THE GENESEE FARMER. 



55 



tANSACTIONS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS HORTI- 

 CULTURAL SOCIETY. 



We are indebted to Eben Wight, Esq., the able Secre- 

 ry of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, for a 

 py of their Transactions for 1861. As usual, it abounds 

 interesting and valuable information. We make a few 

 tracts : 



Cultivating the Strawberry in Hills. — This p'rac- 

 !e is not general, we believe, around Boston, but it is 

 xted that Dr. Lodge has cultivated the strawberry for 

 e past four years in bills, without removal, and with 

 ntinuiug good results. This fact will be of special in- 

 rest to cultivators just entering upon this mode of cul- 

 re. The yield was about four thousand quarts per acre 

 r this, the fourth year — the plants indicating perfect 

 salth and vigor. This method is but an application of 

 r. Lodge's theory of pruning, which is the removal of 

 1 superfluous wood, laterals or runners, forcing the 

 ants to form fruit spurs, with the least possible amount 

 ' wood and no unnecessary foliage. 

 It will be seen from the Report of the Discussion at the 

 cent meeting of the Fruit Growers' Society of Western 

 ew York, in this number of the Farmer, that Mr. Knox, 

 ' Pittsburg, states that he raises strawberries in this 

 ay from the same plants for ten years in succession with- 

 it renewal. 



Failure op the Fruit Crop the Past Season. — On 

 le morning of February 8th, 1861, the thermometer 

 larked 21° below zero — probably the greatest degree of 

 Did ever experienced in the vicinity of Boston, The con- 

 jquence was that, though the summer was favorable, the 

 rop of fruit, on some of the most important varieties, 

 roved almost a total failure. The trees, too, in many in- 

 tances, were also severely injured. In many cases, this 

 ajury has been confined to the killing of the later growth 

 -the more tender shoots at the ends of limbs, in others 

 a the destruction of flower or leaf buds, while in still 

 thers it has extended to the whole tree, causing its death, 

 r rendering it worthless or of little value. This injury 

 ras much more severe and complete in some varieties 

 han in others, showing a difference of vigor and degrees 

 if hardihood in different sorts of the same kind — a differ- 

 ;nce not sufficiently attended to when profit is the object 

 )f the cultivator; as, for example, in pears, the Bartlett 

 ind Beurre Bosc suffered greatly, the trees of both having 

 seen almost universally severely injured, and in many 

 instances wholly killed ; while on the contrary, the Marie 

 Louise, Belle Lucrative, Urbaniste and Louise Bonne de 

 Jersey, seemed to escape wholly unharmed ; the two first 



of these last-named having been, the past season, superi- 

 or in quantity and quality to any season now remembered. 



Shelter for Fruit Trees. — The Fruit Committee in 

 in their report well remark: 



" One of the lessons taught by the unfortunate experi- 

 ence of the past year is plain and palpable ; it is, that in 

 a climate such as ours, fruit trees and vines, occasionally 

 at least, if not always, require a certain amount of pro- 

 tection against its severity. This may be obtained by 

 selecting a sheltered site for the garden or orchard ; and 

 where that cannot be done, by the erection of a high close 

 fence around it. If any question arises as to the efficacy 

 of this last method it needs but a visit to the garden of 

 Mr. Tudor, at Nahant, to dispel the doubt, where, protect- 

 ed only by a high paling, fruit trees of all varieties may 

 be seen flourishing luxuriantly, while outside of such en- 

 closure the hardiest trees cannot resist the influence of 

 the fierce winds that blow over that peninsula. And 

 there is no ostensible cause for the exemption from inju- 

 ry of the trees of Mr. Bacon, of Roxbury, and Mr. Van- 

 dine, of Cambridge, and that these bore full crops of fine 

 pears in a year so unpropitious as the past, but the shel- 

 ter they receive." 



Strawberries. — Among the new varieties. La Constant* 

 is highly spoken of. In regard to the culture of straw- 

 berries the committee remark that in Belmont, where the 

 strawberry is more extensively cultivated, perhaps, than 

 anywhere else, the growers confine themselves mainly to 

 a few established sorts, depending for their crops upon 

 Hovey's Seedling, with the Jenny Lind, Boston Pine, or 

 Brighton Pine, as a fertilizer; planting them in the pro- 

 portion of about six of the former to one of the latter, 

 and setting them in single rows about four feet apart, and 

 taking but one crop from the same vines, Lave new beds 

 every year. It is believed that this is the most economi- 

 cal method of cultivating the strawberry. The practice 

 of so skillful cultivators as those of Belmont is surely 

 entitled to great consideration. 



Currants. — La Versaillaise and Dana's Transparent 

 currants are commended. The former has been cultivat- 

 ed for some years and is esteemed among the best. The 

 latter is large, of fine flavor, and it is said, a great bearer. 

 It is remarked that in an experience of forty years, the 

 last season is the only one in which this fruit seemed to 

 have met with severe injury. But the past year the blos- 

 som buds seemed to have been destroyed. 



Raspberries. — The Catawissa is recommended to those 

 who wish to prolong the raspberry season. It was shown 

 as late as October 18th. 



Blackberries.— The canes of these, when grown lux- 

 uriantly, are apt to be winter-killed and need protection. 

 They suffered severely the past season. 



Cherries.— This crop was entirely destroyed. The 

 trees seem to have been failing for some years, and will 

 not soon recover from the effects of the past severe season. 



Pears.— Far below an average. There were, however, 

 some very fine specimens shown. The Urbaniste, Marie 

 Louise, Belle Lucrative, Beurre d'Anjou, Beurre Lange- 

 lier, Glout Morceau, Josephine de Malines, with some 

 others, have been peculiarly large, fine and beautiful. 

 There was little or no second growth on th£ Pears the 

 past year, that which, from its immature state is most apt 

 to be injured. The extreme cold of the past winter kill- 

 I ed, or seriously hurt, many of the trees. 



