vol,. XVIII. I»0. 45. 



AND HORTICULTURAL 



G I S T E R , 



377 



numbci' examined last siiinmer, is supposed to 

 measure soiuelliing more tlian an acre and a half. 

 In 183."), niul in the previous years, it yielded annu- 

 ally about lino ton of meadow hay, fit only for litter. 

 In 183,'), a small piece was turned over with the 

 hoe and planted with potatoes. Other parts were 

 taken in succcedingyears, until the whole has been 

 turned and planted. The potatoes have been ma- 

 nured in the hill, and the yield has been 200 to 

 250 bushels per acre. Corn, beans, pumpkins, 

 squashes, ruta bagas and carrots, liave been tried 

 in small patches, and all have done well. 



The past season the cro[xs were as follows: 

 English hay, (clover and timothy,) on two 



thirds of an acre, 1 ton, ,91.5 00 



Winter lye, 1-2 an acre, 14 quarts seed — 



yield 12 1-2 bushels, at $1 25, 15 62 



Black Sea wheat, 1-4 acre, 7 quarts seed — 



yield 4 bushels, at 81 75, 7 00 



Chenango potatoes, 30 poles — yield 46 bu., 



at 40 cents, 18 40 



Sugar beets, 20 poles— yield 106 bu , at 



20 cents, 21 20 



Second crop on rye and wheat stubbles, 25 



cwt., at 50 cents, 12 50 



$89 72 



The wheat lodged badly and was cut while very 

 green ; the yield was less than if it had ripened 

 well. Drills were opened with the hoe for the su- 

 gar beets, and a gravelly wash from the roadside, 

 mixed with wood ashes, was put into them. The 

 dressing for 18 poles cost two dollars. On the re- 

 maininj,' two poles the wash was mixed with bone; 

 cost, nearly two dollars. The beets on the bone 

 appeared to be a little and only a little larger than 

 the others. 



The whole meadow has been thoroughly ditch- 

 ed ; the muck obtained paid for the labor. Each 

 crop is believed to have paid for its expense as well 

 as similar crops on the upland. It cost eight or 

 nine dollars per acre to turn the meadow at first, 

 and there was an e.\pense of about five dollars in 

 deepening the outlet of the waters. 



DANIEL PUTNAM. 



Danvers, Dec. 23, 1839. 



Note. — Sickness and bereavement in the family 

 prevented measurement both of the whole meadow 

 and the several parts. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 PremiuiMS for Fruits. 

 At a meeting of the Committee on Fruits, &c. 

 of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, held 

 April 18th, 1840, it was voted to offer the follow- 

 ing premiums for the year ensuing: 



£pphs. For the best summer apples, not less than 



one dozen, a premium of $5 



For the best autumn apples, not less than one 



dozen, a premium of 5 



For the best winter apples, not leas than one 



dozen, a premium of 5 



Pears. For tlie best summer pears, not less 



than one dozen, a premium of 5 



For the best autuum pears, not less than one 



dozen, a premium of 5 



For the beat winter pears, not less than one 



dozen, a premium of 5 



Cherries. For the best cherries, not less than 



one quart, a premium of 5 



For the next best, not less than one quart, a 



premium of 4 ' 



Peaches. For the best peaches, open culture, 

 not less than one dozen, a premium of 5 



For the next best, not less tiian one dozen, a 

 premium of . 4 



For the best peaches, imder glass, not less 

 than one dozen, a premium of 5 



Plums. For the best plums, not less than one 

 quart, a premium of 5 



For the next best, not Ibss than one quart, a 

 premium t<f 4 



Griipes. For the best foreign giapes, under 

 glass, a premium of 10 



For the best foreign grapes, open culture, a 

 premium of 5 



For the best native grapes, a premium of 5 



.•ipricols. For the best apricots, not less than 

 one dozen, a premium of .'J 



Nertitrines. For the best nectarines, not less 

 than one dozen, a premium of 5 



(Quinces. For the best quinces, not less than 

 one dozen, a premium of ,5 



Gooseberries. For the best desert gooseber- 

 ries, not less than one quart, a premium of 5 



Raspberries. For the best raspberries, not 

 less than one quart, a premium of 5 



Strawberries. For tlie best strawberries, not 

 less than one quart, a premium of 5 



For the next best, not less than one quart, a 

 premium of 4 



Currtints. For the best currants, not less than 

 one quart, a premium of 3 



Melons. For the largest and best watermel- 

 on, a premium of 3 



For the best musk melon, a premium of 3 



The Committee also ofi'er the Welles' premiums 



for apples, the produce of seedling trees, which 



shall have been brought into notice since the year 



1829, viz : 



For the best summer apples as above, not less 

 than one dozen, a premium of $25 



For the best autumn apples, as above, not less 

 than one dozen, a premium of 25 



For the best winter apples, as above, a premi- 

 um of 25 

 The Committee will determine the days on which 



the Welles' premiums sliall be awarded, of wliich 



due notice will be given. 



