NEW ENOL.ANB FARMER. 



Published by John B. Russell, at JVs. 52 J^Torth Market Street, (at t/ie .igricuUural If'arehouse). — Thomas G. Fessenden, Editor. 



VOL. VIII. 



BOSTOIV, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1829. 



No. 18. 



AGRICULTURE. 



FOR TH^ KEW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



RARE FRUITS. 



Mr Editor — I would solicit tlic attention of 

 Horticultural Society ol" Boston, to the follow- 

 varicties of the Apple, described iu the '• Jour- 

 of a Horticultural Tour tlirou^li Flanders, llol- 

 d, aiit^lie north of France, in 1817." This 

 rncy was undertaken at the suggestion of Sir 

 i.\ Si.NULAiR, by a Deputation of the Caledo- 

 n Horticultural Society, for the purpose of as- 

 taining"any new or uncommon varieties of 

 ts and culinary vegetables, which it might be 

 irable to introduce into Scotland." 

 ^AxnicK Neill, Esq. the Secretary of that So- 

 ty, and the author of the article on Horticul- 

 e in the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, was one of 

 Deputation ; and from his intelligence and in- 

 itry, we may expect to derive some useful in- 

 malion. 



riie first variety which attracted the attention 

 the Deputation was the 



C'omple d'Orm ; a new seedling; apple, produced 

 Maestricht about the year ISOO ; said to be of 

 client quality, and has.been cultivated for soifl& 

 rs at Antwerp. — (p(ige 106. J , 



Ffeerc Appel, or Gvntkitidii's Apple. — A large 

 it, and good iu the'.dessert ; cultivated at Rot- 

 dam. — (puge 127./ - . 

 Zijdchtmd or-i Jerusalem Apple. — Esteemed at 



arlcin ; the fruit of a rich glossy appearance 



ire 174.) _ ^^ 



Gravmsttiii. — ~A large fruit, of a yellow hue, 

 I some markings of red. The pulp is not very 

 ler, but abouuds with juice iof a rich flavor. 

 gathered before being fully rife, it keeps well 

 ough the winter." This excellent varietj', whifh 

 aid to be a native of Denmark, has been intro- 

 ;ed into Scotland by Dlncan CowKy, Csq. It 

 figured in the " Transactions of the llorticul- 

 al Socifety of London." — (vol. iv.p. 52.3. t. 21.) 

 I described in Forsyth, 7th edition, p. 105, as 

 • round, somewhat flattened, and rather an- 

 ar at the sides. The eye deeply sunk; skin 

 30th, of a fine clear straw color, streaked with 

 next the sun : flesh pale yellow, not fine in 

 ture, juicy, with a high vinous sweet taste. — It 

 US the end of October, and will not keep after 

 end of Novemlier." , 



Boi-sdorfer. — " Originated in Saxony, and has 

 many years, been considered one of the best iu 

 t country. There are two varieties. — The 

 anion or autumn Borsdorfer, when ripe, is of a 

 iowisli color, with a little red on 04ie side ; the 

 or pleasant, and the juice plentiful and sweet — 

 fruit of medium size. The other variety is 

 ed the Red or Winter Borsdorfer ; it is red on 

 : fide, and dotted with red on the other ; the 

 p white, but reddish at the core, and possessing 

 otiier good qualities of the autunm kind. The 

 lily of the fruit continues to improve until 

 y." The tree is described as attaining a large 

 ;, and the blossom is said to be hardy, and not 

 le to be injured by the sjiring frosts. — (page 

 >.) This is probably llie Boriior^ of Forsyth, 

 1 the Borsdorf or (^ueen^ s Apple of Loldon. — 



It is figured in Langley's " Pomona," (t. 11. f G.) 

 in Knoop's " Pomologia," (p. 35. tab. 10,) and in 

 the " Trait^ des Arbres Fruitiers," by Duhatncl, 

 (n. 6.j Forsyth says " it is a beautiful fruit, red 

 next the sun, and of a fine 3ellow on the othc'r 

 side. Itis about the size of the Golden Pippin, 

 and next in perfecti'on to that celebrated apple. 



'•The Quecti was so fond of this ajjple, that she 

 had a considerable number of them annually im- 

 poi-tcd from ' Germany." It is described in Lou- 

 don as " a much' esteemed Gernjan fruit, of a co- 

 nical figure ; color, yellow and green ; flesh, firm 

 and aromatic ; excellent for the table, and lasts 

 till February." The French name of this variety 

 is Postoplie d'Hiver. 



Frau-Apple. — Tliis is a favorite apple at Am- 

 sterdam, and is brought down the Rhine from 

 Germany. " It is truly a winter fruit ; the size 

 large, the skin bro>vn, the pulp very hard, but of 

 good flavor; it keeps firm not only over winter, 

 but till July of the following summer." — p. 227. 



In the summer of 1821, Mr Neill visited 

 Franco the second time, when the two following 

 varieties were highly recommended by M. Noi- 

 sette, the projuietor of a celebrated Nursery near 

 the National Observatoiy, Paris. 

