34 



GExNESEE FARMER. 



Jan. 



Answers to Correspondents. 



TILLOTSON PEACH. -JHORNS. 



Mk. p. Barry — Dear Sir : I take the liberty of proposing 

 to you the following queries, which I hope either you or 

 some of the Horticultural contributors to your valuable 

 paper will please answer, %iz : What rank does the Early 

 TiUotsou peach take among other early varieties? How 

 much earlier does it ripen than the Early York and the 

 common Red Rarerijie of the country ? Where can the 

 Cralcegns crus galli — the thorn recommended in the August 

 number of your paper — be obtained ? 



I wish you would examine and let me know the names of 

 the apples I send you. 



By answering the above queries you will oblige a sub- 

 scriber. A. W. Wheelock. 



Leicester, Oct., 1847. 



The Tillotson Peach was introduced to general notice, 

 we believe, by John J. Thomas, ofMacedon, through whose 

 commendation mainly it has for a few years past been con- 

 sidered the very best early peach — ripening two weeks before 

 the Early York. We had it bear the past season in our own 

 grounds ; but the tree was in a crowded situation, and the 

 season was unfavorable for ripening early varieties. We 

 had Cole's Early Red and Early Purple of this region ripe 

 before it. It will ripen in good seasons here early in Au- 

 gust, while the Early York and Red Rareripe ripen the lat- 

 ter end of that month. 



W'e have been lately informed by a person who has 

 bestowed much attention to the comparison of fruits raised 

 in diiiiercnt parts of the country, that our Early Purple is the 

 true Early York of Downing ; and that our Early York is 

 the Large Early York of New Jersey ; that the Honest John. 

 of some growers here, an early yellow peaoh, is not known 

 elsewhere by that name, but that the Honest John of New 

 Jersey is our Early Purple, or the true Early York. There 

 is confusion, existing undoubtedly in regard to the names of 

 these varieties, (Early York and Early Purple,) which we 

 hope another season will clear up. We have also heard 

 doubts expressed about the Tillotson being a distinct sort. 

 It may possibly prove synonymous with some old sort, but 

 we are inclined to think not. 



We presume the Cratcegus cms galli might be obtained 

 at some of the nurseries, and may be found growing in the 

 woods and fields abundantly throughout the country. It 

 usually forms a low flat headed tree, with small scarlet fruit, 

 which ripen in September and October. It is easily distin- 

 guished from the yellow fruited thorn, which is somewhat 

 similar in habit, but not near so showy either in flow^er or 

 fruit. 



Of the apples sent several are quite new to us ; and, al- 

 though good, are not ecjual to other well known standard 

 sorts. No. 1, Yellow Bcllflower, a fine fruit ; No. 2, Streak- 

 ed Gilliflower, large and showy, but dry and poor; No. 4, 

 Porter ; No. 6 we suppose to be Winter Pearmain, quite 

 distinct from the Wine, which you say it has been called 

 by your committee; Nos. 14 and 1(5, both Esopus Spitzem- 

 berg ; No. 17, Baldwin ; No. 18, Vandervere. The others 

 unknown. No. 7 is not the Maiden's Blush ; has the same 

 handsome coloring, but more round in form, will keep lon- 

 ger, and is quite as good. No. 9, which you call a first rate 

 fall sweet, is not, to our taste, equal to No. 12. Chilicothe 

 Sweet, or No. Vi, Red " Pumpkin Sweet" (?) No. 10 is a 

 large, fine, productive apple, cultivated by many as the 20 

 ounce pippin ; No. 11, Groveland Russet Seedling, is a high 

 flavored rich little fruit, resembling the old Nonpareil. 



ADVANTAGES OF FALL PLANTING. 

 J. S., Collins. We have, in previous numbers of this 

 paper, alluded to the advantages of fall planting — which are, 

 that if planted early in the fall, say middle or latter end of 

 October, the trees get fixed comfortably in their new posi- 

 tion, the earth is settled around them, and in many cases 

 they will have emitted new rootlets before winter. When 

 spring comes they are. ready to start and will grow- vigor- 

 ously under favorable circumstances ; whereas, in spring 

 planting, trees are not generally moved until the sap is par- 

 tially in motion, and then the check is more severely felt, 

 so that they do not usually recover in lime to make any 

 considerable growth that season, and more particularly if 

 dry weather sets in during May, as not unfrequently hap- 

 pens. It is easy to guard against their being misplaced by 



"frequent freezing and thawing," by simply throwing up 

 a hillock of earth around the base of the tree to the height 

 of 12 or 18 inches, which can be leveled down in the spring. 

