882 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



JUNE 7. ISIJ. 



SrHW Slsr<35E.^I2?a> 2f ^S^SSISSia 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1837. 



FAKMER'S WORK. 



Forests, Woodland, &c. — [Cun'imied from p. 366.] 

 With rt'garil to llie tree (iiost suitable fc»r piopagation in 

 New England, as well as tliruiiijhout at least, the up- 

 per parts, if not through the whole extent of the valleys 

 of the Ohio, and the Missis>ip[>i, we believe that on ma- 

 ny accounts, and in manj' situations, tlje Rocl< Maple, 

 or Sugar Maple 13 to be preferred. In reconinicndjng 

 this fine tree, and giving directions for iis culture, I 

 shall borrow passages from an able and \aluable essay, 

 written by Gen. H. A. S. Dearborn, and first published 

 in the N. E. Farmer, vol. v. 201. 



" Of the nine sneciis of Majjlo indijjenous to North 

 America, ihero are two equally productive of sugar. — 

 The .ir.er Saccharirmm, the Rock liard or Sugar Maple 

 of the New England States, and the .leer JVigrum, the 

 iBlac:k Sugar Tree of the West. Michaux observes, that 

 'in the extensive country of Genesee, both species are 

 indiscriminately called Rock Maple and Sugar Maple. 

 This confusion seems to have arisen from the country's 

 being settled, principally, by emigrants from the East- 

 ern States, who finding the Black Sugar tree applicable 

 to the same u.5es with the other, have given it the came 

 name. The two sjiecies have also been confounded by 

 botanists.' 



"Towards the North, I have observed the Clack Su- 

 gar Tree, near Windsor in Ver(nonl, on the Connecti- 

 cut river. But from its inlerior size, and its scarceness, 

 it may be inferred that it belongs to a more southern 

 climate. Accordingly, a few degrees lower, it forms a 

 large part of the foresis of Gin 'see, and covers the im- 

 mense valleys, through wliich flow the great rivers of 

 the West In these bottoms it is one of the most com- 

 mon and one of the loftiest trees." 



The blossom and fiuit of the Northern Sugar Maple 

 are thus accurately described by the same distinguished 

 naturalist. 



" The flowers are small, yellowish, and suspended bv 

 slender drooping peduncles. Tlie seed is c(jntained in 

 two capsules united at the base and terniiualed in a 

 membranous Wing. It ripens .near New Vork in the 

 beginning of October, though the capsules attain their 

 full size six weeks earlier. Externally, they appear 

 equally perfect, but I liavo coniiiaTilly found one of them 

 emjity. The fruit is matured only once in two or three 

 years.'' * 



" In the Eastern Stales the proper time for collecting 

 the seeds, is from the last of Scpiember to the middle 

 of October, or immediately alter the first autumnal 



frosts, when they are easily shaken from the trees. 



They should be spread in the sun, or some dry place, 

 for several days, and then immediately sown in' drills 

 about an inch deep ; or in ihe following manner which 

 is preferable. 



" A bed should be prepared three or four feet wide, 

 after the ground lias been well manured and thoroughly 

 dug over. Rake to each side sufficient earth to hiwer 

 the bed an inch. Sow the capsules tolerably thick, as 

 not more than half of them cunlain any seed ; throw the 

 earth, which has been drawn to the sides over them 

 and then rake the bed level and smooth. In the sjiiing 

 after the frost is e itirely out of the ground, and the sur- 

 face dry, rake the bed lightly to loosen the earth. Dur- 

 ing the remainder of the season, the bed should be kept 

 clear of weeds, and after mid-snmnier, the earth ofien 



* North American Sylva, vol. i, page 837. 



siirred with a small rake. The succt-eding spring llie 

 plants may be removed to the nursery and set out 12 or 

 18 inches apart in rows throe feet asunder; hut the 

 ground for the nursery must be first well manured, .'^pa- 

 ded or ploughed itcej), and tijoroughly harrowed or raked 

 to make it fine and mellow ; — then by a line make 

 trenches sufficiently deep to insert the roots a little low- 

 er than they were, in the seminary, and commence 

 placing the plants one by one against the line, at the 

 required distance, first only drawing sufficient earth with 

 the liand to the bottom of the roots to support them in 

 an erect position until the whole trench has been plant- 

 ed, when the remainder of the earth may be filled in 

 with a hoc. After nil the rows have been completed, 

 rake the ground level over the whole of the nursery, 

 whicli must be kept entirely free from weeds, and slight- 

 ly 1 hopped over with a hoe, or the earth stirred with a 

 rake freq'a«ntly during one season. In the autumn, 

 spread compost manure, in which is a large portion of 

 ashes, over the whole nursery two or three inches deep, 

 '.vhich may be spaded in, and the ground raked level 

 the following spring; the same cultivation to be con- 

 tinued for three or four years, when the plants will be 

 sufficiently large to set out as ornamental trees, or for 

 forming a sugar orchard or wood lot; for it is best to 

 transplant fore.ist trees when not more than four years 

 old ; more especially when they are intendid forgrove.^ 

 of timber or fuel. Butlon-vvoods and Elms are suffi- 

 ciently large when three yeais old, as they grow very 

 rapidly ; much more so than the oaks beeches or ma- 

 ples. Nicol asserts in his Practical Flanter, that plants 

 'from 12 to 24 inches high, will in any siluatio i or soil, 

 out-grow those uf any size under S or 10 lee;, within the 

 seventh year.' 



