234 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



fruit. By cutting off these shoots the fruit is 

 robbed of its support which nature has provided. 



We have noticed in a garden, kept by a profes- 

 sional gardener, where there were a large quantity 

 of grapes, that all the new shoots had been cut back 

 to the fruit, so as to leave it exposed to the sun, 

 excepting on one trellis, where they, fortunately, 

 had been neglected. The grapes on that trellis 

 were well grown, and ripening well, while all the 

 others were imperfectly grown, and remained 

 green. 



When grapes are improperly pruned as we have 

 named in July, they will often send out new shoots, 

 and recover, in some measure, from the evil, but 

 when this pruning is done rather late, it often de- 

 stroys the crop. 



There is generally a great error in not pruning 

 grapes thoroughly in the fall, or in the spring, so 

 that there is a great mass of vines, which often 

 leads to the erroneous mode of pruning which we 

 have named. When the vines become too thick 

 from a very luxuriant growth, and previous scanty 

 pruning, the best remedy is to cut off lateral 

 branches, and all feeble shoots, and cut out whole 

 small vines on which there is little or no fruit, and 

 allow the main shoots to run twenty or thirty feet, 

 if they will, 



VERMONT STATE AGRICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



In pursuance of a call made by over two hundred 

 of the agriculturists and raisers of stock in Ver- 

 mont, a public meeting was holden at Middlebury, 

 on the 16th of June, 1851, at which it was re- 

 solved to hold a State Fair, agreeable to the notice 

 given in our last paper, and the following officers 

 were chosen: — 



Hon. Calvin G. Tilden, Pres., pro tern.; John 

 Gregory, Secretary, "pro tern. 



The following persons were appointed a commit- 

 tee of nominations: — Hon. N. L. Keese, Esq., F. 

 E. Woodbridge, Esq., John Gregory, Esq., S. 

 W. Jeweit, Esq., and A. L. Bingham, Esq., who 

 made the following nominations: — 



For President, Hon. Frederick Holbrook. 



For Vice Presidents, Hon. William Nash, Hon. 

 George Chipman, Paris Fletcher, Esq., E. D. 

 Barber, Esq., G. A. Austin, Esq., F. E. Wood- 

 bridge, Esq., of Addison County; Hon.Chas. Paine, 

 John Gregory, Esq., Hon. Roderick Richardson, 

 of Washington County; Hon. Jno. Wheeler, Rev. 

 L. G. Bingham, Ezra Meech, Jr., Esq., of Chit- 

 tenden County; Hon. J. K. Hyde, Jesse Hines, 

 Esq., of Rutland County; Hon. Jno. S. Pettibone, 

 of Bennington County; Hon. Epaphro Seymour, 

 Geo. Campbell, Esq., of Windham County; P. 

 B. Southgate, Esq , Ebenezer Bridge, Esq., of 

 Windsor County; Col. J. P. Kidder, Col. J. 

 Thomas, of Orange County; A. M. Clark, Hon. 

 Jno. S. Foster, of Franklin County; Hon. Hen- 



ry M. Bates, of Orleans County; Hon. Nathan 

 Smilie, Stillman Churchill, Esq., of Lamoille 

 County; Hon. Jno. Dewey, of Essex County; 

 Hon. Samuel Adams, of Grand Isle County; Hon. 

 E. Fairbanks, of Caledonia County. 



For Secretary, Maj. E. R. Wright. 



For Marshals, Col. Abram Foot, Col. D. S. 

 Church, Col. W. S. Johnson. 



Committee of Arrangements, Merrill Bingham, 

 Edwin Hammond, Alonzo L. Bingham, David 

 Hill, Seth Langdon, Wm. Phelps Nash, Lyman 

 P. White, Joseph Warner, S. W. Jewett. 



Committee to invite an orator for the occasion, 

 S. W. Jewett. 



Editors of papers are requested to copy the 

 above. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 



From J. C. Stone & Co., nurserymen, Shrews- 

 bury, a box of very large and excellent cherries. 

 They are the Black Tartarean, and of the largest 

 and most saleable kinds cultivated. In reply to 

 some remarks of these gentlemen, we would say 

 that this cherry belongs to the class called Heart 

 cherries. The Bigarreau cherry is of a light red 

 and amber color. It is a week or ten days later 

 than the Black Tartarean, and in New England, 

 often, if not generally, called White Tartarean by 

 those who have not examined well into the true 

 names of cherries. 



From John Washburn, Plymouth, seeds of Down- 

 ing's Colossal Rhubarb, which are very accepta- 

 ble, as we have a very favorable account of this va- 

 riety, and wish to try it. 



0^ Several communications are postponed till 

 next week. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 RAPID GROWTH OF PLANTS. 



Mp. Editor: — Some time since there appeared 

 in the daily papers an account of an experiment 

 performed in England, by which the growth of 

 plants was quickened to an extraordinary degree. 

 It consisted in placing near the seed, when planted, 

 a piece of copper and a piece of zinc, connected by 

 a copper wire. It was stated that a current of elec- 

 tricity being thus produced, and constantly flowing 

 through the soil, near the roots of the plant, caused 

 it to grow with an astonishing degree of rapidity. 

 It was said that full grown radishes had been raised 

 in three or four hours. Having a desire to try this 

 experiment, I wish to obtain a •particular description 

 of the manner of performing it, and to ascertain all 

 the conditions on which its success depends. Any 

 information on this subject, from yourself or any 

 of your correspondents, will greatly oblige, 



Somervillc, June. 1851. A Subscriber. 



Will some of our scientific readers please give 

 the information desired ? — Ed. 



li^'The finer the seed to be sown, the finer 

 should the soil he mad^ whifh is to receive it. 



