142 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



NOV. :i, 1841 



Anr> HORTICULTURAL RKOISTER. 



BoiTOK, WEDHESnAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1841. 



FRUIT NURSERIES. 



In another column of tliis paper will be Tound an ar- 

 ticle from the pen of Allen W. Dodge, Esq., of Hamil- 

 ton, upon the growing of trees — especially tlie apple 

 tree. We insert his communicalion with gr«at plea- 

 sure. He distinctly and mnngly asks atttiiilinn In a 

 ■ ttbject that is too much neglected by farmers generally. 



It costs but litllc labor and outlay to hare young trees 

 coming forward in the nursery. A farmer can easily 

 have on Ilia own premises young stocks into which any 

 scions of a valuable kind of fruit ho may meet with, cin 

 be sot; and aim, he may have young trees fit for trans- 

 planting into any nook or corner of the premises where 

 he vpould desire to have a tree grow. This is especially 

 true of the appl» tree — seeds of which may be had in 

 abundance, for the asking, at any cider-milt in the 

 country. Seeds of pears, plums, peaches, ipiinces, 

 cherries and many of the ornamental trees, are not so 

 easily obtained ; yofthere would be no great difficulty 

 in procuring a supply of these, by the taking of a little 

 paina. 



We allude to the subject at this time for the purpose of 

 asking farmers whether it may not be well for them to 

 pat Bome pomace into ihe ground this autumn. The 

 preient month is the proper time for this purpose.— The 

 demand for young apple trees is great ; those viho have 

 raised them for the last few years have found il a good 

 business. Dull fancy that you are saying to yourselvis, 

 if wo should do any thing in this way, the market would 

 be glutted before our trees would be fit for salt. Il may 

 be so, and il may not. But should it bo so, ihe apple 

 tree, along the sea-coast, where wood is worth five dol- 

 lars per cord, is nearly if not quite worth cultivating for 

 fuel. If in addition to this you will take iho worth of 

 the fruit as food for cattle and swine, you will in the 

 course of 15 or 20 years, find ample remuneration for 

 your outlay. — Should you urge the liability of the apple 

 tree to doslriiction by borers, canker worms, &c., as a 

 reason for having nothing to do with tliem, I then will 

 ask whether this liability to destruction is not in itself 

 an argument in favor of extensive planting .' for no ono 

 can suppose that our community will go without apples, 

 or that tho quantity consumed will grow less. Conse- 

 quently till! dying otTof old or of any bearing trees, \vill 

 increase the demand for young ones to take their places. 



The worth of the apple to the farmer as a wholesome 

 luxury and food at his table, and as an article of food for 

 his stock, is not yet generally eslimaied as highly lis we 

 believe it might justly be. An orchard in a good bear- 

 ing condition, brings in a large annual income. \Vc 

 know that the expense of getting an orchard into this 

 condition, the interest on original expenditures, and the 

 injury to tlic land for other purpnsos, is not small. And 

 yet wo have no doubt that the man who will look for- 

 ward twcntyfive years will s«e thai ho or his children, 

 or those who may possess his estate at the end of the 

 quarter of tho c«nlury, will lie more benefited by a gene- 

 rous cultivation of fruit trees than by devoting his at- 

 tention entirely toother productions. 



And why is it that our societies for tho promotion of 

 agriculture, offer premiums for pinntntions of mulber- 

 ries and forest trees, and leave the growers of nurseries 

 of fruit trees almost if nol entirely unnoticed? Were 

 our judgment asked for, we should decide that the 

 growers of Iruit trees were the greater public hcnefoc 



turs, at present, and that tbey deserved at least an equal 

 share of encouragement and stimulus with the others. 



Plant the pumacr — take care of the young trees, and 

 the fruit in some form will repay you — If you f«ar thai 

 you shall die before the irees will give you the repaying 

 fruit, and that therefore you will nol plant ; we should 

 then ask you never again to taste the fruit of any iree 

 which your fathers planted. For what right bos he to 

 lake ihe benofils rosulliiig from the labors of a past age, 

 wlio will not repay the favors by laboring for Ihe gene- 

 ration to come ? None. No, he has no right to do it. 

 May the fruit of that old pear tree which your /(itAcr 

 planted, blister your tongue at every taste, if you are 

 too selfish to plant for those who aro to be your succes- 

 sors. 



RUTA BAGAS ON BONE DUST AND SALT LEY. 



Some time in May last, wp plowed and subsoil-plowed 

 about half an acre of land for roots. Ono half of this 

 land was planted to corn in IB30 and sowed to barley in 

 1840 ; not highly manured in '3!', and not at all in '40. 

 Tho other half was sward land — bound out. The con- 

 tiguous sward of the same quality and in the same con- 

 dition, did not produce more than half a ton of hay per 

 acre. 



Juno 28, a portion of this land, half stubble and half 

 sward, was sowed to ruta baga. The dressing, and Uio 

 only dressing applied here, w:s booe dust or ground 

 bones mixed with soil and salt le3', (Ihe waelo ley from 

 Ihe soapboilers, where hard or bar soap is manufactured.) 

 The quantity of land was 27 square poles; the quantity 

 of bono, \'i bushels; of ley, 300 gallons; of soil, 1 cord. 

 The mixture of soil, bone and ley, which had lain in 

 heap three weeks, was put into drills 30 inches apart. 

