]NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



PUBLISIIEU BY .lOIlN I!. UUSyEl-U nn(;ERB' liUIUMNtiS, C0,N(;RESS S'1'U1:ET, BOrJTON.— THOMAS G. EESSENDEN, EDITOK. 



VOL. 111. 



SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1824. 



No, 1]. 



©n'Qfual ffiommuutcntioii.'i. 



PLANTING TREES. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ENV,!.A.tD FARMER. 



S,R,_Coiitempliitin2: tlie iisefiilness of your 

 ^aper, and renecling that one srroat object ot'il 

 is to (iissicate all erroneous theories which may 

 lie prevalent among liie agricultural part of the 

 community, 1 determined to prepare the follow- 

 inn- remarks for consideration. Anticipating; llie 

 jihinlini;; ofa nursery, it remained to nie donlit- 

 !ul which was the most expedient method ; (or 

 not long since 1 read in print, that a nursery 

 should not be planted in good and ricii land, be- 

 cause when transplanted the trees should bo 

 conveyed to a superior soil to that from which 

 .they were taken ; and then they would fulfil the 

 expcclaticus of the industrious farmer. But 1 

 observe.l in your paper (vol. iii. p. tl) the opin- 

 ion of Mr Miller, the father of horticulture in 

 Great Britain," thatyoung trees should be raised 

 on gooil land ; and that it w.is necessary they 

 should carry a stock of health anil strength, to 

 enable them to live on poor land ;" which of the 

 above recornmendalions will stand best in vrac- 

 Ikcd demonstration, is the inquiry of the sub- 

 scriber. 



If the analogy is invariable between the ani- 

 mal and vegetable creation, 1 should suppose 

 that the most credible teslimony appears in fav- 

 our of (he former instead- of the latter, — that 

 voung trees should be fed with an increafoJ 

 proportion of food, instead of diminishingas they 

 increased in age. For illustration, suppose there 

 was a large army, consisting of young men, all 

 in a healthy and thriving condition, and fed daily 

 with what nature actually needed for a time ; 

 now diminish their I'ood in time of necessity, — 

 would these soldiers [the roots] supply the offi- 

 cers [the trees] wUh what the country [the hus- 

 bandman] expected. But it is further observed 

 that a plant raised on poor laud has not a "due 

 proportion of roots." " Transplanting it into a 

 similar land is not likely to increase it." " This 

 1 apprehend, no one will attempt to refute. — 

 ■Whereas the same idanl, if raised ir strong land, 

 would have twice as much root ; and when 

 tran'planted, these roots will he iblc to find 

 iiourislinient even from poor land, bacause they 

 have more mouths to collect it." Bat, suppose, 

 for instance, that a man with anumbe:of mouliis, 

 who could use them all with the ufmDst dexteri- 

 ty, should sit dowu with a common gtntleman to 

 a table, where there was nothing to supply the 

 cr.avingsof nature,! cannot conceive, Mr Editor, 

 what superior advantage the extra-m(uthed-man 

 would possess over the other. Tkerefore, I 

 doubt not but yoifr goodness, or thatof some of 

 vour correspondents, will undertake ta eradicate 

 all erroneous theoretical or hypothetical disquis- 

 itinn, and draw (he line where it would be most 

 useful and benclicial to the farmer, in<i c'ecide 

 whether young trees when Iransidaaed, should 

 lie put into a poorer soil, a richer, oia soil like 

 that iVom whicli they were removed As (here 

 is but one end to a rope, (although latrick said 

 it had three) so there is iiul one risiit way for 

 planting and transplanting young tees. The 



truth yet remains doubtful, and the error is not 

 yet banished trom among our New England 

 farmers. .Surely at a time when our public pa- 

 pers are in dispute on 'ucb a topic, agriculture 

 must be in its infancy, although it was estab- 

 lished a very short time after our first parents 

 ale of the forbidden fruit of the garden. 



,\9 the raising, cultivating, and managing of 

 fruit trees, is of great importance to every 

 farmer, the dividing line between truth and. error 

 ought to be tlrawn, that Fanners may proceed 

 in the path of correctness ; and with industry 

 and application, seek the one thing neeilful for 

 improvement in agriculture, anil by seeking we 

 are assured that k'c shall find. 



I am, Sir, yours with the greatest 

 sincerity and respect, 



Attkboro\ Oct. 4, 182 1. J. W. CAPRON. 



[liEM.tRKS BY THE EDITOR.] 



A great disagrecmcut of opinion has been manifested 

 rdatire to the proper soil for a nursery of fruit trees. 

 Cut most modern writers adopt the sentiments of Mr 

 MiJier, mentioned above. Dr Thacher says, " there is 

 a close analogy between vcgc-taljle and animal life-; — 

 and it is a dictate of nature, that both require a full 

 supply of nourishment from their earliest existence. It 

 would be absurd to suppose that the tender roots of 

 young- seedlings are capable of drawing siifTicient nour- 

 ishment from a rank, linrren, ami uncultivated soil, and 

 those that are barely supported or nearly starved at 

 first, wUl never afterwards become vigourous, stately 

 and handsome, though surrounded by the ricliest mould. 

