^06 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



July 2, 1831. 



improvement. They will hasten to present 

 establishments, and to evince a zeal for the 

 encouragement of rural enconomy, com- 

 mensurate with the extent and natural re- 

 sources of the country, and the variety of 

 its soil and climate. 



Your Committee have not a doubt that 

 an attempt should be made in this state to 

 rival the undertakings of other countries, in 

 all that relates to the cultivation of the soil. 

 The intelligent, patriotic and wealthy will 

 cheerfully lend their aid, in the establish- 

 ment of a Garden of Experiment, and a 

 Cemetery. Massachusetts has ever been 

 distinguished for her public and private 

 munificence, in the endowment of colleges, 

 academies, and numerous associations for 

 inculcating knowledge, and the advance- 

 ment of all branches of industry. A confi- 

 dent reliance is therefore reposed on the 

 same sources of beneficence. The Legis- 

 lature will not refuse its patronage, but 

 readily unite with the People in generous 

 contributions, for the accomplishment of 

 objects, so well calculated to elevate the 

 character of the Commonwealth, and that 

 of its citizens. 



The Experimental Garden is intended, 

 for the improvement of horticulture in all 

 its departments, ornamental, as well as 

 useful. 



The objects which will chiefly claim at- 

 tention, are, the collection and cultivation 

 of common, improved, and new varieties of 

 the different kinds of Fruits, Esculent Vege- 

 tables, Forest and Ornamental Trees and 

 Shrubs, Flowering, Economical and other 

 interesting Plants, which do not exclusively 

 belong to the predial department of tillage; 

 — paying particular attention to the quali- 

 ties and habits of each; — instituting com- 

 parative experiments, on the modes of cul- 

 ture, to which they are usually subjected, so 

 as to attain a knowledge of the most useful, 

 rare and beautiful species ; — the best pro- 

 cess of rearing and propagating them, by 

 seeds, scions, buds, suckers, layers, and cut- 

 tings ; — the most successful methods of in- 

 suring perfect and abundant crops, as well 

 as satisfactory results, in all the branches of 

 useful and ornamental planting, appertain- 

 ing to Horticulture. 



Compartments to be assigned for the par- 

 ticular cultivation of Fruit Trees, Timber 

 Trees, Ornamental Trees, and Shrubs, Es- 

 culent Vegetables, Flowers, and for the lo- 

 cation of Green Houses, Stoves, Vineries, 

 Orangeries, and Hot Beds. 



For the accommodation of the Garden of 

 Experiment and Cemetery, at least seventy 

 acres of land are deemed necessary ; and 

 in making the selection of a site, it was very 

 important that from forty to fifty acres 

 should be well or partially covered with for- 

 est trees and shrubs, which could be appro- 

 priated for the latter establishment ; and 

 that it should present all possible varieties 

 of soil, common in the vicinity of Boston ; 

 be diversified by hills, valleys, plants, brooks 

 and low meadows, and bogs, so as to afford 

 proper locations for every kind of tree and 

 plant, that will flourish in this climate; — be 

 near to some large stream or river ; and easy 

 of access by land and water ; but still suffi- 

 ciently retired. 



To realize these advantages it is propos- 

 ed, that a tract of land called Sweet Au- 

 burn, situated in Cambridge, should be pur- 

 chased. As a large portion of the ground 

 is now covered with trees, shrubs and wild 



flowering plants, avenues and walks may be 

 made through them, in such a manner, as to 

 render the whole establishment interesting 

 and beautiful, at a small expense, and with- 

 in a few years ; and ultimately offer an ex- 

 ample of landscape or picturesque garden- 

 ing, in conformity to the modern style of 

 laying out grounds, which will be highly 

 creditable to the Society. 



The streams, and parcels of bog and 

 meadow land may be easily converted into 

 ponds, and variously formed sheets of wa- 

 ter, which will furnish appropriate positions 

 for aquatic plants, while their borders may 

 be planted with Rhododendrons, Azaleas, 

 several species of the superb Magnolia, and 

 other plants, which require a constanly hu-, 

 mid soil, and decayed vegetable matter, fori 

 their nourishment. 



On the southeastern and northeastern 

 borders of the tract can be arranged the 

 nurseries, and portions selected for the cul- 

 ture of fruit trees and esculent vegetables, 

 on an extensive scale ; there may arranged 

 the Aboritum, the Orchard, the Culinarum, 

 Floral departments, Melon grounds and 

 Strawberry beds, and Green Houses. 



The remainder of the land may be devo- 

 ted to the Cemetery. 



By means of more extensive correspond- 

 dence, with eminent horticulturists it is 

 certain, that many valuable, rare and beau- 

 tiful plants may be obtained, not only from 

 all parts of our own co'untry, but other re- 

 gions of the globe, which could be naturali- 

 zed to the soil and climate of New Eng- 

 land. This can be efficiently undertaken, 

 so soon as a Garden of Experiment is form- 

 ed, but it would be almost useless to procure 

 large collections of seeds or plants, until we 

 are enabled to cultivate them under the im- 

 mediate direction of the Society. 