 The seed was sowed June 2S. On the 30lh of Juno 

 came a fmil storm, which tore down the drills or ridges 

 and started boih manure and seed from their proper 

 place. They wero washed into the lowest spots in 

 abundance, while the higher were left without a sufli- 

 ciency. After the^plants came up, ihoy were hoed and 

 thinned. fSubsequently tho flat turnip was sowed in 

 spots where the ruta bagas wcre'wanting ; but even af- 

 ter this the ground was far from being covered, and the 

 plants stood upon it very irregularly. In the early pan 

 of iheir growth, these plants gave no promise of doing 

 well ; hut later in the season they imjiroved. During 

 the last week they wore harvested ; and the produce 

 was 113 bushels of ruta bagas and 9 bushels of flat tur- 

 nips, or Hi2 bushels, of 50 lbs. each, on ono sixth of an 

 acre. This is 732 bushels, or twenty and un half tons 

 nearly per acre; (no very extraordinary yield ;) but as 

 the roots were TemarkaJjly fair and sound, and as the 

 compost applied was diU'ercnl from wliat has been ap- 

 plird to our knowledge in any other instance, we tliouglit 

 this statement might bo interesting. We should not 

 again apply so much bone to the saino quantity of land 

 Our rale was T2 bushels per ncro ; but 40 bushels is 

 quite as much as we should apply another season ; and 

 we should expect from it as much, or nearly as much 

 benefit aa from a larger quantity. Neither should wu 

 use one half as much soil in the compost as before. The 

 cost of our manure was — 12 bushels of bone, $5 ; 300 

 gallons of ley, !{;2 ; or at tho rate of $4^ per acre. This 

 — that IS $4'.i — is about the cost of seven cords of eiable 

 manure in our neighborhood. We reckon cost in the 

 field. 



SALT LEY. 



We have been inquired of na to the chtmical compo- 

 silion of this article. We are unable lo give a replv — 

 If any of our chemists can givu ihu answer, wo shafi be 

 happy 10 receive it. 



BONE MANURE— SOME MISTAKE. 



The mistake is, that we allow the bones ol this vicii 

 ty to be shipped to England, to be used in fertilizing II 

 soil across the Atlantic. W ilhin ihc lasl twelvi-inonl 

 500 ton< of bone were pnrahased of Mr Ward and shi 

 pod to the mother-land. The ship aame back for ano' 

 er cargo. These facts show that there is more wor 

 in the bones than wa in this vicinity attach to them. 

 Our own observations as to the action of bone upon d 

 soils, give us a highly favorable opinion nf its perm 

 neiit efficacy. In the third and fourth year after its a 

 plication, its effect in promoting Iho growth of grass, b 

 been obviously very great. How much longer il w 

 continue its action, time alone can tell. 



CO.MMON SCHOOLS. 



For a fe>v moments, farmers, we wish lo talk to yi 

 of sonieihiog besides lands, manures, crops, cattle, bo( 

 &c. &c. The district school is.a matter ileserving yo 

 attention. Our system of common schools, in whii 

 the sons and daughters of all may receive an educatio 

 is one of admirable wisdom and beneficence. 



The interest which the people ol a school district tal 

 in tho character and competency of lum who eils 

 mastor at the desk in Ihc school room — the interest Ihi 

 take in having a comfortable, well warmed and wt 

 veiililated school house — ihu interest ihey take in ha. 

 ing bjth teacher and pupils do well the work aasigm 

 iham^tkis interest is a mutter of no small moment — t 

 where the interest of this kind is deep and strong, 

 hclp'i forward the cause of education in the neighbo 

 hood more than would scores or fifties of dollars added 

 the sum usually expended for the school. Whether yi 

 have children of your own or not — act the part ol 

 good citizen and of a friend lo the generation wliJcli 

 fast coining up lo take the places which you and yoi 

 mighliurs now fill, by giving thought and atlenlion 

 thu public school in your neighborhood. Endeavor 

 iiiako the inlcrest in the prosperity of tho school bo 

 general and deep. 



When a teacher is to be employed, it is not alwa 

 good economy to take him who will work Ihc cheapei 

 A good school of «ix weeks duration is vastly belt 

 than a poor one of three months. If you clmo-c. yi 

 may entrust the keeping of your cows and pigs to a jio 

 tool, who will work cheap, and w« wHl spare all coi 

 plaint; you may have your own way in peace and qi 

 eini!ss. But if you show a disposition lo commit ll 

 training of the minds and hearts of ycpur ohildron, or 

 tilt! ohildrcn of the neighborhood to one who is iiicomp 

 tent to instruct, unfit to form their morals, unapt 

 teaching ; if you show a disposition to make such i 

 one lord of the scliool room, because he is willing 

 work cheap — then we cry, shame vpon you — then H 

 tell you distinctly, ihat you are ready for the monslroi 

 crime of b^irlering the iiilellectual improvement and \i 

 moral welfare ot ihlrty or foily young iminorluls tor 

 lew paltry dollars ; — do it not — do it not. In the nnn 

 of decency, do it not. In the name of philanthropy, i 

 it not. In the name of uvery good motive, do it nr 

 Give your voice and your influence in favor of it^oo 

 toucher, or of none. Better close the iloors of yoi 

 School room, and keep your rhildren at home, than pi 

 thum into the uiunagrment of incmpetent handii. 



Also supply your chil.Inn well with books: yc 

 may as well expect a boy.lo cJiop wood without an ai( 

 us to make niu'h pntgreM in the school room withou 

 books. Send your children to school in siiSMn, an 

 send them constantly ; for unless this be done, Ihe pro 

 per exercises of tha school room cannot go on «ucceaii 

 fully and well. Do all you can to make the sclmnlt- 

 tlicse nurseries of young minds and heails— il c grea 

 blessing they are capable of becoming. 



