NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



133 



fruits, leads me to doubt very much recommending 

 the cultivation of fruits, brought from one section of 

 the country to anothei', without first ascertaining 

 ■whether the fruit will do well. 



Permit mo to give you my own experience, in the 

 cultivation of the Talman Sweeting. In the fall of 

 1834, we had but little fruit in any part of the coun- 

 trj, excepting in INIaine. There was a frost, on the 

 loth of May, that cut off all the more tender fruits at 

 the south and west, and nearly all the apples in all 

 the states except in Maine. Seeing there was a 

 scarcity of fruit in this region, I went to Augusta, Me. 

 in October, and there, for tlic first time, I saw the Tal- 

 man Sweeting, and it grew in perfection. I thought 

 much of it, and in the spring of 1835, I sent down, 

 and obtained one hundred scions, for which I paid 

 one dollar and fifty cents. I gave some of them 

 to my neighbors, and set some of theni myself. "\Ve 

 put them on three farms, in diff'erent parts of the 

 town, and have given them a fair trial, and they will 

 do nothing; they wiU not pay the cultivation. One 

 of my neighbors grafted a fine row of trees just in 

 bearing state, and he is now grafting over again. 

 Tlie apples arc knurly, and not fit to eat. 



It is of the utmost iinportance, for any one com- 

 mencing an orchard, to select those fruits which are 

 known to grow well, that he may not be disap- 

 pointed. It is now a well ascertained fact, that fruits 

 will not flourish in every part of the country equally 

 well. I noticed one circumstance, last fall, which I 

 have never observed before. In the spring of 1814, 

 I went to Keyport, New Jersej'', and bought some 

 j)each and apple-trees. In 1845, I ordered moi'e 

 peach-trees : some of the trees I set out myself, and 

 sold to others. In 1847, they bore some fruit. Last 

 j'ear, there was not one peach to be seen on the 

 southern trees, while there was some fruit on all, or 

 nearly all, of the trees raised here. I should hardly 

 have been willing to believe it, had I not seen and 

 examined myself. 



This is an important fact, worth remembering. 

 The trees that came from New Jersey appeared to 

 stand the winter ; that is, tlie branches were not killed 

 by the winter ; but how it was that the fruit Avas all 

 killed on the southern trees, and on the others it was 

 not, is more than I can account for. 



I took some scions from New Jersej', of the Jersey 

 Pie Apple, and set them ; and last fall the tree, 

 although a small one, bore some very fair, and hand- 

 some apples. From what I have observed within the 

 last year, I very much doubt the utility of buying 

 trees from the south ; although, previous to this time, 

 I tlrought the trees that came from New Jersey did 

 quite as well as trees raised with us. 

 Respectfullv yours, 



DANIEL LELAND. 



SherblTcXE, March 26, 1849. 



Editorial Remarks. 



From the foregoing communication, it appears that 

 the Talman Sweeting does not sustain its usual char- 

 acter with Dea. Leland ; and there is hardly any fruit 

 that does well every where. Some kinds seem lim- 

 ited to a few sections, while others are adapted to 

 various soils and climates. The Talman Sweeting is 

 popular in most parts of the country, from Maine to 

 the West. It is a native of Rhode Island, where it is 

 extensively cultivated. It succeeds well in this 

 vicinity, in strong soils. More apples of this variety 

 are sold in this market, than of all other winter 

 sweet apples. We have no winter sweet apple that 

 is a universal favorite, lilte the Baldwin, Greening, 

 Sweet Bough, &c. The Danvers Winter Sweet, 



Talman'a Sweeting, and Seaver Sweet, -^Can apple 

 of Coxe, probably,) generally succeed well. 



As to southern trees, it is evident that they are 

 more tender than those raised in the north. No one 

 would suppose that an African could endure the cold 

 of Greenland lilce a native of that frigid region. 

 Peach buds are often killed, while the trees ai-e 



uninjured. 



^ 



For the New Enghtncl Farmer. 

 FOR BLEEDING IN GRAPE VINES. 



Mr. Cole : I will mention a remedy for the bleed- 

 ing of the vine. Some four or five years since, in 

 the spring, I removed from an Isabella a stalk of 

 about three fourths inches diameter. It began to bleed 

 at once, and profusely. My purpose was to endeavor 

 to sear the wound by burning on it common sulphur. 

 Accordingly I made the cut horizontal and smooth. 

 Wiping it dry, I placed the sulphur upon it ; but be- 

 fore I could ignite that, the sap had completely 

 saturated it. I then concluded to press the powder 

 into the pores of the wood. With my thumb I did 

 so, pressing hard and using a somewhat grinding 

 motion. The operation was repeated two or three 

 times, and in about five miniitcs there was no dis- 

 charge of sap. I have tried this remedy several 

 times, and with equal success. Probably any fine 

 powder, as pulverized plaster, and perhaps wood 

 ashes, will answer. But I have always used sulphur. 

 As the extremely hard pjressure and friction produce 

 soreness, I now wind a narrow strip of firm leather 

 around the thumb. 



Yours, &c. 



J. HUBBARD WELLS. 



East Hartford, Ct., March 26, 1849. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 DO YOUR OWN GRAFTING. 



Mr. Editor : Of the multitude of diff'erent pur- 

 suits in the art of agriculture, grafting now claims 

 particular attention. It is for the interest of every 

 farmer to become versed in this easy, simple, and im- 

 portant science. Boys, in this vicinity, have, for a 

 number of years past, performed this M'ork with 

 pleasure and unrivalled success. True, they may 

 not set so many scions in a day as those who ai'C 

 older and more experienced ; but we guaranty to say, 

 that they will be more successful. Not only this, 

 but we know from cxijerience that the latter often 

 kill the tree itself, thus, perhaps, destroying a very 

 promising and valuable production. 



The reason for this is evident among the inhabit- 

 ants in this, the chief farming section of this town, 

 who pay considerable attention to the raising of fruit ; 

 having raised, in one year, from six farms, — all bor- 

 dering upon one another — upwards of three thou- 

 sand barrels. We discard the use of composition 

 in graftmg ; believing that it contains substances that 

 are poisonous to the tree : hence it is that those 

 who use it have so little success. We believe it 

 would be equally wise and judicious for the human 

 family to make a common use of prussic acid, as it 

 is to use this composition as a substitute for clay in 

 grafting. It not only checks the growth of the 

 scions and tree, but the stocks will not heal over for 

 a number of years ; but if clay had been rightly pre- 

 pared and used, they would have healed in half the 

 time. 



Clav, in its raw state, is generally too strong ; 

 therefore it is best to reduce it by mixing dry horse 

 manure or loam, which makes it more flexible. Sci- 



