126 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



Sept. 



For the Wester'.! Pomologist. 

 The Ciilture of Trees-Cutting Back. 



The criticisms of a novice, if based on ra- 

 tionalism rather than empyrieism, are more 

 valuable to a journal of horticultural litera- 

 ture than the maxims of experts accessible 

 in all text books, and sometimes the product 

 of ignorance or accident ; at all events they 

 may elicit the truth in relation to the actual 

 "wants of beginners, [or their probable fail- 

 ures or misconceptions of the usual teach- 

 ing. 



The province of such a journal is not 

 merely to reiterate the established laws of 

 vegetable physiology, systematically if pos- 

 sible, so as to prevent the repetition of use- 

 less experiments ; but also criticise the old 

 habits of horticulture that are not based on 

 satisfactory^ reasons. The whistle may be 

 desirable, but too expensive, and the expense 

 vuiy nofpe recognized. This above all others 

 is the besetting sin in agriculture. We re- 

 cently bought fifty ^dwarf pear trees from 

 " the old Rochester nurseries," because we 

 received the impression ten j'cars since that 

 fruit trees from the northwest are healthier 

 and more vigorous, and our experience since 

 has not only confirmed this, but also the 

 fiict that they fruit much sooner, and earlier 

 in the season. I was instructed to cut back 

 all the bandies immediately upon planting, 

 but my science of physiology forbid this, and 

 I ventured to adopt my own plan as usual- - 

 although no one feels more dependent on 

 " experience " and modest in questioning or 

 believing in the result if successful, when it 

 deviates therefrom, however rational the 

 deviation. 



1st. The vitality of a tree cannot be measur- 

 ed indeed no one can determine the presence 

 of vitality, or whether only one grain, or 

 every grain in a bushel of wheat shall ger- 

 minate ; nevertheless, Tyndale actually 

 caused the British savants to swallow the 

 idea that he could build a chicken, knowing 

 the organic laws of the egg ; forgetting that 

 vitality is pre-Adamite, and differs from 

 ph3'siology, which is merely the averaye 

 result of life, and like phrenology, unrelia- 

 ble, as " thou canst not even make one hair, 

 nor its color." 



2d. The amputation of all the limbs at tlie 

 same time, superadded to the schuck of trans- 

 portation for several hundred miles during 

 as many weeks, (although in this case the 

 packing was perfection itself as usual, and 

 the trees putting forth their blanched sprouts 

 in the temperature of May,) presented to 

 my mind the idea that two errors must 

 usually bo encountered and surmounted by 

 fruit trees, and especially dwarf pears ; 

 therefiire if my reasons are accepted, 

 they may at least invite the review of some 

 other veteran, but certainly not a more suc- 

 cessful nor enthusiastic grower of the choic- 

 est fruit than Moulson. 



3d. The manifest relation of the branchcs,(or 



rather switches say 1-4 inch in diameter,) to 

 the stump which was one inch by twenty- 

 four, with corresponding roots, indicated 

 rather a preservation of the relation of top 

 and roots, if possible, and suggested the 

 other error of a similar character, which 

 may have been made when the tree was cut 

 back and transplanted ; at ail events I de- 

 termined to cut back one half of only the 

 central branches, and reserve the sprouts at 

 the tips of the rest as lungs to support the 

 integrity of the sap until the dormant 

 buds of the docked limbs near their base 

 had put forth leaves and sprouts. Then, 

 subsequently, when the tree was well rooted 

 I cut back nearly all of the lateral branches, 

 and tied a twine tightly around the rest so 

 as to strangulate them gradually as they 

 grew, and insure a few pears therefrom next 

 year. 



I wish to advance the idea that the vitali- 

 ty or actual existence, and the health — more- 

 over the duration of life in all vegetables is 

 influenced, not only by cultivation, but 

 specially by shocks imposed as above, and 

 I hope to illustrate this idea in other rela- 

 tions, backed by some success in its develop- 

 ment practically. 



4th. The other error referred to is the sud- 

 den destruction of the proper relation be- 

 tween the roots and tops of dwarf pears by 

 severely docking them,(as these have been cut 

 to a stump twelve months since.) This 

 must result in the disuse of a large part of 

 the quince root, and not only imjiairs its 

 vitality, but the vitality of the year ; where- 

 as by strangulation, as suggested, a gradual 

 change, and more perfect reparation would 



occur without shock. 



