226 PLAIN AND PLEASANT TALK 



enough for his OAvn use, and sells none. Every year he puts 

 in about a quarter of an acre of parsnips, or ruta baga, for 

 winter and spring fodder. His garden in summer, and his 

 dairy all the year round, are represented in market. He 

 probably does not receive five dollars at once^ on any one 

 sale, through the year. We never looked into that old 

 chest under his bed ; but we will venture much, that if the 

 shrewd housewife would keep her eagle eyes off long enough 

 to give us a chance, it would be found that this man has 

 made, and laid up, more money in the last five years from 

 hislhirty acres, than any farmer about here from six times 

 the amount. Our farmers have not grown rich on large 

 and careless farming; hut many are grotoing rich on small 

 farms and careful husbandry. 



When the dairy shall be more thought of — when winter- 

 ing stock, and fattening it, shall be more carefully studied — 

 we predict that our farmers will annually raise thousands 

 of bushels of roots, and have capacious cellars under their 

 barns to store them in. 



CULTIVATION OF FRUIT-TREES. 



We must give up thinking of remedies for blights and 

 diseases of fruit-trees and seek after preventives. Amputa- 

 tion may limit its ravages ; but surgery is not a remedy, 

 but a resource after remedies fail. We must, it seems to 

 us, look for a preventive in a wiser system of fruit cultiva- 

 tion. To this subject we shall now speak. 



The effect of cultivation in changing the habits of plants 

 is familiar to all. Incident to this ai'tificial condition of the 

 plant, there will be new diseases, vegetable vices, which, as 

 they result from cultivation, must be regarded in every 

 pei'fect system of cultivation. 



Where trees are grown for timber, or shade, or orna- 



