1850. 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



285 Jll 



kl or encumbered with trees, the spado is the thing. If 



3? taken at the proper season, an ordinary sized garden 



jj may he trenched at very trifJing expense. It may l)e 



Ifi done when nearly all other out-door work upon land 



I,'; has ceased. We have kept trenching going on all 



11 winter, by covering the ground with leaves a few 



7]g inches deep. There is no farmer but could find, if 



II) disposed, time enough with his men to prepare his 

 k; garden in this way, and then when spring comes, the 

 Jf hibor of preparing and seeding would be comparative- 

 f. ly light — it could bo done much earlier in the season, 

 If and the crops would be of some value, and creditable 

 }\^ bo;ides. 



|r The manure used in gardens should be old and well 



Ifi iifcayed, so tliat it can be cut easily with a spade. 



|,'^' Vou may then depend upon its not filling the garden 



J' with weeds, as fresh manures always do. This 



I'j trenching has a wonderful influence on the soil. We 



^i^ know little about it in this country. In Europe it is 



»;> as common a process in garden, orchard, and vineyard 



|i culture as plowing is here for grain crops. In the 



|j wine-making districts of France and Germany, the 



|- soil has been made by trenching out of hard, gravelly, 



ji> slaty hills, that in the natural state would appear 



t) about as fertile as the rocky banks of the Hudson. 



1^ The beautiful and famous vineyards of Cincinnati 



l';' occupy barren looking bluffs around the city, that 



I::.' have been trenched by Germans in their own style, 



Ri and brought into their present productive and polished 



k state. 



$'. It ia not dry, hard, and thin soils alone, that are 



fi benefited by trenching, but heavy, cold, and damp 



JM soils : loosening of the sub-soil renders them porous, 



ii;i allows superflous water to pass olT, and warms and 



^i, sweetens the ground. We recommend this subject 



Ij to the immediate attention of all who have gardens ; 



m and if any farther information be required on the sub- 



Jf ject, we will cheerfully impart it if we can. We arc 



tf so fully convinced that this thorough preparation of 



I) the ground is at the bottom of all good and success- 



i'f fi:l gardening, and so fully aware, too, of the extent 



Jlf to which it is neglected, that we cannot press it too 



III) strongly. 



I? TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL EXHIBITION OF THE 



V MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETT. 



jlj' The display of fruit at tliis exhibition, is reported as 



1w far surpassing any previous show of the Society. 



il As might be expected, the Pear display was exceed- 



lif '"o'y rich. A multitude of new and rare sorts, 



]h besides most of the well known and popular ones, 



|l were exhibited in various collections, and no doubt 



K] in great perfection. The members of this Society, 



Hi combined, could probably boat the world in a show 



|'> of pears. The President of the Society, Mr. 



|j Walker, exiiibited 112 varieties. Col. Wilder 210, 



If RoBT. Manniisg no, HovEY &Co. 100, J. S. Cabot 



Iji 86, B. V. French 85, and many others from 20 to 40 



1^ varieties each. We notice that the Sican's Orange 



|( appears in all the principal collections, and it is only 



L* about four years, this autumn, since the first trees 



{Hi' were sent east from Rochester, and we believe that 



I? was the first of its introduction there. 



I? The Society offered a premium of the Lyman Plate, 



|i worth $20, for the best 12 varieties of 12 specimens 



|(, each ; for the second best, $12 ; and for the third, $8. 



k] We learn fr.m Hovey's Magazine that these pre- 



uii miuwis were awarded to the following collections : 



j|> The best twelve varieties of twelve specimens each, which 



obtained the iirst premium, were Van Mons Leon le Clore, 

 Duntnore, Ueurre d'Anjou, Beurre d'Amalis, Golden Heurre 

 ofliillina, Beurre Dibi, Duchesse of AHgoiilcme. Coltmiliia, 

 Urhanisle, Glout Morccan, Le Cure and Catil!ar, in Mr. 

 Wilder's collection. 



The second beet twelve were ; Knight's Monarch, Hull, 

 Swan's Orange, Beurre d'Anjou, Le Cure, Louise Bonne of 

 Jrrsey, Beurre d'Amalis, White Doyenne, Beurre Diel, 

 Wiliams' Bon Chretien, Dunmore, and Beurre Sentin, in the 

 lection of Messrs. Hovey & Co. 



The third host twelve were : Brown Beurre, Benrre Bose. 

 (iucen of the Low Countries, Van Mons Leon le Clerc, 

 Winter Nelis, Duchesse of Angouleme, Louise Bonne of 

 Jersey, Beurre d'Amalis, Glout Morceau, Beurre Diel, Huf- 

 fum and Marie Louise, in the collectitm ofMr. GouooN. 



These were all finely grown, large, fair, and every way 

 splendid, giving evidence of wiiat the several kinds will do 

 uhen under good management. 



Here then we have twenty-five varieties. We 

 think it a little remarkable that neither the t>ecki-l, 

 Fliinish lieauti/, or Belle Lvcrathe vfere included. 

 We are glad to see premiums offered in this way. 

 It concentrates the cream of the collections, so that 

 those who were not present may benefit by the deci- 

 sions of the judges. Out of the hundreds of varieties 

 exhibited, we have here twenty-five chosen from the 

 largest collections. There is still a consideration to 

 be kept in view. Twelve specimens of each were 

 required, and it may have been the case that some 

 other varieties would have been preferred if the requi- 

 site number had been exhibited. The Beurre Diel, 

 and Beurre d'Amalis are the only two exhibited in 

 all the collections. Seven other varieties it will be 

 seen were in two collections, and the remainder were 

 all ditTerent. We are glad to see this great Society 

 improving in its plans of usefulness, and growing 

 more and more brilliant in its exhibitions. 



ROOT PRUNING. 



In rich, deep, alluvial soils, certain varieties of fruit 

 will make a rank, vigorous growth, year after year, 

 without becoming fruitful within any reasonable 

 period. The remedy is to curtail the supply of food 

 by cutting off a large portion of the feeding root, to 

 be replaced by fine fibres. The proper mode of doing 

 it is to strip the earth ofl'the ends of the large roots 

 by digging a trench around the tree, deep enough to 

 go below the roots, then with a sharp knife cut off' 

 the ends. The cut should be made on the under 

 side and sloping outwards. It may be done much 

 more quickly by having a spade ground to a sharp 

 edge, so that it will cut a root, an inch in diameter, 

 clean through at a single stroke. The effect of 

 transplanting on trees is well known. If we take a 

 vigorous growing tree of bearing size, but showing 

 no signs of fruitfulness, and transplant it, fruit buds 

 are almost invariably formed the next season. This 

 root pruning is similar in its effects and results to 

 transplanting. It checks the superabundant vigor 

 and brings the tree into a fruitfal condition. 



Nearly all fruit trees may be thu.s treated, but we 

 advise it to be done cautiously. If a tree has a large 

 head, and the main roots are cut too short, the tree 

 is liable to be blown down. We have heard of trees 

 being successfully root-pruned in August, and we 

 have this season tried it, but we think the safest time 

 to do it is in the fall, when the growth is suspended, 

 or even in the winter, if not convenient before that 

 time. 



A beautiful Oriental proverb runs thus ; 

 patience, the mulberry leaf becomes satin. 



" With 



