S2 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



March 10, 1831. 



FOB THE GENESiS FARMER 



Mr. Editor— In your number for February 



done • Let a large hole be made, two and a,l this neighbourhood. Yes, it may have been 

 half or :lirce feet across, and nearly tbe same! ignorance, but he made it profitable at my ex- 

 let the bottom soil be thrown out, andj pense. 



06 rram pleased ,o observe that you have depth; ^ ^^XZ^T^vU^^-V^e^ o( P ^s ordered, but not sent, h. 

 t ake'n Lice of the lis. of trees and shrubs, film ^^M^»^^^,&] pac ked several kinds .. ordered, charged a 

 and hope to . have your rem* to wbtc you *<%fi™ ™ «e of you b g 



seem to promise; you will, however, please to^mou 

 observe, ihat the list I furnished is not to be 

 considered as containing all the known irees 

 and shrubs, native of this country, but mere- 

 ly a list in answer to n correspondent in the 

 New York Farmer, who requested a list o 

 things for ornamenting his place. Inisvvill 

 account for the omission of some tilings you 

 mention as native of the Genesee Country. 



You notice the omission ot Acer nigrum 

 This species of maple is not common about 

 here, and shows the utility that may be deri- 

 ved from giving the description of the native 

 plants and trees of the neighborhood where 

 we reside, so that exchanges may bo made of 

 seeds from one place to another, to m""ial 

 benefit, and to the dissemination j f useiul 

 knowledge ; I hope others will do tho same. 



You proceed to observe Fraxinus quad- 

 ranaularis, (blue ash,; which you justly ob- 

 serve is a fine stately tree. This tree also is 

 properly a tree of the western states and ra- 

 ther a stranger here. The Pinuspendula, is 

 here called black larch and Tamarack, and is 

 found in various sicamps from Jersey to Carta 

 da The Pinus microcoria is a more northern 

 and highland subject, and said to grow north] 

 as far as Hudson's Bay, and on mountains of! 

 New York .nd Pennsylvania; this is called 

 • he red larch, arid it may he that you call ii 

 Tamarack also; would it not be wonh while 

 to examine if it is not the Pinus Pendula that 

 grows in the swamps and the P. microcuffa- 

 that grows on the driest hills, as you say that 

 the P.\M- grows " equally well in deep swamps 

 and on life driest hills." This last species | 

 is not to be met with round here. I am sur- 

 prised at your last paragraph, that you have] 

 not been successful in transplanting the weep- 

 ing willow ; but yuu have succeeded without 

 tings of it. In my opinion no treo will trans- 

 plant better or surer. But U not this riddle 

 solved by your assertion in a former para- 

 graph—" I have observed that some shrubs 

 planted in autumn, weakened by lacerated 

 roots and branchc-6. have perished in winter." 

 Would it not have been better not to have the 

 roots and branches lacerated 7 Autumn plant- 

 in^ was not tbe cause of the death of the 

 shrubs : it is not the winter that hills autumn 

 planted shrubs ; it is the spring that kills them. 

 tf this assertion should surprise you, I will ex 

 plain : . 



A treo planted in the fall, the earth having 

 been loosened by digging out the holo to re- 

 ceive it, although the earth might be settled 

 well down with the foot, pretty firm, as it ought 

 lo he in tlie planting, yet the winter frost will 

 penetrate deep ; and the consequence will be, 

 that when the frost goesout in i lie spring, the 

 "round will be raised, and the roots of the tree 

 up along with it. having no firm hold in the I 

 "round "and if Buffered to remain so will die. 

 ?t is a settled principle with Gardeners, that if 

 the roots are not Grm to the soil, but are loose 

 with hollows round the roots, the tree or plunl 

 cannot thrive. Even if it should not dio imme- 

 diately, it will go off in tbe summer Tu 

 •niard against this evil, remember that <i/7 trees 

 planted in the fall ought lo be carefully exa- 

 mined in tho spring. 



