98 



'THE POMOLOGIST. 



August 



For tbe 'Western Pomologist. 



Horticultural Art. 



Horticulture is the first employment of 

 man we have any record of. " And the Lord 

 God planted a garden eastward in Eden ; and 

 there He put the man whom He liad 

 formed," so that if age gives prtstige or 

 honor to any occupation, horticulture should 

 have its due proportion. The first practice 

 of the art was very simple, for the earth was 

 directed to " bring forth abundantly " of its 

 varied products; and with a favored climate 

 and soil, luscious fruits, and rich and varied 

 products was the result, and the most man 

 had to do was to pick and eat. As we pass 

 down the stream of time, population in- 

 creased and spread over the face of the 

 earth, carrying with it some of the difterent 

 varieties of fruit, practices, etc.; but as the 

 higher and colder regions came to be inhab- 

 ted, fruits of a difierent class, less ricli and 

 tempting, were found native ; a taste for 

 tropical and higher flavored products in- 

 duced to the attempting the introduction 

 and acclimatizing difterent varieties; and 

 fruits of many species, classes and varieties 

 came in the course of time to be cultivated ; 

 these were further varied by production from 

 seed, etc., etc. Modes of culture, propaga- 

 tion, etc., were wrought out by experiment, 

 after much study and experience, so that 

 great improvements and premising results 

 were attained. Who is there that will say 

 that the experience and detailed practices of 

 these pioneers in horticulture are of no 

 import to his or her individual success, let 

 them be located in whatever section or cli- 

 mate they may be ? 



Although the details may not be applicable 

 in each individual case, under difl'ereut cir- 

 cumstances of climate, soil, etc., yet there 

 are certain underlying principles from which 

 we may draw much that will be useful in our 

 practice. If the same varieties are not suit- 

 ed to our locality, we have the experience 

 of pioneers in the .sections where they are 

 acclimated, how they proceeded to obtain 

 their present success ; having this, added to 

 good judgment and better management, we 

 may work out a better and mure perfect 

 system adapted to our own climate, soil, etc., 

 choosing varieties, or originating new ones, 

 that will adapt themselves to our climate, 

 soil, etc. All this is not accomplished in a 

 day, but time and observation, added to 

 patient, thorough culture, will work out 

 wonders. In starting anew, in untried 

 localities, it is needful that we observe nature 

 closely, see what are the natural productions 

 of the section, and study out from them, 

 varieties, improved, tliat will adapt them- 

 selves to the climate, soil, etc. All plants 

 under culture are placed in unnatural cir- 

 cumstances, and the higher the culture the 

 greater the liability to deterioration i 

 health, unless we observe to follow nature 

 closely, gradually blending her with art and 



culture ; in this way we develope theory and 

 advance science. 



Science of any kind is of little avail to us 

 till we gain sufficient knowledge to apjily its 

 principles in our practice of the art. Some 

 general principles are applicable under most 

 circumstances, in every section and climate, 

 but the details of their application may vary 

 as greatly as the climate, soil, etc. ; therefore 

 for an individual educated under certain cir- 

 cumstances of climate, soil, etc., to claim that 

 his details are right, and only right, is per. 

 fectly absurd, and exposes his weakness, 

 althougli they may be the very best under 

 bis circumstances. How then, you ask, are 

 we to develope our art in untried localities? 

 We answer, as intimated above, we must 

 look about us, see what nature accomplishes, 

 or allows, under natural circumstances, and iu 

 the application of our science to art, we 

 must study, not to do violence to nature's 

 laws, but blend nature with art. Plant a 

 seed, a tree, or vine ; cultivate it and study 

 it; follow the workings of the hand by the 

 reflections of the mind, and nature will teach 

 you wonderful lessons ; without the growing 

 plant, how useless the teachings of the 

 scientist ! Science, wrapt in its somewhat 

 mystical laws, may forget the mere worker, 

 but oftentimes the worker reaps rewards 

 unknown to the most renowned sage. Pro- 

 gress is the great idea of the era ; and are 

 we not making rapid strides in the beautiful 

 art of Horticulture ? Compare the post with 

 the present, and tell us, oh ye doubters and 

 complainers of the day. W. H. W. 



Hartford Co., Conn. 



Pasturing Sheep in Orchards. 