 "'. If'hile Spanish Rennet. — " Is a long, cylindrical 

 shaped apjilo, having a delicate skin, marked with 

 a fine bloom or farina. It is one of the best and 

 most iwjijamental, apples for the dessert in the win- 

 ter a^in early spring months. 



De'Caux. — "Another Rennet of large and 

 beai!tifiil fiuit, and is in perfection for the table in 

 ■"'.briiary and Msn'ch. A. single applcMfwiil some- 

 times weigh more tlian a pound, and the tree is 

 productive." — (p. 460.) . 



Five of the above varieties liave recently been 

 introduced into the nurseries on Long Island, and 

 are advertised for sale at extra prices. j^ 

 ' Your obedient servant, * 



ADAMS FOSTER. 



Providence, jYov. 11, 1S29. 



POTAT*OES. 



Mr Fesse.nden — In your paper of November 6, 

 much is said, and many authorities quoted, on the 

 subject of rtiising Potatoes, but not a word do I 

 find, as to«i few things, which, after all, are, in my 

 humble opinion, cf more importance than all the 

 rest : — I mean manure, the form of the hill, and 

 keeping the crop free from weeds. As to the 

 matter whether you plant a larg« or middle 

 sized, or small potato, or whether you cut them iu 

 pieces, or plant the sprouts only, — as a plain prac- 

 tical man, I have only to say, what indeed some 

 of your autliorities intimate, that one large potato, 

 (quite large,) or two or three of a middling size, 

 (that is, a fair size for the table,) are far tlie most 

 likely to insure a good crop. Why should not 

 your potatoes for ])lanting be selected, as well as 

 every other seed .-' I am inclined to think it bad 

 economy to cut and sprout for planting, merely 

 with a view of saving seed. With particular care, 

 they may sometimes do well ; but I apprehend 

 these cases to be exceptions, and that generally 

 the cultivator is disappointed. Some seed is saved 

 by it, but the labor is the same, and, so far as re- 

 gards cutting and sprouting, is increased. As to 



the soil — newly brnlcen uj) land is no doubt to be 

 preferred — if it be not too wet. — A dry soil does 

 badlj'. — A cool and moist season is found best — 

 but for this we dejiend on a kind Provideuce and 

 no precautions, in planting, are of much avail. Of 



the manner of hailing, I say nothing A good 



cook knows more thajjf I do about that. 



And now, Mr E4^r, as respects my important 

 things. 



1. As to nianurc-. — I have this year had a little 

 experience that has proved a good lesson to me. 

 The long red potato, which we all know is among 

 our most productive ; — the Elam potato from 

 Rliode Island, and the Chenango, — both excellent 

 kinds, and which grow to a good size, — these 1 

 planted round my corn field in two or three rows, 

 and some of the long reds in a patch near the 

 centre of the corn, and gave them the same care 

 that the corn had, that is, three ploughings and 

 lioeings, and the same manure, being a compost of 

 a year old, made vp of about one half of clear emir 

 and horse dung, and the other half of best tneadow- 

 mud; and I may add, I gave them the same ample 

 quantity to the hill that I did the corn. An acre 

 or n)ore — adjoining the corn field, generally the 

 same kind of soil — I planted wholly with the 

 blue nose potatoes, and a yellow potato, which I 

 value much, and which I had from' "Quebec about 

 four years ago. This acre or^pMch I liad ma- 

 nured with what ^ve farmei-s call coarse, or long 

 dung; being the moist.and newly made manure from 

 the barn yard and cellar, viith a good jnixtitri:,of old- 

 refuse hay and straw, and nothing else. Now those 

 whicli I pIa;\'^>Uw:tli the old compost manure, di<l 

 not produce one fiiird part as much as those witl) 

 the new. I speak within compass when I say this. 

 The patch with the coarse manure turned out fa- 

 mously — about a bushel for every ten or twelve 

 hills. The others took so many hills to the busliel 

 that I was ashamed to count them. — I impute the 

 difference solely to the dung, andwill take good care 

 how I get caught so again. It could not well be iu 

 the ki7ids of potato — tor we plant no kind more 

 productive than the long reds. In saying all this 

 about manure, Mr Editor, I tell nothing new to 

 our good old practical farmers. They understand 

 the tiling perfectly. Whether it be better to ))ut 

 the potato under or over the dung, in planting, 1 

 ofler no opinion, excepting my belief that there is 

 little or no difference. Generally, the manure is 

 dropped first. 



2. As to the form of the hill. I have noticed 

 in New Hampshire and Vei'mont, where they un- 

 derstand this matter as well, and have as fine 

 crops as any where, that, instead of making the 

 hill like a sugar loaf, they make it of about the 

 shape that the plough makes it where you plougli 

 both ways, with the rows about three feet apart. — 

 Indeed, I believe they think but little drawing in_^,., . 

 or hoeing up necessary, after ploughing both ways. 



In this mode it is evident that, instead of the rain 

 running off, as in the case of hilling up to a cone, 

 the flat hill receives it all, and gives room for the 

 roots to expand, and does not expose a great sur- 

 face, all round, and near the roots, to be dried up. 



3. Keeping the potatoes free from weeds. — 

 Little need be said on this head. Nothing does 

 well, if you let your ground run over to weeds. 



