78 



&l)c .farmers ittcmtl)li) Visitor. 



Apple Orchards. 



We are glad lo notice, at length, that we are 

 "etting a right class of mini hold of apple or- 

 chards. The subject is becoming reduced to a 

 science, and a man who does not make his trees 

 grow rapidly and produce abundantly, may pos- 

 sibly pass for a worthy, honest man, if not other- 

 wise disqualified for the title, but he must be put 

 down as a great ignoramus, and a most negli- 

 gent, slovenly manager, so far at least as the sub- 

 ject of fruit is concerned. 



People who pay attention to their fruit trees 

 are sure to make them bear. We have a glori- 

 ous fruit soil and climate, the best on the face of 

 the globe, and ought to produce it in such quan- 

 tities that every household should be profusely 

 supplied with the choicest varieties throughout 

 the year. The best may be as easily raised as 

 the worst, as the trees of such are not frequently 

 the greatest bearers. 



Shrewd men who raise fruit for sale, now gen- 

 erally select one, two, or at most three or four 

 kinds, which are of standard demand in the 

 market, good yieiders, and proved to grow to 

 perfection where cultivated, and confine them- 

 selves entirely to these. They see that they are 

 properly laid out, properly manured, the land 

 properly cultivated among them, properly trim- 

 med, and properly managed in every particular, 

 and they are sure to find an abundant supply of 

 choice fruit on their trees in the autumn. 



A gentleman within our knowledge has a 

 small orchard on the Hudson river, of less than 

 seven acres, which produces from $500 to $750 

 worth of apples annually. This is not one year of 

 plenty and another or two of famine, but is a 

 steady regular average yield. This man does 

 not have what we often hear called by bap-haz- 

 ard farmers bearing years, or rather he has no 

 other. And all this secured by the simplest pro- 

 cess, viz: good management. He scrapes the 

 trunks of his trees every year, and immediately 

 before the insects and their larvse can find a hid- 

 ing place; when thus exposed, he gives them a 

 thorough drenching of wood ashes and hot wa- 

 ter, as can be made to run freely from a white- 

 wash brush. This practice, with lime occasion- 

 ally added about the roots at the trunk, with the 

 management we have before indicated, gives the 

 satisfactory results we have mentioned. After 

 carefully hand-picking his apples, he heads them 

 up in barrels, with a few auger holes in each 

 end, which are thrown upon their bilge, or sides, 

 and allows them to remain exposed to the wea- 

 ther under the trees, till there is danger of freez- 

 ing, when they are housed if not previously 

 sol d. — American Agriculturist. 



Caterpillars— These insects are among the 

 most destructive of any that inlest an orchard; 

 yet, as they may be easily destroyed, the farmer 

 is without excuse if he allows his fruit and trees 

 to be destroyed by them. 



There are numerous ways of destroying them. 

 Among the most simple and effectual, after they 

 have hatched, is that of crushing them with the 

 hand as soon as lliey begin to lorm their nests ; 

 or, if too high to be reached, they may be taken 

 off with a pole. 



Strong whale oil soap — one pint of soap to 

 four and a half gallons of water — applied with a 

 syringe, or a mop of rags at the end of a pole, 

 will destroy them, and, if used towards sunset, 

 or early in the morning, or on a dull day, it will 

 not injure the foliage; and at such times the cat- 

 erpillars are at home, excepting the dull weather 

 is of long continuance, su thai necessity com- 



I ...... c . g ; - 



while. 



There arc various other modes of destruction, 



and every one who pays proper attention to the 

 subject will find some way to rid his trees of this 

 nuisance. The satisfaction of seeing his trees 

 in a flourishing condition will amply repay all 

 the expense, to say nothing of the superior value 

 of the trees and fruit. 



Tonnage of the Lakes. — Under this head 

 the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser of Friday 

 gives a series of valuable tables, setting forth the 

 tonnage licensed and enrolled at the several 

 American ports on the Lakes. We have room 

 to-day but for a mere summary of the informa- 

 tion contained in the tables; but the extent and 

 value of the information they contain, may be 

 surmised when we state that they comprise all 

 the vessels of all classes, steamers, propellers, 

 harks, hrigs, schooners, sloops, and scows, en- 

 rolled on lakes Michigan, Huron, Superior, St. 

 Clair, Erie, Ontario, and Champlain, embracing 

 within that space the collection ilistricts of Buf- 

 falo, Presque Isle, Cuyahoga, Sandusky, Miami, 

 Detroit, Chicago, Michilitnackinac, Lewiston, 

 Rochester, Oswego, Oswegatchie, Cape Vincent, 

 Sackett's Harbor, ami Champlain. The grand 

 total is thus presented in the Commercial Ad- 

 vertiser : 



JVumber of vessels and tonnage. 



95 steamers, 38,913.53 tons. 



45 propellers, 14,435.37 " 



5 barks, 1,645.88 " 



93 brigs, 21.SW.27 " 



548 schooners, 71,618.22 " 



128 sloops and scows, 5,484.25 " 



153,426.62 " 



Total tonnage and Valuation. 



45,067 tons, steamers, $3,380,000 



15,685 " propellers, 950,000 



101,080 " sail vessels, 3,538,000 



$7,868,C00 



The Wife's Complaint. 



When woman will, you tell me, John. 



She really will, depend on't ; 

 And when she says she won't, eh ! John ! 



