NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BY J. B. RUSSELL, AT NO. 52 NORTH MARKET STREET, (at thk Agiucultubal Warehouse. )—T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



VOL IX. 



BOSTOIV, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 183 O. 



NO. 12. 



(s (S> sa sa w sr !i ^ ii ^ a (£> s¥ s» 



FRUITS. 

 HOM.'^s G. Fessexde>, Esq. — 



Dear Sir — I iiiteml soiiding you a list of pears 

 om the olJ Catalogue wljicli I have selecteil 

 cm 117 sorts. They are arranged according to 

 re time of their ripening, and arc ttccoinpanicd 

 itii some remarks suitable to the character of the 

 spective fruits. If, in your opinion .«nch a list 

 ill be of any service to the public, who take an 

 terest in the cultivation of these fruits, you can 

 jblish it; if you think that it is not required, 



u can suppress it. 



I am aware that the taste of horticulturists 

 ns at present altogether on the new varieties, 

 nidi have been raised in Europe, or found here 

 wildings. But I doubt if any of these will be 



iind to equal many of the old fruits which have 



snso longand sodeservedly celebrated through- 



t Christendom. 



It is true that many of the best of the old 



irs are liable to blast anil crack, when raised in 



{open country ; but this is not the case in 

 ;k settled towns, where these fruits may still 

 ! cultivated with great advantage. The St Mi- 

 .el. Brown Beurr6, Crassannc, St Germain, Vir- 

 f deuse, and Chauinonlel may all be brought to as 

 ■ at perfection in Philadelphia, New York, Hart- 

 fi I, Boston, Salom, and many less populous 



iTS, both on the sea coast and in the Western 

 ntry, as they are in France, where they are 

 enied among the most valuable productions of 

 garden. These fruits, when pro])erly culti- 

 4 td, and well matureil, are unequalled by any of 

 i|l new species that I have as yet seen ; and I 

 i^ et the prejudice that is raised against them 

 :ig cultivators in this country, because I fear 

 it will not be many years before they are en- 

 y eradicated from the American soil, 

 s regards the new sorts of pears, raised in Eu- 

 , we have yet to learn how many of these will 

 h • our harsh climate when raised in the opencoun- 

 Until this is ascertained, it will, it seeins to me, 

 b§est to preserve some of the valuable kinds above 

 tiuned, that further experiments may be made, 

 a view to their preservation, before they arc 

 ly condemned. 



he manner in which we plant Fruit Trees in 



tllcountry is perhaps one reason why they do 



ucceed so well here as in France. Here no 



rd is paid to the kind of soil, or to the exposi- ! 



in which any particular species of fruit is 



')tid. The Crassanne and the St Michael, the 



-ermain and the Brown Beurr6 ; the Virgou- 



l*^ le|s and the Chaumontel are all planted in the 



! soil, and exposed to the same asfiect, with- 



nquiring whether there be any congeniality 



bdeen the plants and the soil and situation in 



vHI h it is placed. — A Crassanne, which would be 



e fruit in a moist loam would be good for 



ing in a dry, gravelly soil, which suits the St 



M lael. A St Germain, which is comparatively a 



p<i and stony fruit in a dry and northern aspect, 



o of the best, if not the very best, winter 



that is known, if planted in a good moist 



aff la . with a southern exposition ; while the Brown 



Beiirrc acconunodates itself to all sorts of soil in 

 which it is jilaccd. — The Virgoulense, alike in- 

 dilferent to all soils, will, however, if exposed too 

 much to the burning rays of the sun, crack or 

 split open ; whereas, the Cliaumontel, to make it a 

 melting and fine fruit, requires a free, but strong 

 loan, while it is indifi'erent as to it exposition. 



!n France, where these fruits are raised in 

 greater perfection than elsewhere, attention is paid 

 to :hese circumstances, so that each kind of fruit 

 gets the soil and exposition which it requires to ad- 

 vance its growth, and perfect its maturity. — Such 

 fruits as require a wall to eflect this object, arc 

 phnited and trained against the houses, or walls 

 su:rounding them in the country, as well as in the 

 towns ; or raised in sheltered gardens, but not set 

 ou: in the open fields or orchards, exposed to the 

 heivy and chilling blasts which often visit that 

 fun3 country as well as our own. — These trees are 

 carefully pruned with a view to give them the best 

 fruit ; while they are made to proiiuce a sufficient 

 quantity. — No more fruit is allowed to remain on 

 the tree than it can nourish with ease, and bear 

 without injury. 



