Vol. X.-No. 39. 



AND IIOIITICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



307 



rativc, as it will lead me to iiiiportaiit ilijf'cts. 

 — When tlic biiudles of scions arrived with me, I 

 had tliem opened in my presence, and found vigo- 

 rous shoots fioni them, as above particularised ; 

 but these shoots having been fortned in the dark, 

 their color was sallow, or in other words, (as some 

 would call them after the French botanists,) they 

 were tiiotated. I now committed them to the care 

 of a skilful English gardener, who had long lived 

 with me ; and I presume that they succeeded as 

 grafts, for I recollect nothing peculiar having been 

 uieiitioned to me to the contrary ; and it was an 

 obvious precaution to let iu the light of the sun 

 gradually to the scions, in order to furnish them 

 with their natural green color.* These may pos- 

 sibly be called refinements ; but facts, illustrating 

 principles, may often be useful, independent of the 

 specific applications made of the facts in question. 



My second auxiliary method of providiru^ buds in 

 the ensuing season, 1832, rests on an invention 

 adapted in England about thirteen years ago, for 

 transmitting buds to great distanfcs by the post, 

 inclosed in letters. Directions for accomjilishing 

 this, are given in " The Transactions of the Lon- 

 don Horticultural Society," vol. 4, part 3, page 403, 

 by its president, Thomas Andrew Knight, in an 

 article read to the society April 3, 1821. The di- 

 rections are as follows: — 



" Some experiments were made two years ago, 

 by Sir Charles Monk and myself, to ascertain the 

 most eligible method of transferring buds from one 

 part of the kingdom to another ; the result of 

 "ivhich has had the effect of saving me some trou- 

 ble, and my friends some expense. It has also led 

 me to adopt a better mode of using buds whi^h 

 have become somewhat withered, than I previously 

 knew. # * » » 



" Several methods of packing buds were tried, 

 but tlie following, which was first adopted by Sir 

 Charles Monk, having proved at once to be the 

 most efiicient and most easy of execution, it is 

 needless to describe others. The leafstalks of the 

 bud were x-educed to a very short length, and the 

 young branch was tlieu inclosed in a double fold 

 of cabbage leaf, bound close together at each end, 

 and inclosed in a letter. It was found advanta- 

 geous to place the lower surface of the cabbage 

 leaf inwards, by which the inclosed branch was 

 supplied with humidity, that being the perspira- 

 ting surface of the leaf; (* * the other surface 

 being nearly or wholly impervious to moisture.) 



" I did not (says Mr Knight) usually receive 

 the buds from Belsay Castle, the seat of Sir C. 

 Monk, in Northumberland, in less than fi\e or 

 six days ; and the leaf-stalk had often parted from 

 the bud, and the bark [of the bud] could not very 

 readily be detached from the wood ; the wood was 

 therefore sutli'i'cd to remain, but it was pared very 

 thin, particularly such part of it as extended above 

 the bud ; and as the loss of the leaf-stalk deprived 

 me of the usual method of holding the bud, I 

 foimd it necessary to sufier that to remain attach- 

 ed to the branch above it, or to a part of it, tiil I 

 had placed the bud in its proper position. The 

 bud was then severed from the branch with a sharp 

 knife; and the bud almost always succeeded as 



• The change of color of whole forests in this coiintiy 

 fro:M Siillow (o f;reeii. alter wet and cloudy weather in the 

 proper season, is now well known to ob-^ervers. When 

 M. A. K. IMichaux was in this country, in a djy season, 

 which w.is fullowed by a sort of weather just nienlioned; 

 a grafted scion made vigorous shoots in the open air, 

 which anly gradually became green by means ol solar 

 light. 



well as one recently taken from the tree could 

 have done." , 



I Thus far, Mr Knight ; the jilan described by 

 him being useful for all who are concerned in 

 budding, in the budding season ; though it requires 

 some modification in the United Stales, where the 

 climate in the budding season is much hotter than 

 it is in the Inidding season in England. 

 I For a plan of this kind to succeed to any extent 

 in the U. States, it ought to provide for coolness, for 

 economy, and for the presence of .i certain degree 

 and kind of moisture, (that is, of moisture free 

 from unhealthy dampness and from danger offer- 

 mentation.) The English plan of removing the 

 expanded leaves from their foot stalks, must also 

 not be forgotten, as preventing a needless expend- 

 iture of sa)), &c ; nor yet should the aid of the in- 

 ner surface of cabbage leaves be overlooked. But, 

 instead of using the inclosure of a letter, the lower 

 ends of the branches of scions should be included 

 in proper earth somewhat moistened ; or in coarse 

 damp linen, refreshed from time to time wth cool 

 water. A suitable -covering must then be provi- 

 ded for the whole, of a nature to resist beat and 

 to prevent damage from blows or pressure. • 



In this shape, the English expedient for spread- 

 ing buds through a whole country in the budding 

 season, may be carried to any desired extent in 

 the United States. The plan is the more to be 

 recommended, as it is beginning to be felt, both in 

 this country and iu England, that grafted apples 

 can be converted into the finest cider, should such 

 fruit not meet a market in its natural state, or in 

 any of the forms into which it may be brought by 

 means of art. Let us conclude by observing, that 

 Mr Knight does not speak of his plan as applied 

 to buds of this or the other kind of fruit only, but 

 he speaks of buds g-ejitraWi/ ; (of course, meaning 

 to confine himself to the buds of such trees as can 

 be propagated by buds.) 



