132 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



become so much diseased as to be hardly worthy of 

 cultivation. 



The i)ructice of grafting and budding pears upon 

 this quality of stock:?, has extended a diseased action, 

 a kind of canker among our pear orchards, that has 

 in some instances been mistaken for blight, a disease 

 that has its origin in the dc|)redations of a minute 

 coleopterous insect, which has been satisfactorily 

 described in all its stages of transformation, by Dr. 

 Harris, and other Massachusetts entomologists. Vege- 

 tables as -well as animals, arc subject to morbid or 

 diseased actions, which may be cither functional or 

 organic. Such diseased actions may be propagated 

 from the parent tree to its sprouts. Sprouts are, 

 indeed, almost sure to inherit all the defects of the 

 original tree. The very cu-cumstance that a tree is 

 disposed to throw up suckers, is an evidence that its 

 vitalitv has been impaired in some manner, either by 

 mechanical injury, or the occurrence of a morbid 

 action in its system. 



Our attention was attracted to this subject more 

 than thirty years since, by witnessing the different 

 results of the labors of two old and experienced nur- 

 serymen in the state of Connecticut. Both of these 

 men had gained a livelihood for many years, by fol- 

 lowing the nursery business. Each could point to 

 many of the orchards in his respective vicinity, as 

 the products of his labor. The clilference in health, 

 vigor, and fertility of the orchards originated by the 

 one, compared with those of the other, was so appar- 

 ent as to attract the attention of the most careless 

 observer. One propagated exclusively upon suckers, 

 the other upon young and healthy seedlings. Since 

 that day, we have seen two extensive cherry or- 

 chards, and several pear orchards, propagated on 

 sprouts, prematurely and suddenly die without any 

 apparent cause. Instances of individual trees of 

 this character thus dying have been so common as 

 to escape attention. On the other hand, we were 

 acquainted with an English cherry orchard budded 

 upon healthy mazard seedling stocks, and trans- 

 planted from Prince's Nursery not many years sub- 

 sequent to the revolutionary war, still healthy and 

 vigorous as late as the year 1820 ; and we believe 

 many of the trees remain so at the present day. 



In the year 1840, we purchased a number of maz- 

 ard stocks at a nursery in Columbiana county, sup- 

 posing them to be seedling ; subsequent information 

 led us to suspect that we had been imposed upon. 

 Last season our suspicions that they Avere worthless 

 suckers, were confirmed by the circumstance that 

 they were tilling our grounds in all directions with 

 sprouts, and several of the trees suddenly dying ; 

 others are taking the same course the present season. 

 The remainder are destined to bo dug up the ensuing 

 autumn, and replaced by healthy and seedling stocks, 

 though we shall lose by it the growth of several 

 years. 



Trees raised from suckers usually manifest some 

 of the following tendencies, viz. : — 



1st. To send up annually from their roots a 2)rofusion 

 of suckers. 



This tendency, of itself, diverts the sap from its 

 legitimate channels, the body and limbs, and causes 

 them to sicken from inanition, whicli also predisposes 

 to attacks of other diseases, insects, and prematura 

 decay. 



2d. To the formation of excessive numbers of fruit 

 buds. 



As this is a morbid action, the vigor of the tree is 

 usually exhausted in the effort at forming the blow- 

 buds, and no fruit in the end will be produced, or, if 

 any, it will be of an inferior quality, insipid, knotty, 

 and wormy. 



3d. To a stinted or dwarf sh groioth. 



The mam stock may grow rapidly for a few years, 

 but sooner or later, some side shoot will spring up, 



and divert the nutriment to itself, and leaves its pred- 

 ecessor to starve and decay, just as in these chang- 

 ing political times, one office-holder wUl flourish with 

 an ephemeral growth from official patronar:;a, till 

 some more fortunate rival starts up to supplant him. 



4th. To decay, or sudden death, ioithout any apparent 

 catise. 



A rapid and strong growth for a few years may 

 hold out the promise of a successful result, never to 

 be realized. Portions of the bark and wood will 

 soon decay, or be attacked with insects ; the whole of 

 the tree perhaps stops its growth, and assumes a 

 sickly aijpearance, or dies suddenly in a few days. 

 Some or all of these unfavorable changes will occur 

 at an early age. 



In conclusion, we would observe, that no honest 

 nurseryman will impose a sucker on his customers, 

 and no considerate horticulturist will encumber his 

 grounds with such a nuisance. — O. Family Visitor. 



TIME FOR TRANSPLANTING EVER- 

 GREENS. 



The following observations on this subject we copy 

 from the Prairie Farmer; and after various exper- 

 iments which we have witnessed upon hundreds of 

 transplanted evergreens, we have arrived, on nearly 

 every point, at the same conclusion. It is true, the 

 object of the writer has not been to give every essen- 

 tial requisite to success, such as keeping the roots 

 wet from the very moment they are taken up, till 

 they are plunged in mud, and replanted ; or still 

 better, cutting a large cake of earth with the spade, 

 to be removed with the roots ; but as far as the re- 

 marks go, they are undoubtedly founded on correct 

 practice. — Germantoicn Telegraph. 



"As to the best time for transplanting evergreens, 

 there has been much said first and last ; nor do we 

 think the public mind clear on the subject yet. We 

 do not pretend to understand as well which is, as 

 which is not the best time. A class of writers have 

 uniformly directed to move them in early summer, 

 when they were in fuU growth, affirming that then 

 the tree will best overcome the debility caused by a 

 removal. We have learned this much, that such a 

 time is probably the worst that could be selected. 

 It is certainly very far from being the best. Ever- 

 greens removed at that season, will exhibit the wilt- 

 ing of the tender shoots, even on a wet, cloudy day ; 

 nor will a ball of earth removed with the roots, servo 

 to mitigate the difficulty. Such trees can only be 

 saved by the most unremitting care and labor. 



" We arc of opinion at this time, that evergreens 

 are no exception to the rules which regulate the re- 

 moval of deciduous trees ; and that the best time to 

 move them, will be foi'ud to be that in which other 

 trees are moved. Transplanting may, porhajis, be 

 continued later than with others, because they do 

 not begin their growth quite as early. But as soon 

 as the new shoots begin to appear, it is time to stop 

 work among them. 



" Another standing error regarding evergreens is, 

 that they must not be pruned on removal. All the 

 reason Ave have ever heard given, is, they c.xude gum. 

 If any body should ask, ' What if they do exudo 

 gum?' we should only be able to give the answer 

 made by the speaker of the legislature of Hull. 

 The said speaker had found his fellow-legislators 

 disposed to be unrul)'. His only mode of quelling 

 the disturbers was to threaten ' to name them.' This 

 was, for manj' a year, sufficiently potent. Finally, a 

 member ventured to ask the speaker what would be 

 the effect if he did ' name one.' ' Heaven only 

 knows,' said his dignity, ' I don't.' 



" We do not suppose evergreens any exception to 

 other trees, in regard to the practice to be followed 



