sixtf-en thousand dollars. Peaches then commanded from 

 $1,25 to $3,00 per basket of 3 pecks." 



The soil recommended by Dr. Thomson is a rich sandy 

 loam, with clay ; high and rolling grounds should be selec- 

 ted being less obnoxious to early frosts. 



He recommends the culture of corn among the trees, for 

 three years after they are planted ; after that, to be kept 

 regularly plowed two or three times in the season, but no- 

 crop whatever, as it affects the fruit and injures the trees. 



Wo are glad to know that the culture of the Peach is now 

 beginning to receive something like reasonable attention in 

 our section, and in a few years we shall have orchards that 

 will not be surpassed by any in the Union. There is no 

 difficulty in the way ; our cultivators have but to take the 

 proper steps. 



" Design for improving an ordinary Country House," by 

 the Editor. — The attention which will be given to Rural 

 Architecture in the •' Horticulturist" will be no doubt 

 one of Its prominent and most interesting features. Nothing 

 will tend in a greater degree to beautify the country than 

 the introduction of architectural taste in the erection of ru- 

 ral dwellings. Most of our farmers are decidedly averse to 

 adding anything to the exterior of their houses, calculated 

 for mere ornament. We know of hundreds of neat farm 

 houses and cottages around the country, plain and uninvi- 

 ting now, that might be made perfectly beautiful by the ad- 

 dition of a tasteful veranda, a projection of the roof, an 

 ornamental eave board, and a remodelling of the usual 

 clumsy, uncouth chimneys. 



These simple additions, tastefully made, would completely 

 transform thousands of our country homes, and throw around 

 them an air of comfort and beauty that could not fail to 

 exercise a happy influence on the feelings and tastes of a 



