352 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



TIME FOR BUYING FRUIT TREES. 



Those who live at a distance from lines of coniniu- 

 cation. or who from any cause whatever might anti- 

 cipate delay iu getlinir their fruit trees from a nurse- 

 ry, had hetter order their trees in the fall, and pre- 

 serve them throuffh the winter in sand, or by what is 

 called " heclins'-in," which is simply to dig a trench 

 iu a dry soil, and laying' in the trees by the roots, and 

 covering up carefully with the earth taken from the 

 trench. There are many advantages in getting your 

 trees in the fall. First, you have a better chance 

 of selecting good thrifty trees before the stock i-hall 

 have been culled; second, in the fall you have more 

 time to do tilings well, and make your preparations 

 without the. haste and hurry attendant upon spring 

 work. The nurseryman who fills your order can do 

 it much more to your mind than if the business is de- 

 layed till spring, and done amid the hurry and bustle 

 inseparable upon all the work done in that season. 

 Dig ?lie holes wherein you design to plant your trees 

 this fall, dig them broad and deep, and let the frosts 

 of winter act U])on the soil thrown out and break it 

 up. Those who have tried the plan, say that if the 

 holes are dug in the fall for trees designed to be 

 planted in the ensuing spring, the trees will make a 

 much greater growth than if not dug till spring. It 

 seems plausible that it should be so. The action of 

 air an(i atmosphere upon the soil unist change its 

 color, appearance and texture, and fit it for the nour- 

 ishment of the roots, much more effectually if expos- 

 ed for a length of time, than if not; and besides, 

 there is another advantage — if you find water re- 

 maining in the holes dug, you may be sure it is time 

 and lalj.or unprofitably bestowed to plant trees there 

 until after the soil has been thoroughly drained. 



THE ORANGE WATERMELON. 



Mr. Editor: — In ^jassing through your city a few 

 days since, on my way to the Niagara County Fair 

 held at Lockport, I left with a friend a specimen of 

 the above justly-celebrated melon for you, which I 

 hope ere this you have received and carefully dis- 

 sected. 



I now proceed to give your readers a description 

 of said melon. The " Orange Melon " is said to be 

 a native of China, and lately introduced by Mr. Pea- 

 BODv, of Georgia, where it is regarded as the finest 

 of all melons. From him I obtained the seed last 

 spring (about a dozen), and planted them after the 

 first of June. They prove to ])e hardy, perfectly 

 adapted to the soil and climate of Western New 

 York, and very prolific. One plant produced six fine 

 specimens, the smallest of which v^'ighed nine pounds. 

 Soil a light sandy loam, manured in the hill, or rather 

 under the hill, and cultivateil with no extra care. 



The rind, which is a n:iottled light-green color, 

 separates from the pulp like that of an orange, and 

 like an orange the pulp may be divided into seams, 

 80 as not to expose the seeds. Thus prepared, being 

 divested of all lumber, nothing can excel it for des- 

 sert in a warm day. The flesh is a light-red or pink 

 color, very sweet, and i-emarkably well filled to the 

 center. Seeds small and white. 



The "Ice Cream,'" or "White Sugax Melon" of 



Alabama, is another new and superior melon. Rind 

 white, which separates from the pulp similar to the 

 Orange Melon, though not so perfectly. 'J'he rind of 

 this melon being thick, hard, and of fine texture, is 

 used as a substitute for citron, and by many considered 

 preferable. Tiie fiesh has a yellowi.sh-white, frosty 

 appearance, and (if cold when eaten) is very much 

 like ice cream. Form, globular and large ; seeds, 

 white. It is hardy, and perfectly adapted to our soil 

 arid climate. Yours, truly, 1. W. Bkiggs. 



West Macedon, Wayne Co., N. Y. 



HOW TO DESTROY YELLOW DOCK. 



I sent to an agricultural warehouse in Boston, and 

 purchased a pair of stiff heavy plate subsoil spades, 

 16 inches in length ; I ground dovvu the lower edge 

 sharp, and after the haying season was over, ])ut two 

 men at work in tie fields, cutting them off" from six 

 to ten inches below the surface and then pulling up 

 the part of the root thus separated with the fingers, 

 and after letting them layuijonthe ground until wilt- 

 ed, gathered them up and put them into a pile on the 

 side of the highway. I employed these men for the 

 best part of three weeks in this operation, and ga- 

 thered a large quantity of these roots which have 

 rotted down on the roadside, and they have never 

 appeared above the surface where they were cut iu 

 the ground. Some small ones escaped the eye of the 

 workers, and seed was in the hay of that year, so that 

 I must repeat the operation this year, but there is 

 not one now where there v,-ere five before I cut them 

 three years ago. 



I lielieve if they are cut off" six inches below the 

 surface, pulled up and removed from the field, it will 

 stop them ; they will not sjivout or vegetate from 

 the part of the root left in the soil. The part left is 

 too far below warmth, light and air to start it into 

 life anew. — Cor. Country Gentleman. 



The Butterfly Plant. — The JYalinnal Intelli- 

 gencer says that a specimen of the singular and 

 beautiful " butterfly plant" is now in bloom at tlie 

 National green-house in Washington. The blossoms 

 are very large and yellow, wilh reddish-brown spots, 

 and are moved to and fro with every breath of air, 

 so as to resemble very much the gaudy insect from 

 which it derives its name. The plant was brought 

 from the Island of St. Thomas in the U. S. frigate 

 Raritan. 



To Cultivate the common Garden Rhubarb. — 

 It is not enough to give it depth of good soil, but it 

 must be watered in drouth ; and in winter must be 

 well covered with straw or dung. If this is attend- 

 ed to, your rhubarb will be solid when taken out of 

 the ground; and your kitchen, if a warm one, will 

 soon fit it foj" use. 



To preserve Green Currants. — Currants may 

 be kept fresh for a year or more, if they are gather- 

 ed when green, separated from the stems, put into 

 dry, clean junk bottles, and corked very carefully, so 

 as to exclude the air. They should be kept in a 

 cool place in the cellar. 



