292 



NEW ENGLAND FARilER. 



June 



attended by many advantages. In addition 

 to those specified in Gen. P.'s remarks, the 

 laborers would be scattered through the com- 

 munity, living in close proximity to their 

 work, instead of crowding into some "Du- 

 blin" or "Cork," in the centre of our towns 

 and villages, by which arrangement much 

 time is spent in going to and from their work. 



"The cottage system appears to present the most 

 favoral)le solution to the problem, for both the far- 

 mer anil the laborer, as well as for the Ijest inter- 

 ests of society generally. By the erection of snug 

 cottages, at convenient positions for attending to 

 farm work, and the employment of married men as 

 permanent farm laliorers, not only boarding them- 

 selves, but such oth^r ocrasional help as may be re- 

 quired, the farmer's wife is relieved from the burden 

 of caring for a house full of hired men, and will, 

 in all probability, secure from the wife and daugh- 

 ters of the cottager, such female help as may be 

 needed in her own kitchen and dairy. Wherever 

 this system has been introduced, it has given the 

 best satisfaction to all parties concerned, especially 

 to the laborer, inasmuch as it gives him a home — a 

 castle of his own ; making him realize that he, too, 

 is a householder and a citizen. 



His self-respect is increased, his manhood is de- 

 veloped, he acts more considerately ; your in- 

 terests and his become more identified, and your 

 intiucnce in molding and Americanizing the ideas 

 of his growing family is as potent, quite, as his 

 own. Hitherto only the wealthier classes of our 

 agriculturists have adopted this system, but there 

 seems now to be a necessity for the adoption of 

 of such a system by farmers of the middlmg class, 

 and those who own smaller farms." 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE APPLE TREES. 



Shall we lose the apple trees ? This is a 

 question of great importance. Solon Robin- 

 son says "we shall lose the apple as we have 

 the peach crop." I no more believe this than 

 I believe that we shall lose our maple or- 

 chards, or our beach and hemlock timber lots. 

 But the present system o( planting and culti- 

 vating apples must be essentially revised. 

 The statute laws intended for the government 

 of a nation in "the piping times of peace," 

 are no better adapted to the exigencies of the 

 changing fortunes of a wasting war, than the 

 old careless system of planting and cultivating 

 fruit trees is to carry thorn safely through the 

 destructive war which the Curculio, Codling 

 Moth, Borer and other inveterate enemies, 

 have made upon them. Plain, practical results, 

 deduced from experience and careful observa- 

 tion must lead men in this work, and not 

 theory. Theory is much better, and will pro- 

 duce greater results in the school-room than 

 in the open field. The man who tills the soil 

 with his own bands, and learns the varied 

 workings there of the laws of vegetable physi- 

 olog};, is the man to establish general princi- 

 ples for the cultivation of fruit and fruit trees, 

 and not the chemist in a city labratory. "Soil 

 analysis" died in the arms of the chemist, so 

 will his trees, just as Mr. Robinson says. 



The man who plants with intelligence, culti- 

 vates with prudence and care, guards against 

 over-beasing and trains his trees so as to re- 

 sist the elfects of the sweeping winds, the 

 biting frosts and the ever-changing atmos- 

 phere, will not only find the cultivation of 

 fruit profitable, but one of the most pleasant 

 occupations of life. Every fall we hear that 

 the "fruit drops prematurely, the apples are 

 wormy," "the fruit crop a failure," &c., «S;c. 



But where is the remedy ? The destruction 

 of the perfect insect is beyond our reach ; but 

 there are remedies which we can bring to bear 

 upon them while in the embryo or larvaj state. 

 The constant gathering up of all the fallen 

 fruit, and if apples in sufficient quantity, make 

 them into vinegar ; but if few, or of other va- 

 rieties of fruit — such as pears, plums, or 

 peaches, — bum them. By persevering in this 

 line of treatment, and occasionally washing 

 the trees with strong soap suds, or some other 

 like wash, the destruction by tiiese pests of 

 the orchard may be greatly averted. This, 

 however, is rather anticipating our subject. 

 Other cjuestions must be considered. 



What kinds of fruit shall we raise ? What 

 varieties, and in what proportions of each? 

 What adaptation of soil and climate shall be 

 observed. Shall we bud or graft? When 

 and where obtain our scions or buds ? What 

 stock shall be employed? Shall we mulch, 

 and with what material ? What preparation of 

 soil, what amount and kind of fertilizers, and 

 what cultivation generally shall be gi\en? 

 These and other kindred questions, demand 

 the careful attention of every fruit grower, 

 wherever located. 



Varieties. 



How few of all the hundreds of varieties 

 under cultivation in the Eastern States combine 

 all the characteristics of a good fruit. What 

 we now seriously need is an extensive planting 

 of seedling and experimental orchards. From 

 this system of planting by our forefathers 

 came nearly all the choice varieties which we 

 now cultivate. These orchards are now fast 

 disappearing, from old age and neglect. From 

 the abundance of our forefathers, our fathers 

 neglected to plant. Central and Western New 

 York supplies the eastern markets with apples 

 to-day. The time has come when it pays to 

 raise apples for cider and vinegar, and there 

 must be a new class of apples produced for 

 this purpose. The Baldwin, Greening, Russet 

 and Nonesuch are entirely unsulted to this 

 purpose. Under the present system of plant- 

 ing and cultivating trees, it is almost impossi- 

 ble to originate a new and valuable variety. 

 That any seedling apple grafted and re-grafted 

 for forty years, more or less affected by the 

 diseases and imperfections of a score of different 

 trees, can maintain its native character and 

 qualities unimpaired, T think no man will as- 

 sume to maintain. A great portion of the . 

 Baldwins now produced in this section, are far 

 below the high standard of this valuable apple 



