1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



471 



Fi)r the New En aland Farmer. 



SPECULATIVE INftUIEIES. 



Mr. Editor : — Your correspondent from Chelsea 



TO MAKE BARREN QUINCE TREES FRUITFUL. 



Mr. Editor : — In answer to the inquiry', what 

 can be done to make barren quince trees fruitful, I 



would sav, that mv method is to graft them. The i • , , - 



grafts will bear the second year, and then you will seems to be moved with a horror mexprcssible, at 

 have an abundance of fruit. Besides, you can select my reference to "Onon and the Pleiades" as influ- 

 the best of fruits, which is an advantage. < «?"cmg vegetation. If my recollection is nght, my 



But some say that oyster shells have the desired i"e^<-^rc'^ce to these beautiful heavenly bodies -was 

 effect. I tlunk if there is any virtue in them to «mply to show the folly of scriptural citations, m 

 make the barren fruitful, it is' the'salt, and if so, the explanation of natural events. Not that I for a 



the salt alone will produce the same effect, and may 

 be obtained with less trouble. P. Wait. 



Danvers, Aug., 1855. 



moment entertained the belief of any such influen- 

 ces. He thinks we had better wait a "little longer," 

 and see Avhat further facts will be devclo})ed. This 

 may be so, but would not such waiting ])ut a stop 

 to all inquirj- ? Have not I the same right to de- 



c! . , • c 4.4. ^ 4.U • -Ui. t , nounce his opinions as "supremely ridiculous," as he 



baturate a piece oi cotton cloth, eight or ten , • i tt i n ^i . • i.- ^ 



• 1 -1 • . 1 i\- 1 ii has miner Me, and all other controverssansts, 



mches wide, m strong soap suds, and tie around the , 1 1 i, • • i *u .. .i, i r • i 



^ i,„i„... 1.1 ..1,? i.'„.i,_ _..,,:.. „..^ 'r'u. i-.....v „i';Should bear m mmd, that those who live m glass 



houses should be careful how they throw stones. 



CURCULIO REMEDY. 



tree below where the Umbs start out. The fruit of 

 trees which I have served thus is entirely free fi'om 

 jjunctures, while tlie fruit on those Arithout the 

 cloth is sadly affected. F. Stevens. 



Halifax, X. S., 185.5. 



BARREN PLUM TREES. 



In rejily to C. G. W., in the July number of the 

 Farmer, in relation to barren quince trees, I would 

 say that plum trees, in the like state of barrenness, 

 can be brought to bearing successfully, by ap])lyiiig 

 a few quarts of salt around the roots, put on in the 

 fall. H. B. 



M)Hhfield, Ft. _ 



H. Broavx, Foxboro', Mass. — The apples you 

 sent are probably seedlings, though it resembles 

 Lyman's Large Summer apple, introduced to notice 

 by Mr. S. Lyman, of Manchester, Conn. Being ear- 

 ly, and of a sprightly sub-acid flavor, it is worthy of 

 cultivation. 



A box of Grapes, of J. FisiCE, Holliston, Mass. 

 Very large, and a month earUer than usual. Mr. 

 Fiske states that the vine covers a space of fifty 

 feet over the cow-yard, thus preventing the manure 

 from drying, and affording a fine shade for the cows. 



Early Sweet Bough Apples, from Abel Cook, 

 Lunenburg, Mass. — Large and beautiful. There 

 are not half enough of them produced. 



Your mtimation that the ebbing and flowing of 

 the tides may be caused othenvise than by the at- 

 traction of the sun and moon, is well calculated to 

 admonish the sage philoso])her of Chelsea that there 

 are more ways than one to accomplish the same 

 end. It had not before occuiTcd to nie, that the 

 theory of the tides, which I learned when young 

 from Enfield, was not well-founded ; but I should 

 not be sm'jnised to leam, that the daily revolution 

 of the earth ujjon its axis, and the uiequaHties upon 

 its surface, have quite as much to do in jiroducing 

 the constantly recurring phenomena of the tides ; 

 as the attractions of masses of matter, so remote as 

 are those of the sun and moon. At all events, a 

 man should be Aviser than your correspondent has 

 shoAATi himself to be, before he pronounces any as- 

 sertion supremely ridiculous. *. 



Ausrust 11, 1855. 



For the New England Farmer. 



POTATO CROP. 



The forebodings of the last week are realities of 

 the present week. I'nequivocal demonstration has 

 come to us from Swampscot, on the one side, and 

 Beverly, on the other, cJf the fatil prevalence of the 

 rot among the potitocs. The chenangoes are most 

 affected. We Avould caution agiiinst the use of jio- 

 tatoes that have a tendency to the disease. We 

 have known entirely families taken with seA'ere in- 

 disposition, by reason of the use of vegetables thus 

 affected, even Avhen they Avere entirely fair to the 

 sight Of thi« V.V \u\e no doul)t. Of the new va- 

 lieties of potato that haA-e been tried in this vicini- 

 ty, the present season, there is none so highly 

 praised as Davis' Seedling. Side by side, with other 

 varieties, this escapes disease entirely. Some pre- 

 tend to crack u]i the "State of Maine potato," — iiut 

 the best observers say, it is a miserable concern — 

 entirel}' unworthy of regard. 



^Mg-. 23, 1855". South Danvers. 



EARTHING UP CELERY. 



The present season has been a flivorable one for 

 celery, as indeed it has for most crops, and celery 

 Avill no doubt be fine and plentiful. Where only 

 sufficient is groAvn for the supply of the family, a 

 little extra care should be given to eartliing up, 

 Avhich is amply repaid by having clear sticks, nicely 

 blanched. For very early use a small portion should 

 be commenced as soon as large enough to draAv 

 earth to Avithout fear of its getting into the croAA-n, 

 which should be carefully* guarded against. The 

 bulk of the crop Avill be better left till toAvards the 

 end of September before earthing. If any manure 

 Avater is obtainable before earthing, it is much ben- 

 efited by having a good soaking, especially if the 

 ground is any Avay poor, as it likes a very rich soil. 



In earthing, careful groAvers ahvays go along first 

 Avith the hand, and ]n\\\ off' any little short leaA-es 

 that Avould, if buried, only rot, and draAv the earth 

 nicely about each jilant. A portion of the soil is 

 then loosened uj) witli the sp:ide and made tolera- 

 l)ly fine, and pushed up towards the jilants. If they 

 have been planted in trenches, if filled up IcA'el, it 

 is sufficient for the first time, giving it one or tAvo 

 good earthings at intervals of one or two Aveeks. 



For field culture, or Avhere the breadth is large, 

 and grown for market, recourse must l)e h;id to the 

 j)low, or the ex])ensc Avould be too large to secure 

 a return. Many earth up Avith the ])1oav A\ithout 

 any handling oi' tlie jilants, and witli care and cau- 

 tion are al)le to do it Avitliout disturbing the leaves 

 much ; but as a general rule, it will pay to draAV a 



