50 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 1, 182; 



superabundant moisture from long continued rains 

 or severe drou^'ht, at this caily period, miglit des- 

 troy many; tlie former inundating them, and the 

 'atter Ijy depriving them of necessary moisture. 

 Axigusl 9, 1827. 



FRUIT TREES. 

 Mr Fessenden — In the 3d No. of the current 

 volume of the New England Farmer, your corres- 

 Dondent VV. D. has proposed a question important 

 to the "cultivators of fruit trees," but which few 

 of them, I apprehend, can experimentally answer, 



lohether succors procctding from the roots of fruit 



trees, if grafted, make as good and fruitful trees as 

 seedlings ? 



In the year 1791 I commenced the cultivation of 

 the little farm I now occupy. The orchard, from 

 negligence and bad management, had become un- 

 jio-htly and unproductive. Most of the trees were 

 converted into fuel. The roots furnished a luxu- 

 rious supply of succors, from which, as there was 

 no nursery at hand, I bordered my enclosures. — 

 They took root well; grew vigorously ; are now 

 healthy and flourishing trees ; bearing, bountifully, 

 fair and good sized fruit. Whether seedlings would 

 have done better, I cannot determine from com- 

 parison, as I have not one of my own rearing, in a 

 bearing state, except stone fruit : my pear trees 

 having been procured in the same manner. 



A few weeks .since, a celebrated cuUivator of 

 fruit, while e.xamining my nursery, inquired wheth- 

 er the trees were seedlings or suckers. On being 

 informed that the pear trees were suckers, he de- 

 clared that he would not give a cent for the whole 

 of them. After examining my bearing trees, he 

 expressed his conviction that they were, at least, 

 as good as seedlings, as he had rarely seen a bet- 

 ter collection. The general objection seems to be, 

 that a sucker will throw oft" suckers much more 

 .abundantly than seedlings. This, I am confident, 

 is not the fact, when care has been taken to sever 

 it from tlie parent stock, taking only its independ- 

 ent lateral roots. When thus done, it is as per- 

 fect in all its qualities as a seedling. Nature ren- 

 ovates the forest, both from seed and suckers, 

 squally well : but in the latter mode much more 

 expeditiously. Respectfully, 



Your friend and serv't, 



Worcester, Sept. 5, J 827. O. FISKE. 



PEAR TREES. 



( Liun»an Botanic Garden, near 

 I New York, Sept. 1, 1827. 



Mr Fessenden — Having recently seen nunier- 

 ins publications on the subject of what is termed 

 a "disease of the pear tree," I beg leave to refer 

 vou for a notice on that subject, to the treatise, 

 page 12.3, attached to the 23d edition of my Cata- 

 ioguc, published in 1825, where you will find the 

 following remarks : 



••This tree [Pear] is however subject to one mal- 

 ady peculiar to itself, commonly called the Fire 

 Blight or Brulere which attacks trees in the most 

 flourishing state, generally commencing at the top 

 or extremitiy of the branches and extending down- 

 wards. This is caused by a single stroke of the 

 sun, which extracts the sap from the uppermost 

 branches of the tree, or from such as are most ex- 

 posed to its influence, with more rapidity than it 

 can be replaced, or from powerful rays of the sun, 

 heating the bark to such a degree, as to arrest or 

 nullify the progress of the sap " 



This opinion, then expressed, I do not give as 

 being altogether original with myself, for several 



gentlemen with whom I have long been in inter- 

 course, seemed to coincide in this opinion. I have 

 now further to state that I have remarked that it 

 is generally those varieties which are most thrifty 

 in their growth that are most frequently attacked, 

 and even that those branches, which have made 

 the most visorous shoots on any particular tree 

 are first subject to its effects. These circumstan- 

 ces would seem to add greater strength to the be- 

 fore mentioned theory as to its cause, — as it is the 

 most vigorous shoots vvhich contain the greatest 

 abundance of sap, and which thus present a greater 

 portion of liquid to be operated on by the solar 

 rays. 



It has also been noticed that these attacks are 

 by far the most frequent during seasons of exces- 

 sive rains, which by saturating the earth, cause a 

 superabundance of sap to arise in the tree, and 

 thereby produce an exuberance of growth in the 

 branches. It seems singular, however, that while 

 the trees in so many parts of the country are la- 

 boring under these attacks of blight, that in tliis 

 vicinity we should have so few affected by it, for 

 in five years, numerous as is my collection, I have 

 not had above two trees attacked by it. I must 

 mention one other circumstance, which may aid 

 others in their observations, which is, that the pear 

 called here. Early Green Chisel, and in France the 

 Citron and Carmes or Madeleine, is here more 

 subject to its attacks than any other, which I can 

 o.ily account for from the reasons before deduced, 

 viz. its extremely vigorous growth and superfluous 

 quantity of sap. 



