NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



183 



BARN-DOOR ROLLERS. 



"We would call the attention of farmers, who are 

 building or repairing barns, to the valuable article 

 represented by the above cuts. The cost of rollers is 

 about the same as that of hinges, but they are far 

 more substantial and durable ; and as doors hung on 

 them are less exposed to injury than those on hinges, 

 of course they last much longer. A door sliding 

 upon rollers is usually more convenient, especially 

 when partially opened. Every farmer who has not 

 this improvement should examine into its merits. 

 " Economy is wealth." 



For the New England Farmer. 

 CHERRY CULTURE. 



"Don't talk of tree culture to me," says old 

 Hunks. " It takes too long for 'em to grow ; there's 

 no use in trying to raise 'em ; and then, the trees may 

 all die, and you are no better off than you are now ; 

 or if they do live, a fellow may not live to get any 

 good of 'em." 



Now, in this matter we have only to say, that the 

 growth of cherry-trees, under proper care, is very 

 rapid. We can show, — and so wc presume many 

 others can, — from scions set in the spring of 1849, 

 growths of more than four feet the following sum- 

 mer. We can also show scions set in 18-18, as well 

 set with fruit buds now, as you will find on any tree 

 of twenty years' growth. We have seen trees grafted, 

 near the ground, into stocks of not more tlian an 

 inch and a half in diameter, in full bearing the third 

 summer. And yet many will not put out cherry- 

 trees because they do not expect to live to see them 

 bear. Assure any of these individuals they will not 

 live thi-ee years, and sec the effect it would have upon 

 them. Tliey would probably think your words false, 

 though they might not say so. 



With regard to a lass of them, a tree is as sure to 

 live and flourish as a horse or an ox. Care must be 

 taken in both instances in order to insure success. 

 But who ever stopped raising oxen, or horses, or hay, 

 or grain, because they might not succeed ? No prov- 

 ident man will do such things, llisks are necessary 

 in any pursuit that is to result in success, and they 

 are attended with less expense, and "greater certainty, 

 in trees, than almost any investment one can make." 



Every man can raise his own trees. Sow the pits 

 in autumn, and before the second following autumn 

 is past, they may all be budded, or the third vear 

 they may all be ingrafted from bearing trees, which 

 may, perhaps, result in earlier productiveness. So, 



in six years from the pit, the cultivator may begin to 

 gather fruit. Six years ! look back upon it and see 

 how short a time ; and how much of this time has 

 been spent in whining over things that seemed im- 

 possible or impracticable ? Enough in the latter to 

 enable any one by well-applied industry, to fill his 

 j-ards with choice fruits, and his field Avith produc- 

 tive orchards. 



A cherry-tree ! Why, it is a very model of beauty 

 through its whole growth. If it had no other quality 

 but its symmetry, it is well worthy of culture as a 

 shade tree ; but when to these graceful proportions, 

 and its boatttiful foliage, we can add the great 

 amount of most healthful and delicious fruit it will 

 yield, and continue to yield in greater quantities, 

 only for the gathering, not only for one generation, 

 but a long series of years, who can blame us for 

 wondering that its cultivation is not universal : 



W. B. 



April 20, 1850. 



LOW-HEADED FRUIT TREES. 



By having low-headed fruit trees, the sun, which 

 is, perhaps, in our hot and dry summers, the cause of 

 more disease and destruction in fruit trees than all 

 other diseases together, is kept from almost scalding 

 the sap, as it does in long, naked trunks and limbs. 

 The limbs and leaves of a tree should always effec- 

 tually shade the trunk and keep it cool. The leaves, 

 only, should bave plenty of sun and light ; they can 

 bear and profit by it. If trees were suffered to branch 

 out low, say witliin one or two feet of the ground, 

 we should hear very much less of " fire-blight," 

 " frozen sap-blight," black spots, and the like. The 

 ground is always looser, moister, and cooler under a 

 low-branching ti'ce, than under a high one. Grass 

 and weeds do not grow a hundredth part so rank and 

 readily, and mulching becomes unnecessary. The 

 wind has not half the power to rack, and twist, and 

 break the tree, and shake off the fruit — a matter of 

 no inconsiderable consequence. The trees will be 

 much longer lived, and more prolific, beautiful, and 

 l)rofitable. The trees are more easily rid of destruc- 

 tive insects, the fruit is much less damaged by falling, 

 and the facilities for gathering it are much greater ; 

 there is less danger in climbing, and less of breaking 

 limbs. The trees require less pruning, and scraping, 

 and washing ; and the roots are protected from the 

 jjlough, which is too often made to tear and mutQato 

 them. 



What an iron net is habit, and how securely it 

 binds U3 in its folds ! 



