286 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 1827. 



TO THE EDITOR OP THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



FRUIT TREES. 

 Sir — I ob.=ierve in your last paper an article re- 

 lating to the destruction of the fruit blossoms of 

 peach trees, and an assurance that they are al- 

 ready frost bitten .ind black, so as to leave no 

 hopes of a crop of this delightful fruit this year any 

 more than the last. I hope, Mr Editor, that your 

 correspondent is mistaken in regard to his facts. 

 It would be uncommon to have them destroyed 

 two years in succession ; and from the little ob- 

 servation I have been able to make, I tliink he is. 

 It does not follow because a number of the fruit 

 blossoms are black in the centre, that all tlie fruit 

 is destroyed, for if one fourth part ef the blossom 

 buds which are annually formed on peach trees 

 were to set fruit, tlie trees would be overloaded. 

 I have no doubt that the writer of the article in 

 question, is riglit in believing that the fruit buds 

 are killed by the first severe frosts tliat set in dur- 

 ing the winter, and not in the spring, as is gener- 

 ally supposed. I recollect that in the winter of 

 1825-C tlicre was a sudden and severe change in 

 the temrerature about the middle of December, 

 when the mercury fell to five or six degrees below 

 zero, from a very temperate and delightful one 

 that had existed during the greater part of the 

 autumn and previous part of that month. I then 

 thought, and said, that both the peach trees and 

 fruit buds would be injured by it, — and it proved 

 that both were very much injured ; for most of the 

 young shoots of the preceding snmmcr's growth 

 were killed, in part, if not in whole ; and all the 

 fruit buds on the trees were destroyed. But it was 

 said that this ravage of the Peach trees took place 

 the 12th or 14th of April, when the frost was very 

 severe for the season. This is a mistake as I shall 

 show you. 



In the first place it would be e.\traordinary in- 

 deed that the wood and buds of a tree that had 

 stood through the whole winter without being in- 

 jured, when the mercury was frequently at five or 

 six degrees below zero, should be killed by cold 

 from a higher temperature by 20 or 25 degrees 

 than they had already been exposed to ; particu- 

 larly as both the wood and the buds are better 

 prepared to resi-st frost after having endured it for 

 two or three months, than they are in the early 

 part of the winter before the wood and buds had 

 become ripe and hard enough to resist the cold. 

 But there is another reason which is conclusive, 

 I think, lis to this fact. My Peach house was left 

 open daring the winter until the 15th March, when 

 I shut it up. I then saw that the fruit buds on my 

 trees v/ere principally killed ; and I in fact had no 

 fruit, or but very few, on my trees'. Now, as my 

 house was shut up after the 15th March, the fruit 

 could not have been injured by the frosts in .^pril. 

 Dry warm falls prepi^re the wood best to resist 

 the severe frosts of winter. If the early part of 

 winter is dry and moderately cold, the wood and 

 buds will bear severe frosts without injury ; but 

 warm wet falls and early winter leaves both the 

 wood and buds unripe and very tender, as the sap 

 in such cases is kejit in an active state, & of course 

 is more li=blc to be seized on by the frost than 

 when the alburnum has become hard and woody ; 

 and the bark ripe and hard. It is advantageous 



therefore to brush off the leaves of peach trees as laying them hea-is an(i tails -dlternately, and pi j W 

 soon as the first frost has attacked them in the |ing with sand. In this way, if frost be e.xcli^W" 



from the store house, they keep perfectly wel! 

 Marcli or April of the following year. Home ft 

 sons insist that the tops should be entirely cut j 

 at the time of storing, so as effectually to pre \ W 

 their growing ; wliile others wish to preserve i ^ 

 capability of vegetation, tliough certainly no I P*" 

 encourage tne tendency to grow. — iMudon 



fall, that the shoots and buds may be exposed to 

 the sun and air as much as possible before the 



winter sets in Yours, &c. 



.1/art,'i 27, 1827. 



BOTANY. 

 The celebrated Dutch naturalist, Dr C. C. Blume 

 has returned to Europe after nine years' residence 

 in the island of Java Favored by circumstances To preserve Bulter fur tise nt Sea. — The pi 

 and devoting himself with indefatigable zeal to the [ pal objection to the use of butter at sea, is its 



natural history of that remarkable island, he has 

 brought home immense collections of natural pro- 

 ductions of every kind. 



CARROTS. 



dency to lancidity, and to corrupt in a warmtli '"^i 

 mate ; but even this inconvenience may be cqgn "''' 

 teracted by proper precaution. By the foUowin; "''' 

 method it may be preserved sweet, and in a aglij ■ 

 state during a three years tropical station, providi \o 



15 It 



Carrots are used in soups and stews and as a Lj jt was originally in this condilion. Instead oijuj 

 vegetable dish. They require a light mellow soil, j j5,i(i„g jg^ j^ i^g put in waxed canvass bags, con 

 mi.xed with sand, which should be dug or trenched j 

 one or two spades deep, breaking well all the 

 lumpy parts so as to form a porous bed and an even 

 surface. The orange and red sorts, on account of 

 their longer roots, require a soil proportionably 

 deeper than the horn. 



