122 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



March 



farm, or assist your neighbor in the same inves- 

 tigation. Here, then, you will have the basis, 

 thi' facts, for telling the whole story, and it only 

 remains to weave them together by the use of 

 common, natural language, easily comprehended 

 by all. Though truths communicated in this man- 

 ner are valuable to the reader, they are infinitely 

 more so to him who analyzes the facts and com- 

 municates them — because that process fixes them 

 indelibly on hia own mind. 



In this manner any of the operations of the 

 farm may be made to assume an interest and im- 

 portance which they have never before possessed. 

 They become, not only a store-house of rich fruits, 

 and flowers, of grains, herbage and cattle, but a 

 Book of Revelations, incessantly unfolding to our 

 wondering senses the manifestations of Divine 

 love, wisdom and power. This is not only a mutu- 

 al labor b(;tween us, but a mutual benefit — it is 

 difficult to tell Avho is the debtor. Intercourse 

 with good farmers, at your clubs, social gather- 

 ings and visits to your homes, is to us as a peren- 

 nial spring to the thirsty soil ; — with these, and 

 constant recourse to books, which are the record- 

 ed experience of others, there should be no lack of 

 interest or of sources of information to any of us. 



When the attention is turned, critically, to any 

 particular subject, whether it be field or garden 

 crojis, reclamation, draining, plowing, or to fruit 

 and forest trees, that subject will soon assume an 

 interest and importance which it has never had 

 for us before ; and nothing will so much increase 

 that interest and fix the facts vipon the mind as 

 writing of them. Farmers, you have the facts — 

 give them a tongue through the pen and newspa- 

 per. 



Among the articles on hand, are two or three 

 in relation to the Basket Willow, correcting some 

 supposed errors in former communications, and 

 describing minutely the proper soils, modes of 

 cultivation and preparation for market, its value, 

 amount used, and the sums annually sent out of 

 tho country for the raw article. These will be 

 given in season to afford the necessary informa- 

 tion to any who may desire to commence its cul- 

 tivation the coming spring. 



We have also received the first number of a se- 

 ries of short articles upon our winter migratory 

 birds, from our accomplished friend and critical 

 observer, S. P. Fowler, Esq. Birdsare intimate- 

 ly connected with our agricultural and horticul- 

 tural operations, and their habits ought to be 

 better understood. 



Cashmeres have thus far proved perfectly hardy 

 and quite prolific in tlie soutli, and their fleece, 

 which is very heavy and abundant, is used in the 

 manufacture of the finest Caslimere shawls and 

 other costly fabrics of the Oriental looms. We 

 do not hazard much in ranking this importation 

 of Cashmere and Thibet shawl goats among the 

 most important of recent southern enterprises, 

 and predicting for the fortunate possessors of these 

 animals the completest success. Dr. Davis lately 

 sold one pair to a northern company at $1000, 

 and the remainder of his pure bred Cashmeres 

 have lately passed into the hands of a very suc- 

 cessful and competent breeder of domestic ani- 

 mals, Mr. R. Peters, of South Carolina. — Rural 

 Neip-Yorker. 



Casumkre and TiniiET Goats. — Dr. James B. 

 Davis, the original importer of those exceedingly 

 rare and valuable animals, the Cashmere and 

 Thibet goats, presented at the Georgia Agricul- 

 tural Fair a fine collection of the pure breeds and 

 tlioir crosses upon the common variety. The pure 



For the New Eni^land Farmer. 



PRUNING APPLE TREES AGAIN. 



Mr. Brown : — You published a short essay, 

 over my name, on fruning apple trees, in the Jan- 

 uary Monthly Farmer. Your goo I-natured Win- 

 chester correspondent, whose criticisms are always 

 lively, hardly accepts my theory. He says — 



^^ Pruning Apple Trees.^' — As I am unsettled in 

 opinion on this subject, I read everything relating 

 to it with interest. Forest trees get along com- 

 fortably without trimming, and so do shade trees 

 generally. But, says Mr. Brown, "apple trees 

 grow with a superabundance of limbs that pro- 

 vision may be made for casualties, and an oppor- 

 tunity afibrded the cultivator to train according to 

 his particular ^'taste.'^ Now that is very kind in 

 nature, certainly ; but it would save me much 

 doubt and hesitation if she had labelled these 

 "superabundant limbs" respectively, as the case 

 might be, "jackknife," "handsaw," "axe," &c. 

 If Mr. Brown is disjiosed to be offended by these 

 remarks he must give the editor half the blame, 

 for attaching that article on page 38 to his recom- 

 mendations on "Beautifying the Farm." 



To be sure, my good sir, nature is "very kind ;" 

 there is no mistake about that. As to the labels 

 (an original idea) one who is pretty familiar with 

 her alphabet always sees them. 



Your correspondent thinks "forest trees get 

 along comfortably without trimming." It is not 

 settled that it "don't pay" to trim forests. Why 

 dead limbs should be left hanging to a White 

 Pine, to run through an otherwise clear board 

 bye and bye, is an open question. 



The difference between forest trees and fruit 

 trees is very apparent. The former are indige- 

 nous to the soil ; the latter the result of .impor- 

 tation and long years of patient training. Apple 

 trees may get along comfortably, perhaps, with 

 less care than many bestow, but to be of the 

 greatest profit, attention and labor are indispen- 

 sable. 



"A Reader" will at once see that forest trees 

 can ripen no fruit in their dense shade. Apple 

 trees are very much thinned in the moist climate 

 of England to admit the sun. What does the 

 common ol:)servation prove, tliat "tlie apples from 

 the sunny side of the tree are the fairest and 

 best?" As to the '■'■particular taste,'''' I take it 

 most men have a way of their own. I judge so 

 by a glance at the orchards that have come in my 

 way. The trees are trained in all manner of 



