30 



THE GENESEE FAEMER. 



it was not more than half the work to dig mine 

 that it was his; mine were np in the hill, his 

 were down in the ground, and we had to dig nearly 

 a fo(»t into tlie ground for some of them at that.— 

 The ditferenee in the two crops is owing in the first 

 place, to the manner in which they were planted ; 

 in the next place, to the time of planting — as mine 

 were planted earlier than his, they had more time 

 to grow before the rot struck them. 



As the preseiit season has been very wet with us, 

 early planted potatoes have rotted badly, and late 

 ])otatues did not get their growth, as the rot took 

 them at the same time. There are seasons when 

 potatoes are almost a failure, either by the rot, or 

 ♦ixtreme drouth. This season, there are several 

 fields about here that will not yield the seed that 

 was planted. Yet over these calamities we have no 

 control, although we may cultivate well. This is a 

 lesson we should remember: although Paul may plant 

 and Apollos water, yet God gives the increase. 



Walton, Del, Co., N. Y. E. .H 



PLANTING TREES BY THE EOADSLDE. 



Plant trees by the roadside and any where else 

 that you have a waste foot of ground. They will not 

 only be useful, but will add greatly to the beauty of 

 the country scenery. liow beautiful they looked 

 this autum by the roadside, in the pastures and the 

 forests, as they stood in the warm Uctcjber sunshine 

 with their rich fall dresses of crimson and gold. 

 Some, to be sure, were dressed in russet brown but 

 this only added to the charms of the picture. 

 The forests were so deeply and richly colored, 

 this autumn, that they reminded one of tlie de- 

 scripti(nis given of the pictures by the old painters. 

 We can not do without trees; our laud would 

 be a desert without them. The farmer says, "I 

 can not afford to plant trees; it does not pay ; 'they 

 take up too much ground; and tliey will never do 

 me any good." What if they are of no benefit to you, 

 what right have yon to rob your country of its 

 noble forest trees, and to do nothing towards re- 

 plenishing them? But you are not certain it will 

 not benedt you. If you wish to sell your form, 

 5'ou will be able to dispose of it much more readily 

 and to greater advantage if the roadsides are ju- 

 di(>i()usly planted with beautiful trees of various 

 kiuds, than if nothing can be seen but wild fields, 

 dusty roads, and old rail fences. I do not advocate 

 planting trees promiscuously over the fixrm, in the 

 cultivated lields, but wherever brooks and gullies 

 cross, and in all situations not available for purposes 

 of cultivation, where trees will fionrish, I would 

 say, plant them and tend them with care, and you 

 will be made giad as they grow and lift up their 

 green heads in beauty; your children, as they grow 

 lip will thank you for planting them; the birds, as 

 they return in spring, and build their nests in their 

 branches, will sing you songs of thankfulness ; the 

 cattle, as they retreat from the scorching rays of the 

 summer sun to shelter themselves beneath their 

 spreading _ branehe-;, will be grateful for the cool 

 shade. If you should leave your home, and be gone 

 many years, and return to see what beautiful objects 

 they had grown to be, I am sure you would be glad 

 that your hand had planted them. 



First in utility and beauty for shade trees, are 

 the Maples; their wood is valuable for fuel and 

 tiiaber, and they form such beautiful heads of dense 



green foliage, and are so richly colored by the frosts 

 of autumn, and last, though not least, yield such 

 quantities of sweet sap, that they should be planted 

 plentifully. The Ash, with its tall, straight stem, 

 and fine head, is good timber and should be planted. 

 The Elm, with its widespread arching branches and 

 pendant limbs, swaying in the lightest breeze of 

 summer, is a beautiful object in any landscape. — 

 The Linden, or Basswood, with its round head and 

 broad quaker leaves is a line tree. Then there are 

 the Oak, the Beech, the Hickory, the Chestnut, and 

 the Blackwalnut all useful and beautiful trees, each 

 of which should receive a share of attention. — 

 Evergreens for winter scenery should also be con- 

 sidered. The Fir, with its straight tapering spire 

 of dense, dark green foliage, is a splendid object. 

 The Pine, with its graceful top ; and the despised, 

 though useful Hemlock, should all be planted for 

 usefulness, and to vary and embellish the landscape. 



Java Village, Wyoming Co. N. Y. A. J. TAYLOE. 



CULTIVATION OF STANDAED PEARS. 



An elderly farmer of Dorchester, Mass., who had 

 planted a large apple orchard and seen it bear lux- 

 uriently, observed to the writer, that if he ever 

 planted another orchard, it should be of pears. 

 " For," added he, "when apple trees bear heavily, 

 the fruit is a drug in the market, and brings but 

 $1.50. per bbl.; whereas, pears would bring from 

 $10 to $20 per bbl., with no more labor in picking." 



I thought there was much truth in the remark, 

 and had I enough of the proper land, I would act 

 upon the suggestion — tliough good ai)ple orchards 

 should by no means be neglected. 



As to the profits of pears, nothing need be said to 

 those who live near a city or thriving village ; and 

 the only question is, how far a farmer must be exiled 

 in the wilderness to make pear culture , unprofit- 

 able ? We can imagine some such recluses ; but when 

 an orchard now set shall be in a full bearing state, 

 it might no longer stand in the wilderness, for rail- 

 roads, the greatest artificial blessing to farmers, are so 

 ramifying the new countries that they bring — al- 

 most every morning— the older cities and the newer 

 farming districts into commercial proximity. 



In cultivating the standard pear for market, I 

 should plant an acre — if I had sufiicient land — and 

 would prefer a strong upland soil, inclined to the 

 south or west. If I could not get this, I would 

 trench the low land so that the roots would be free 

 from excessive moisture — thereby giving a better 

 maturing power to the soil, and enabling" the fertil- 

 izing agents to permeate among and beneath the 

 roots. ^ The lot should be deeply plowed and high- 

 ly cultivated for root crops one or two years previ- 

 ous to setting the trees, which latter should be done 

 in the spring, and perhaps not more than fifteen feet 

 apart each way — giving to tlie acre 193 trees. I 

 should train them as pyramids, keeping the lowest 

 branches within two or three feet of the ground. 

 Care should be taken to keep the land in a fertile 

 state, and root crops for a number of years could be 

 grown in the intermediate spaces. The time when 

 all the resources of the land should be devoted to 

 the trees, judgment should dictate. After the trees 

 begin to bear heavily, some special manuring might 

 be requisite, but, generally speaking, tlie heat miner- 

 al manures are the hoe and the cultivator. :>'" 



