vol.. XVI. NO. 3«. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL 



288 



ed upon. This is as it should he. The want of 

 aroper attention, on the part of nurserymen, has 

 leretofore heen fraught with disappointment, ami 

 he loss of much time to the cultivator. To he 

 :ertaiu that we have the riijht varuHies, when we 

 :ommence planting, is a fo\iudatiou ou whieh we 

 may safely huild our hopes of future success. A 

 small stock, wnrrar.teil true to its name, and in 

 ine health, and vigorous growth, is worth a dozen 

 doubtful and scruhhy trees. The method ftlr 

 Kenriek has adopted to register the diflhent va- 

 rieties of all his plants, appears to uie a very good 

 sne. The uur.serymen generally, at least in this 

 section of the country, have of late years used ev- 

 sry precaution, in their power, to prevent mis- 

 takes, I mentiou this fact, as many of niy friends 

 ind neighhors have gone " further ami fared 

 worse," when they sent their orders to persons 

 jnknown to them, except hy catalogue. Several 

 hundred trees, of the different kinds and varieties 

 )f fruit, have been sent out at suituhle distances, 

 ijy Mr Kenriek, for the purpose of producing 

 specimens in order to prove the 7iew kinds ; a few 

 if which are cultivated for sale. 



Upwards of two himdred varieties of choice 

 Pears, lately received from the garden of Profes- 

 sor Van Mons, of Flanders, and from the garden 

 if the London Horticultural Societies, at Ches- 

 ivick ; are now under cultivation hy Mr Kenriek. 

 3ther fine sorts are expected during the present 

 season. 



The varieties of the Apples, of the Cherry, and 

 jf the Peach, are on a large scale. Mr Kenriek 

 las, it appears to me, ransacked the orchards of 

 Surope and America for good things. Hisselec- 

 ions are choice ; yet very extensive. Gentlemen 

 vho are about to commence, or extend the cuiti 

 nation of fruits, may here make a selection of 

 nuch, if not all, that is valuable in the orchard 

 md garden. 



Another portion of the grounds, are devoted to 

 he cultivation of beautiful and hardy ornamental 

 trees, shrubs, and roses; 



" Which at God'« word in beauteous Eden grew ; 

 Queen of the flowers that made that orchard gay, 

 The morning blushes of the spring's new day." 



\dditions, of the tnost choice kinds, are, I under 

 itand, yearly made to this rlepartment. Several 

 'arieties of the Mulberry — suitable for silk-werms 

 — are etdtivated on an extensive scale, particularly 

 Ihe Morus multicaulis. 



Among the herbaceous plants 1 noticed a fine 

 :olIection of Pteonies ; containing most, i/ not all, 

 he best kinds. This is a class of plants worthy 

 [he cultivation and attention of the lover of flow- 

 Irs. This part of Mr Kenrick's establishment, 

 nay be the subject of some remarks at a future 

 line. 



I would here, were it my province so to do, 

 lake some suggestions for the improvements in 

 18 immediate vicinity of the mansion, which is 

 ituated on the rising ground, by a short and 

 finding avenue from the road. The proprietor 

 'ill please pardon me for making the above re- 

 inrk. He has done much to improve his grounds, 

 nd, if I do not greatly mistake, he will — I judge 

 om hints dropped by himself do much more. 



From the summit of the hill, in the rear of the 

 lansion, you have a fine view of the city of Bos- 

 m to the east; and a delightful prospect over a 

 irersified country on all sides. The citizens of, 

 id strangers visiting Boston, would do well to 



take a riile across the Milhlam to Newton, and fill 

 their lungs with pure, fresh air, on a summer's 

 morning, when the " Sun is but half an hour 

 high " — here they would realize the lines of Doug- 

 lass when they should call to memory tlieir visit 

 to NonnntutM hill. 



" Dew drops, little diamonds hung on every tree. 

 And sprinkled silvery lustre o'er the lea ; 

 And all the verdurous herbage of the ground 

 Was decked with pearls which cast a splendiir round ; 

 The flowers, t!ie buds, and every plant that grew 

 Sipp'd the fresh fragrance of the morning dew." 

 Roxbury, Jan. 19, 1838. S. W. 



Mr J. Breck : 



Dear Sir — Believing that the lime is now ar. 

 rived that Agriculture like Horticulture is much 

 improving daily, by the intelligence communicated 

 through the columns of the difl^erent Journals of 

 Horticulture, I herewith send you in part a com- 

 munication on the culture and management of 

 fruit trees, ivhich has been collected from the re- 

 sults of practice on the culture and management 

 of fruit in the ditferent parts of N. i.lngland. The 

 object of collecting the matter for these and 

 other comnuinicutions belonging to the treatise 

 was to publish it inn suiall work, but as I am at 

 this time otherwise engaged I commit it to your 

 pertisal, and, if you consider the subject worth 

 an insertion in your New England Farmer or 

 will be in any manner of utility to the Agricul- 

 turist the entire treatise is at your service and shall 

 he handed to you for publication as your number 

 proceed. 



You will be so kind as to place the paragraphs 

 as numbered. The object of this is that any differ- 

 eiit sections of the treatise may be referred 

 to as I proceed with the subject. 



