1847. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



147 



vation, it becomes a variety ; and its seeds, if 

 productive, will yield varieties only — some bear- 

 ing a nearer, and others a more remote, resem- 

 blance to the pai'ent. For instance, you plant 

 seeds of an Isabella Grape, which is but slightly 

 removed from the natural state, and from an 

 hundred seedlings you will most likely not get 

 one identical Isabella ; and in like manner you 

 may plant a bushel of stones of the Early York 

 Peach, and the probability is you will not obtain 

 a single tree that will produce the real Early 

 York : and so on through the whole catalogue of 

 our cultivated fruits — some being more and some 

 being less disposed to vary. This fact is full of 

 interest to the fruit grower, as it opens an im- 

 mense field for interesting experiment, and vast 

 and valuable improvements. To it we owe very 

 many of the most delicious fruits now known. — 

 Nearly all our American varieties, such as the 

 Seckel, the Dix. Dearborn's Seedling, Blood- 

 good, Swan's Orange, Oswego Beurre, and other 

 pears, unsurpassed by any in the world, have 

 sprung up accidentally from seeds of other vari- 

 eties in no way, perhaps, similar to them. So 

 is it with our Spitzemburg, Swaa.-, Newtown 

 Pippin, Northern Spy, and other apples — the 

 Washington, Columbia, Lawrence, and other 

 plums — that certainly are entitled to tlie first 

 rank among the improved fruits of the present 

 day. 



Van Mons the great Belgian pomologist, based 

 his whole life long efforts towards the ameliora- 

 tion of fruits on this tendency of seminal varie- 

 ties to change. By following it up with unexam- 

 pled perseverance, and the utmost scientific ac- 

 curacy, he succeeded in giving to the world such 

 a variety of delicious Beurres that it is no longer 

 an easy matter, barely possible, to make a choice 

 amongst them. 



Thus we see what benefits have been and are 

 yet to be derived from this law of vegetable life, 

 and yet how many have blindly regretted its ex- 

 istence ! How many now, even, in this enlight- 

 ened day, had rather it were possible to repro- 

 duce their favorite fruits from seed, than that such 

 an unlimited field for progress should be kindly 

 left open to them by Providence. 



Enormous Grape Vine. 



A CORRESPONDENT of the Horticulturist gives 

 an account of a grape vine of extraordinary size, 

 growing at Burlington, N. J. The following 

 are its dimensions : " At three feet from the 

 ground it measures six feet one inch around the 

 Xrunk, and at ten feet high it is positively three 

 feet in circumference. It is a native male grape, 

 and has been the wonder of the neighborhood as 

 long back as the memory of man reaches. It is 

 still healthy, and its giant folds run over and cov- 

 er four trees, one of which is a full sized white 

 oak, and the others are quite large. This vine 



grows on upland near a springy soil, its roots no 

 doubt penetrating to the water." The writer 

 adds — " may this not teach us a lesson, to give 

 the rootlets, wherever it is possible, access to a 

 spring or running water." 



It is a pity that Mr. Brown had not given a 

 history and description of this ancient, noble vine 

 in his "Trees of America." Such an object is 

 more worthy of being chronicled than a memor- 

 able battle field, or mouldering ruins of castles or 

 cities. 



Orchards. 



I WISH to make a few brief remarks in answer to a Syra- 

 cuse coriespondent. 



In rearing an orchard, the ground should be plowed deep 

 and be in a high state of cultivation. Then set out the trees 

 and keep the grass dug up in a circle about 4 feet from the 

 trunk of each tree, for 4 or 5 years, but no manure after the 

 3d or 4th year. Wlien the trees are large enough to bear, 

 let the grass sward over under the trees, and keep the ground 

 for mowing ; for if the ground is kept rich with manure and 

 sometimes plowed, the trees will grow rapidly and yield but 

 Utile fruit. This was the mode pursued by my near neigh- 

 bor, Uan Bradley, Fsq. His trees grew rapidly and bore 

 but little fruit. He knew not what was the cause. He re- 

 sorted to the Genesee Farmer for information, and was told 

 to stop manuring and digging about his trees, and turn his 

 lot to meadow. He did so, and his trees soon began to bear 

 fruit. 



[Manuring and working the ground around fruit trees may 

 be carried so far as to ke^ up a continual production of wood, 

 without fruit. But errors of an opposite kind are more fre- 

 quently committed. For one tree surfeited with aliment 

 there are a hundred, in this country, declining and perish- 

 ing for want of a proper supply. Trees inclined to an over- 

 production of wood, may be turned to fruiting by a shorten- 

 ing of the branches, during the summer. — Editor.] 



We can see trees in poorish land that bear well. An old 

 orchard sometimes becomes unthrifty, and the fruit small ; 

 then resort to manuring and plowing. 



Plum trees may be raisd free from black knots by keep- 

 ing the ground rich and well hoed, and spreading on leach- 

 ed ashes ; and, two or three times each summer, put salt 

 on the ground, about a pint to each square rod. By this pro- 

 cess mine are doing well. 



Peach trees. — Examine your peach trees three or four 

 times each summer, at the roots of the trees ; and if the gum 

 oozes out you will find a white worm eating the bark, and 

 sometimes deeper, which will destroy the trees : if not ex- 

 tracted the tree will turn yellow and die in mid-summer. 



AiLANTUs Tree. — I have a few Ailantus trees, or tree of 

 Heaven. On examining them this spring I find they are 

 winter-killed, more or less, where the stems separated from 

 tlie body. Tlu leaves grew until the frost killed them; and 

 when they fell off, the body had not time to harden before 

 cold weather. But I think I have in part found a remedy. 

 Last September I commenced pruning off the leaves of sev- 

 eral, some ten or twelve days before any frost appeared, 

 and as far up as I pruned them they endured the winter 

 well. I cut the leaves off about half an inch from the body, 

 aud after a few days the remaining part dried up and fell off, 

 and the wood at the base of the leaf stalks had time to hard- 

 en before the frost came. 



Removing large trees. — I have never seen a notice 

 upon removing large trees of any kind, but T would suggest 

 the following methovl . Dig a trench in a circle around the 

 tree from 3 to 6 feet in diameter, according to the size of 

 the tree, and deep enough to cut off the greater part of the 

 roots. Fill the trench again, and m the courso of the sum- 

 mer the tree will send out a multitude of fibrous roots. In 

 the fall open the trench again and fill it with straw, and 

 when the ground is frozen enough take a rail and tie it to 

 the trunk with a rope and lift it out and carry it to the place 

 which was previously dug and filled with straw. Should 

 there be roots running perpendicular cut them off, and in 

 filling up, be careful to fill all the cavities. A. W. 



Marcellus, N. Y., 1847. 