Some short miscellaneous remarks will conclude 

 this letter. It being premised that we, like you, 

 had some intensely hot days in the summer of 

 1831 ; and a winter to follow it which not only set 

 in very suddenly, but was for some time pei-fectly 

 unrelenting, though not uncommonly remarkable 

 for the extremity of its cold. It should be added 

 that many of our buds for 1831, began to foriri 

 early in the preceding winter ; and that our spring 

 had in it some cold and damp weather. Thus 

 prepared, I leave you to make your own observa- 

 tions iu what follows, only occasionally offering 

 some remarks of my own. 



1. A peach tree was early covered with beau- 

 tiful blossoms, which were soon followed by fine 

 leaves ; when, siiddenly, the border below became 

 strewed with the ruins of this noble appearance ; 

 saving that two large ruddy peaches remained, as 

 we thought, but one of the ends of each peach be- 

 came soft and the stones split. A second crop of 

 blossoms and of leaves cairie out on this tree, less 

 forward than the first, but no satisfactory crop of 

 fruit followed. 



2. The heat of the summer made the leaves of 

 several of our apple trees wilt, curl, and stiffen ; 

 and though it was reported to me by a sensible 

 observer, that some of these leaves recovered them- 

 selves, yet, I myself noticed others which failed to 

 do this. Indeed, my present gardener has assured 

 me that in a former year, he has seen the fruit 

 itself, of the apple, wilt — and he is usually an exact 

 noter of such incidents. 



3. Some of the leaves of our maple trees be- 



canu' twisted on thi ir foot stalks, in the aiUiunn ; 

 the cause of which, I had not the oi]))ortunily of 

 observing; iior had I the opportunity of noticing 

 afterwards, any Elteratiou in theii ])osition. 



4. Many of our blossoms, iu the spring of 1831, 

 had the appearance of having set, but the young 

 fruit fell. Various of our field and garden crops 

 suffered also, moie or less ; though in general, all 

 succeeded sufliciently well, exce]jting our potatoes, 

 which hiid too much wet. I must here remark, 

 what I have also seen in books, namely, that as 

 fructification depends much on the spread of the 

 farina of blossoms, such s|)read of it cannot very 

 easily occur in very misty weather. Hence we 

 have not to look at the coldness of our weather 

 alone, when the blossoms are setting ; but on the 

 dryness of the farina which is to bespread abroad. 

 It is possible, that a fierce wind also may prevent 

 the setting of the farina. Hence I have always 

 been used to attend, of late years, to the dryness 

 of the season when the blossoms are open ; to 

 wish for a gentle air to be then abroad ; and I am 

 glad also to see smishine at such periods. 



The bunches of the currant tree seem to me, in 

 particular, to depend on favorable weather for the 

 ])roper ripening of all their berries. I presume, 

 in short, to think that we want a regular series of 

 observations and experiments on this point. Such 

 are a few of the detached circumstances on these 

 subjects, which have presented themselves to my 

 recollection since the (all of the year 1830, up to 

 this date ; reserving myself for the fuller notice of 

 our buds of 1831, till mild spring weather shall 

 have taken possession of our orchards and gardens, 

 when you may possibly again hear from me. In 

 the mean time I may observe, that our trees at 

 present bear many buds which appear lively, but 

 are very small, having made no progress during 

 the winter. 



By way of i-eview of the subject of this letter, I 

 beg to remark, that as jou seem deprived of many . 

 of the fruit buds and leaf buds, which you expect- 

 ed to find on your fruit trees at this season, (the 

 spring of 1832,) I have turned my attention to the 

 artificial creation (if I may so term it) of such buds, 

 and to the economical use of such as might be 

 found within your reach. Secondly — as the course 

 of vegetation between the fall of 1830 and the pres- 

 ent moment, has been peculiar, I have added the 

 mention of a few miscellaneous circumstances, af- 

 ter the example you have set me, leaving the 

 causes and effects of them to be di.scussed hereaf- 

 ter at leisure, I am, my dear Sir, 



Most truly yours, . 



P. S. — As some persons have affirmed that 

 much greater injury has been done to fruit trees 

 in some places, than you have represented in your 

 late statements, it is necessary to observe, that my 

 letter speaks only of the precise amount of evil 

 you have pointed out; namely, the destruction of 

 the leaf buds and fruit buds, generated in 1831, on 

 which you depended for the prolific powers of 

 your scions to be grafted in 1832. 



Fruit Trees. — We learn from various directions, 

 that the past winter has been lamentably destruc- 

 tive of fruit trees in this State; the peach, pear, 

 and phun trees, in particular. In fact, very few, 

 if any, have escaped. We triist, however, that 

 litis calamity will not discourage their cultivation, 

 as it may be a half century ere another such 

 incessantly cold winter shall return upon us. — 

 Maine paper. 



