1871 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



135 



Notes from Nortlieru loura. 



Ed POMOLOGIST: You lire woiuUriiif,' wliul has 

 become of me, as it is a long time since I liave writ- 

 ten you. But you will excuse me wiien I tell you I 

 have been sick. Si.x long weeks shut iu doors, 

 through this most beautiful season of the year, and 

 how grandly strange all nature looks, clothed in her 

 beautiful green, with the blos.soming plants, the 

 blooming fruit tree and shrub, as it now bursts upon 

 me, since my returning strength allows me to get 

 out and see this beauty. (When l.ist I looked before 

 all was gray and cold.) Being a lover of, and devo- 

 tee to pomology, I suppose these beauties of nature 

 are more pleasing to me than to many others. 



Well, iu my waiting returning health, I am read- 

 ing over the back numbers of the Pomologist. I 

 am much pleased with it. It is what the fruit grow- 

 er here in Iowa needs. Its editor is an old settler 

 of Iowa. Most of its corresjiondents are Iowa or 

 Western men, consequently we must from each oth- 

 er get information of much value to all. 



The soil and climate of Iowa dilTersso nuich from 

 the whole country east o{ us, that to succeed in 

 fruit raising we are compelled to adopt different 

 modes of culture, pruning, and all that sort of thing; 

 are compelled to select but few kinds from 

 the many that are grown east ; but instead, 

 kinds that nature has adapted to thi.s high latitude, 

 rich soil and dry atuK^sphei'e. Conse(iuently it is 

 the experience of Iowa, of Western Ilorticulturists 

 that we want here, aud through the Po.mologist 

 we ought and will receive it. Every nian owning 

 and cultivating a piece of land should take it. 



The prospects for fruit up liere in llie North part 

 of the State I have never seen so flattering 

 as now. The past season was so dry that 

 fruit trees made l)\it little growth which caused fruit 

 buds to form, and trees are blossoming as young as 

 in any country I was (;ver in, not only so with the 

 apple, but all our fruits. This ought to show our 

 fruit raisers that it is a slow growth (provided the 

 tree is not starved) that brings us early fruit. 



Our part of the State is tpiite new, not very 

 many orchards that arc old enough to fruit, but 

 those that are, now look so promising — everything 

 from the currant bush up, that if we are favored 

 as we usually are up here, with no late frost, our 

 people will be encouraged in Iowa fruit growing. 

 I think there will not be a single croaker left, for 

 we will have lots of fruit, and we will bring some 

 of it to the State Fair, where you can see it. I think 

 we arc not as liable to have late frosts to injure our 

 fruit as farther South ; if so, are we up here to suc- 

 ceed, now we have found the " irod clads," better 

 than you at Des Moines ? 



J. T. MOTT. 



PoatviOe, laica. 



Those Impaled Frogs.— Xlie Butcher Bird. 



Ed. Pomologist.— My observations go to corrob- 

 orate tlie theory that the agent iu spitting those 

 frogs upon thorns as described in your January No., 

 is a bird. We have been here but two seas(ms, but 

 the bird iu question being quite common, I chanced 

 to see one last spring flying with a snake perhaps a 

 fool long. He pitched into the top of a fallen wild 

 plum tree, and, hitchiug the reptile near the head 

 uiion a spur, tore off and swallowed the flesh in a 

 .short time. Whenever the little butcher by his vig- 

 orous jerks tore out the hole made by the thorn, he 

 liitched the carcass on again in a twinkling, iu the 

 most skillful manner. The backbone only was left. 

 Whether the little epicure had had his game spitted 

 somewhere for a few days to produce tenderness 

 and Hirci'tiuns, after the manner of some other bi- 

 ped.s, I am unable to say with certainty, but the fa- 

 cility with which the repast was discussed, appears 

 to favor such a conclusion. 



We frequently see frogs and snakes, and in a few 

 instances "big l)ug.s" have been noticed impaled up- 

 on trees. The bird is about the size of the robin, 

 of a dull blue color, very pugnacious — and rather a 

 nuisance. Last season a pair built a nest near the 

 house, allowing no other bird w ithin hailing dis- 

 tance. Finally, desirous of cultivating the friend- 

 ship and familiarity of the feathered scavengers, 

 beauties and songsters in general, we felt compelled 

 to shoot the little samgcs, to efl'ect that end. 



We were soon assisted in ridding our trees of en- 

 emies worse than frogs or snakes;— cheered by the 

 presence of delicate forms iu beautiful plumage — 

 and gladdened by the happy aud varied notes of 

 many a practiced warbler. Stephen YorrNG. 



JUcchimicsvUle, Iowa. 



< » .• 



PitEM.\Tui;E Decay op Orchards. — At a meet- 

 ing of the Yamhill county, (Oregon) Farmers' Club, 

 Mr. Wni. JIcDonald, who is reported to have one 

 of the most thrifty aud productive orchards in the 

 county, said that he gained his cxi)erience in Ken- 

 tucky. There, in an early day, as in Oregon, the 

 people lost their orchards by premature decay. 

 They had worked the ground carefully, kept it free 

 from vegetation and pruned with unsparing hand, 

 but neglected to manure the ground. Since then 

 a tliirerent plan has beeu adopted, which Mr. Mc- 

 Donald has found to work equally well in this 

 country. He never plows to cut off roots after 

 the trees attain much size. He avoids cutting any 

 large lower limbs, as that invariably results in 

 unsound wood in the trunk of the trees, and ulti- 

 mately in decay. He has a good crop of grass 

 growing in the orchard, and as often as every sec- 

 ond year treats each tree to a bountiful top dress- 

 ing of barnyard manure or rotted straw. Of the 

 success of this treatment the orchard itself is suffi- 

 cient evidence. 