"Land destined for a sugar orchard or wood lot, 

 should be cuhivaled l^jr one or two years with potatoes, 

 or some other crop requiring the earth to lie ofien mov- 

 ed ; and the autumn preceding the spring when the 

 trees aie to be set rmt, it shoulc be ploughid very deep 

 and left in ridges. In April, or as soon as the ground 

 is sulficiently dry, it should be cross ploughed and thor- 

 oughly harrowed. The trees should be set out four feet 

 apart, in rows eight feet asunder. Polatoes may be 

 planted between the trees; at all events, the weeds 

 must be destroyed, and the ground kept loose by shal- 

 low ploughing and light harrowing, until the trees are 

 of suffirient size to completely shade it When the 

 branches begin to touch one another, the trees should 

 be thinned, by taking away every secimd one in each 

 row, which will then be sufficiently large f^jr fuel. Tliis 

 should be repeated when the branches again meet, and 

 as much oftener and in such manner as may be deemed 

 expedient. If it is intended to combine a wood lot an.l 

 a sugar orchard it will be necessary at the second and 

 third thinnings to cut down every other row, and every 

 other tree in the remaining ones, wliich will leave the 

 trees reserved for making sugar, tliirtytwo feet apart 

 each way. But for the latti.r purpose, the plants may 

 be set out in single rows, from twentyfiveto thirty feet 

 apart, round 'the borders of the fields, which will thus 

 be much more appropriately occupied than by the nu- 

 merous ranges of aspiring brier bushes and rank weeds, 

 which generiilly disfigure the farms in all parts of our 

 country. In either mode of planting, the trees will be 

 sufficiently large to lap, in from twenty to twenlyfive 

 years, according to the churacti r of the soil, and the at- 

 tention bestowed on theii cultivation 



" Should it be desired to cultivate the land destined 

 for a sugar niajile orchard, and ultimately convert it to 

 the purpose of a mowing field or jiasture, it will be best 

 to plant out the trees in the first instance, from twenty- 



five to thirty feet apart each w.'iy, and perhaps a greater 

 distance may be preferred ; bui it is wise to imitate na- 

 ture, and plant ihe trees as thick as they n^ilurally grojir 

 to their full size in the primitive forests." 

 (To be continued.) 



M.tRKET — There is so much uncertainly in the state 



of the markets, t!:at we omit alterations in our prices 



A large business has been done in ihe flour market the 

 past week. Tlie maikia is well supplied. S).j7G barrels 

 arrived from New Yoik and Albany. Sales have been 

 full 4U'10 barrels. The demand for corn has been quite 

 animated, and although 60,000 bushels were imported 

 during the week, it has all found ready sale, at 2 cents 

 better than our last quotations. 50 bags white Beans 

 sold at $1 17^ per bushel, cash. 



Hay — Several freights prime eastern, have been sold 

 at $1." 00 and 16 00 per ton. 



Hops. — 500 bales sold for shipmeni to Europe on 

 terms below our quotations. 



There ia a plentiful supply of Lime in market. Sales 

 of best quality at ;}1 C) per cask. 



Plaster of Paris. — Several cargoes have been sold at 

 $2 12 1 2 per ton. 



Provisions. — There has been a fair demand for Boston 

 Beef at $15 00 for mess, and $14 00 for No. 1, on four 

 months Sales western clear Pork at $30, mess at 17, 

 and prime at $14 cash. Sales of western Lard at 8 1-4 

 and 8 12; do Hams at 10 cts. cash. 



Specie. — Sjianish dollars at 7 a 10 cts. adv. Spanish 

 Doubloons $17 50— Patriots $10 50 — American Gold 

 per cent, advance. 



Accounts from Rngland present a gloomy aspect for 

 operatives. Business is almost entirely stopped. At 

 no period during the last ten years, have the slate and 

 prospects of the manufacturing and commercial interests 

 connected wiih the district of Manchester, been so gloo- 

 my as at the present time. Cotton goods have expe- 

 rienced a heavy decline, and many kinds could not be 

 replaced by the manufacturer at the prices at whicli 

 they are offered for sale. The pressure of the times is 

 fell as severely by the manufacturers of silk goods, as 

 by those of cotton fabrics, and their losses will be great. 

 We arc sorry to say, thai ill di.sposed people have taken 

 advantage of the distress of the operatives, to instigate 

 them to acts of disorder. 



M-\SSACIIUSETTS HORTICTLTURAL. SOClKT-y. 



EXHIBITION OF FUUITS. 



Saturday, May 27, 1837. 

 Scions of the true Jonalhan, or Philip Rick Apple — 

 a most superior winter fruit, were this day sent for dis- 

 tribution. Theso were received from Messrs Downing 

 of Newburg, N. Y. The engrafted trees in this vicini- 

 ty of this kind, so far as they have shown fruit, have 

 been found generally v\ rong, a mistake having occurred 

 in the scions and trees sent hither. 



For the Committee. 



WILLIAM KENRICK. 



EXHIBITION OF FRt'lTS. 



Saturday, June 3, 1837. 

 A beautiful specimen of ihe " Belmont Apple," was 

 exhibited by Charles Olinstead, Esq. of East Hartford, 

 Conn. These apjdes were brought by Mr Olmstead, 

 from Ohio, the last autumn. It is considered the finest 

 apple of that region, and is highly deserving of cultiva- 

 tion. The flesh is tender and juicy, with a rich sub- 

 acid and excellent flavor. — Scions have been distribu- 

 ted by Mr Olmstead. 