She won't, and there's the end on't. 

 I know not why you think, John, 



Her will is so much stronger. 

 Or when she's once determined, John, 



She will hold out much longer. 



You know your mind is fixed, John, 



" For Califnrnia-fl Ho !'' 

 To stop you 'twere as easy, John, 



To slop .Niagara's flow. 

 I've scolded, leased and begged, John, 



With lears, lo stop your going ; 

 But 'lis as light a task, John, 



To stop the wind from blowing. 



'Tis but a lew years since, John, 



You sought me for your bride ; 

 Then, lor a weight of gold, John, 



You'd not have left my side. 

 But now your brain is turned, John, 



Your heart is growing cold — 

 You'll leave your wife, for what, John 7 



To dig for paltry gold ! 



For days you scarce have eaten, John, 



You're growing pale and thin ; 

 Arid see your dress — your beard, John, 



It's a week old on your chin ! 

 See you where'er 1 will, John, 



You've a paper in your hold — 

 Y r ou think, dream, read of nought, John, 



But California gold. 



We've seen little children, John, 



Olive plants around our tahlc ; 

 With thriving trade and stout arm, John, 



To fill their mouths you're able 

 We've a smiling little cot, too, John, 



Clustered 'round with trees and vines — 

 You'll leave them all to dig, John, 



In C'alilornia mines. 



You say you'll leave us all, John, 



To Providence alone ; 

 Y r ou'll trust to fill our mouths, John, — 



With bread when you are gone. 

 Be it so. I'll trust Him loo, John, 



And turn mv tears to laughter; 

 MVio'/; leave his wife for gold, Juhn, 



/.* not worth crying after ! 



Cohhet said : " Women, so amiable in them* 



selves, are never so amiable as when they are 



■I for beaut}'] though men may hill in 



love with girls at play, there is nothing to make 



them stand to their love like seeing them work." 



Beans as Food for Animals. 



Chemical analysis demonstrates that beans and 

 peas are rich in nitrogen, or nitrogenous com- 

 pounds: hence it is inferred that they would 

 form a valuable food for laboring animals — the 

 nitrogen supplying the waste of muscular tissue! 

 But some trials which have been made show 

 that they are valuable for animals in other re- 

 spects. Beans are excellent for fattening sheep, 

 and peas are highly prized for fattening hogs. 

 Beans are not usually relished by hogs; but we 

 have heard of their being ground and the meal 

 mixed with potatoes and fed to them, with good 

 results. Bean meal lias also been given to cows 

 The writer was acquainted with a farmer in 

 Maine several years since, who was somewhat 

 noted for the general excellence of his milch 

 cows, and who made it a rule to feed his cows 

 with about a quart of bean meal, each, for two 

 or three weeks before and after calving. The 

 cows appeared to be very fond of it, and the 

 farmer thought it was the best food for the com 

 bined objects of imparting strength, and pro- 

 ducing a good flow of milk that could be used. 

 A writer in the Massachusetts Ploughman states 

 that he has lately been feeding a milch cow with 

 bean meal with good effects. We hope experi- 

 ments will he made in such a manner as to test 

 its value, compared with meal from Indian corn. 

 Mere conjecture, without actual trial, is worth hut 

 little. — Albany Cultivator. 



Commfrce of Pittsborgh. — The Pittsburgh 

 Gazette says the following is an annual aggregate 

 of the arrivals of steamboats and other vessels 

 at the port of Pittsburgh, together with the 

 amount of tonnage from the year 1843 to 1848 

 inclusive : 



Number. Tonnage. 



1843, steamboats, 1,707 165,317 

 " keels and flats, 582 13,675 



1844, steamboats, 1,966 216,236 

 " keels and flats, 560 12,515 



1845, steamboats, 1,169 227,994 

 " keels and flats, 621 14,180 



1846, steamboats, 2,585 276,572 

 " keels and flats, 634 15,965 



1847, steamboats, 3,171 372,465 

 " keels and flats, 764 20,730 



1848, steamboats, 2,885 361,009 

 " keels and flats, 705 20,501 



Different Crops in Alternate Rows. 

 J. G. Charclsey, of Wiekford, R. I., made tin 

 experiment last year in relation to the cultivation 

 of onions and carrots in alternate rows. The 

 result was, that a piece planted with onions, in 

 rows one foot apart, produced 207 bushels pel- 

 acre ; and the piece planted with carrots and 

 onions, in alternate rows, at the same distance as 

 on the other lot, gave 380 bushels of onions, and 

 774d bushels of carrots per acre. The value of 

 the crop on the first mentioned lot, was $202 80; 

 manure and expense of cultivation, $93 10, giv- 

 ing a nett profit of $109 10 per acre. The piece 

 with onions and carrots together, gave an aggre- 

 grate value of $306 80 per acre ; manure and 

 expense of cultivation, $177 59; leaving a nett 

 profit of $189 21. Part of the onions were sold 

 at fifty cents, and the remainder at forty cents 

 per bushel. The carrots sold mostly in the field, 

 at twenty cents per bushel. The advantage of 

 cultivating the carrots and onions together, is 

 thought to be owing to the more ready admission 

 of the sun's rays. The onions are sown six 

 weeks before the carrots, and they mature and 

 are taken off before the carrots shade the ground 

 — the latter making their greatest growth in the 

 last half of September, and through October. — 

 Albany. Cultivator. 