In my Treatise of 1825 before referred to, are 

 these further remarks — "It is therefore recom- 

 mended to plant trees in Pear Orchards riiuoh 

 closer than in those of the Apple. — The only rem- 

 edy against these attacks is to immediately saw 

 off" the branches one or two feet below where the 

 blight extends, in which case they generally re- 

 vive." — I will only add that one of the finest pear 

 trees I have, is one that was many years attacked 

 in this way, and with regard to which I pursued 

 the above mentioned course. 



Yours most respectfully, 



WM. PRINCE. 



VINES. 



The Marrow Squash vines, from the seed I 

 bought at the N. E. Farmer ofiice, have been al- 

 most destroyed, after having a number of squashes 

 on them, by what is called the borer, a white 

 worm about one inch long with a black head, 16 

 of which Iiave been taken from the joints of one 

 vine. The egg must have been deposited at the 

 joints, as no hole is perceptible, but a small quan- 

 tity of borings are seen at every joint, and on cut- 

 ting the vine lengthwise the insect is found. 



Mifhuryport, Sept. 5. A SUBSCRIBER. 



ON MILK. 



A work has lately been published in London, 

 entitled "Jl Treatise on Milk, as an article of the 

 first necessity to the Health and Comfort of the 

 Community." The subject is of great interest, 

 and is ably discussed. The following extracts 

 will prove useful. 



"The peculiar fitness of milk for children is 

 universally acknowledged, but its admirable quali- 

 fications for the nourishment of a more advanced 

 period of life, seems practically at least, to be 

 doubted, from the disuse into which it has gradu- 

 ally fallen. From the nature of milk, it is clear 

 that every part of it contains much nourishment. 



and if united with farinaceous vegetables, there is 

 no doubt it will form an aliment sufficiently invig- 

 orating, at least, till the age of puberty. Previous 

 to this period, it is hardly necessary to accustom 

 children to any other; and such as are so fed, will 

 be found to enjoy more perfect health and strength 

 than where a proportion of solid animal food is su- 

 per-added, for the early use of animal food will bt; 

 found to give an irritability and inflammatory dis- 

 position to the system, anil goading it on, as it 

 were, to maturity before its time. After the age 

 of puberty, and when anacti\e life has begun, a 

 proportion of animal food, in a cold climate, be 

 comes necessary. This proportion should be con- 

 tinued till the po*ersof life begin to decIine,from 

 which time an eminent writer on diet, Dr Nisbet. 

 has advised, that a return to the aliment of the 

 early days should be again resorted to, in order to 

 correct the alkalescent state of the fluids which 

 the progress of life naturally brings on. Thus 

 milk may be indulged in at all times of life, unless 

 when certain circumstances or peculiarities in the 

 stomach prevent it. 



"It seems to be the opinion of those best ac- 

 quainted with the nature of the human frame, that 

 the most desirable state in which milk can be 

 adopted as an aliment is, as soon as possible after 

 it is taken from the cow, and before a long expos 

 ure to the air has tainted it, or advanced the pro 

 gress of the spontaneous separation of its compo- 

 nent parts. All milk consists more or less of bu- 

 tyracoous or creamy, of caseous, [cheese-making] 

 and of saccharine matter; and the more equally 

 these are blended when milk is taken, the more 

 favourabli' does it affect the organsof the stomach. 

 When milk cannot conveniently he so taken, (as 

 in towns) it is recommended to heat it to a little 

 b.-;low a boiling point, in order as far as possible 

 to reunite the various particles composing it, and 

 which were in course of separation by the forming 

 of cream. It is also advisable in nil cases to di- 

 lute pure milk, (a beverage known in general only 

 by reputation to the inhabitants of a city,) with a 

 certain portion of water, about one half in bulk 

 for the use of children, and one third for that of 

 adults. 



Skim-milk produced from a cow fed with a suf 

 ficient quantity of wholesome green food, is an 

 aliment sufficiently nutritious, and perhaps more 

 so (if creamed only ten or twelve hours after set- 

 tinsr) than the generality of that liquid, which is 

 sown in large towns as genuine milk. Diluted or 

 skimmed milk, with a little bread, makes admira- 

 ble breakfasts for growing children and sedentary 

 adults. Skim-milk, with potatoes, and a little 

 bread, will afford a very nourishing diet at all 

 times for those who are not engaged in very la- 

 borious exercise. 



" In Scotland and the north of Ireland, milk, ac- 

 companied with oatmeal, supplies an excellent 

 dish without any bread. It constitutes the break- 

 fast of the young people of all classes, and they 

 are generally much attached to it through life. — 

 The potato is the best substitute we have for bread. 

 It is a lioht alimentary substance, neither too vis- 

 cid, nor too flatulent, and having no tendency to 

 acidity. 



" The simple accompaniment of skim milk is not 

 supposed, however, to render the potato sufficient- 

 ly nutritious for robust youth, and still less so for 

 the laborious adult ; though it is true that in many 

 parts of Ireland, particularly the south, no better 

 nourishment than potatoes and milk is in general 



