

NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[July 1, 



of the different varieties of figs cultivated in 

 this coiimry. As to names, it is perfectly use- 

 ess to give any, for the fig tree is an extreme- 



times see bearin? off the palm from their fel- ' inwhichtliey areset. " Horticulturist" says above, " J 



lows that have not been so fortunately situated. , *"7,f-' « y»"'>?,f'°<:'^ ''^^V^irp'twrS^Jb^a^v' 

 -.^ , ... ... f . a port the scions will bring out the Iruit (^il there be any 



Not only SO! /but sihwaou has a great influence r^jj^g^^j^^^^^^gj, ^3 3„„,j„„,^hetlipr .twill be;, ,„„„ ,i„„j ,,„, ...hiKo • • - 



on the fructification of trees, as well as on the able to bring that fruit to maturity, must depend on the I 7 '""S '"^<-«' plant, <ind the scions springing 

 quality of their fruits ; as we all kooiv, who see ' varieties of circumstance to which all trees are liable." 

 the superiority of the fruits raised in town over — 



Since writing the above we have met with an article 



entitled " Observations on the Grafting of Trees, by 



Thomas Andrew Knight, Esq. of Elton Herefordshire, 



England." These were originally published in "The 



those raised in the country. — But I am getting 

 away from ray subject. 



That the scion retains its original characte' 



ristic, when transferred to a foster stock, is seen , transactions of the Royal Society', London"andrepub- 

 by the transfer of Pears to fy«i?icf stocks — to' lished in the " Repertory of Arts" from which we have 

 thorns — to the mountain ash — to apple stocks, &.C. j taken the following. 

 and Peaches to plnm, a{mond, and apricot stocks. I "Being at length convinced that all efforts to make 



rrk„ r „. „.„„u ;„ „ ~ 1 \u „„.,„ grafts from old and worn out trees grow were inetlect- 



The foster stock is simply the nurse, or mean , - , ^^^^^^^^ .^ ^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^ ,^^^= ,.^^^ ^,^^y y„„„^ 



through which nourishment is conveyed to the : j.-ees, raised from the seed could not be made to bear 

 scion ; but that nourishment does not alter the fruit ; the event here answered my expectations. Cut- 

 character of the scion any more than it alters tings from seedling apple trees of two years old, were 



the character of the fruit or the variety of the 

 species which characterizes the parent tree. 



There m;iy be a latent germ of fruit in the 

 bud transierred, which is not yet prepared for 

 development, the first or even the second or 

 third year ; but 1 conceive, and fully believe 

 from all 1 have observed on the suhji'ct during 

 the course of many years, that with the same 

 degree of nourishment in the foster stock that 

 it had in the parent, and placed in a soil equal- 

 ly congenial to its tVucIitication, it would devel- 

 op its blossoms and set its fruit as soon in the 

 seedling that had never borne fruit, as in one 

 that had been in full bearing. 



Much more may be said on this subject ; but 

 I must have already worn out your patience, as 

 I have all the time I am able nt^ present to give 

 to it, — having other avocations which call for 

 my attention, beside those of a 



HORTICULTURIST. 



Remarks bij the Editor. — We think the above a val- 

 uable communication, and that it will prove of great 

 use to those who are engaged in the culture of t'ruit 

 trees. The ideas of the writer, relative to the habits 

 of trees appear to be perfectly analogous to reason and 

 the philosophy of vegetation ; and though they have 

 not been enforced in any treatise on fruit trees or hor- 

 ticulture so far as our obicrvation has extended, they 

 are nevertheless imporlint, and their correctness so 

 obvious that their mert statement is sufficient to meet 

 the assent of any per.=on capable of reasoning on the 

 subject. 



The opinion which we expressed in our paper of May 

 13, page 329 of tfce current volume viz. " that as re- 

 spects maturity, pr age of bearing, the sciou or graft 

 furnishes the criterion," was founded altogether on the- 

 ory, or what a metaphysician would call the Jitness of 

 things, & no facts to coroborate it hail then come to our 

 llnowledge. But our correspondent Rusticus, in his 

 communication, published June 17, page 379, adduces 

 his experiment to convince us of our error, and prove 

 " that the maturity of the scion is not wliolly correspon- 

 dent to that of the stock from which it was taken, but 

 is affected in some degree, if not wholly controlled, by 

 the age of the stock into which it is inserted." -As no 

 theory however plausible and apparently well founded 

 can be maintained in opposition to facts, which really 

 militate against such theory, we thought ourselves cal- 

 led upon to surrender ours. Eut, in some instances 

 circumstances, which are overlooked in making expe- 

 riments, may so alter the nature of those experiments 

 that they cannot he considered as decisive, with regard 

 to theories, which they apparently confirm or refute. — 

 The distinction between "fruit bearing scions" and 

 " scions taken from a fruit bearing tree" as laid down 

 by " Horticulturist," might have escaped the notice of 

 " Rusticus" and yet this distinction gives an aspect to 

 the experiment entirely dilTerent from that in which 

 cither " Rusticus" or the Editor contemplated it. Be- 

 sides, we now have the testimony of " Horticulturist" 

 in direct opposition to the theny of controlling scions, 

 •yvith regard to their maturity for bearing by the stocks 



inserted on stocks of twenty in a bearing state. These 

 have now been grafted nine years, and have not yet 

 produced a single blossom, I have since engrafted 

 some very old trees with cuttings from seedling apple 

 trees of five years old : their growth has been very rap- 

 id, aud there appears no probability that their time of 

 producing fruit will be accelerated, or that their health 



from the root probably furnish plants capable 

 of being cultivated through an immense period, 

 and the ruined gardens of almost every monas- 

 tery appear to have afforded plants of the fig 

 tree. We have, in consequence, one variety 

 known by two or three different names, and two 

 or three varieties known by the same name- — 

 We therefore only write from what gardens 

 they were derived. 



