1869. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



S29 



has retarded their growth. They are Pmall and 

 later than usual. I fear they will not ripen. We 

 had frost in low places the 7th, 9th, and 31st of 

 last month, and the 1st and 2ad of this, but I 

 tliink no damase was done. Granite. 



Bloomfield, C. W., 2th mo., 1869. 



BARKEN APPLE TREES. 



I have an apple tree which blossoms full every 

 year, but never bears any apples. Can you inform 

 me oK an\ thing I can do to the tree to make it 

 bear ? My land is a light plain land. 



Noilh Orange, Vt., 1869. F. G. Holden. 



Remarks. — About two years ago we published 

 a statement by a Wardsboro', Vt., farmer, who 

 accomplished this object by taking a ring of bark 

 2^ inches wide from a limb of a barren tree, when 

 it was in blossom. In a communication just re- 

 ceived the writer, who styled himself "An apology 

 for a Farmer," says : "That limb retained its vitality 

 through the season, and the apples remained on it 

 until harvest time, when it died. Last year I rung 

 two limbs on the same tree, taking only about J of 

 an inch in width of bark, entirely around the 

 limbs, with the same result as to their fruitfulness. 

 These two limbs bore more apples than all the 

 rest of the tree. During the season the bark 

 formed a connection, and those limbs are thrifty 

 this year. This should be done when the tree is 

 in full blossom. Some recommend splitting the 

 bark of the tree in several places ; but so far as I 

 have tried it is not so beneficial as ringing, Prun- 

 ing apple trees is too much neglected. I pruned 

 a tree last winter which had borne but very few 

 apples for several years, which now has a larger 

 quantity than formerly. Again, the land is not 

 kept rich enough in orchards. It should be kept 

 in as high a state of cultivation as is required for 

 corn or even squashes. The grass, also, should 

 be kept away from the trees, and the ground made 

 light. Many set their trees too close together; 

 forty feet apart is plenty close enough, in my 

 opinion." 



A very successful fruit raiser near Boston, in 

 addition to such cultivation of his orchard as en- 

 ables him to raise squashes between the rows, puts 

 coarse meadow bay around the trees, as a mulch, 

 which remains during the hot, growing season. A 

 load or two of muck might benefit your tree. 

 When the country was new, fruit grew almost 

 spontaneously ; now it must be cultivated, as other 

 crops are cultivated and tended, especially if the 

 trees are set on "light plain land." 



yelloxD clover, as it has a yellow blossom ; or Tri- 

 foil, because the leaf branches into three parts, 

 and nearly representing a circle. 



"We found this clover in the wheat fields, and 

 some other places, in Addison County, Vt., a few 

 weeks ago, where it was looked upon as a new 

 comer. The people had given it the appropriate 

 name ot creeping clover, on account of its vine-like 

 appearance. We have never seen it until this sea- 

 son, nor had the people there. It is also new to 

 our correspondent. Wood, in his work on Botany, 

 says this plant is indigenous from N^iw Hamp- 

 shire to Virginia. Where has it been that so many 

 persons have not seen it.? What peculiar condi- 

 tion of the soil or atmosphere has made it active 

 now ? Who can tell ? 



THE creeping CLOVER. — TrifoUum Procumbens. 



I send you enclosed some seeds of what seems 

 to be a species of clover. It runs like a vine, has 

 yellow blossoms and a leaf like clover. 



You may be f.imiliar with this species, but as it 

 is new to me, I send it for your inspection. 



It grows in our factory yard, and I have no 

 duu it the seed must have come in the wool re- 

 ceived. Thos. Talbot. 



Lowell, Mass., Aug. 23, 1869. 



Remarks.— This is a beautiful little plant, and 

 besides the botanical name given above, is called 



CRAB apples. 



I send you, by express, half a bushel, comprising 

 a few of the varieties of my Crab Anpl-s. The 

 fruit this year is not of usual size. I put in a 

 cluster of the Rose of Stanstead, twenty-two in 

 number, which I hope will arrive in good f^rder, 

 that you may see how beautifully they grow. I 

 have similar clusters of from ten to sixty apples. 

 A few of the thirty varieties that I have are 

 wrapped separately, with name attached. I have 

 other varieties that equal or excel tho»e sent. My 

 rule for preserving this fruit is, one pound of sugar 

 to one pound of apple, l)oi!ed until sott 



Derbg Centre, Vt., Sept. 29,1869. B. Bryant. 



Remarks. — In the Weekly Farmer, June 26, 

 and at page 380 of the Monthly, an illustrated 

 avticle on crab apples was published. Mr. War- 

 der, in his American Pomology, says that our na- 

 tive crab, — Pgrtis coronaria, — though showing 

 some slight tendency to variation, has never de- 

 parted from the strongly marked normal type. 

 These specimens we suppose are of the Siberian 

 crab, — Pyrus baccata, — which Mr. Warder says 

 has wonderfully improved under culture, and has 

 produced some quite distinct varieties. The Sibe- 

 rian is adapted to a northern latitude, and we had 

 no idea of the size and variety of this fruit until 

 we saw it exhibited at the Fair at Burlington of 

 the Vermont State Agricultural Society. Here 

 were over one hundred varieties from the grounds 

 of a single exhibitor. 



Among the varieties marked by Mr. Bryant 

 were "Blushing Maid," weighing three ounces, 

 "Montreal Beauty," "Ladies' Favorite," "Rose of 

 Stanstead," &c., all of fair apple size. Most of the 

 fruit is nicely colored, and presents a fine appear- 

 ance. 



We have a cow bought in April, said to have 

 calved in January. After we had kept her a short 

 time, she began to give clotted milk, for about two 

 milkings at a time, once in two or three weeks. 

 On the evening of July 6, 1 found the right hind 

 quarter of her bag badly caked, milk dirty and 

 clotted, and three quarts less than usual at night. 

 Milk continued poor for four days. The milk in 

 the other three quarters appeared as good as usual. 

 After this her milk was good for two months. 

 September 10, I drew one-half a teacupful of 

 clotted milk from the same hind quarter. The 



