158 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



etable economy. The leaves absorb oxygen from 

 the atmosphere, and thus convert into the support 

 and growth, the nourishment that the roots take 

 into the circulation for the purpose. If the roots 

 are in a soil where they can grow extensively, and 

 to perfection, the trunk and top will grow exten- 

 sively and to perfection. If they are in a rocky or 

 unnatural soil, they will be stunted and deformed, 

 and the tup will correspond. Improve the soil and 

 you will improve the tree. It is better to have a 

 tree of many branches in a prosperous state, than 

 to have two trees, each pruned to one-half the ex- 

 tent of top of the one natural an untrimmed. Each 

 root corresponds to a portion of the top and helps 

 to preserve the center of gravity of the tree, and 

 when the branches are cut mostly from one side, 

 the stability of the tree may be very much weak- 

 ened thereby. One in an enriched or fertile soil, 

 in its natural state, will be of longer duration, and 

 from its natural vigor, prefei-able for fruit or orna- 

 ment, to one tastefully trimmed or mutilated. 



Oscar. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 MANAGE WELL YOUR TREES. 



Mr. Editor: — In a neighboring town there is a 

 gentleman who has been so successful in raising 

 fruit, that I cannot but think that an account of his 

 modus operandi in the fruit-growing business will 

 be interesting to your many readers, and also it may 

 perhaps stimulate them to new efforts in the pro- 

 duction of that to which so much attention is at 

 present directed. 



Mr. M ■, of C , has doubtless paid more at- 

 tention to the cultivation of apples than any other 

 man in this vicinity; and the result is that he has 

 obtained more money as proceeds of his apples than 

 many farmers have from all sources. But I would 

 not have you infer that his whole attention is di- 

 rected to the raising of apples, for this is so far 

 from the fact that perhaps he is more employed 

 in other matters pertaining to the farm than to the 

 before-mentioned business. 



This gentleman a few years since had a large 

 orchard of young trees an inch or thereabouts in 

 diameter; and it occurred to him that he might 

 graft them, and thus be sure of the right kind of 

 fruit. He did so; but as is too often the case, he 

 did not leave them afterwards to take care of them- 

 selves, that is, to their own destruction; he not 

 only pruned them, but he dug around them and put 

 on manure. He has annually cut off all the sprouts 

 necessary, and usually has hoed them; and by 

 yearly increasing the size of the place hoed, he 

 this year has a place hoed around eacli tree about 

 twelve feet in diameter. He also often applies 

 chip-manure, and occasionally bones, ashes or oth- 

 er tertilizing substances. The result of all this is, 

 his orchard is most beautiful, consisting of thrifty 

 trees, which in the autumn are laden with the rich- 

 est fruit. This orchard bears every year; even in 

 years of the greatest scarcity this orchard yields, 

 if not its accustomed quantity, yet considerably. — 

 In this region, the year 1849 was noted as being a 

 year of great scarcity of apples; but notwithstand- 

 ing very few were raised, yet Mr. M obtained 



for his apples a large sum over what he used in his 

 family. 



Now if this man is so abundantly rewarded for 

 all his labor and anxiety, others may go and do 

 likewise and obtain the like recompense; but so 



long as neglect is a predominant principle in the 

 creed of our farmers, we may not with reason look 

 for that prosperity which otherwise might be ex- 

 pected. There is no doubt but it would have been 

 somewhat easier, after he had planted his orchard, 

 to have "let it alone;" but he had that keen fore- 

 sight which especially every farmer needs, and he 

 put his plans into operation, with what results I 

 have shown. 



There seems to be an inconsistency in the ac- 

 tions of most farmers; for, while they acknowledge 

 that money is the object desired, — they go in a 

 wrong direction to obtain this, in the most econom- 

 ical manner. They work long and hard to raise 

 grain for market; but if half the labor each year 

 which is employed in producing grain, &c., forthe 

 market, should be expended in renovating and 

 grafting old, and making new orchards, in a few 

 years not only would the gain be doubled or quad- 

 rupled, but their land would not be exhausted so 

 rapidly. Hence I would advise farmers, if they 

 have not yet commenced, to forthwith enter into the 

 business of raising fruit. Pomum. 



Remarks. — Fruit growing is like every othei 

 branch throughout the whole routine of terracul- 

 ture, — it requires good management in order to suc- 

 cess. But as some farmers have succeeded well 

 with their orchards, by setting the trees in a fertile 

 soil fresh from the forest, and allowing the limbs to 

 grow at random, they are not aware of the atten- 

 tion that trees require in old lands, that have be- 

 come exhausted of some of their most essential el- 

 ements. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 FLOWING NECESSARY IN THE PROP- 

 AGATION OF THE CRANBERRY. 



Mr. Cole: — Within a few years considerable 

 attention has been paid to the cultivation of the 

 cranberry, but the question often arises, is wet or 

 dry cultivation congenial to this excellent luxury? 

 Owing to this diversity of opinion their proper 

 management in some measure has probably been 

 neglected. The veracity of this question is diffi- 

 cult to be attested, as the experience of different 

 writers conflict one with another, but having been 

 engaged in the propagation of this plant for a num- 

 ber of years, we give the reader what we have ex- 

 perienced on and from our "Old Meadow." 



For many years we have paid no attention to the 

 cranberry vines, consequently we mowed them off, 

 but the vines continued to spread and they now 

 nearly cover the whole meadow. Some dozen or 

 fifteen years since, a square rod would have con- 

 tained all the vines then on the meadow; but by 

 what means they became generally seeded or dis- 

 seminated, we knaw of no other reason than this. 

 About twelve years ago a school-house was built 

 near this meadow, and as a matter of course the 

 scholars flowed it, that they might have a place for 

 recreation; since that time the vines have continued 

 to spread and increase in bearing. Six years ago, 

 cianberries were so scarce on this meadow that 

 they were not worth gathering; last year, twenty- 

 five bushels were g.athered, and many were left. 

 We have written these facts in a plain manner, 

 hoping by this means the more surely to attract the 

 attention of the general reader, and thereby draw 