You will soon discover the sorts which are 

 best adapted to your climate. 



1 have put into the box a plant of the Peai' 

 d' Aretoherg, a most excellent variety. — It is 

 labelled No. I. A branch (or cutting) of the 

 Sylvanche verie d' Hyver pear tree (I had no 

 tree) is marked No. 11. ; this variety bears well, 

 and is excellent in my garden. 



A plum tree with some cuttings of the Down- 

 ton Imperatrice Plum described in the Ilorticnl- 



will be improved by the great age of the stocks, A seed- 1 ti:ral Transactions last year by Mr. Sabine. It 

 ling apple tree usually bears fruit in thirteen or tour- hangs and shrivels on my walls, and in the month 

 teen years; and [therefore conclude tbat I have to of JVovember it is (as Mr. Sabine States) verv 

 wait for a blossom untd the trees from which the gralts ii > i. • . i .• ■ . 



were taken oWain that age : though I have reas°on to e^"''^"'" H 'S a most productive variety. 

 believe from the form of the buds that they will be ex- j A budded tree, which shot two brai.cbes last 

 tremely prolific. Every cutting, therefore taken from I season of an apple which was sent to the London 

 the apple, and probably every other tree, will be af- Hai ticuUural Society, as the "Mela Caria"' sup. 



fected by the state of the parent stock. If that be too 

 young to produce fruit, it will grow with vigor, but will 

 not blossom ; and if it be too old it will tmmedialeli; 

 produce fr-uit, but will never make a healthy tree." 

 Here is " confirmation strong" of the correctness of 



pised to be the best apple of the tvoild, wiih 

 some cuttings of the same — some grafts or cut- 

 ticgs of an apple wlifch we call in Hereford- 

 shire, the Brandy apple, from the excessive 



the opinions which we advanced in our reply to the j sirf-ngth of its cider — it is also a tine desert or 

 queriesof Mr Fish page 329 of our current volume, and I i;i;,le apple in very hot seasons. It is some- 

 times called the Golden Hervey. I have m:ule 

 ai effort to convey to you eight varieties of our 

 lest .strawberries. 



t trust that 1 have So packed them that they 

 will arrive safe. No. I. is Kean\s seedling, and 



to the principles so ably advocated by " Hnrlitul'.UT- 

 ist.'''' Mr Knight 'las for many years been highly dis- 

 linguished for his scientific and practical knowledge 

 of horticulture in all its branches. He has made many 

 valuable presents of dltferent and excellent varieiies 

 of fruit trees &c. to the .Massachusetts Agricultural So- 



ciety and his remarks, discoveries and improvements j ]Sfo. Vl!I. is the Dowiilon Strawberry— the 0th- 



have, for many years, supplied agricultural and philo '„„.„„ ■, „. „].,„„ . , j i i .i i » 



, ■ , ■ , ... , .u ■ 1 . n crs are nii te now, and are iirohnb v the lararest 



sophical lournals with some ol their best essays. Per- i , '. . \ ' . , -, '""=""3<^=' 



haps there is no person living, whose opinion relative ; sfa^vberries in existence ; a single berry grown 

 to the cultivation of fruit-trees is entitled to greater '" f^y garden last year weighed 558 grains, and 

 weight than that of Thomas Andrew Enight, who may ! many others approximated that weight. The 



weight and beauty of Kean's seedling have caus- 

 ed it to be much cultivated for the London 

 market. 1 however think it to be the least good 

 of those which 1 send you. 1 send also some 

 im|iroved varieties of the red currant. 



1 send also some scions of the Hardenpont 

 de printems pear, which 1 know to be correct, 

 having been taken from a bearing tree, and 

 marked instantly by my own hand. 



Yours, Til. A. KMGHT. 



John Lowell, Esq. Roxhury, near Boston, Mass. 



The above mentioned present to our country 

 has safely arrived by the brig " La Grange." 

 The plants are all in a growing state. 



be styled the Newton of Horticulture. 

 — -efte— - 

 From the ^Agricultural Journal, June 1825. 



ANOTHER PRESENT FROM MR. KNIGHT TO 1 

 THE HORTICULTURIST.-;. ; 



That distinguished friend of ph3'siological j 

 science, and of horticulture, Thomas Andrew) 

 Knight, Esquire, of Dounlon Castle, near Lud- ; 

 low, Salop, has recently sent a box containing 

 valuable fruits. We cannot omit this opportuni- 

 ty of remarking upon his enlightened and dis- 

 interested zeal, not merely for the improve- 

 ment of horticulture in his own country, but in 

 others. He has enjoyed the advantages alford- 

 ed by a very liberal fortune, which has enab- 

 led him lo pursue his favourite occupation un- 

 der unusual advantages. It will not diminish 

 our respect for him to know, that he was one 

 who opposed the war with America in 1775, and 

 he has continued its steady friend to this hour. 



Letter of .Mr. Knight to John Lowell, President of 

 the Alassachuselts Society for promoting Agri- 

 culture. 



[The Letter is not dated, but probably bore date early 

 in March 1825. J 

 My dear Sir, 1 have this day sent .1 box to 



Messrs. Thomley of Liverpool, conlaiiiing plants 



Fi om the American Farmer. 

 MARYLAND CATTLE SHOW. 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON VOLV.\TEER PRE3IID.MS. 



The committee on the volunteer premiums 

 have given to the subject of the premiums of- 

 fered for essays on two important branches of 

 rural economy, that earnest and serious atten- 

 tion which the importance of the subjects and 

 the characters of the donors seemed to entitle 

 them to. 



The first which presented itself, following 



