-r 



ND FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BY JOHN C. RUSSELL, ROGERS' BUJI.niNGS, CONGRESS STREET, BOSTON.— THOMAS G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



VOL. I If. 



FillDAY. MARCH 4, 1825. 



No. 32. 



©n'fliual Commuvurations. 



- — ■ — «— ■ ~~ 



TO THK EDITDK OP THE NEW ESGI.AND FARMER. 



O.N' PRUNING FRUIT TREES. 



Plymouth, Feb. 15, 1825. 

 V.T FrssENDF.N. — Althoii^'h you have contribot- 

 C(i most honorably to the kr.invledgc ;infl im- 

 jirovement of the culture of fruit trees, yet the 

 subject is not exhiuisted, jind 1 am exceerfiug'ly 

 gratified whenever I can peruse any noivobser- 



M'tions in the New England Farmf.r. I advance 



my own senlimenls always wilh difiidence. ex- tliroug-h the'pores ofthe bark and exhalent ves 



ground; on the surface of tlie stump, I insert- 

 ed, in tlie usual manner, two scions from a se- 

 lect fruit, and applied to the wound an ointment 

 composed of bees" wax and tallow. About four 

 days after, happening' to apply my hand to the 

 trunk ofthe tree, five feet below the engrafted 

 part, I perceived the bark was coaled with 

 bees' xvax, and, on examination, I found the wax 

 had been absorbed by the sap vessels, and in the 

 course of circulation downwards between the 

 alburnum and bark, arcordinij to the theory of 

 the celebraled Mr Kkgiht ; it now exuded 



(lecling they will receive no greater crodence 

 than they may be found to deserve. 

 A writer in your paper of Feb. 1 !, in offering 



his opinion on the subject of pruning trees, in 



seis. It hap[)ened. however, that from some 

 cause, (he lateness of the season probably, the 

 scions failed to unite, and in July, I made two 

 incisions throug'i the bark of the same slump 



timates an apprehension that the eniployincnt near the top, and placed a bud in each incision 



of (he pruning knife \vill be atlondcii t>v inju- 

 rious cfTecls. I shall not conlravert his positidn 

 as respects large heallhy branches on full grown 

 trees; (here can be no necessity, generally, for 

 such amputations, and it is more than prolia'nle 

 that evil consecpiences will result from l(>e 



and secured them, in the usual manner, by 

 ligature. In ton days they both united and 

 sprouted, one of them fourteen inches, and 

 the other four inches, before their growth was 

 checked by the winter's frost. It is obvious, 

 tbereiore, that in (his instance of amputation. 



practice. Tha( (irvming to a certain ox(en/ Isl the sap was not in a s(a(e of stagnation, but 

 advanlagorus, I have the sirongest conviction ; continued in an active and vigorous condition. 



but if trees could receive .their necessary and 

 proper disi-,i[dine in the nursery, and in (he few 



As a proofhow surprisingly nature is capable of 

 accommoda(in2 her economy to adverse circum- 



fruit trees, when advanced in age, are headed 

 down, every branch is extirpated, and the 

 slumjis left to produce new shoots, which soon 

 l)>--)r fruit. And, as relates (o (he animal econo- 



tirs( year* of growth, it would supercede the ne-'slances, it may be noticed that not unfrequently 



cessity of many subsequent amputations. Yolir 



correspondent complains that having purchased 



a farm on which was a valuable orchard an^ 



some oak trees, he was induced (o prune his "•;•- 



I>le trees, and the oaks having been [)r:ned|my, we have instances of |)ersous surviv ing the 



before he purchased, they, in his opinion, ex- 1 most extraordinary mu(ila(ions of the body. A 



liibited signs of disease, which he ascribes tolyoung lad, now in the hospital at New York. 



the operation, it will seem de.-irable (o know I has recendy been subjected to the formidable 



at I. ii;it season, and in what manner, tlia tree« I operation of amputation of the lower limb at 



in (jusslion were subjected to the operation of 

 pruning. I well recollect passing through ;: 

 town, in the county of Esses, in the summer of 

 18^3, and observed, near the road, an orchard 

 of fine, healthy, young apple trees, (hat appear- 

 ed to be ruined by the very injudicious use of 

 Ibe axe. Every tree having four or five hand- 

 some branches lopped off, leaving shattered 

 stumps, several inches long, projectina from the 

 trunk, and the bark considerably lacerated. 1 

 was strongly impressed with (he disgusting 

 scene, and regretted the want of judgment in (he 

 stupid proprie(or. Now if your corresiionden('3 

 pruning art is of the same description, let him 

 animadvert on the evil consequences of the op- 

 eration to his heart's content, and every judi- 

 cious observer w ill unilc with him in execr.ilit;g 

 the prac(ice. Hut he alleges (hat amputation 

 of limbs occasions an obstruction of the ascend- 

 ing saji, which stagnates and induces rottenness 

 of the tree. It is an unquestionable fact, (hat 

 there is a close analogy between animal ani! 

 vegetable pliisiology. We lop olTdie (aiN, ears, 

 and horns of animals wi(h perlcct impunity, and 

 1 will adduce a circumstance tending, in the 

 most palpable manner, (o demons(rate that (he 

 sap does not, on similar occasions, stagnate, but 

 the salutary process is governed by the same 

 laws in vegetable, as in animal life. In June 

 las(, I sawed off a branch of a tree about four 

 inches in circumference, tea feet from the 



the hip joint, removing the whole of one quar- 

 ter of (he body, and is recovering. Who will be 

 surprised next to learn that he may bedejirived 

 ofthe other lower quarter with impunity ? 

