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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



For the New England Farmer. 



THE SEASON AS TO FRUITS. 



Mr. Cole : Whoever remembers the warm days 

 of last December, and fainted through fear that the 

 buds of fruit trees would swell so much as to be 

 killed bv future fronts, as well as those who shud- 

 dered at their fate in February when the mercury 

 sunk not only to "fatal li°," but more than 20° 

 below zero, must of necessity be surprised that the 

 expectations of wise, calculating men failed, and that 

 the buds of all kinds of fruit trees survived both 

 fatal influences, not only in the valleys, but along the 

 hill sides and on the hill tops of cold, mountainous 

 Borkshire, 



The bloom of every kind of fruit tree cultivated 

 hero was abundant, though much later than in most 

 seasons. Apple-trncs gave a profusion of large, fair 

 blossoms ; but owing to the cold winds that passed 

 over them, but little fruit set, and that that reached 

 maturity was of an inferior size and quality, compared 

 with ordinary crops. 



Pears blossomed much like apples ; not quite so 

 full, perhaps. The quantity of this fruit, in proportion 

 to the number of trees cultivated, was much more 

 liberal. 



English cherries are a rare article in this region. 

 We wonder at it, the tree is so hardy, and the better 

 varieties of fruit so fine. They produced a fine crop 

 of perfect fruit in 1849. If any one wishes to know 

 how long it takes an English cherry-tree to come in 

 bearing here, we will say to them that, in the spring 

 of 1812, we grafted one three fourths of an inch in 

 diameter near the ground : this graft has borne three 

 years, is now twenty feet high, with a fine head, and, 

 the last summer, produced cherries enough to pay 

 for all the labor we have bestowed upon it. Of 

 course, it is now in its cherry-tree infancy, and its 

 future crops may all be nearly considered a clear 

 gain. 



Plums have borne in profusion, so that every one 

 who has trees has had an abundant supjdy and to 

 spare. (Do not forget to salt your plum-trees liber- 

 allv, if you would liave them healthy and productive. 

 Wc have known several trees that bloomed well, but 

 produced no fruit, come into bearing the first year 

 after the application of salt.) 



Peaches — ah ! the delicious peaches ! If there is a 

 single point in which all the world is agreed, it is 

 this, that peaches are good. The invalid says they 

 are healthy ; and we, from the good eff'ects we have 

 received from them, — those of our own raising, the 

 present year, — are disposed to think his assertion is 

 correct. But what elongated countenances were 

 visible, and what fearful forebodings were felt, last 

 winter, when unusual warmth was followed by 

 severe cold, in anticipation of the failure of the peach 

 crop ! Our learned professors said it was all over 

 with them, when the frosty mornings sent the mer- 

 cury to 20°, 22°, 23° below zero ; and others thought 

 so too, v.hen they saw the dingy, half- formed blossoms 

 coming out to meet the cold wind the latter part 

 of May. Yet these same trees, that gave such a miser- 

 able bloom to look upon so late in May, that some of 

 them hung on in June, gave ample crojjs in Septem- 

 ber and October. The fruit was good too, as rich 

 and as perfect as can be found at any time in any 

 land. 



It is probable the tardiness in appearance of the 

 blossoms in many insta-.'.ces saved the crop. A sin- 

 gle illustration may substantiate the prol)al)ility, and 

 establish it as a fact. 



In t.hc gardens of Mr. Samuel Goodricli, located 

 on the interval of the Housatonic, in a warm soil, in 

 Stockbridge, the peach failed entirely, from having 

 Started too early, and being subject to a spring frost ; 

 while in the garden of General Williams, located in 



the hill country of the same town, the crop was full, 

 equalling fifty bushels, which, in a small, J'oung or- 

 chard, in a region where nine tenths of the popula- 

 tion have considered peach-trees a nuisance, and 

 those who planted them visionary, is certainly a 

 good crop. 



We do not suppose that peaches will grow here 

 without care ; neither will any other crop. Even our 

 old forests, planted by the hand of nature, will, in 

 cultivated countries, through negligence, run to de- 

 cay. Grass, the spontaneous growth of the country, 

 through neglect or mismanagement will run out and 

 give place to weeds. How then can we expect that 

 the native products of distant climes will flourish 

 and perfect themselves without due watchings and 

 timely labors ? Soil, location, and after management 

 are considerations that must be attended to in the 

 cultivation of all kinds of fruit trees, to insure their 

 full success. 



The Alkn peach. You will recollect, perhaps, that, 

 some three or four years since, — I am not certain 

 which, — you sent me three pits of this peach. These 

 were immediately planted, and two of them vegetated. 

 Both grew vigorously, but one of them unfortunatclv 

 got broken down the next winter, which put it back 

 a year. The other has produced as large a crop as 

 was desirable, and the poaches are fine to look upon, 

 and fine to taste. Average size three inches in di- 

 ameter ; flesh very juicy and rich ; a beautiful blush 

 on the side next to the sun. The tree makes a very 

 fine, strong wood, and appears to be perfectly hardy. 

 It is, no doubt, one of the best varieties for our 

 climate. Yours truly, 



W. BACON. 



Editorial Remarks. — Several years ago, we vis- 

 ited the peach orchards in Walpole, and gave a par- 

 ticular notice of the Allen peach, cultivated exten- 

 sively there — far more than any other variety. The 

 peculiar properties of this peach in producing the 

 same from seed, as it had been cultivated in that 

 way for forty years, with its hardiness, and early, 

 constant** and great bearing, with its good qualities, 

 caused a demand for the trees, and they have been 

 widely disseminated. We distributed many trees or 

 seeds to our friends. 



A few cultivators have complained that this peach 

 is rather small for market ; yet we believe that no 

 variety has aftbrded more profit than this. Four or 

 five years ago, Mr. Jeremiah Allen, of Walpole, had 

 a large crop from a young orchard, and the same 

 trees have borne well this season. Mr. Daniel Allen, 

 who carried the fruit to market informed us that the 

 crop from one and a third acres produced over four 

 hundred dollars this season. Has any cultivator in 

 New England beat this ? 



When in Maine, last summer, where we had sent 

 some stones of the Allen peach to our friends, we 

 saw some of the fruit, where the thermometer, the 

 previous winter, must have been as low as 25° or 

 30° below zero. We are happy to find that this 

 peach sustains the high character which we gave 

 it, on introducing it to the public. Mr. Allen, the 

 old gentleman, who has the honor of originating this 

 valuable variety, says, as we are informed, that his 

 trees have failed only three or four years in forty. 



This peach is not large, but it is medial in size ; 

 very handsome, and of excellent quality ; and its 

 vigor, hardiness, productiveness, and long life, and 

 the very important advantage of yielding the same 



