Published by John B. Russell, at JVo. 52 JVorth Market Street, (at the Agricultural Warehouse) Thomas G. Fessenden, Editor. 



VOL. VIII. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 1829. 



No. 6. 



HORTICULTURE. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



FRUIT TREES. 



\s the season is now approachinij when much 



y be effectually Jone for Fruit Trees, to render 



iltliy and productive, I am induced to 



r lor the consideration of the farming interest, 



following remarks, resulting from experience. 



To preserve the Peach tree, and render it pro- 



tive, I have, for years, pursued the following 



rse with great success, and am induced to be- 



e the peach tree can be made healthy for 



ly years, if constantly attended to. 



n the fall remove the earth around the roots of 



tree, and carefully cleanse from all vermin ; 



the roots well bare, and previous to replacing 



earth, put around each tree from 10 to 14 



nds of tobacco stems, pound them with a mall 



1 down, mixing with the earth, until the space 



igain filled around the tree ; this should be 



dy done, with care not to bruise the bark of 



root. In the spring, when pruning, take care 



eep down the shooting branches ; in order to 



vent the tree from growing high, cut from the 



emity of every branch: the effect will be to 



! strength and constitution to the stock, and more 



rishment to the bearing branches. The great 



ct is to prevent an exuberant growth of the tree; 



t is to the exuberance of growth that the early 



ly of the tree in our climate may be attributed ; 



excess of growth is great for a few years, and 



produces disease and decay by exhaustion. 



course I propose will prevent the early de- 



of the tree. 1 feel a confidence from the 



that a friend of mine now has peach trees, 



i healthy and vigorous state, twenty-seven 



old, with every appearance of continuing 



great length of time. The course here rec- 



lended, has been pursued by him for many 



s, and always with success. 



he Pear tree at this season also requires much at- 



0|)en around the roots and cleanse them 



jughly — if any rough bark appears, remove it, 



to each tree put around the roots from three to 



bushels of house ashes ; over this throw the 



1 lightly — the frosts of winter will not injure 



ree — when the spring opens genially warm, 



36 the outer bark of the body of the tree well 



:_ 1, removing freely the outer bark, leaving a 



covering only to the wood. Immediately on 



J'l being done, apply to the surface of the body 



bllowing'wash : — take of soft domestic eoap 



part, of water two parts ; boil them to a 



g ley, and when as hot as it can be made, 



l'€ a swab go over the part previously scraped 



uglily. Great care should be taken in pru- 



Reraove the decaying wood, carefully 



lieJI ig into a healthy part ; the wound should 



vered from the weather by a preparation, 



the heahng process will immediately com- 



!. Each year select a few suckers for 



g fruit, and when they attain a healthy ap- 



nce, remove the extremity of the branch, 



in this manner keep down an extensive 



h of the tree. This must be dona with 



as from the course first proposed there will 



be a great flow of sa[>, and if the tree is to|)ped 

 down too much, will produce decay. If this 

 course is pursued, it will be found that the pear 

 tree will be restored to health ; the bark on the 

 (ddest trees will become fresh, tender, and allow a 

 freer circulation of the juices which are required 

 to secure it from decay, and secure an abundant 

 and delicious production of fruit. The principal 

 cause of deca'^ in the pear tree of our country is 

 from the bark becoming so firm and close, as to 

 prevent a circulation of juices freely, and hence 

 the blight of fruit, premature decay of the foliage, 

 and final destruction of the tree. 



' CULTIVATOR. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



OLDEN TIME IN PENNSYLVANIA, 



is introductory to shewing the Rise and Progress of 



the best of the Agricidture and Gardening in the , 



State. 



Pennsylvania had a small beginning. King 

 Charles' Patent, or Charter to William Penn is i 

 dated March 4, 1680. That summer he sent peo- ] 

 pie and materials, with instructions to select tlie 

 most suitable site for a city, and to build him a 

 lOuse. They fixed and built his house, and laid 

 out the city 25 miles higher up the river, than 

 where Philadelphia was built; another party fixed 

 and laid out the place of the city about 10 or 12 

 miles below ; that is yet called Old PJuladelphia. 

 WiLLiA»i Penn remained in England, and ob- 

 tained another charter from James, Duke of 

 Yo, k, for the state of Delaware, then called the 

 1' ri Aories of JVcwcastle, Kent, and Sussex; that 

 charter bears date the 24th of August, 1682. 

