THE GENESEE FARMER. 



3-1 



The varieties of pears selected should he those 

 kuowii to do well on their own roots — with a lib- 

 eral share of the later kinds. The Bartlett, Ileath- 

 cot, Fulton, Louise Bonne de Jersey, Flemish 

 Beauty, Belle Lucrative, Vicar of Winkfield, Seckel, 

 Maria Louise, Washington, Swan's Orange, Winter 

 Nellis, and Lawrence,VoHld be among the number 

 I would plant in Massachusetts, though position and 

 climate should be considered. 



By properly cultivating this area of choice pear 

 ti'ees, can any one harbor a thought that it would 

 not constitute the most valuable acre a farmer could 

 possess? Would not his children bless him for it? 

 And could he not feel as just and equal pride in this 

 living monument of his wisdom and industry, as if 

 in his country's cause he had won by his valor the 

 most coveted laurels that could be bestowed. 



West Medford, Mass., Nw. 1857. D. "VV. L. 



CULTIVATION OF CRANBERRIES. 



The cranberr}^ plot may be a peat swamp, a muck 

 swamp, or indeed almost any kind of low land, unless 

 it is too cold, which is not often the case. If it is a 

 piece which can be easily llowed it will be a great 

 deal better, because the vines and fruit may thus be 

 easily protected from the frost, and the ravages of 

 the worm will be eftectually prevented. 



These difficulties, which are so comjdetely over- 

 come by flowing, are the principal obstacles in tlie 

 way of raising cranberries ui)on upland. But the 

 fact that small natural patches are sometimes found 

 flourishing upon upland, warrants the belief that 

 even there tliey may, with proper attention, be made 

 a renumerative crop. The low lauds are, however, 

 Avithout doubt the best. 



In i)reparing the bed, if there are any places in 

 which the Avater will stand and stagnate, first drain 

 them ; next take oft' tlie turf, or if a good supjjly of 

 sand is convenient, it will do well to cover the grass 

 with a coating of it from three to six inches in depth. 

 For this purpose, no doubt fine beach sand is best, 

 but any fine clear sand will answer. When the 

 sod is taken oft" from a peat swamp, it sliould be ex- 

 posed to the action of the frost one winter, before 

 the vines are planted, or tlie soil will cake and thus 

 kill them. Excellent cranberries have been raised 

 by digging the muck all oft' from a swamp, and up- 

 on the bottom of hard pan, sowing the berries and 

 covering Avith a thin coating of fresh loam. 



Having prepared the ground, select such vines as 

 are hnoicn to be good bearers; sej)arate them, and 

 set them up carefully. If the soil is well 'prepared, 

 this will be easily done, and the thicker they are set, 

 the sooner will tliey become matted. Another very 

 good and much easier way is to mow the vines, pass 

 them through a haycutter, sow them broadcast, and 

 rake or harrow them in. They are very tenacious 

 of life, and, sown in this manner, will sprout from 

 each joint, and in a sliort time cover the whole 

 ground. 



When tlie fruit is gathered in Autumn, the plot 

 should be flowed, and the water allowed to remain 

 upon them in spring till they are safe from iniury 

 by frost. The water should then "be drawn a litt e 

 below the surface and allowed to remain tin oug'i 

 the season. The berries should be picked, not rak- 

 ed, for the rake injures both vine and fruit. _ n. 



TRANSPLANTING EVERGREENS. 



No careful gardener ])robably finds much difficulty 

 in transplanting evergi-eens from one ]jart of his 

 grounds to another ; for he will keep attached to 

 the roots as much earth as possible, Aviiich general- 

 ly is sufficient, (when they have been standing in 

 soil rich enough to tempt numerous fibres) to sus- 

 tain tliem at almost any season of the year — though 

 I should prefer June. So in regard to liriiiging 

 them from the nursery — ^tlie more earth Avhich can 

 be taken up, the less particular we need be in the 

 time of setting. 



But I ])ropose to speak of ti-ansplanting ever- 

 greens under disadvantages. The most difficult of 

 these I find to be the Ileinlock, taken from the forest. 

 About a year ago (in November,) I Avas anxious to 

 procure a few dozen of these trees for my own 

 grounds and knoAving Avhere there was a lot of them 

 in the woods, free to any one Avho Avould go after 

 them, I in-ocured some assistance and set out for 

 them. I took this season because it was convenient 

 — not intending to set them out till spring, but to 

 keep them in the cellar. 



In taking up these hemlocks it Avould, of course, 

 be Avell to take up as much earth as possible ; but 

 there is hardly none, for the ground is generally 

 rocky, and the roots extend at great length just 

 under the accumulation of leaves, and hardly pene- 

 trate the soil, except in exposed situations. I care- 

 fully pulled up about thirty of these trees, of sizes 

 from one foot high to six, and placed them in tlie 

 corner of my cellar and covered their roots Avith 

 good loam. I reasoned thus : If the Avinter kills 

 these trees as asserted, when ]>lanted late, I will 

 keep mine Avarm in the cellar till spring. In Ax>ril 

 of this year I set them, and occasionally watered 

 them, but on the seventeenth of June there Avere 

 but tliree or four Avhich ])romised to live ! On this 

 day I procured about as many more, Avhich had 

 started nearhj half an inch, and in August nearly 

 half of them were alive. I fancied this a success. 

 During the dampest portion of this month I pro- 

 cured more, but lost about Iavo thirds of them. 



The question may Avell be asked, Avhy is it that 

 evergreens are more difficult to make live in trans- 

 planting than most other trees? If Ave expose their 

 roots to the air, they very soon dry up, and if Ave 

 plant them early in the spring, the high Avinds shake 

 them and frequently rob them of their vitality. — • 

 We knoAv that a stick of pine Avood Avill dry sooner 

 than one of oak or maple, or the trunk of an apjde 

 tree. Does the volatile character of their turpen- 

 tine destroy the evergreens ? It is said that in these 

 trees the epiderm is is mostly resinous, and this cir- 

 cumstance Avould seem to ])reserve tliem from any 

 escape of vital fluid. Yet it does seem to be a fact 

 that they are more liable to dry up than other trees. 

 Is it because they are transplanted Avith their foli- 

 age, and that the sap evaporates through it before 

 their roots take liold to draAv necessary nourish- 

 ment. I am inclined to the latter belief, though 

 Avitli care they may be made to live. Some chemist 

 or physiologist should analyze the evergreen, and 

 sliOAV us how it is distinguished from the deci<luous 

 tree in sap and foliage — or hoAv it lives and dies. 



But dispensing Avith theory, I belieA-e facts abun- 

 dantly show, that about thefirsst of Jime is the best 

 time to jjlant evergreens, Avliere there is but little 

 or no soil retained on their roots, and that thej 