D. Stewart M. D. 

 Port Penn, Del. 



For the Western Pomologist. 



Tomatoes and Beans. 



Ed. Western Pomologist. — I must 

 congratulate j'ou on the fine style of getting 

 up the Western Pomologist, as well as 

 the excellence of the articles it contains. I 

 have read the numbers with both pleasure 

 and profit, and look for the monthly visit 

 of the Western Pomologist with no ordi- 

 nary anxiety and interest. It will give me 

 great pleasure to contribute anything which 

 I may deem of use to those of your readers 

 who desire to hear plain, practical remarks 

 from one who makes no pretensions to much 

 scieutifie knowledge in matters pertaining to 

 Horticulture, but in what he says, gives 

 nearly his daily experience, and what comes 

 under his own personal observation — and I 

 begin with 



TOMATOES AND BEANS. 



Next to potatoes, perhaps, these two articles 

 are as much, if not more used in their season 

 than almost any other vegetables now grown. 

 Their healthful and nutritious qualities are 

 now so well established and so universally 



known from the palace to the cottage 

 garden, that it may not be amiss to say a 

 word with regard to the kinds of each to 

 plant. I have the present seasou grown a 

 variety of tomatoes, all of famous reputation 

 among which were the Gen. Grant, Maupy's 

 Superior, Perfected, Mammoth, Kay's Extra 

 Early, Tilden, etc., and I can say that so far 

 as my experience goes, the lasty viz: the 

 Tilden, is the only tomatoe that I shall ever 

 plant hereafter. I consider it in all respects 

 superior to auy other that I have grown. It 

 is amply large, (I have them six inches in 

 diameter) of a beautiful scarlet color, per- 

 fectly smooth, of convex or biscuit-shape 

 solid and ripens all over at the same time. 

 Whereas, the other kinds are of great mam- 

 moth size, ugly and misshapen, wrinkled, 

 knobby and knotty, ripening by halves and 

 rotting badly and prematurely, owing to 

 their great weight, and clustering habit of 

 growth. My experience with 



BEANS 



has resulted in the choice of the Oerman 

 Wax as a bush bean and the Qia:t Wax as a 

 corn or pole bean. I have grown half a 

 dozen other sorts, some tolerably good and 

 some very bad ; but I see no use iu planting 

 merely for the sake of variety unless all are 

 alike good. The two above mentioned are 

 perfectly stringless, which I have never seen 

 iu any others, boiling quickly and tender, 

 and yielding very profuse crops. When ijj 

 proper eating order they are of a cream 

 color. The only objection to them as a dry 

 beau is their color, which, when dry, is 

 black, or liver- colored. This is only a matter 

 of fancy, however, as it does not detract 

 from their richness. To my county friends 

 then, I say, plant no other tomatoes but the 

 Tilden, Jior no other beans but the German 

 Wax as a bush bean, and the Giant Wax as 

 a corn or pole bean. Of course, I do not 

 exclude the Lima Bean — which belongs to 

 another category, and is the perfection oi 

 the bean tribe. As a bean of commerce, 

 the Royal Dwarf and Rice beans are supe- 

 rior to all others. They do not, however, 

 belong to the garden. 



Mborefield, West Virginia. 



I. G. Mask. 



Remarks — We have grown the Oiant 

 Wax bean, and can fully endorse all our cor- 

 respondent says of it. The Oerman Wax we 

 have not seen. 



The Japan Plum. — Gen. Nicholson of 

 New Orleans writes to the American Institnte 

 Farmers' Club concerning this fruit : 'Tt has 

 been cultivated several years near JNew 

 Orleans ; in mild winters immense crops are 

 produced ; the trees flcjwer in the fall and 

 ripen their fruit iu February and March ; 

 the.y will not grow from cutliugs, but only 

 from seed. I planted some seed twelve 

 years ago, and tlie trees have been bearing 

 abf)ut six years ; they will occasional!}' bear 

 in four to five years. The tree is a fine 

 evergreen, and is cultivated as such, indej 

 pendent of its fruit. 