 With much respect, 



JAMES THACHER. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



TICKS IN SHEEP. "^ 



West Boylsion, (Mass.) Feb. 20, 182.5. 



Mr Fessekden — It is a common thing for sheep 

 to be infested with ticks, which frequently prove 

 very troublesome to them, especially in the 

 spring season of the year. But the pain and 

 vexation which they cause the sheep is not the 

 only evil which they occasion ; for the poor 

 animals when grievously annoyed by these ob- 

 noxious vermin arc almost continually combat- 

 ing their assailants, but instead of overcoming 

 the enemy or effecting any thing more than a 

 momentary rcliet from their suffering, they 

 gradually pull out and waste their wool and in 

 this way diminish their fleece to the no small loss 

 ofthe otvner. 



As great an evil as this may seem to be, the 

 remedy is both simple and ea.sy. Coil a small 

 ; quantity of tobacco, perhaps what grows on one 

 good thrifty stalk wouW be enough for half a 

 dozen sheep, in so much wafer as when it is 

 »uflicienily boiled there shall be two or three 



I gallons of liquor ; let it become suiTi.ciendy cool, 

 i thei^open the wool along the centre of the neck 

 and back ofthe sheep and with a bunch of tow 

 , or some other spongy substance put on the de- 

 coction until the skin becomes thoroughly moist- 

 ened therevyilh, and in a short time the ticks 

 i will all be tfcstroyed, and the sheep, instead of 

 pulling out anil wasting their wool, by fruit- 

 I less exertions of self-defence, will become easy 

 land contented, .and sufi'er their fleece to remain 

 j to be taken oR by the shears. 

 I lor many years I have taken this method with 

 1 my sheep, just before the time of their lambing 

 I and have always found it to have (he desired 

 eifect. I very much dislike (he foolish practice 

 of chewing, snufTiug, and smoking the poisonous 

 weed, at least when no better reason can be 

 given lor so doing than fashion or the force of 

 habit ; yet i annually raise a few plants for the. 

 benefit of my sheep, and would recommend to 

 every one who keeps these useful animals to do 

 the same. Yours, &c. A YEOMAN. 



TO THE F.DITOR OF THE NEW ENGLAND FAR.MER. 



CULTURE OF ONIONS. 



fVcston, Feb. 20, 1825. 



Mr Fessfkikn — Some time since yourcorres 

 pondeni, Mr Preston, made some queries res- 

 pecting the culture of onions ; in answer to 

 which jou had a reply from Mr Hubhard, of 

 Concord, and anoth.;;-., anonymous, from Frank- 

 lin. J.ltbrrtpjfc nothing essential can be added 

 to those rfifS&ctable communications, yet as the 

 success of a crop of oniori« depends much upoa 

 the niinutioe ofthe process, I will venture to of- 

 fer what experience has taught me on the sub- 

 ject. 



The best soil for a crop of onions is undoubt- 

 edly a moist black soil, say the ti(test for grass; 

 if wet, let the piece be divided into beds of a 

 convenient width for weeding and hoeing ; let 

 (hem be raised in the middle, and let the paths 

 between (hem be made hollow (o answer for 

 drains; although a moist soil is favourable, wet 

 is not so, by any means ; upon that soil onions 

 will grow to a large size, and they will grow 

 very near to each other, and, as it were, climb 

 one over the other. This kind of soil will sure- 

 ly give the largest crop, if the thing is well 

 managed. A free deep loam will answer very 

 well, and I have also found that I could raise a 

 tolerable crop upon a porous light soil, where 

 in fact I had no expectation of success, and I at- 

 tribute it altogether to the care 1 took to stir 

 I he ground merely on the surface, not more than 

 two inches deep ; in fact, I did not plough nor 

 spade, but after having spread my manure, I 

 merely chop't it in with the hoe, then raked it 

 smooth tor sowing. I must here observe that 

 the onion is not by nature inclined to root deep. 

 You must give it a hard bottom to grow on, and 

 keep your manure on the surface within reach 

 of the roots, then they will grow large, flat, and 

 handsome. The manure that suits best is the 

 richest, and plenty of it. If you sow the same 

 piece several successive years, which is l»y all 

 means adviseable, the crop will grow more a- 