Seed estimate and sowing. — The seeds have nu- 

 merous forked hairs on their borders, by which 

 tliey adhere together, and therefore should, pre- 

 viously to sowing, be rubbed between the hands 

 and mixed with dry sand, in order to separate them 

 as mucli as possible. They are also very light and 

 therefore a calm day must be chosen for sowing ; 

 and the seeds should be dissemiuati^jl equally, and 

 trodden in before raking. Previously to sowing if 

 convenient, the seed should be proven, by sowing 

 a few in a pot, and placing it in a hot bed or hot 

 house, as it is more frequently bad than most seeds. 

 For a bed 44 feet by 30, one ounce will be requi- 

 site, and the same for 150 feet of drill row. 



Times of sowiiifT. — To have early summer car- 

 rots, sow on a warm border in the beginning of 

 February ; [in New England the last of April 

 is a suitable time] or to have them still more for- 

 ward, sow in a moderate hot-bed, giving copious 

 admissions of air. In the open garden begin with 

 the early horn as soon as dry fine and open weatli- 

 er may occur. The first sown beds should be as- 

 sii'ned a favorable situatisn, and covered for a 

 time with haulm. Sow next with the orange, and 



make a few successive sowings for main crops. — 



.'Vdd smaller sowings in May or June for pl.antg to 



draw young late is summer ; also a i't'W in July for 



a later succession of young carrots in summer and 



autumn. Lastly, in the beginning of August, two 



separate small sowings may be made, for plants to 



stand the winter, and afford young roots early in 



spring, .March and April." 



Cullvre. When the plants are up tvTO or three 



inches in growth, in May and June, they will re- 

 quire thinning and clearing from weeds, cither by 



hand or small hoeing. Thin from three to five 



inches distance such as are designed for drawing 



in young and middling growth. But the main 



crop, intended for larger and full sii-cd roots, thin 



to six or eight inches distance. Keep the whole 



clean from weeds in their advancing young 



growth. Some of small and middling growth -will 



be fit for drawing in June and July ; large size- 

 able roots, in August and September : and those 



of full growth, by the end of October."' 



Abercromhie. 

 Preserving during icinter. Carrots are taken 



up at the approach of winter, cleaned, and stored 



among sand. They may be built very firm, by 



taining each about fil'ty pounds weight. Ld linl 

 these bags be thrown into casks constantly kepi . 

 filled with salt water, which should be renewei . 

 once or twice a week, according tocircumstanees ' 

 by drawing off the old by a cock fixed near tt* *' 

 lower end, while the new water is admitted fro 

 a bung hole made in the upper end. By this pit 

 the butter will be preserved always sweet- n. 



[Sailor's Physiciaflri ) ftn 



• \ -h 



Filltring Machine for pvrifijing fValer. A ^rf 

 simple filtering macliine is mentioned by .1 *^ 

 Blane, " Let the narrow mouth of a large fi^ *'* 

 be filled with a bit of sponge, over which let t»*W 

 be a layer of clean gravel, or of sand, co\ 

 with flannel, and over Ihe whole another laydta 

 sand Muddy or offensive water, being poutef 

 into this, runs or drops out clear ; and care illilr 

 be taken to change the sand, sponge, &c. h 

 quently, as they will become loaded with imppii 

 ties of the v\-ater." [^'"'i] 



Fire and waif.r proof Cement. — Pour a pi^* 

 vinegar into a pint of milk ; when the latter M 

 fully coagulated, clear it off the lumps, and i^t^ 

 settle, then mix the whole together; now sift if 

 the liquid quick lime, till upon stirring the who 

 we obtain a thick paste. This cement will pe 

 manently unite marble, earthen ware, china, &■ 

 [French paper.] 



To preserve Potatoes. — Mr Roberts has taki 

 out a patent for the following method for iieepir 

 potatoes, carrots, turnips, and other vegetables,] 

 the warmest climates for a considerable time;- 

 "Take the potatoes, or other vegetables whe 

 thoroughly ripe, and before they have grown i 

 the spring, cut out wii.h a knife the germs or eyes 

 or destroy them. The more they are kept ftot 

 the air, the finer they will be. [Mech's Mag;] 



Cams of Dresden, the celebrated comparatin 

 anatomist, has, it is said, discovered the circuli^i 

 of the blood in insects. 



Extraordinarij Ox. —There is now in exhibitic: 

 at a temporary building adjoining Faneuil HaIl|S: 

 uncommon OX, as respects size, symmetry of fori, 

 weight and agility; and which those who bavi 

 seen it, consider as being the finest animal e»c 

 raised in New England, or any other Isnd. On 

 townsman Penniman, we learn, is engaged in in«» 

 ing a drawing of this beautiful animal, which « 

 predict will become an ornament for the walla i 

 our agriculturists and friends of domestic produ' 

 tions. — Centinel. 



1 



