310 



wliich was very good, cultivated precisely in the 

 same manner, upon the same kind of soil, and 

 when harvest time came I was surpriscfl to see 

 the difiVronce. 



It could be ])lainly distinguislied from the sur- 

 rounding wheat, at the distance of thirty or forty, 

 rods, liy its height ; it was muqh heavier, and the 

 heads were longer and better filled. 



I once let out a piece of ground to a neighbor 

 to .be planted with com. Soon after he got it 

 jdanted, I found out that.he had taken the com 

 from the crib, "just as it come," without .selecting 

 or choosing. 



In answer to my telling him that we should 



each of us have been dollars better oti', if 



he had planted good corn, he said, " Poh ! do you 

 'spose it makes any difference what kiud of corn 

 you plant ?" But harvest day told the story ; and 

 when lie saw sixty bushels per acre upou my field 

 adjoining, of good souiid corn, and foiuul upou 

 harvesting his, that he had but forty bushels per 

 acre, and most of that " pig corn " and " nubbins," 

 he was forced to acknowledge with sorrow the 

 truth of my remark. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



FOR THE NEW ENGL-AND FARMER. 



SUGAR MAPLE TREES. 

 Mr Editor — As the season for transplanting 

 the Rock Jlaple, or as it is more frequently called, 

 the Sugar Maple, is near at hand, I take the lib- 

 erty to offer a few remarks on the cultivation of 

 that useful and beautiful tree. I have long regrct- 

 ed, as I think every gentleman of taste will, when 

 travelling through our flourishing country towns, 

 to notice the almost miiversal neglect of shade 

 and ornamental trees about buildings and by the 

 sides of roads, where a little labor and expense, ju- 

 diciously bestowed at the proper season, would in 

 a few year.s, amply and doubly repay the cidtiva- 

 tor, by the additional beauty and absolute value of 

 his estate. And I do most ardently hope, that for 

 the future, more attention and better skill will be 

 bestowed on this branch of rural decoration. — 

 There seems to be a great want of knowledge of 

 the proper method of transplanting and treatment 

 of this tree. It is painfid to see them set out at 

 their fidl natural height, (often not larger than fish 

 poles,) with most of tlieir original tops left on, 

 dangling about in the wind ; for most of them will 

 die the first year, and those that live will have but 

 a sickly existeoee, a slow growth, and never be- 

 come handsome or useful. Thus lie who sct.s 

 them is discouraged, the attempt to decorate his 

 grounds is given up, and the spot remains vacant, 

 waiting for the next generation to try some further 

 experiment. ' 



The Sugar Maple is most successfully trans- 

 planted from the 1st of April to the 1st of May, or 

 even laler, according to the season. The best 

 time is when the buds are swollen and just burst- 

 ing into foliage. Fair, thrifty, young trees, of from 

 two to three inches in diameter, should be select- 

 ed, and taken up with about as much care as to 

 preserving the roots, as in removing othei trees of 

 the same size. The long roots may be shortened. 

 The stalk should then be sawed off smoothly, from 

 ten to twelve feet high, and no limbs or twigs left 

 on it. In setting, it is well to dig the hole deeper 

 than the roots require, and fill it partly with loa 

 or top mould. Care should be taken not to set 

 too deep, for this tree delights to send its latent 

 roots far abroad, near the surface of the ground. 



Let the earth be well trodden in around it, to give 

 support and^keep the tree erect. When the buds 

 show themselves near the top, as they will in a 

 few days, if too numerous they must be rubbed 

 off, except from four to six, or so many as shall be 

 proper to grow as branches, which are best situa- 

 ted to form the top or head of the tree. All buds 

 or s))routs below arc to be rubbed off and the .stalk 

 kept clear during the season. Any time before July 

 will do for this. Sometimes the sprouts will grow 

 so fast, be so brittle and tender, as to,be blown off 

 by high winds. I have lost a, few fine trees in 

 that way, but they will mostly recover by sprout- 

 ing again. No further care is necessary except to 

 trhn the shoots at to]) with skill, so as to send 

 them up and out in proper form, occasionally for 

 three or four years ; keep them free from sprouts 

 below, and keep the trees erect. This latter is 

 very easy, except where cattle i-ub against them, 

 as having but small top, they are not liable to be 

 moved by the winds until the roots become suffi- 

 ciently established to afford a firm support. Afler 

 the first three or four years, the tree will grow 

 very fast and form for itself an elegant head. It 

 is a fresh, healthy looking tree. The loaves when 

 rotted, make rich food for plant.s, as may be seen 

 by observing the grass and other herbage about 

 these trees to be more luxuriant than elsewhere 

 in open grovmd. 



It is believed that in tvventyfive years after they 

 are set, tlif^y will aflbrd a handsome income, in the 

 sweetest sugar and molasses which is jiroduced 

 from any plant whatever. They grow to a large 

 size, and probably live two hundred years. They 

 form a vjry pleasant shade in summer, and to 

 those who dehght to look upou beautiful trees, 

 there are none more pleasant to the eye. 



