172 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



orchards, &c. lie contended that fruits would run 

 out, and in proof cited a case which had come un- 

 der his observation. The fruit of young trees 

 grafted from the old ones had the same defects 

 that the fruit from the old trees had. 



He thought old orchards might be brought into 

 a state to last for a number of years, if taken in 

 hand in season. 



In keeping fruit, Mr. Adams said his plan was 

 to place his apples on shelves furnished with slats 

 to retain the apples and admit the passage of 

 the air through them, and then open his cellar 

 door and allow the cold air to rush in upon them. 

 By this means his apples were kept until April, in 

 as good condition as when put in in the fall — 

 sound, bright, and of good flavor, though perhaps 

 a little shrunk. Apples should be kept very cool. 

 He considered Baldwin apples the most profitable 

 crop which the farmer could raise. 



Mr. French, of Braintree, said it was known 

 that fruits had their years of sickness and depre- 

 ciation. We know that the buttonwood has been 

 dying out for ten years ; but this year we find but- 

 tons growing on the trees, an(T young button- 

 woods growing up. We have undoubted evidence 

 that the "Pomme Appi" apple has been in exis- 

 tence for a century and a half, and he had no 

 tree on his farm that was so hardy and bore so 

 well. There are springing up before us, every 

 day, new varieties of fruit, and the only difSculty 

 is to know what we shall do with them all. In 

 Philadelphia, lately, he was shown more than for- 

 ty new varieties of apples, and all of them desira- 

 ble. We do not want more than thirty varieties. 



Mr. Brown, of the N. E. Farmer, said he had 

 no doubt we should always have plenty of new va- 

 rieties, and described one variety of apple which 

 had its origin in the town of Concord, and is prin- 

 cipally confined to that locality, where it is exten- 

 sively cultivated. It is called the Hunt Russet ; 

 he had seen some of them which were two years 

 old, still juicy, fair, and retaining their flavor. 



In regard to the time for trimming trees, it was 

 his opinion that it should not be done while the 

 sap was in full flow. He considered the practice 

 which extends throughout New England of prun- 

 ing trees in March and April to be destructive to 

 them. If the limbs are severed while the sap is 

 ascending, it will continue to flow and run down 

 the limb and trunk of the tree, forming a discol- 

 ored line, which can readily be seen on noticing a 

 tree thus treated. This sap, which is sweet at 

 first, on exposure to the atmosphere, becomes ex- 

 tremely acrid and bitter, and acts as a poison up- 

 on the tree, eventually destroyng it, as it flows out 

 from the limb with every returning flow of the sap. 

 Trees should either be trimmed when the sap is not 

 in motion, or when they are full of young foliage, 

 which will divert the sap from the wound to the 

 leaves, and give it an opportunity of healing over. 



Trees can be trimmed in midsummer without 

 injury, or in the autumn, when in repose. If 

 trimmed when the sap is not in flow, a green, 

 •smooth bark grows about the edges,and the wound 

 heals up much better than if cut in any of the 

 months when the upward current of the sap is 

 free. It is the running sap that prevents the 

 healing process. He also cited the practice of 

 eminent horticulturists to sustain his views. 



Mr. Adams, of Newbury, agreed with Mr. 

 Brown's views as to the proper time for trimming 

 trees. 



Mr. Wheeler, of Framingham, considered the 

 matter very important. His experience had con- ' 

 vinced him that the best time for pruning was when 

 the sap was not in full flow. 



Prof Nash, detailed a plan for pres'erving ap- 

 ples. In the fall, place them in the garret, (the 

 cooler the room the better) enveloped in fine saw- 

 dust, about a bushel and a half to a barrel, and a 

 little apart from each other and the barrel. They 

 will not freeze, thus protected, in the severest win- 

 ter, and fruit which will not generally keep be- 

 yond January, will keep in good condition until 

 April. 



The hour of nine having arrived, the meeting 

 adjourned. 



Note. — The reports of agricultural discussions 

 at the State House, give opinions fur which we 

 feel no sort of responsibility. This is also the case 

 with communications which we publish. Many 

 of them contain doctrines which we co«ld not en- 

 dorse ; but we consider it fair that gentlemen shall 

 have a hearing, and have no fears but their opin- 

 ions, as well as our own, will be taken for all they 

 are worth. 



For the Nevj Enixland Farmer. 

 COMPARATIVE MERITS 

 OF THE TALL AND LATE AND THE SHORT AND 

 EARLY KINDS OF CORN. 



Our farmers hereabouts plant much of the tall 

 growing variety of corn, which is often materially 

 injured by the early frosts, and their reason for 

 preferring it is, that the ear is larger ,-and they get 

 a much larger yield to the acre {provided the frost 

 does not destroy half the crop.) The low grow- 

 ing variety of corn, if planted the last of May or 

 first of June, ripens earlier, escapes the frost, and 

 although the car is smaller, gives a sure crop. I 

 wish to know if an equal number of bushels of the 

 small and early variety may not be produced to 

 the acre by planting the rows of the low and ear- 

 ly variety nearer together than the usual three feet 

 apart distance of the tall kind, (a.) The low 

 growing corn probably does not extend its roots to 

 such a distance as the taller corn. But our fiirm- 

 ers say if the rows are nearer than three feet, the 

 passage of the horse and whiffletree with the cul- 

 tivator, will destroy by breaking down a large 

 amount. But is it not bad policy to pass with the 

 cultivator when the corn is high enough to be 

 broken down, on account of injury to the roots'? 



