300 



NEW ENGLAND FAJIMER. 



July 



THE SIBERIAN CRAB. 



Everyfarmer should cultivate this beautiful fruit. 

 A few scions inserted in the linnbs of an old tree, 

 or in small branches of young ones, will soon af- 

 ford a liberal supply of fruit, which is an excellent 

 article for preserves and tarts, and brings a high 

 price in the market. The apples are but very lit- 

 tle superior in size to the ordinary red cherry ; the 

 tree which is remarkably hardy, resembles the com- 

 mon apple tree, and is propagated in much the 

 same way. 



As an instance of the extreme hardiness of the 

 crab, it is asserted in one of the agricultural papers 

 of Massachusetts, that some limbs were detached 

 from a tree in the spring, and after having lain ex- 

 posed to the sun for six weeks, some scions were 

 cut from them and set, and grew well. A distin- 

 guished culturist and fruit-grower, in some prac- 

 tical observations relating to the propagation of this 

 fruit, says : — "The scions we have set, usually blos- 

 somed the first year ; and we have now ten full 

 grown apples of this kind presented to us which 

 grew on a scion the same season it was set. A few 

 years since we put scions of different kinds into the 

 same tree, and the Siberian Crab bore plentifully 

 before the other kinds." 



The scions or trees may be procured in any quan- 

 tity at the agricultural seed stores. 



For the New England Fanner. 



CULTURE OF ROOTS, 



There are few topics of more vital importance to 

 the operating farmer than, how shall I use my land ? 

 Shall I go on, as did my father before me, plant, sow, 

 and mow, year after year, realizing, with the blessing 

 of good crops, perhaps ten dollars per acre each year, 

 on the land actually cultivated ? or shall I get five 

 or ten times this amount ? With proper attention 

 to preparing the land, selection of seed, planting 

 and care of the same — on many of his acres, with- 

 out doubt, the latter result may be realized. In 

 my neighborhood, there are many acres cultivated 

 with roots, that yield a net profit of more than one 

 hundred dollars, after all incidental expenses are 

 met. There is no mystery about this, nor any spe- 

 cial skill required. Nothing but persevering indus- 

 try, and intelligent attention. 



Take the carrot, for instance. From 20 to 30 

 tons per acre can be raised. 1 have known 34 1-5 

 tons to the acre grown, worth, on the ground, $9 

 jjer ton, or more than $300 per acre, 1 have 

 known crops of the sugar beet, that sokl for more 

 than $200 the acre, as taken from the field. Cab- 

 bages, 60 tons, or 4000 heads, worth in the mar- 

 ket 75 cents a dozen, or more than $200 an acre. 

 Onions, averaging 500 bushels to the acre ; worth 

 at least half a dollar per bushel, and often much 

 more. These are ordinary crops, which can be 

 grown on any good farm, where the land is worth 

 $100 per acre. 



Can any good reason be given why the culture 

 of such crops shall not be encouraged ? I know of 

 none. At no period within my memory has it 



been true that carrots would not sell for the feed- 

 ing of stock, for half the marketable value of Eng- 

 lish hay. In England it was stated by Mr. Web- 

 ster, soon after his return from that garden of the 

 world and model of good culture, that more than 

 half the labor applied to iheir land was to grow 

 root crops for their sheep and other stock. A like 

 culture he applied on his own land, as witnessed 

 with my own eyes, when there to attend his fune- 

 ral. Few men have lived among us whose judg- 

 ment was better entitled to respect than that of 

 Daniel Webster. Although he was favored with the 

 highest honor in the power of his fellow-citizens to 

 bestow, there was none he clung to with such te- 

 nacity and ardent admiration, as that of being con- 

 sidered the farmer of Marshjkld. 5. W. P. 

 Jipril, 1857. 



For the New England Farmer. 



CHARTER OAK GRAPE, 



Mr. Editor : — I noticed in your paper of last 

 week a short article on the "Charter Oak Grape," 

 from a Mr. Sheldon, of Connecticut. Believing that 

 such a statement is calculated to mislead the hon- 

 est and uninitiated, I wish to make a few brief re- 

 marks concerning the above named grape, as well 

 as others which are esteemed much more highly 

 than that. I suppose the gentleman has plants of 

 the "Charter Oak Grape" to sell, though he does 

 not say so in so many words. He says, "I have 

 turned my attention mostly ta the cultivatioTi of 

 the Charter Oak grape." This would lead some 

 to believe that this was the best of all native sorts, 

 and therefore more worthy of cultivation, when, in 

 fact, it is considered by all good judges entirely 

 worthless ; for after it is grown it is not much 

 more eatable than musket-balls, and I should as 

 soon eat one as the other. Again, he says, "it is 

 perfectly hardy ;" on this point there can be no 

 difference of opinion, for it belongs to the class of 

 wild fox gp-apes, and I have no doubt is as hardy 

 as an oak. What is meant by the expression "is 

 more to be depended upon than the Isabella," is 

 more than I can tell. It can be depended upon to 

 grow and make wood, and even bear and ripen 

 fruit, but of what possible use is all that ? The 

 fruit is good for nothing after it is raised, in my 

 judgment. 



The writer further says this variety "commands 

 in market an advanced price over any other native 

 grafke that I know of." One of two things is cer- 

 tain, either that his knowledge of native grapes is 

 very limited, or that those who buy the fruit are 

 great fools. The grape is a great, Imrd, foxy grape. 

 It drops from the stem, and is, in short, but little 

 better than the average of wild grapes. Now, to 

 try to humbug the public into the belief that this 

 Charter Oak grape is better than all other native 

 grapes, when we have the Isabella, Diana, Cataw- 

 ba, llebecca, Delaware, Union Village, &c., is per- 

 fectly absurd. This is only one of the many hum- 

 bugs that are got up to deceive the people. If I 

 had any quantity of these grapes I should not dare 

 to feed them to my pigs, for fear they would die of 

 the cholera — if they were so foolish as to eat them. 

 I would just say that I have no particular interest 

 in one grape more than another; I simply wish to 

 caution the unsuspecting against paying away their 

 money for a worthless article — worthless, com- 

 pared with other well-known sorts. 



