18 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Jan, 



set) is of medium size, ovate, or sometimes coni- 

 cal, and verv regularly formed. Skin yellowish- 

 green, nearly covered with russet, which is thick- 

 est near the stalk. Calyx small, closed, and set 

 in an even, round basin, of moderate depth. Stalk 

 rather small, projecting even with the base, and 

 pretty, deeply inserted, in a narrow, smooth cav- 

 ity. Flesh white, tender, with a pleasant, mild, 

 slightly sub-acid flavor. 



The tree is a little slow in coming into bearing, 

 but once producing fruit, bears every year; is hardy 

 and of handsome shape. We have seen the ap- 

 ples two years old, fair, plump and juicy, kept on a 

 shelf in the cellar with no extra care whatever, and 

 have kept them ourselves a year in good condition. 

 It bears a high price in the market, selling quick 

 at $5 a barrel in the market last spring, and is 

 rapidly gaining the popular favor. 



The above is the opinion wo have formed of this 

 fruit from raising, using and comparing it. But 

 we advise no one to adopt our opinions without 

 careful inquiry and investigation for themselves. 



For the. New England Farmer. 



THE SEASON OF 1852 AT WILMING- 

 TON AND VICINITY. 



BT SILAS BROWN. 



Messrs. Editors : — It often happens in the sum- 

 mer, in the time of drought, that an accumulation 

 of clouds at a distance indicate an approaching 

 shower, but on a nearer advance, they split and, 

 display at the right and left and disappoint tlie 

 anxious expectants of a refreshing fall of rain. It 

 is not uncomuum, in a dry time, for a succession 

 of such illusive showers to wend their way over 

 the dusty and tliirsty earth without any regard 

 to the fasting and prayers of poor sinners below. 

 The town where I formerly lived was visited by 

 two or three drj' summers in succession, and tlie 

 promising appearance of showers followed by the 

 split in the clouds extremely annoyed a neighbor 

 by causing liiin such scanty crops ; he considered 

 his farm to be located right under the "crack in 

 the clouJs," as he called it; the whim wrought 

 upon his mind so forcibly that his only remedy was 

 to Si.dl and purchase in a more fortunate place, 

 vphere clouds were not subject to such rents as to 

 hold no water. In this vicinity we have been 

 highly favored with sliowers of rain through the 

 euuimer ; instead of the splitting of the clouds and 

 passing by us on either or both sides, nebulous 

 frag'uents have collected into dense bodies, di- 

 rectly over us and poured down their contents in 

 a profusion of rain. 



After an uncommon cold winter and backward 

 spring that destroyed a large proportion of youmr 

 fruit trees in this neighborliood, the weather 

 changed suddenly the 5th day of May to very 

 warm, which continued till the 9th and gave incip- 

 ient vegetation a fine start. Fruit trees of vari- 

 ous kinds begin to blossom the 22d day of May 

 uncQiumonly full, which had an elevating effect 

 upon the one who v/as so unfortunate as to be 

 troubled with the depressing effect of the "Hlues." 

 We had frost (m the mornisigs of the 19th and 

 20th of May, too early to injure cranberries and 



other fruits ; June 3d, a great shower ; Gth and 

 12th, frost on low land which was supposed to be 

 the cause of the scarcity of cranberries this faW, 

 the tender shoots that produce the fruit were just 

 starting from the old vine at that critical time ; 

 14th, very warm ; 15th, light thunder shower in 

 the morning; IGth and 17th, extreme heat, and 

 shower at 5 P. M., 17th ; 18th, soaking rain in 

 the morning; 22d, thunder shower commencing 

 at 9 A. !M., which lasted all day and supplied us 

 with a drenching rain, while at 10 miles distance 

 hut very little fell, and the spectator, at that dis- 

 tance, could see the clouds congregating and dis- 

 charging their contents in great profusion in some 

 particular localities, while others continued dry ; 

 25th, slight shower and cooler; 29th, grows dry ; 

 30th, shower, warm and growing time; July 2d, 

 soaking thunder shower, A. M. ; 8th to 14th, ex- 

 treme heat, and top of ground di-y ; 14th, soaking 

 shower ; 15th and 16th, warm ; 17tb, rainy; 19th- to 

 25th, warm and good hay weather; 26th, drenching 

 rain from N.'E. ; 27th, to August 1st, good hay 

 weather; 5th, great rain from N. E. and cool; 

 7th, rain; 9th to lltli, cloudy, but little rain; 

 12th to 14th, good hay weather ; 16th to 18th, 

 cool nights ; 19th, warm and dry ; 20th, sudden 

 change, wind to N. E., and cloudy and dry to 

 26th, then a fine shower ; 29th, a drenching N. 

 E. storm, which lasted to the end of the month, 

 when the fate of the crops was decided fur the 

 season. 



The first hard frost was on the morning of 30th 

 September. There has been a good supply of fall 

 feed, a fiivorable circumstance to those wh« have 

 not a full supply of fodder, as well as to the pro- 

 ducer and consumer of butter. Early potatoes 

 wei'e "small^," indurated and glutinous after be- 

 ing boiled jt owing to the extreme heat in July; 

 The late ones were much better and afiln-ded us an 

 average crop. Chenangoes and long whites, two 

 of the best old varieties, were the only ones which 

 showed the symptoms of the regular epidemic rot, 

 while different varieties growing from seed derived 

 from Vermont were sound. Cranberries and peach- 

 es scarce. Apples abundant ; corn and rye an 

 average crop; all kinds of garden roots and vege- 

 tables never better ; upland hay good ; meadow 

 hay very light. 



The f irests, the ornament of our hills and worn- 

 out lands, were not behind our cultivated trees and 

 plants in progressing, for the purposes of lumber 

 and fuel. The fall, thus far, has been rather cool 

 and cloudy, but we have had a plenty of rain and 

 a good supply of water in our wells, a greater an- 

 tidote to sickness than "rum and tobacco too." 

 There have been more biles and fewer fevers than 

 commonly fall to the lot of mortals by the way of 

 afllictions and mercies, as many of nacan tastify, 

 the past season ; it is possible that tlie former may 

 be a preventive of the hitter. Pro^donce has not 

 stinted us in any of tlie good things conducive 

 to health. and comfort, for which we have reason 

 to elevate our minds in gratitude to that great 

 Being who directs the courses of the cl-iuds, gov- 

 erns the destinies of the crops and shews such fa- 

 vors as the rewards of industry. s. b, 



Wilmington, Oct., 1851. 



1^ A gentleman just returned from California, 

 states that Baldwin apples have been selling by the 

 barrel at an average of twelve and a half cents 