 This has been illustrated in our last volume. 



We never advise fall planting, even of hardy trees, in 

 wet clayey soils, or in very cold situations in the more 

 northern sections of this country, or Canada, where they 

 would be subjected to extreme degrees of frost likely to kill 



B. W. S., Raisin, Mich. Mountain Ash.— The berries 

 should be gathered in autumn as soon as ripe ; the seeds 

 immediately washed out of the pulp and sowed in light 

 mellow soil, with a covering of an inch and a half or two 

 inches deep. They will, as a general thing, vegetate freely 

 the following spring. They will do so, with more certain- 

 ty, however, if soaked an hour or two in hot water before 

 w'ashing out. 



Pine, Spruce, White Cedar, Arbor Vitce, ^-c. — The cones 

 of all these should be gathered in the autumn, and kept for 

 a while in a dry place, when the seeds will come out easily. 

 They should be sown in the spring in a light, mellow, well 

 prepared soil. The beds should be made as smooth as pos- 

 sible before the seed is sown, and the covering should be 

 finely pulverised and not over half an inch to an inch in 

 depth. As soon as the seed begins to vegetate, the beds, if 

 not in a shaded cool situation, on the north side of a tight 

 fence or a belt of trees, should be carefully shaded during 

 mid-day, as our hot sun burns off the young plants as soon 

 as they appear above ground. They will also require care- 

 ful watering in dry weather. 



The raising of the pine family from seed, in the cool 

 moist climate of England and Scotland, requires an experi- 

 enced hand, being considered one of the nicest operations of 

 nursery culture. Our frequent drouths and powerful solar 

 heat render it much more difficult here ; and it is, in our 

 opinion, doubtful whether it will ever be successfully prac- 

 tised on a large scale. It has not yet, to our knowledge, 

 been attempted ; but very good success may be had with 

 small beds, managed according to the above method. The 

 plants may remain in the seed bed two years before trans- 

 planting ; if too close, a portion may be thinned out after 

 the first season's growth. A covering of leaves will be 

 necessary the first winter, to prevent their being drawn out 

 by the frost. 



Answers to your other inquiries can not find space at 

 present, but will be given next month. 



A. Eaton, Benton Qenter, N. Y. We do not know how 

 the seeds of the Paradise apple, and Mirabelle plum, can be 

 obtained. The former we propagate by layers or cuttings, 

 and the latter by buds or grafts. 

 TheAilantus seed can be obtained here plentifully, if 

 pplication be made early in the autumn. W^e do not know 

 of any here at present ; we presume it could be had m New 

 York. Seedhngs of one year can be had here, by the 100 

 or 1000, for a mere trifle. 



L. P. C, Brookfield, N. Y. You probably mean the 

 Pawlonia Imperialis, which would require protection with 

 you for the first two or three years after planting ; and it is 

 doubtful if it would stand your climate then. Another year 

 or two will enable us to judge of the success of this tree in 

 such latitudes as yours. 



Thos. Strattan, Esq., Webster. The apple you sent 

 us looks like the Gloria Mundi; but it is quite mealy, and 

 we cannot judge correctly. 



Several communications, inquiries, &c., w-ere received 

 too late for insertion or answer in this number. They will 

 receive proper attention in our next. 



A Story Worth Relating. — A gentleman fronj Ches- 

 ter informs us that Mr. Joseph RobinsoiV, of that town, 

 has an apple orchard, planted and raised by himself, cov- 

 ering but two acres of land, the product of which this year 

 is nine hundred bushels, exclusive of a se«ond picking of in- 

 ferior quality. Mr. Robinson has sold four hundred bush- 

 els for cash down, at §1 p»r bushel, reserving five hundred 

 bushels for a future sale. The entire income this year will 

 not be below .§1000, and at far less labor than is bestowed 

 upon a small farm.— iV. //. Statestnan. 



