120 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



Sept. 







i^rQjO 



New Advertisements. 



Lewis Ellswortli Nursery Stock. 



D. B. Weir Four Year's .Experience. 



EUwaiiger & Barry Fruit and Orn'tl Trees. 



Starlt & Barnett, Fruit Trees. 



C. Andrews, Siberian Nursery. 



Stoors, Harrison & Co., Painesville Nurseries. 



Lewis Ellsworth, A Mare Opportunity. 



S. L Keitb American Larch,. 



Cliarles "Waters For Sale— Miner Plum. 



Geo. Campbell Allthe Neiv Grapes. 



G. & C. Merriam, Get the Best. 



H. Strohra Jawa City Nurseries. 



8. M. Pettlngill & Co,,. Fioe Cents Additional. 

 Samuel Edwards, jr.,.. Native Evergreens. 



George Sprague Farm Stock, 



Hargis & .Sommers Nursery Stock. 



ParliS & Goodyear, New Apples, 



Ira Philips, Nursery Stock. 



R.C. Browing, Doty's Wash'g Machine. 



Heinl Bros., Plant & Rose Catalogue. 



Among the Orchards and Vineyards. 

 Since the first of August we have occasionally 

 broken away from the usual routine of business 

 and made our way out among the neighboring 

 orchards and vineyards. One of these tours of 

 observation was made to the grounds of Mr. 

 James Smith— the mention of whose name 

 alone is suggestive of that fruit of all fruits— 

 the Apple, and that grape for the "million"- 

 the Concord. The site of these grounds is beau- 

 tiful—being upon the high ridge of land about 

 two miles south, and overlooking every part of 

 the city. The apple orchard is a large one, '..um- 

 bering about -1,000 trees, many of thera trans- 

 planted from the nursery eighteen years ago. 

 They stand in straight rows 20 to 24 feet apart 

 each way. On ten acres of the orchard the 

 rows of trees are alternated with rows ot Con- 

 cord vines extending north and south. We 

 found all these vines well laden with fruit, as 

 they are annually. They have never received 

 any winter protection, and little or no attention 

 of any kind— except to run a plow or cultivator 

 between the rows once or twice in the early 

 part of the season, and an annual pruning. Ad- 

 joining the orchard is a three acre vineyard of 

 Concords. Each vine is supported by one or 

 more stakes about four feet in height— are light- 

 ly pruned in the fall or the spring, as most con- 

 venient—have no winter protection, and giving 

 a bountiful crop of fruit annually. As to soil 

 and aspect for the grape, Mr. Smith's experience 

 is, that the largest and most highly flavored 

 fruit is produced on a soil comparatively poor 

 with a northern exposure. 



in ihe orchard, nursery, and the vineyard, 

 Mr. Smith has ever made the apple and the 

 grape specialties. His first investment in the 

 grape was S.5. a vine for three Concords, sixteen 

 years ago, and from which millions of vines 

 now growing all over the We.st originated. It 

 is believed that these three vines were about, if 

 not the first Concords brought into Iowa. If any 

 one anticipated Mr. .Smith in this enterprise let 

 him speak. Time proved the investment a 

 good one, for Mr. Smith has realized large pro- 

 fits from the sale of both vines and fruit— and 

 the end is not yet, for his vineyards are among 

 the most healthy and fruitful in the West. Mr. 

 .Smith thinks cultivation of the orchard a fruit- 

 ful .source of blight— that, after j'ears of experi- 



ence, apple trees should be set in the orchard 26 

 to 30 feet apart each way — is convinced from 

 observation, that trees with ample space to 

 admit sunlight and air, producemore fruit, and 

 in greater perfection than if crowded. Mr. 

 Smith does not believe tlie proximity of tim- 

 ber any benefit to an orchard by way of protec- 

 tion. Trees upon the outskirts of his orcliard, 

 and openly exposed to the northwest, have done 

 the best — a fact apparently verified this season 

 by a very fine crop of the Red June and Early 

 Joe on the northwest side of the orchard. 



Twelve years ago the canker worn^ appeared 

 on the east side of Mr. Smith's orchard. But 

 not till 1865 in force to do any material damage, 

 or to excite any apprehension of injury. But 

 for three years following, its ravages were fear- 

 ful-destroying the fruit and many of the 

 trees. In the spring of 1S69 Mr. Smith com- 

 menced a war of extermination against file 

 female enemy, and so effectually was the cam- 

 paign prosecuted, that this scourge of the apple 

 tree was well nigh annihilated on his prem- 

 ises — no worms of any account have made their 

 appearance since. There are some singular 

 circumstances in the history of this canker 

 worm raid upon this orchard, and which we 

 shall allude to at another time in connection 

 with Mr. Smith's modus operandi, in cleaning it 

 outsospeedlly and effectually. Notwithstand- 

 ing the fiery ordeal through which this orchard 

 has passed, it now presents to its owner the 

 most gratifying evidence of speedy resuscita- 

 tion. For some years past the Red June 

 throughout the country has been very much 

 injured by what is usually denominated scab, 

 caused, Mr. Smith thinks, by an insect. This 

 season Mr. Smith's crop of Red Junes has been 

 large, and the fruit perfect — realizing from this 

 portion of his apple crop alone over $500. The 

 Red Astrachan, hitherto a very shy bearer in 

 his orchard, has this season been one of the 

 most productive. Early Joe, a great favorite 



with Mr. Smith, (and everybody else who knows 

 it,) also a full crop. Many other varieties are 

 doing very well for the season. 