 Repeated cxpi rinients have proved that a strong and 

 vigorous plant that has grown up quickly, and arrived 

 at considerable magnitude in a short time, never fails 

 to grow better after transplanting, than another of the 

 same size that is older and stiuted in its growth. 'When 

 the soil is poor and lean, trees in every stage of growth 

 are observed to be languid, weak, and stinted ; while 

 those reared in a good mellow soil always assume a free 

 growth, and advance with strength and vio-our. It is 

 evident, therefore, that the ground to be occupied by a 

 fruit nursery, requires to be made rich and fertile. The 

 soil should also be deep, well pulverized, and cleared 

 of all roots and weeds."— T^ac/ier'i Orchardist, p. 30. 



Mr Coxe, likewise, gives directions to sow the seeds 

 " in autumn, on m/( ground." — On the other hand, the 

 Farmer's Assistant says, " it would seem to be the bet- 

 ter plan to make the nursery on such ground as is but 

 illy tuiled to the growth of the trees to be raised ; for 

 by afterwards placing them in a soil that is natural to 

 them, they will grow more thrifty than trees raised in a 



nursery where the soil is suited to their o-rowth." Dr. 



Deane, likewise, says, " in a nursery for fruit trees, the 

 land should not be quite so rich as that into which they 

 are to be transplanted ; because it will be better for 

 them to have their nourishment increased than dimin- 

 ished, as they increase in age." — The Farmer's Guide 

 says, " We agree with a late writer in opinion, that the 

 soil ought to be naturally good, for at least one full 

 spade deep, or if more the better ; that a loamy soil, of 

 a moderately light temperature is best, and that it can- 

 not na/urs.'/;/ he too good. It is very wrong to enrich 

 nurseries with (fiw^, particularly until it is very old. 

 aud almOil turned into earth. It is not absolutelv n:- 



cessary that the soil should be exceedingly rich, nor 

 over carel;illy manured. A medium between the l\vo 

 extreiius ^^best ; such as any good substantial garden 

 ground, or good mellow pasture land. The situation 

 most favourable is a piece of level ground, neither wet 

 nor dry, free from stones, in an open situation, where 

 fruit trees have not lately grown, noV indeed any other 

 deep-rooted plants." — On the whole, we are of opinion 

 that in this as in many other cases in which disputes ex- 

 ist, the truth lies between the two contending parlies, 

 and that neither is wholly right nor yet altogether 

 wrong, \oung fruit trees, as well as young animals, 

 should neither be stuffed nor starved, but fed w ilh food 

 convenient for them. 



TO THE EDITOR OP THK KEW TKCLAXD FARMER. 



JVeslford, (A'. 1'.) Sept. 28, 1821. 

 Sin, — Having observed in your paper of the 

 ]8th inst. the use of a rope recommended in 

 removing hard substances, such .as turnips, po- 

 tatoes. Sic. (hat have been swallowed by cattle, 

 permit me to call the attention of your readers 

 to a more easy, safe and simple, and I add with 

 confidence a more eflcctual method of relieving 

 a distressed animal. It is merely to pour down 

 the throat one quart of very strong soap suds. 

 I have seen it tried in numerous instances, and 

 invariably with the best e.'bjct. It affords instan- 

 taneous relief. Very respectfully, 



.^ \(inr obodient serv't, 



E. WILLIAMS. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW EXGLA.VD lARMER. 



On the construclion of Barns, Stables, S^c. 



Dear Sir, — If you think (he following worthy 

 a place in your paper, you may insert it. 



In passing through the ciunlry a few weeks 

 since, 1 came across a barn dilTerently construct- 

 ed from any in this vicinity ; and I think for 

 neatness and convenience of construclion it was 

 superior (o any 1 have ever seen. The barn 

 was of ordinary size, and (he main part of it was 

 built in (he usual shape, but a good deal neater 

 and tigb'er. The bays were upon each side of 

 (he floti, and the bot(oms of them were sunk 

 eight feet below it. This gave room for a large 

 quantity of hay below the floor. The lar^e 

 doors were towards the South, to admit the sua 

 when necessary, with a small door in one of the 

 large ones to enter at when the weather was 

 windy, and made it dangerous (o open the large 

 doors. Barns ought always to have a small door 

 to use in lb-' winter when you must oftei; I>.^ in 

 and out. There were twelve squares of glass 

 arranged over (he door (o admit the light when 

 (b.e large dcors were shu( ; liesides a small win- 

 dow in each of (be gable ends, very near (be 

 ridge, for (he same purpose. Under (he fJoor 

 was a convenien( cellar, in which were kept 

 |io(alc)es and all kinds of green vegetables for 

 green fodder in (he winter. The ccJ/.ir was a' 

 very warm one, and well lighted with (wo win- 

 dows. This cellar struck me as being the most, 

 useful -apartment in the whole establishment, 

 aiid I wonder that all farmers do not have one. 