Accounts of the experiments, which may 

 be made should be periodically reported and 

 published ; and seeds, buds, cuttings and un- 

 common varieties of rooted plants may be 

 distributed among the members of the So- 

 ciety, and be sold for its benefit, in such 

 mariner as may be found most expedient, to 

 render the garden the most extensively use- 

 ful in all its relations with the wants, coin- 

 forts and pleasures of life. 



Such an establishment is required for 

 'collecting the scattered rays of intelli- 

 gence, and blending them with the science 

 and accumulating experience of the times,' 

 and the diffusing them far and wide, to cheer 

 and enlighten the practical horticultures in 

 his career of agreeable and profitable indus- 

 try. It will powerfully contribute to in- 

 crease the taste for rural pursuits, — stimu- 

 late a generous spirit of research and emu- 

 lation, — suggest numerous objects worthy 

 of inquiry and experiment, — multiply the 

 facilties of information and the interchange 

 of indigenous and exotic plants, — develope 

 the vast vegetable resources of the Union, 

 — give activity to enterprise, — increase the 

 enjoyment of all classes of citizens,— ad- 

 vance the prosperity, and improve the gen- 

 eral aspect of the whole country. 

 (To be concluded next week.) 



TRANSPLANTING TREES. 



Extract from Sir Henry Steuart's Trea- 

 tise on transplanting trees : 



" At the place, from which these pages 

 are dated, may be seen a park of limited 

 extent, and possessing no particular claim 

 to beauty, but visited from curiosity by many 



persons, within the last ten years. It con- 

 sists of about a hundred and twenty Eng- 

 lish acres abundantly clothed with trees and 

 underwood of every common species, by 

 means of the transplanting machine ; and 

 exhibiting within itself a practical illustra- 

 tion of every principle laid down, and every 

 theory held forth in this essay. The single 

 trees and bushes, in groups and open dispo- 

 sitions, amount to about seven hundred ii: 

 number, exclusively of close plantations 

 andcopsewood. Their size, when removed, 

 is not great, the largest not exceeding from 

 thirty to fony feet in height, and from three, 

 or three and a half, to five feet in girth, at a 

 foot from the ground ; but many of them 

 are of much smaller dimensions. The 

 height of the bushes or underwood removed, 

 has been from four to ten feet, and consisting 

 of every sort, usually found on the banks of 

 lakes and rivers. But size in art founded 

 on fixed principles, is a mere matter of choice 

 and expenditure ; for trees of the greater 

 size must be almost as certain and success- 

 ful in removal, as those of the least. It was 

 desirable, however, as almost every thing 

 was to be done here, in the way of park 

 wood, to limit the operations to the smalles' 

 possible expenditure, corfsistently with pro- 

 ducing some effect on the foreground, and 

 middle distance of the landscape ; and with 

 careful execution. 



" Whoever will take the trouble to visit 

 the place, will perhaps find his labor repaid, 

 in examining the progress of an art, calcu 

 lated pr,obably to become as popular as any 

 that has been cultivated within a century ; 

 as there is scarcely any one in which so ma- 

 ny persons in the higher and middle ranks 

 are interested. 



" Considering the prejudice which exists 

 against the art, and that the great power, of 

 which it is susceptable, will with difficult) 

 gain belief, it may be worth while to state a 

 few facts as to its general application which 

 are as incontrovertable as they may seem 

 surprising to the reader. It is torn no vain 

 desire to exaggerate what has been done a' 

 this place, but merely to show the degree of 

 progress, which the art has made, under the 

 greatest disadvantages of soil and climate. 

 It is also for the purpose of proving to those 

 who may engage in similar undertakings, 

 that whatever has been done well tare may, 

 with equal industry, ba done a great deal 

 better, in most other situations. 



"There was in this park originally no 

 water, and scarcely a tree or bush, on the 

 banks and promontories of the present lane 

 and river ; for the water partakes of both 

 those characters. During the summer of 

 1820, the water was excluded ; and in that 

 and the following year, the grounds imme- 

 diately adjoining, were abundantly covered 

 with wood, by means of tjje transplanting 

 machine. Groups and single lice grove 

 and underwood weie introduced in every 

 style of disposition, which the subject seem 

 ed to admit. Where the turf recedes from, 

 or approaches the water, the ground is some- 

 what bold and irregular, although without 

 striking features of any sort : yet the pro- 

 fusion of wood scattered over a surface of 

 moderate limits, in every form and variety, 

 give it an intricacy and an expression," hicli 

 it never possessed before. 



" By the autumn of the third year only, 

 after the execution, namely 1823, when the 

 committee of the society honored the place 

 with their inspection, the different parts see 