By a vote of the .Society, no premiums shall be 



awarded to any but members of the Society ; but 



gratuities may be given to others, upon the re- 

 commendation of the executive committee. 

 For the Committee, 



E. .M.. RICHARDS, Chairman. 



Krom llie Albany Culliralor. 



MIXTURE OF FRUITS, &c. 



Mr Editor — One of your correspondents I per- 

 ceive puts the following query — "Will the trees 

 from the stone of the peach, plum, cherry, apricot, 

 &c., produce fruit the same quality as did the trees 

 on which they grew ?" 



From my observation, nature is correct and regu- 

 lar, lik(! producing likeness in the vegetable as iu 

 the animal kingdom. 



The seeds and stones of the fruit of any tree or 

 plant, standing alone and when the blossoms or the 

 generative organs in them are impregnatud from 

 its own genitals, will uniformly produce a progeny 

 of trees and plants, which will produce fruit like 

 the [larent tree or plant, lusus naturte excepted. 



We set in the same garden, fruit trees of all sorts, 

 and vegetaj)les to produce seeds of all kinds, near 

 to each other. Those which are in blossom, (their 



bridal habiliments,) at the same time and of the 

 same genus, will cast the pollen from their stami- 

 na or male organs on the pistils or female organs 

 of their neighbors, and thereby produce hibrids, 

 mules, muloltoes. 



I once planted pits of fine yellow gage plums, 

 from a tree in my garden. Two of the trees pro- 

 duced common blue plums, nearly alike ; one a 

 large blue plum, tinged with red, late to ripen, and 

 excellent for sweetmeats ; and one produced a yel- 

 low gage, about half the size of the parent tree, and 

 of inferior quality. The parent tree stood near to 

 blue plum trees, and the progeny were all hibrids. 



I planted the pit of an egg plum from a garden 

 of plum trees of varioris sorts. The egg plum is 

 nearly the size of the hen's egg, yellow, acid, and 

 ripens in September, -and probably the best for 

 sweetmeats. The seedling tree produced plums 

 of similar color and shape, of less than half the 

 size of the egg plum, and ripened the first week in 

 August. The flavor was sweet, except near the 

 stone it was acid, like the egg plum. 



I reared a peach tree in the same garden. The 

 first season of bearing, the poaches were large, yel- 

 low, and very fine ; the next season it bore peaches 

 of red blush, .^n early red peach tree stood a 

 short distance east of the tree in question, and I 

 presume the east wind prevailed when they were in 

 blossofi at one time. 



Most persons who have planted the sweet boil- 

 ing corn near to the hard yellow or white corn, and 

 even fifty rods apart, have noticed single kernels of 

 the hard, on the ears of the sweet corn ; these ker- 

 nels appear to be wholly of the hard corn, studded 

 by the side of the shrivelled sweet corn. So all 

 the other trees and vegetables mix in the blossoms 

 and produce new varieties. 



Apples are improved in the same way, or are 

 rendered inferior. The flavor of choice apples 

 grafted on the stocks of sweet apple trees, is more 

 mild than the flavor of those grafted on stocks 

 bearing sour applea. 



If you plant potatoes of one color and kind which 

 were produced near to those of another color, you 

 often collect both colors and sorts from the hill 

 planted of the cpue color only. [Doubted by the 

 conductor.] 



I have said enough to those who observe the 

 works of nature, to establish the proof of the cause 

 of hibrids and varieties in fruits. 



It is often asked, which is the best method to 

 traTisplaut trees ? The most successful mode that 

 I have practised, has been, to open a hole sufiicient- 

 ly wide to permit the roots to extend in their natu- 

 ral position, not to be cramped. Fill the hole full 

 ariuind the tree with dry and loose earth, such as 

 of onion beds in the giirden, and of good quality ; 

 then dash in a pail of water, and shake the tree 

 gently. The water converts the fine earth to liquid 

 mud in the hole around the tree ; the mud will 

 cling to all the roots ; the water will soon sink be- 

 low, leaving the mass of mud compact around the 

 roots, and no cavities of air. Then fill up the hole 

 again with dry earth, and press it gently down. 



If the tree is set in dry earth, filled in, it leaves 

 vacancies of air under the roots, and they starve 

 and perish. Many fine trees are lost in transplant- 

 ing, by saving tlie handsome top. The roots of 

 the newly set tree cannot receive immediate nour- 

 ishment from the loose ground suflicient to support 

 a large top; and while the roots are connecting 

 with the ground, the top dies Irom want of nourish, 

 ment. DAVID TOMLINSON. 