The operation of thinning fruit, is one at which 

 we reluct more, perhaps, than any other which 

 we are called upon to perform in the cultivation of 

 our gardens — but this is an avarice which recoils 

 on ourselves ; — for in the first place the nourish- 

 ment which the tree affords, is divided among the 

 superabundant quantity which it bears, and which 

 !» of course stinted in its growth ; and in the se- 

 cond place, the weight on the limbs of the tree, 

 when operated on by strong winds, tend, not only 

 to destroy the branches, but to bruise and mate- 

 rially injure the fruit that remains. Whereas, by a 

 judicious thinning out when the fruit is small, that 

 which remains becomes of nmch finer quality 

 and larger size ; and its weight would not burden 

 the tree, nor be so liable to injury from the au- 

 tumnal storms to which we are so subject to this 

 country. Its product in this latter case is accord- 

 ingly better and more profitable. 



By the foregoing observations I by no means 

 intend to disparage the new fruits that have been 

 introduced from Europe within the last eight or 

 ten years ; nor those that arc supposed by many 

 to be wildings of this country, i have eaten of 

 both kinds, and have found them well worth culti- 

 vation. I hojje, however, we shall not be too has- 

 ty in declaring fruits wildings of our own soil, 

 before the fact is well established, ns there is 

 nothing which exposes Societies, or individuals, so 

 much to ridicule, as assuming facts without proof. 

 Little as I know myself, on this subject, I know 

 enough to satisfy my mind that not unfrequcntly 

 those who pretend to know most, are essentially 

 deficient in the knowledge they profess. — Let us, 

 therefore, wait until the new varieties found in New 

 [England are tested in Europe, and particularly in 

 France and England before we decide, without 

 I reserve, that these fruits originated here. — Great 

 praise is doubtless due to one of your society, for 

 I his persevering and great industry in hunting up 

 those supposed new fruits, but before they are 

 officially adopted by the Horticultural Society as 

 unknown to Europe, and as evidence of this coun- 

 i try, let ua wait until the ecions which have been 



Kont to the old world have produced fruit, and are 

 ilure acknowledged to belong to us. 



A LOOKER ON. 

 Brooliline, Oct. 4th, 1830. 



rrocf-eJin,"! ofthn MMaachusotlB Iloilicullural Socioty, ct a mMling 

 liolil ill the Hall iif iho Society on lire 2d of Octolxir, 1830. 



The President read the following letter from Vi- 

 comte Ilcricourt D'Thury. 



< Horticultnml Society, 

 i I'aria, May 24, 1830. 



5Ia President — I liave received with your 

 letter of the 31st of January, the scions which 

 you were so kind as to send me, consisting of 



10 varieties of Pear, 



6 " of Apples, 



1 " of Cherry, 



3 " of Grape Vines, and among others 



that called Isabella, which was accompanied by a 

 pcrlicular account of its culture. 



In confonnity to your intentions, the whole 

 were placed before the society, which has received 

 this present wilh gratitude, and immediately con- 

 fideil the grafts to able cultivators, who will ren- 

 der an account of the results which they may ob- 

 tain. Tlic vines have been placed with the nu- 

 merous collection, which the society alreatly pos- 

 sesses. 



I sincerely regret, that the season is so much 

 advanced, as not to be able to offer you in return 

 for your precious donation, some of the jiroduc- 

 tions of our soil ; but our society will esteem it- 

 self happy if, ft the favorable epoch, you will 

 make a special requisition, which shall be 

 promptly complied with. 



I am particularly happy, 3Ir President, to em- 

 brace this occ.isioii to express to you the interest 

 which I take in the labors of your society, and 

 the satisfaction I experience in being the inter- 

 mediacy of the exchanges and communications of 

 the two A.ssociations, which have but one common 

 object, the advancement of the perfection of Hor- 

 ticultural Science. 



You will receive with this letter, a complete 

 collection of the Annals of the Society, and I 

 have given orders, that the numbers of this work 

 be transmitted to you as often as they are pub- 

 ll>bed. 



1 have the honor to offer you, Mr President, 

 the assurance of my high consideration, 



VicoMTE Hericodrt D'Thdrv, 



( President of the HorticDjttusl 

 ) Society of Paris. 

 Mr Dn.naonN, rrejidcnt of ) 

 the Mas3. Hort. yuciely. { 



Besides the liberal present of the Annals of the 

 Horticultural Society of Paris, the President, Vi- 

 conite Heiicourt D"l'hury, has forwarded for our 

 library, the following copies of his own works. 



1. Notice Historique sur la Plantation de la 

 Montague de St-Marlin-De,Pauvre, 



2. Rapport .sur de Concours ou vent pour le 

 pencemcnt des Puits Fores, 



3. Programme D'Un Concours pour Ic pence- 

 ment des Puits Fores. 



4. Extrait D'Un Rapport fait a la Societe D' 

 Encouragement pour I'lndustrie Nationale sur 

 I'establissemcnt de Lithoglyptique de M. Vollin. 



5. Rapport a la Societe Roy ale et Centrale D' 



