1871 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



93 



of argument, although quite common, is too absurd 

 to deserve a reply. To suppose that a person fully 

 believing and practising pruning, almost a lifetime, 

 would make experiments and overlook the most 

 important conditions, to convince himself contrary 

 to his will, is rediculously absurd. 



If these experiments only embraced a few trees, 

 varieties, and years, there might be some plausabil- 

 ity in such a position ; but when they embrace 

 hundreds of varieties, and thousands of trees, and 

 many years, witli uniform results, we think if mis- 

 taken in this, there is no confidence to be placed in 

 our senses, and the sooner we abandon them the 

 better, for ourselves and also for the community, 

 (and "go it blind.") It may, however, be admitted 

 that trees not pruned will make more growth and 

 be larger, but what benefit is that, to us, unless we get 

 fruit sooner or more of it. We answer that what 

 we gain in growth, we also gain in vigor, health 

 and constitution, a foundation upon which we can 

 only expect good and abundant fruit. Contrary to 

 the general received opinion, we get fruit not only 

 sooner but more of it and of better quality. 



We transplanted in 1867 four hundred apple trees 

 grafted in 1862 on small sections of one year old 

 roots; ihey were not p7'U7iM ill thi; nursery neither 

 at transplanting nor since. In 1868 and '69 they 

 bore fruit, many trees breaking vrith their crop, and 

 had it not been for the late April frost of '70, they 

 would have had a much heavier crop ; they are now 

 again heavy set with fruit buds. Notwithstanding 

 the heavy crop of fruit they bore, they made a very 

 strong growth of wood, which the following ex- 

 tract will show. Messrs. Williams & Douglass, of 

 Columbia, Missouri, who got scions from these 

 trees in '69, say : "Scions all right and .satisfactory, 

 have made a good growth of wood the past season, 

 they show such a fine ripened growth." Many 

 others have made similar remarks. These trees 

 now average twelve inches in circumference near 

 the ground, and many fourteen, and some few fif- 

 teen inches. Although these trees were five years 

 old, and large when transplanted, they were taken 

 up and reset by inexperienced hands, and not 

 pruned, yet only two died in the lot, and they were 

 defective trees. 



Pears at tbe Sontb.— Tbe Bartlett. 



While it is doubtless true that some varieties 

 which are very fine in New England will not suc- 

 ceed at all here, still it is an unquestionable fact 

 that the varieties which do succeed here are larger 

 and of higher flavor than the same varieties in a 

 colder latitude. This is the case with the Bartlett, 

 Dnehcsse d' Angouleme and Seckel. The Bartlett, 

 especially, is full fifty per cent, larger, and of fur 

 superior flavor. Indeed, this variety attains its 

 greatest perfection in the States bordering on the 



gulf, and besides, is the surest crop that can be 

 grown. We have had the trees in bearing some 

 ten years and never a failure. It succeeds ecjually 

 well in this climate on both quince and pear, and 

 comes into bearing earlier than almost any other 

 variety — say in two or three years on the quince, 

 and three to four years on the pear. The fruit is 

 subject to no insect depredations, and consequently 

 is always fair and perfect, and if pulled from the 

 tree when green, but fully matured — as it always 

 should be — and placed in a cool and dry room, 

 ripens to perfection. In its season — say, in this lat- 

 itude, from the middle of July to the middle of 

 August — the Bartlett has no competitor. And we 

 desire here to call the attention of the people of the 

 South to the importance, in a money point of view, 

 of growing this fruit on a large scale for the North- 

 ern markets. Tliroughout the United States the 

 Bartlett is the most popular pear grown, and always 

 finds a ready sale at high prices in all the Northern 

 cities. And as it requires to be picked while green 

 and hard, it will Iiear transportation to the remotest 

 section of our country without the least damage or 

 injury. The great fruit markets of Boston, New 

 York, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Louisville, Chicago 

 and St. Louis could be supplied a month or six 

 weeks in advance of the time of ripening there. 

 Indeed, our entire crop could be disposed of before 

 theirs would come upon the market. The business 

 once established, with a full supply, and there is no 

 estimating the extent of the demand ; at the present 

 time, we know of no business so inviting, so full of 

 promise, to us of the extreme South, as this. A few 

 acres in Bartlett pear trees, with proper culture and 

 management, would be a fortune. Who of our 

 readers will try it ? — C. 0. Langdon, in Mobile Reg- 

 ister. 



Tbe Date Palm. 



The Date Palm at an early period of history must 

 have engaged man's attention in an eminent degree. 

 It grows, to begin with, in a tract of country where 

 atmospheric moisture of any kind is so scanty that 

 its leaflets, unlike those of other Palms, are con- 

 structed so that at their base they form little recep- 

 tacles, and thus catch every drop of moisture. It 

 has no branches like other trees, or as the Ginger- 

 bread Palm {HypluT.ne tliebaica,) with which it is oc- 

 casionally associated. It has several features in 

 common with man which no explanation could re- 

 move from the minds of the primitive people. Its 

 body is covered with hair, like the body of man 

 its head, once cut off, would no more grow again 

 than that , of a human being; the male and female 

 are represented by different trees, and it is well 

 known that the female would die an old maid unless 

 some bachelor should take compassion on her. 

 Add to this that the whole populatiim at that time 

 relied upon dates as their .staple food, as is still the 

 case in those countries. — Oardener's Clironicle. 