A correspondent of the Western Ruralist re- 

 lates the results of his experience in pasturing 

 his orchard with sheep and pigs. We ven- 

 ture to say that so long as he coutiiiucs the 

 practice he will not be bothered in fighting 

 worms, bugs, and lice. We know nothing 

 about sheep iu the orchard, but we do know 

 that hogs and fowls are tlie-very best guar- 

 dians of the orchard against insect life 

 known. We have seen enough of orchard 

 management to convince us, that to have a 

 long lived orchard, and fruitful, it should 

 be kept in cultivation until the trees are 

 fairly in bearing, and then laid down in grass 

 and pastured: 



"The effect of pasturing sheep in orchards 

 both on the trees and the animals, is of some 

 interest to those who keep sheep and have 

 orchards which it is desirable to keep in 

 grass rather than in other crops. A good 

 turf is so much nicer to pick and sort apples 

 upon, to ^.peak of no other adva.itagej that 

 we would like to keep orchards always iu 

 grass, could we do so profitablj'. IT.dess the 

 trees are altogether too high, one cannot well 

 pasture horses or cows in an orchard ; and if 

 we could, these animals do not secure that 

 close, clean sward, desired, sheep, too, are 

 said to enrich the soil upon which they feed, 

 as well as to improve the land by the des 

 truction of coarse and noxious vegetation. 



But we will mention some of the results 



of the practice. Home years ago, in answer 

 to our inquiry through an agricultural jour- 

 nal, one farmer stated that he had pastured an 

 orchard with sheep for several 3'ears. When 

 he first turned them in there was so little 

 growth that he could not cut a graft from 

 the orchard, there being no recent growth of 

 sufiicieut length and thrift to furnLsh scions. 

 In three year's time the trees improved ma- 

 terially, making from a foot to eighteen 

 Indus of new wood every year. Another 

 reported that sheep pastured iu an orchard 

 for two or three years, made great improve- 

 ment in the fruit. Neither spoke of any 

 injurious effect on the flock. 



We have pastured sheep in an old orchard 

 more or less, for two years past, and to its 

 manifest improvement. The grass is better 

 than before, and the trees have a more thrif- 

 ty look. As to the flock, they have done 

 better than usual. This we attribute in part 

 to changing them from pasture to pasture, 

 frequently, and to the liking tlicy have for 

 their orchard pasture, especially in the hot 

 season. 



Orchards often suffer from the want of 

 grazing. They get overrun with weeds and 

 briars, as they will not when sheep are kept 

 in them a pcirlicn of the time. 



When the fruit b( gins to fall in any amount, 

 we turn ofl' the sheep and put on the pigs 

 and calves. These remain until the apples 

 are about ripe ; then the orchard is cleared 

 entirely until the fruit is cared for. The 

 sheep are afterwards allowed to return, but 

 not to remain to eat the grass down too 

 closely. We rather save a good bite over for 

 spring, or rather save it that the grass may 

 be earlier and better in the spring." 



Three Kinds of Black Knots. — The 

 editor of the Bntomdoyist thinks there are 

 three kinds of Black Knots, and goes on to 

 define them, as follows : 



" It was long ago shown in the Practical 

 Entomologist, by Mr. Walsh, that the Fungoid 

 disease ki^own u.ider the name of "Black 

 Knot," to infest the cultivated cherry, was 

 quite distinct from the disease of the same 

 name which attacks the cultivated plum; 

 and that the former most probably took its 

 origin from the wild Choke Cherry ( Cerasus 

 mi-giniaTia), and the latter from the common 

 wild plum tprtums americana). Hence there 

 followed the important practiatl consequence, 

 that Black Knot could not spread from 

 cherry on to plum, or from plum on to 

 cherry; each parasitic fungus confining itself 

 to its appropriate tree. 



In July, 1869, we were favored by Mr. B- 

 N. McKi.istry, nurs. ryman, of East Sumner, 

 Kankakee county, Illinois, with specimens 

 of Black Knot growing quite abundantly 

 with him, as he says, upon the Miner Plum, 

 but not on any other cultivated plum. A 

 single glance suffices to show that this dis- 

 easi d growth is essentially distinct from the 

 common Black Knot of the plum, although 

 like this last it is evidently of fungoid ori- 

 gin. In fact, both in color, in external 

 texture, and in internal organization, the 

 two differ so widely, that "Brown Knot" 

 would be a far more appropriate name than 

 " Black Knot " lor the attection of the Miner 

 Plum. 



As the Miner Plum is a cultivated variety 

 of the Chickasaw Plum (Prunus chicasa), it 

 would sec m to follow that there are three 

 distinct Black K..ots, originating respectively 

 from Choke Cherry, from the conmion Wild 

 Plum, and from the Chickasaw Plum ; and 

 fur her, that the first is confined among our 

 cultivated fruits to cherry, the second to our 

 common tame plnms, and the third to the 

 Miner Plum. It is very remarkable that in 

 Europe they have no Black Knot at all, 

 whether upon cherry or plum." 