A TREATISE ON IHE CULTURE OF 

 FRUIT. 



1. There are few individual branches of Horti- 

 culture, that are more deserving of a careful ob- 

 servation, than the culture of choice fruit ; and it 

 may be justly said, in many cases, that there are 

 few subjects connected with the science, that are 

 less generally known and practically understood, 

 with an exception of a few individuals that have 

 paid much attention, and inmle minute investiga- 

 tion into the natural propensities of /nn< iree^, 

 who have in many cases not only realized every 

 expectation, but in many ways received a com- 

 pensation from their labors, of the most satisfac- 

 tory nature. 



2. Choice fruit of almost any kind, meets a 

 pretty general demand in most of the markets in 

 the Northern States ; nor has there been any lack 

 in planting, in most parts, to meet the general de- 

 mand ; however, a deficiency is apparent, wliich 

 must be considered partly owing to mismanage- 

 ment ; and unless bettei modes are applied and 

 strictly attended to, the deficiency will, in a feftr 

 year.s, be severely /e/< in many parts of the Union. 



3. In the first place, it will be seen that there is 

 a general mismanagement in selecting the ground 

 and location to be planted, which, hy many per- 

 sons is considered a sidjject requiring no consid- 

 eration ; when on the contrary, on it depends the 

 principal chance of success. For, if the soil and 

 location to be planted, is not well chosen, the best 

 efllbrts of culture will be in a measure defeated 

 and the jiroduce unsatisfactory. And hence in 

 many places, an idea prevails, that it is impossible 



to bring the desired kinds of fruit into a healthy 

 growth and bearing ; when the deficiency lies 

 wholly in placing it in an inappropriate situation. 

 4. 'I'he most couimon error of this kind, may 

 he seen in the apple orchard, and, although the 

 fac-t is apparent to any intelligent observer, no ex- 

 ertion is taken to counteract it, hy many persons 

 who are engaged in planting orchards at the 

 present time. The apple tree flourishes well in 

 almost all parts of the Northern States, when 

 planted in a sheltered situaticm, as on the base of 

 small hills and alluvial.*, in well sheltered valleys; 

 especially if the soil is of a rich, mellow, loamy 

 nature, which is often to be found in such loca- 

 tions. The contrary location is chat of the un- 

 sheltered hills of a poor, gravelly nature, where 

 the chilly northern winds have their power on the 

 trees. It seldom happens that trees so located, 

 either flourish, or bear good crops of fruit ; the 

 trees, both body and branches, are in such situa- 

 tions, blown all on one side ; the liml)s stunted, 

 and the bark covered with moss, the true indica- 

 tion of poverty and stagnation. The fruit from 

 thejormer is mostly /»ie, clean, and of a good fla- 

 vor and produce ; the latter, small, wormy, and 

 of a meagre flavor and produce. The Pcor thrives 

 well on stiff, clayey soils, in a well sheltered situ- 

 atton. The Plum is more local in its nature than 

 either the apple or pear ; for it seldom is seen to 

 flourish well, and fruit in any perfection, but in 

 that of a low, moist situation, where the soil is 

 naturally rich, or made so by adding plenty of 

 tnanure to it : in such places the plum does well 

 in most parts of the Union. The cherry on the 

 contrary to the above, will accommodate itself to 

 almost any location, soil or aspect, in any part of 

 the Northern States, (providing it is not winter 

 killed, which is sometimes the case with tender 

 kinds,) hut si<le banks, and dry sandy bottoms are 

 best adapted to its health and jirodttce. Every 

 fruit indeed, will be found to have a natural ten- 

 dency to a \)eculiar soil and location, which 1 shall 

 endeavor to describe under tbe diffei-ent heads of 

 culture, as I [uoceed. 



5. A mismanagement is also often very apparent 

 in plariT'-«.g trees, which in many cases is badly 

 done, rMd is the cause of retarding their growth 

 when young, in a maimer that they never fully 

 expand into a. full growth and vigor ; and hence 

 the cause of so many stunted trees, that are to b© 

 seen in almost every place and every where. In 

 many cases, fruit trees are much crippled io their 

 early stage of growth, by allowing thera to bear a 

 quantity of fruit, by which their vis;or and vital 

 principal i.s in a, certain degree exhausted, and 

 the tree never afterwards assumes that habit that 

 it would have otherwise attained. To the above, 

 may be added tlie geneial neglect of pruning and 

 thinning the branches of trees, and regulating 

 them in such a manner that the sap has a regular 

 flow to, all and every part of them, their leaves, 

 fjuit and the lijie. 



6. Under the head of culture, one. very essential 

 consideration should always be borne, in mind by 

 the cultivator, namely, that of planting in a proper 

 raanner, which is often but little attended to or 

 thought of: trees are often planted in a careless 

 manner, and are merely left to chance in culture, 

 which is the very thing that should meet the most 

 strict attention in young trees, 'J'here are indeed 

 but few things that require more attention than a 

 young jrlantation of fruit trees, which should be 

 well worked among, and manured almost eyerv 

 season. 



