194 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Aug. 



THE NEW YORK AND BUFFALO FRUIT CONVEN- 

 TIONS. 



From the various articles which have appeared in 

 the Horticultural and other periodicals, it appears 

 quite evident there is a very erroneous opinion 

 abroad, as to the friendly attitude of these two con- 

 ventions. From individual knowledge of both, we 

 believe the assertion may be safely made, that not 

 five persons, having any connection with either, de- 

 sire any rivalry, or wish to assume- any hostile atti- 

 tude toward the other. 



Both conventions had been proposed some months 

 previous to their actual session, and both were very 

 interesting and important bodies. The writer, who 

 took a much more active past in that at Buffalo, 

 will not, from this fact, be accused of partiality, 

 when he states that the Now York Convention em- 

 braced by far the largest number of eminent pomolo- 

 gists, and for this alone, must, by common consent, 

 be regarded as the leading pomological organization 

 in America. It is but justice to those who took an 

 active part in the convention at Buffalo, to state that 

 nearly if not quite all of them so regard the New 

 York organization. And with this general feeling 

 pervading all parties, I cannot but believe that the 

 approaching convention at Syracuse, will adopt such 

 a course as cannot be construed into an assumption 

 of any hostile bearing. 



A single explanation as to the propriety of two dis- 

 tinct organizations, one each for the east and the 

 west, as supposed to be demanded by the difference 

 of soil, climate and locality. The following facts 

 would indicate that the difference is overrated. Of 

 the twenty seven varieties of the apple, recommend- 

 ed by the Ohio Fruit Convention as first rate for 

 their region, all except four are cultivated in the 

 Eastern States, where one or two even, of these four 

 originated. As for the Buffalo Convention being pe- 

 culiarly adapted for the west, as has been intimated, 

 it may be stated that by far the best and most exten- 

 sive collection of pears exhibited there, came from 

 Robert Manning, Salem, Massachusetts; the most 

 extensive collection of plums, altogether so, was from 

 Charles Hamilton, Orange county, N. Y.; and 

 the largest collection of apples, I think, was from 

 Charles Downing, of Newburgh, N. Y. It will 

 hardly do, yet, for either section to cut loose from the 

 other. J. J. Thomas. 



Remarks. — We give place to the suggestions of 

 Mr- Thomas with great pleasure. They supply the 

 place of a few remarks of similar import we had pre- 

 pared for this number of the Farmer. We hope to 

 witness the meeting of the friends of pomological re- 

 form at the two great assemblies to take place the 

 approching autumn, not in a spirit of rivalry, but of 

 unity — not as western men or eastern men, but as 

 American Fruit Growers, aiming at the same end, 

 and animated by the same spirit. Thus, and thus 

 only will these bodies prove themselves alike honora- 

 ble and useful to the whole country. — Er. 



Industry. — If industry is no more than habit, it 

 is at least an excellent one. " If you ask me which 

 is the real hereditary sin of human nature, do you 

 imagine I shall answer pride, or luxury, or ambition, 

 or egotism? No. I shall say indolence. Who con- 

 quers indolence will conquer all the rest." Indeed, 

 all good principles must stagnate without mental 

 activity. 



TRANSPLANTING- FRUIT TREES. 



BY J. FULTON, JR. 



Anxious to receive and diffuse light, I was glad 

 to read the article of A. Bryant, in the Farmer for 

 April, taking exceptions to a method pursued by me 

 in planting out an apple orchard, as indicated in the 

 February Number of the "Horticulturist." Should 

 A. Bryant re-peruse the latter article, he will notice 

 that the plan pursued was not offered or urged upon 

 the acceptance of any, nor quite as my "(his) meth- 

 od" of " planting an orchard," well settled in my own 

 mind, and tested by experience, but rather as a meth- 

 od adopted on this occasion, and defferentially sub- 

 mitted to the judgment and the opinions solicited of 

 the experienced editor of the Horticulturist, " for the 

 benefit of myself and other beginners in fruit cul- 

 ture." 



This method was not the fruit of my own judg- 

 ment, for I had not had the experience necessary to an 

 intelligent judgment in the case, but the fruit of 

 some pomological reading, and the counsel of many 

 nurserymen's catalogues, each and all of whom must 

 give a chapter " on transplanting." 



Confessing my ignorance, classing myself with 

 " beginners,''' 1 and asking for light, as 1 did in that ar- 

 ticle, disqualifies me from seeing so readily how the 

 article in question would be so likely to " mislead the 

 inexperienced-" lor with all my inexperince and ig- 

 norance upon the subject, I should be slow to follow 

 the counsel, or " method" of any one who was him- 

 self ignorant and seeking light in the matured expe- 

 rience of others; and I therefore cannot but think 

 that it was the brief endorsement of that method by 

 A. J. Downing, which was, in the eye of A. Bry- 

 ant, "calculated to mislead the inexperienced." But 

 if this inference be legitimate (and I can conceive of 

 no other cause for his fears) then his controversy is 

 w T ith A. J. Downing, and not with me; and I am 

 anxious to direct such an intelligent pen to a foe 

 worthy of his steel, and I promise him, no one will 

 witness the conflict with more interest than myself. 

 Let us have light, then; " the method" is no pet with 

 me. I am always in search of a better. 



Nor can I see with the horticultural editor of the 

 Farmer, in his response to his correspondent, how 

 " deep holes" imply deep planting. Our ground is 

 high and dry, and the trees are set above the level of 

 the ground, and not deeper than they originally stood 

 in the nursery; and they are now, (July 7th) every 

 one of them growing finely, without either " staking" 

 or "mulching" — "wetting stem and branches," or 

 " watering the roots." They were all two years old 

 trees — were headed back pretty freely — planted the 

 15th and 16th of December, and many of them have 

 made shoots of more than a foot in length at the pre- 

 sent time. 



Still, I am by no means certain that the course 

 pursued was the best — nor that the views presented 

 by A. Bryant are not sound and deserving of gene- 

 ral acceptance, — and as we wish to enlarge our or- 

 chards this fall, and plant a large additional number 

 of apple as well as other fruit trees, I should be glad 

 to have the views of men of experience upon this im- 

 portant subject; and if this article should be the oc- 

 casion of directing the attention of such men to this 

 point, I shall be richly paid. 



Allow me to add, that I have, since planing, pur- 

 chased one of Nouree 8c Mason's sub-soil Plows, and 

 have pretty thoroughly used it among the young trees, 

 and contemplate using it on the adjoining land this 