 After that William Penn sailed for his wooden 

 country. They had a tedious voyage ; too much 

 crowded with passengers ; and numbers died on 

 the way with the small pox. 



My grandmother, who died at my father's the 

 14th of February, 1773, supposed to have been 

 upwards of 100. She retained her memory and 

 faculties to the last ; had no learning or knowledge 

 of dates ; could talk Indian before she could 

 English, as she had been brought up in a family 

 of the Swedes that first settled on the Delaware. 



She used often to relate her being present and 

 seeing William Penn first land on Siveed Hill, 

 near the Navy Yard, where they had a church, 

 before there was a Philadelphia, (and yet have 

 one there) ; that she was present the next day at 

 his Treaty with the Indians, under the noted Elm 

 Tree, where a monument is now erected. Will- 

 iam Penn lived in his house 25 miles above 

 Philadelphia for two years, then returned to 

 England. He and his council having fixed the 

 site for Philadelphia, where it now stands, for the 

 advantage of both rivers. The Indian name of 

 the place was Cockaquanunk, signifying a Grove 

 of Pine Trees. My aged grandmother used to 

 relate tlie great sufterings of many of the first 

 settlers for provisions ; that had they not been 

 supplied by the kindness of the Indians, many 

 would have starved and died. 



The first settlers were from England, Wales, and 

 Ireland ; most of them had either been mechanics 

 or day laborers ; few had the use of an axe, or 

 any knowledge how to clear or cultivate their 



land, only as taught by the Indians. William 

 Penn had great trouble in England with the revo- 

 lutions of the; government ; that he was absent 

 from Pennsylvania about twelve years, during 

 which time his country filled slowly with various 

 sects and professions of people. When he came 

 the second time, he built a brick house in Phila- 

 delphia, that is yet standing, and since my memo- 

 ry occupied as a tavern, or house for eating oys- 

 ters. The country did not settle or inijjrove in 

 agriculture as fast as William Penn wished. 

 He only remained in Philadelphia about two 

 years, when he returned again to England. Ho 

 liad heard of some religious sects of people in 

 Germany who had conscientious scruples against 

 bearing arms, and that they were persecuted for 

 their religion. He paid a visit to several parts of 

 Germany, and personally invited them to come 

 and settle in^fiis new country, making to them 

 two special cQincessions. 



1. They •i'lould have liberty of conscience in 

 religion. 



2. They should be exempt from military re- 

 quisitions : — which hath not been observed. 



When they began to arrive, or in what num- 

 bers, I have no account before me. Perhaps but 

 few came during the life of William Penn, who 

 intended and prepared to- come to this country a 

 third time, but was struck with the palsy, declined 

 with weakness, and died in the summer of 17^18, 

 aged 72. 



From the Moravian history it appears that 

 JVazareth and Bethlehem were begun in the year 

 1740. An'' a h..*e majority of the dcrnian emi- 

 grants were of the Menonist Religion. History 

 says that fifty-three ships' loads of German emi- 

 grants arrived in Philadelphia in one summer. 

 All classes of the inhabita!its considered them au 

 acquisition to the country ; and to encourage the 

 emigration, the benevolent people of all classes 

 contributed largely to render their landing and 

 first accommodations comfortable. The Society 

 of Friends appointed suitable agents to advise 

 and assist them to lands and places of residence ; 

 the wealthy merchants that had large quantities of 

 wild lands, were ambitious who should best accom- 

 modate them, either for ready pay, or on credit; 

 amongst whom William Allen, Chief Justice of 

 the Province, was the most conspicuous. Th« 

 State Legislature tried to put a word in. Amongst 

 the rest I see that the 27th of January, 1750, 

 they passed a law to prohibit importing too many 

 Germans in one vessel, and limit the space for 

 each, as follows : — 



1. For every passenger of 14 years, or older, 

 a space of 6 feet long, and 18 inches wide. 



2. For all under 14 years of age, two in that 

 space. 



The war between England and France put a 

 atop to that great flood of emigration ; but th« 

 numbers that came before the war were immense. 

 Jn such a vast multitude, a variety of charac- 

 ter may be expected. Some were men of learn- 

 ing and science ; some could pay for their pas- 

 sage, and for their land ; some paid for their pas- 

 sage, and bought land on credit; such as could 

 not pay their passage were called Redemptioners, 

 and sold for four years for their passage-money. 



