118 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



generally known, and new and valuable native kinds 

 will be more extensively tried ; and by and by we 

 shall have a supply of good pcar3, not only for win- 

 ter, we hope, but for spring also. 



For the Neio England Fanner. 

 DANVERS WINTER SWEET APPLE. 



Mr. Editor : I will give some account of the apple 

 extensively known as the " Dan vers Winter Sweet- 

 ing." This apple originated in the South Parish 

 of Danvers, on the farm now owned by Kendall 

 Osborne, Esq. Daniel Eppes, who was considered 

 " the greatest schoolmaster in New England," and a 

 man of considerable note in his day, occupied this 

 farm, and raised the tree from a seedling, and gave 

 this fiae apple its name, by which it Avas early known, 

 viz., Eppes Sweeting. Mr. Eppes died on this farm 

 in the year 1722. If the original tree is now stand- 

 ing, it is probably 150 years old. It has been much 

 cultivated, in this neighborhood, under different 

 names, such as Eppes Sweeting, Danvers Winter 

 Sweet, Ippotent Sweeting, and Ipswich Sweeting. 

 This apple, by many persons, is frequently con- 

 founded with the Green Sweeting, which it much 

 resembles. But the true Danvers Winter Sweet- 

 ing, when ripe, has a beautiful yellow skin, like an 

 orange. After a diligent search, for many years, to 

 obtain a good baking sweet winter apple, I have 

 a3 yet found none better than the one above men- 

 tioned. The tree is very hardy and vigorous, of 

 rapid growth, and early bearing, and its fruit very 

 good and beautiful. 



Yours, 



SAMUEL P. FOWLER. 



Danvers, March, 1S49. 



For the Neio England Farmer. 

 FRUIT TREES AND THEIR CULTURE. 



Mr. Editoii : In planting fruit trees to form an 

 orchard, some regard should be had to the soil ; 

 for it is better to sacrifice a little convenience, in the 

 plan of the orchard, to secure good, loamy soil, than 

 to study convenience only. With respect to soil, it 

 should be of a rich, loamy nature, neither too wet or 

 heavy, nor too light or dry : land which will produce 

 good crops of corn and grass will, in general, be 

 found well adapted to the growth of fruit trees. 



If the loam is of sufficient depth and tolerably 

 good, plant without anj- addition whatever. If it is 

 shallow, the holes must be made, and the soil that is 

 good thrown on one side, to be used again ; while the 

 subsoil may be thrown out on the other side, or re- 

 jected altogether. These holes ought to be from 

 four to six feet across, according to the size of the 

 trees, and two feet deep ; and the good soil may be 

 returned into them, and they may be filled up with 

 the top spit or half spit, taken from all round the 

 hole, and the subsoil should be spread in its place ; 

 the holes being made at the distance intended for 

 the trees, which may be close or wide apart, accord- 

 ing to the kinds of trees planted, forty feet each 

 way for apples, thirty feet for pears and cherries, 

 twenty feet for peaches, and sixteen feet for plums. 

 It is necessary to examine the roots, to cut off all 

 the bruised ends, and especially to remove any root 

 that may grow downward ; cut such roots pretty 

 close to the bottom of the tree. Now, as the roots 

 have been somewhat shortened, it will be necessary 

 to head in the tree to within the last five or six buds 

 of the past season's growth, which will cause the tree 

 to throw out a strong growth of wood. 



AU planting should be shallow ; the nearer the 

 surface the roots grow, the better, so that they are 

 well covered, for they will grow downwards fast 

 enough. Too much care cannot be exercised in 

 planting, as I am well satisfied that seven eighths of 

 the trees that fail to grow, in transplanting, may be 

 traced to deep planting. The tree ought in no case 

 to be placed more than one inch deeper than it stood 

 in the nursery ; yet we frequently see trees planted 

 quite up to the inoculation ; consequently they do 

 not grow in healthy vigor cither in respect to their 

 leaf or flower buds. 



In planting, let one person hold the tree up- 

 right, while another dashes a pail of water on the 

 roots ; then pulverize the earth and scatter it among 

 the roots, by which means every small fibre becomes 

 coated with earth ; and as the hole is filled, tread the 

 earth firmly about the tree. If the planting is done 

 in the fall, raise a mound six inches in height about 

 the tree ; this will prevent the frost from heaving it ; 

 remove it in the spring. 



In addition to treading down the earth, there 

 should be three stakes driven into the ground, two 

 feet from the tree, and sloping so as to press the 

 body of the tree ; and where these stakes press the 

 tree, they should be tied firmly, placing, however, 

 some straw next the body, that the bark may not be 

 injured by rubbing. These will effectually prevent 

 the roots from being disturbed bj' the wind, and 

 protect the tree from being injured by the plough. 



It is well known to every farmer, that young fruit 

 trees will flourish luxuriantly while the ground is 

 cultivated with various vegetable crops, and that the 

 same tillage and manuring which is required by the 

 latter will prove highly conducive to the growth of 

 the former. In fact, it has been ascertained by ex- 

 perience and observation, that apples, pears, peaches, 

 &c., attain to their highest perfection only when the 

 soil about the roots is kept open and frequently 

 manured. A FRUIT- GROWEll. 



Editorial Remarks. 



We prefer planting trees nearer than recommended 

 by our correspondent, so as to have twice the num- 

 ber on the soU ; and after they come into bearing, 

 they will produce fruit along time before interfering. 

 In this way one can have fruit, some fifteen or twenty 

 years, from one hundred, instead of fifty trees ; and 

 when thej' interfere, cut away the poorest. 



As to staking trees, it is a useless labor. Place 

 three or four stones, of six or ten pounds' weight each, 

 more or less, as convenient, around the tree, after it 

 is well set, within one or two inches of the trunk ; 

 then place some sods between the tree and stones, 

 and press them down. The stones wiU keep the 

 roots fast, and hold the tree firm, even against the 

 highest winds. This is better than stakes, and far 

 less trouble. 



For the New E)iglu7id Farmer. 

 IMPROVEMENT OF LOW LANDS. 



Mr. Cole : Having been a mechanic about twenty 

 years, and therefore somewhat inexperienced in agri- 

 cultural matters, and intending soon to remove to a 

 farm which I have in the town of Lyndboro', N. H., I 

 wish to obtain, through the medium of your paper, 

 some information as to the best method of reclaiming 

 a piece of swamji, or bog meadow land, of about 

 twenty acres; naturally growing the alder, and 

 white or soft maple ; mostly now in grass ; bearing 

 the usual variety of swamp grasses indigenous to low, 

 marshy situations. 