The expense of labor for transplanting, exclu- 

 sive of transporting when brought fVoin a distance, 

 need not exceed ten or twelve cents each. I have 

 set within the last three years, on both sides of 

 the road "wliich passes the distance of a mile 

 through my farm, upwards of four Intndred of these 

 trees, most of which are in a thriving condition. 

 .Vlthough I shall not live to see them grown very 

 large, yet, somebody else will ; and I hope that 

 whoever may successively occupy the same place 

 hereafter, will not only see them of large size, but 

 have taste and feeling to enjoy their beauty and 

 preserve them for their usefulness. And why 

 should men delay to plant and cultivate all sorts 

 of good trees, because they may not live to see 

 them fully grown ? What can a man do better on 

 the face of the earth than to cultivate and beautify 

 %\'hile ever ready to depart, tlie lover of 

 beautiful trees .«hould act as if he expected to live 

 a thousand years. How pleasant it would be to 

 have our road-sides planted with trees for miles 

 together, instead of being overrun with brush and 

 unsightly weeds! 



Now, Sir, I do hope yon will publish sometliing 

 in your valuable paper, which will excite more 

 attention and encourage more exertion for the cul- 

 tivation of this, as well as other ornamental trees. 

 RespectfuUv, yours, 



ETHAN A. GREENWOOD. 

 Hubhardslon, March 31, 18-32. 



April 11, 1832, 



the room. I would suggest a better mode, thaf of 

 cutting the wood at a time which will prevent its 

 snapping at all. I am not much acquainted with 

 hemlock wood, and havi^ never tried the experi- 

 ment ; but chesnut wood, if cut hi the dark of the 

 mooti, that ig to say, on tiie day before or day on 

 which the moon changes!,will not snap mticli more 

 than oak or any other kind of wood. However 

 frivolous this may appear, and I am not |>liloso- 

 pher enough to give the reason, certain it is, that 

 the moon has an operation nj)onthe sap of trees. 

 Every ftu-mer who has been in the habit of peel- 

 ing oak bark for tanning leather, well knows that 

 it will not run except at or near the changing and 

 fulling of the moon. Fencing stufi' and tindier 

 are said to be much more durable, if cut in the 

 dark of the moon ; it will prevent the worms from 

 working between the wood and tlie bark which is 

 sometimes left upon the cornei^s of limber. Bush- 

 es, also, are said to be less liable to sprout again, 

 if cut in the dark of the moon. 



This is an experiment easily tried by any one, 

 and if you think it worthy a place in your paper, 

 are at liberty to insert it. 



Bij the Editor. — We are altogether an unbeliever 

 in the doctrine of the moon's influence on vegeta- 

 tion, &c ; and believe that planet has no more 

 agency in the snapping of chesnut wood, or any 

 other wood, than she has in tlie firing of cannons 

 or the blasting of rocks with gunpowder. The 

 cause .of the little explosions from wood when 

 burning, is the expansion of air.hi the cellular sub- 

 stance of the fuel ; which air, when heated, be- 

 comes dilated and bursts the cells wliich inclose^l 

 it, with a crackling noise, scattering small pieces 

 of its tiny wooden ()arrfers in the direction in 

 which they yield with most facility. The more 

 wood is interspersed with air cells the more it will 

 snap iu burning, provided the cells arc closed so 

 that the heated air calnnot escape without bursting 

 its integuments. Wood, however, may be light 

 and porous, and still not remarkable for crepita- 

 tion, because its pores are not closed, and the air 

 >vhich pervades it is not confined. 



With regard to cutting timber, &,c, in any par- 

 ticular stage of the moon, we cannot at present 

 spare time nor room to discuss the subject ; but 

 will merely add, that we believe the less sap or 

 juice there is in the tree when cut, or the more 

 ilioroughly the sa]) is exhausted by peeling the 

 balk from the timber, when the juice will exude 

 freely, the less liable will it he to decay. But as 

 to the moon's having any concern in the matter, 

 we slihll wait for further evidence before we de- 

 cide against her as a trespasser in that particular. 



SNAPPING FIRE-WOOD, &c. 



Mr Fessenden — I saw in your paper of the 

 29th of February, an article giving directions how 

 to place chesnut and hemlock wood upon the fire, 

 to prevent its snapping and throwing its coals into 



Fruit Trees. — A further examination, made 

 since our last, induces us to believe that the dam- 

 age sustahied by fruit trees in this vicinity, during 

 the past winter, is much more extensive than we 

 had supposed. In many instances, where the 

 twigs of the more tender kinds of trees look as if 

 they were in a healthy state, on cutting through 

 the hark, the wocul is found to be discolored and 

 will probably die. — Worcester Spy. 



Seasonable Information. — Uandelions are said to 

 be a corrector of the bile, a fine laxative, andmoEt 

 excellent iu the liver complaint and dropsy. 



The Baltimore [lapers state, that the Baltimore|J! 

 and Ohio Rail-road is now completed through thef 

 city nearly as far as Pratt street. 