As soon as the frost is out of the ground let 

 ttieui be well trod down, as firm with the foot 

 :rs oossible. and if large to be well staked and 

 (ied, with soft matting or swingle tow, to 

 •prevent the winds from moving them about — 

 ftsamine them also after heavy rains, and sol- 

 do them down with the foot, and if tho tree 

 has bein Mowed on one side, set it up atonoo, 

 j n ij suffer no holes to admit air lo the roots. 

 Bxecpt these precautions are observed, it will 

 he ot little use to plant in the fall, or spring ei- 

 ther. 

 Anolltcr observation on pfantTng, and I have 



he 



t 



er 



This was a piece of 



trouble to procure two or three loads, to be I had those kinds or not. 

 ready to give each treo a good wheelbarrow supreme impudence 



full. Lefthe hole be raised higher in the mid- J .In their catalogues, some nurserymen men- 

 die than the side, in a kind of conical manner: I lion the same plant under several names, not 

 let the mould be beat fine; let the roots be !) as synonyms, but as entirely different plants, 

 spread out ; and finally let the mould be well and ,1 the names were not manufactured forthe 

 tod down after planting. purpose of deception, so that duplicates or 



Very respcctfully.your ob't serv't. j : triplicates oi the same plant may be sold a. 



ly.y 



MICHAEL FLOY, 



Nursery §• Seedsman, New York 



for the genesee farmer. 

 " 1 shall how to the line, let the chips fly where Ihcy 

 may." 

 I know not whether any rules, founded on 

 the broad principles of common sense and com- 

 mon honesty, have ever been laid down panic 

 ularly for the government of Nurserymen ; 

 but abuses have hecomo so frequent, and so 

 numerous, that it is time that something of the I 

 kind should be attempted. In the immediate 

 neighborhood of nurseries, where the purcha- 

 ser can examine what he wants to buy; and 

 can repress the itchings of knavery by his pre- 

 sence or refusal, little cause for complaint is to 

 be expected ; but it is often so inconvenient 

 to take a long journoy, solely to procure 20 or 

 30 dollars worth of plants,* that very consider- 

 able sums are annually sent from Old. Genesee 

 to distant parts, by some neighbor who knows 

 nothing of the mailer hut to pay the bill. The l 

 coast being thus clear for the full operation of 

 unfair propensities, very great abuses arc prac- 

 tised iu some of these establishments, on their 

 absent and distant customers. 



I am free to admit thai there is a fair pro- 

 portion of honorablo men in that business ; 

 and were I not determined to abstain from 

 personalities of every kind. I would name 

 some fi>r whom I have great regard ; and also 

 some others. But it is my design to expose 

 vices, and not men. Of course, il is not to 

 be known whether I have sent to Boston, N. 

 York, Philadelphia, or Baltimore ; but the 

 tricks which I shall notice, have been practised 

 at different limes, and in different places. 



In his new printed catalogued found the names 

 of several plants that I wanted, the order was 

 written, and the return was made ; — not quite 



" A beggarly account of empty boxes," 

 but not one third of my order was sent. — 

 No, I had not to pay for what I did not get, but 

 I had to pay for transporting a box almost emp- 

 ty ; and in consequence of his false signal (slA- 

 vertising what he could not furnish) it was too 

 late to procure them from others, and I had to 

 wait another year. 



In his new printed catalogue, the price was 

 affixed to each plant. This cannot be con 

 sidered bv any fair interpretation, less than it 

 pledge not to charge hie customers more than 

 such published price ; yet disregarding good 

 faith and fair dealing, in two small bills now 



distinct plants, it requires much charily not to 

 bclievo that these names are retained for that 

 purpose. 



Rejected trees sometimes attain a large size 

 in old nurseries. As a particular favor I a far- 

 mer of Old Genesee, re'.eivcd such at double 

 price, which he would have scorned as a pre 

 sent in tbe nursery. At sight of the box, when 

 tt arrived, the wondering neighbours gathered 

 round; the latinist esolaimed, monstrum hor- 

 renduin I— but the bills for box, trces,and trans- 

 portation were all paid. 



