1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



341 



few remarks upon the effects of the extremely 

 cold weather of the past winter upon fruit trees. 

 Apple trees are injured worse than any others. 

 Many large, thrifty trees have lost nearly all of 

 last year's growth. A large tree in my garden 

 is nearly dead. One limb, which bore half a 

 bushel of fine Greenings last year, looks as 

 though it will never produce fruit again. Grafts 

 set last spring, and which grew two feet or more, 

 are, in many cases, eiitirely dead, and in others 

 only a few inches of the larger end is alive. 

 Young orchards, too, have suffered very much. 

 A neighbor, who had a fine orchard of grafted 



1 Steer, 3 years old past, 1443, off one-third 962 



Quarters 792, tallow 86, hide 101 979 



1 Steer, 2 years old past, 1225, off one-third 817 



Quarters 661, tallow 79, hide 84 824 



1 Steer, 2 years old past, 1410, off one-third 940 



Quarters 762, tallow 109, hide 89 960 



Yours and a subscriber, 

 Skaneaieles, N. Y. 1855. P. Whittelsey. 



THE SEASON IN VERMONT. 



We have just had the finest rain I ever wit- 

 nessed, or at least it has been most appreciated ; 

 it commenced Saturday evening, the 3d instant, 



fruit, that has borne a few years, informs me; and came fine and gentle, not much more than 

 that his trees are nearly all dead, causing notja mist, and continued so for twelve hours, when 

 only a pecuniary loss, but a sad disappointment, it increased to a continued drenching rain, which 

 beveralmaple trees, standing near his house, are I has thoroughly saturated every thing out of 

 also killed, although they had grown five years. Moors. Crops never needed rain so much. Grass 

 1 have not heard ot an equal amount of damage' y^s dried up in spots over our intervales, and 

 m any other place, though all are complaining! ^as fast extending 'over the whole. Corn that 



ot injury. '^ ^^ - - - o. - 



Bloornfield 



S. Varnet. 

 C. W., Q Mo.5, 1855. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



AN EXAMPLE. 



Gentlemen : — Nearly two years ago, I aeci 

 dentally became a subscriber to your paper, and 

 I must confess I am not sorry for it. My fami- 

 ly now watch for its coming each week ; my 

 young men, too, delight upon "it to gaze" and 

 peruse its Avell-filled and ever interesting columns. 

 I am glad to have them receive instructions there- 

 from, and feel assured their morals will not be 

 corrupted thereby, but that they will be benefited 

 and strengthened in the way to respectability and 

 usefulness. Need I inform you that their joys 

 are my joys ? Enclosed are two dollars to pay for 

 my subscription for one year in advance from 

 September next, for which please send me your 

 receipt. I am, very truly yours. 



Burlington, Vt., June 11, 1855. 



Remarks. — Though often receiving letters simi- 

 lar to the above, we do not often indulge in show- 

 ing them to our neighbors. But this comes with 

 so many tokens of grace and heart, that we can- 

 not keep it to ourselves. It not only brings the 

 sinew of all agricultural and commercial prosper- 

 ity, the cash, but is accompanied by three excel- 

 lent communications, each written in a clear, 

 fair hand, and only upon one side of the sheet. 

 What a noble example ! May the writer live to 

 see the New England Farmer a thousand years 

 old, and welcomed by as many and as heartily as 

 were the recent rains of which he speaks in one 

 of his communications. 



FOUR FAT KEEVES. 



I noticed in the May number of the N. E. Far- 

 mer an inquiry of the live and dead weight of 

 cattle. In the winter of 1854 I fatted four 

 beeves which were butchered, and I send you a 

 statement of their weight, which sliows that by 

 weighing them alive and deducting one-third, 

 will give very nearly the weight of the quarters, 

 tallow and hide, when dressed. 



1 Cow, 11 years old past, 1360, off one-third 907 



Quarters 715, tallow 100, hide 90 905 ' 



was planted early did not grow, while that more 

 lately planted did not find moisture to sprout, or 

 if it did, dried up. The same wa** the case with 

 English grain. We liave not I'ad any rain since 

 tlie season for planting, or even since the snow 

 went off, to soak the ground. It has given new 

 life to vegetation and the heart of the farmer. 

 Bolton, Vt., June 5, 1855. A Subscriber. 



READING AND THINKING. 



I rejoice to know that many of our farmers are 

 beginning to see the importance of reading and 

 thinking before acting, upon the subject of farm- 

 ing as well as political matters. I find many 

 who are willing to be called "book farmers," 

 provided there is money in the affair. 



Yours, Solomon Steele. 



BLACK knots ON FLUM TREES. 



Mr. Editor : — I was reminded a few days 

 since by an article in your paper of what I saw 

 in Nova Scotia. A gentleman pointed out to me 

 some fine looking plum trees from which he had 

 partially or wholly cut out the black knot, and 

 then rubbed in spirits of turpentine. The wounds 

 were healed up wholly or partially, as from any 

 ordinary wound ; the disease seemed to be eradi- 

 cated from the previously affected part. I sug- 

 gested to him the propriety of covering the wound 

 with gi-afting wax immediately after the applica- 

 tion of the turpentine. As this disease does not 

 affect trees in this vicinity, I am unable to test the 

 matter by experiment, but leave it for those who 

 have the opportunity ; it docs not seem to mo 

 that the disease is beyond the reach of some spe- 

 cific remedy. Will some correspondent tell us 

 what they know of this remedy ? n. t. t. 



Bethel, Me., June 5, 1855. 



Remarks. — Since having been informed of the 

 use of spirits of turpentine as a remedy for the 

 black knot on plum trees, by a lady, who com- 

 municated the fact through tlie Farmer, we have 

 been using it on plum trees, and find it prom- 

 ises well. Some of the places on which we first 

 applied it are now partially covered with a new 

 and healthy-looking bark. 



If it proves a remedy, it will be an important 

 one. 



