368 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



For the New England Fanner. 



USE OF GUANO. 



Mr. Editor : — Some notice was taken in your 

 paper, tlie last season, of an unsuccessful applica- 

 tion oi' icuano to land sown with grass seed, wliicli 

 came up well at first, but did not mature suffi- 

 ciently to be worth cutting. The field has re- 

 mained in the hope of a better result — but with 

 little prospect of it. The present apjicai-anee is, 

 that no benefit whatever, will result from the 

 gua?io applied. I saw the field a few days since, 

 and am satisfied that there was some mistake 

 about the dressing or mode of applying it. 



Another field has recently come to my notice, 

 where about 200 lbs. of guano was applied to the 

 acre about the first of April. It was dissolved in 

 urine, collected under the stalls of the stable, and 

 spread upon the land, from the cask set upon 

 wheels, such as is sometimes used for the water- 

 ing of streets. The growth of grass, however, is 

 luxuriant, — not less than three tons to the acre. 

 for the first cutting. How much of this is to 

 be credited to the guano account is matter of con- 

 jecture — but I think, not less than ten pounds of 

 bay to one of guano — which is pretty well for 

 first experiment. 



Having stated the failure in one case, I thouglit 

 it but fair to state the result in the other. 



The last season, I heard considerable said of a 

 preparation of bones for fertilizing uses by Prof. 

 HoKsfoRD of Cambridge, and saw some specimens 

 distributed for trial, but have heard nothing of it 

 the present season. Can you tell me, and the 

 public, what is to be expected from this source. 



June 26, 1854. *. 



if well planted, with some compost in the bole, 

 whicli will well decompose in the winter, it may 

 be the best season. 



When rapidly growing trees are planted in the 

 spring, it is important that they be taken up early 

 before the buds swell, and heeled in, or kept in 

 some damp place, till convenient to set them out. 



Hardy, slow-growing trees, when planted in 

 autumn, require less mulching than wlien plant- 

 ed in the spring ; and this fact furnishes one rea- 

 son for fall planting, all other things bt-ing favor- 

 able. If a tree has grown very rapidly t!;e pre- 

 vious reason, I should prefer to transplant it in 

 the spring. 



In regard to heading in at transplanting, I 

 think all superfluous limbs should be taken off; 

 but no more, under ordinai-y circumstances. Of 

 a dozen large pear trees set last fall, Ijrouglit from 

 western New York, some were headed down this 

 spring and grafted with better sorts ; but those 

 not liberally trimmed threw out buds as soon as 

 the others. The scions did not take, as was par- 

 tially anticipated — the branches being cut off with 

 a view of saving the tree. ». w. l 



West Medford, June 17, 1854. 



Remarks. — Our own experience in transplanting 

 fruit trees has been much like that of "d. w. l." 



For the Neii< England Farmer. 



TIME FOR TRANSPLANTING FRUIT 

 TREES. 



One of my first lessons in Horticulture was, that 

 stone-fruit trees, should be transplanted in the 

 Spring, but that other trees would do equally well 

 in autumn, if not better. Mr. Cole (author of the 

 Fruit Book) once told me that peach trees, even, 

 if planted in the fall, would do quite as well as il 

 planted in the spring. To some extent I have 

 acted on his suggestion, when convenient, but my 

 success has been poor. In more favorable lati- 

 tudes, tender fruit trees and all rapidly growing 

 forest trees, perhaps, will do well planted in the 

 fall. But in Massachusetts these trees live through 

 our hard winters only by virtue of their tenacity 

 to the soil, which keeps up the temperature of 

 the stocks and enables them to resist a frost which 

 if loosened by fall planting, would probably prove 

 fatal to them. It is reasonable to suppose that a 

 sudden check of the sap in rapidly growing trees, 

 or a diminution of its quantity, previous to a hard 

 winter, must be detrimental. 



A few years ago I planted in autumn a dozen 

 or fifteen small silver-leaf maples — very rapidly 

 growing trees — but they were nearly all winter- 

 killed. About a dozen peach trees which I set 

 last fall, look now as if they were dead, and they 

 will probably not show much disposition to rally 

 for some weeks, if they do at all. Of all trees, the 

 peach seems to be the most affected when planted 

 ni autumn. My experience teaches me, also, that 

 the spring is the best time for plums. Apples 

 and pears, however, do very well in the fall ; and 



For the New England Farmer. 



CHINESE FOR FARMERS OR GARDEN- 

 ERS. 



Some months since, an interesting article, on 

 the subject of "Chinese Manures," was published 

 in the Farmer, in reply to my inquiries, written 

 by the Rev. Mr. Syle, who spent several years in 

 China, as a missionary. I have just received a 

 letter from him, dated New York, July 7th, in 

 which, alluding to my interest in the agriculture 

 of the Chinese, he says : 



'•Allow me to inquire Aviiether your interest ex- 

 tends from their agriculture to the Chinese them- 

 selves, and whether you would like a little company 

 of them to work together on your farm. If so, I think 

 j'ou could be suited, for I find here in this city some 

 eighteen or twenty Chinese, who I think could be in- 

 duced to engage themselves as husbandmen, garden- 

 ers, &c., and that too at a rate of wages which might 

 be considered quite low in this country. For the 

 last few weeks I have been a good deal among the 

 Chinese who have found their way lierr — indeed I 

 have been invited to act as a sort of Home Mis- 

 sionary among them — and much they needed some 

 one to give them a heljiing hand, for they have been 

 shamefully imposed upon in this Christian coun- 

 try. 



But to return to my suggestion; if it falls in with 

 your views, I should be glad to hear from you at once 

 stating how many you would like to take charge of, 

 and on what terms. 



I am, Sir, 



Yours very truly, 



E. M. Syle." 



Being unable myself to employ any of these 

 people, I take the liberty of publishing the above 

 extract of a private letter, in the hope that some 

 of the farmers and gardeners in the vicinity of 

 Boston will be induced to take a "little company" 

 of these "Celestial" strangers, who in coming to 

 this Christian country have unfortunately fallen 