These abuses have been practised by some 

 who affect to holdup their heads among honest 

 men. I will mention no names; but I have 

 several bills which I am willing to havo filed in 

 your office, along with my outers, and their 

 catalogues. Let the farmers of Old Genesee 

 call and examine them, -iiid Icon the difference 

 between profession and practice, before the*, 

 irust their purses in the hands of strangers. 

 Veebuu Sat. 



as 

 at 



For the Geaosce Parmer, 

 SINGULAR. PnOPtKSlTY IN A COCK TIT.KEY. 



The circumstance I am about lo relate, 

 far as I know, is not common, if it exists 

 all. ' I have been in ilio habit of raising u 

 good many domestic fowls, and among lliein 

 have been rather partial to the turkey, particu- 

 larly to setting ones, about Christmas. A 

 mong a brood I once possessed, there was om 

 male, who was a long legged, gander shanked 

 fellow, of a most unique appearance. During 

 the period of incubation, or as soon as one ol* 

 the hens began to set which she, seeming to 

 know tlie old gentleman's propensities, was 

 very careful to manage in a very private and 

 secret manner, he began lo grow uneasy, and 

 mounted tbe stumps and fences, watching for 

 tbe appearance of the hen, and peering abont 

 to find the place of her concealmcni, vt hit h he 

 usually discoverd the first or second day ; when 

 he, by virtue of Ins authority as one of the 

 lords of the creation, immediately took posses- 

 sion of the nest, and fr»m Ilia! lime forward, till 

 the period of hatching, went on with '.be leg 

 ul ir process, when be brought off bis brood 

 and duly carried them forward tu maturity 

 while the ben. poor simple wife, was alto wed 

 to trudge along at a respectable distance, iu 

 true after-honeymoon style. 



Although I am aware 1hnt certain other birds, 

 male and female, alternately sit upon the nest 

 during the period of incubation, yet I am not 



lying before inc. l\\\s pkdgr is violated C times.- m |f irmL ,a 'f anv C . ISB where a mile has shown 

 and 50 per cent added to.each item, though not 8Ucn a decided" passion and propensity, for the 

 one plant of extra size or value is among ihern. i sedentary habit' of hatching eggs ; this he bru- 

 it is also fairly to be inferred and understood, " 

 that plants advertised in this mannei'.shall be in 

 a thrifty state, and of medial size. Y'et stunted 

 shrubs or trees, the refuse of old nurseries. 



peach trees, dwindling with that contagious 



malady, the yellows; or layers, just separated 



by a pruning knife, with one or two little, short, 



succulent fibres, ready io'rot or lo wither— have 



been sent, charged at foil prices. True. he may 



have had no others, but ho ought to havo hail 



the grace to apologize by adjusting the price to 



the value. 



In one small package, two plants were sent 



Under wrong names, ul high prices, as raro ox- 



otios, which are vcrv common ; and with one, 



a cart might bo soon loaded from a bank in 



performed for ihreo years in succession, and 

 being such a notable exhibition of pugnacious 



opposition to petticoat government, that be 

 became quite a favorite, and 1 intended to have 

 kept him as an example to some of my ne : gh- 

 bors, and as a ram- arts in Urns. 



Hut onu night he '.aiiie up missing, and who 

 ill,., he was sacrificed as a target at n cbristrmis 

 "itmbol, of made one at master Reynard's sup- 

 er, or is even \ct silting on eggs that prove! 

 ddle, I was never abb- to ascertain. V. 



*Bv plants I mean frtiil trecB, orUamenfaltri-cs, shrubs 

 anil Bcrbac'cous p.c-rcniifnrs. 



'• A sufTcrer" stales, in tho N. Ft. Farmer. 

 that tbe field mice arc operating under tbe 

 -now upon the bark near the roots of the young 

 peach trees The mischief inai be prevented 

 by removing the snow around the ropfo 