Mr. Smith was among the early settlers of 

 this part of Iowa. It was in ISiS that he first 

 set foot in Ft. Des Moines — then a frontier mil- 

 itary post. In 1S52 he completed liis purchase 

 of the land at government price upon which to 

 make his future home. At that time the in- 

 vestment was not considered desirable by other 

 new settlers, but time has .shown it one of the 

 very best. By patience, industry, and perse- 

 verance, Mr. Smith has made very valuable 

 improvements, and of a most permanent char- 

 acter. His extensive orchards and vineyards 

 j'ield a handsome revenue, while his buildings 

 are spacious, and provided with every conceiva- 

 ble modern improvement that may contribute 

 to the comfort of himself or his family. Tree 

 and fruit growing was Mr. Smith's object from 

 the start, and commencing at a time in the set- 

 tlement of the country when little or nothing 

 was known about either, he was forced to learn 

 a great deal in that dearest of schools, experi- 

 ence. And now, his pomologieal friends will be 

 gratified to learn that that portion, (about 10 

 acres,) of his old orchard — so scourged for three 

 years— is fast regaining its former glory and 

 fruitfulness, 



Qegroia State Fair —Of the multitude of 

 fairs to take place this fall, special attention 

 will be claimed for the exhibition at Augusta, 

 Georgia, of the " Cotton States Mechanic's and 

 Agricultural Fair Association." This is to oc- 

 cupy nearly the whole of the last week in Oc- 

 tober, and will be one of the most extensive 

 festivals of the kind ever held in the .South. 



Iowa State Horticttlturai, Society.— The 

 Iowa State Horticultural Society will hold its 

 4th annual fair at Keokuk, in connection with 

 State Agricultural Society, .September 12, to 16, 

 A very fine show of fruits is anticipated and all 

 fruit growers are invited to send their products 

 to the exhibition. The most intelligent Hor- 

 ticulturists of onr own and adjoining States 

 will be in attendance, and evening meetings 

 will be held for the double purpose of exchang. 

 ing Horticultural knowledge and cementing 

 private friendship. 



No Iowa fruit grower can afTord to let such 

 an opportunity pass unimproved. 



D. W. Adams, Secretary 



CoMPLiMENTARiES.— We are most emphati- 

 cally reminded of the season of agricultural 

 fairs, by the accumulation of a pile of compli- 

 mentary tickets from Secretaries of State, Dis- 

 trict, and County Agricultural Societies. Geo. 

 T. Anthony, Secretary of the Kansas Agricul- 

 tural and Mechanical Association (Fair at Lea- 

 venworth September 13 to 16), R. W. Furnass, 

 Nebraska, Dr. J. M. Shaffer, Iowa, with .Secre- 

 tary Reynolds, Illinois, and Hoyt of Wiscon- 

 sin-one and all have our thanks for compli- 

 mentary inv tations to their several fairs. We 

 are also indebted for a score or more of like 

 favors from our Iowa county Societies — rang- 

 ing all around from Blackhawk, Montgomery, 

 to Wappello. Wish we could respond in per- 

 son to all these friendly tokens of respect, but 

 we can't quite come it in the time allotted. 

 Will our friends just take the will for the deed 



this time? 



« 



AN ANCIENT Apple Tree.— According to a 

 correspondent of the Oliio Farmer, Defiance, 

 Ohio, can claim the largest and oldest apple 

 tree known in this country Its dimensions 

 are thus given : " One foot from the ground, the 

 trunk is fifteen feet in circumference; four feet 

 from the ground it forms three branches, of 

 nearly equal size, one of which was blown down 

 some years since, the second blew down last 

 spring and still hangs to the trunk, and Is now 

 in full leaf; the third branch stands erect, is 

 very thrifty and now full of apples of good size " 

 At an early day in the history of Ohio, Fort 

 Miami was a military post in possession of the 

 French, and in the absence of any thing au- 

 thentic, concerning the history of this old tree 

 it is supposed to have been planted by the 

 French when in possession. The editor of the 

 Farmer says : " This must be the apple tree 

 known as Fort Miami, of which we saw speci- 

 mens at the pomological shows, years ago. 

 is described in Elliott's Fruit Book, page 791, and 

 in Warder's Pomology, page .547. A medium 

 size, late winter or spring apple, something like 

 the Winter Pearmain." 



LAID Over. — Two or three communications 

 especially desingned for the inside form of 

 this number, and our notes pomologicalty and 

 otherwise on the Iowa Press Excursion are 

 laid over. In dealing out copy to the compos- 

 itors our calculations were at fault — matter 

 enough was in type before we were aware of it, 



and no surplus type for more. 



*-•-» 



MibsissiPFi Valley Grape Grower's As- 

 sociation,— This association will hold its 

 fall meeting in St. Louis on the 14th Inst., for 

 an exhibition of both fruits and wine. Mr. 

 Muir of St. Louis is the Secretary of the Asso- 

 ci.ation, and will reply to any iuqurles that may 

 be made. 



Plenty of Apples.— .-Vpples are represented 

 in great abundance In Onondaga, Cayuga, 

 Seneca; and other central counties in York 

 State, so plenty that the poorer ones are 

 considered of no account. 



I 



