290 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MARCH 13, 1844. 



NINTH AGRICULTURAL MEETING AT 

 THE STATE HOUSE— March 5. 



Hon. Josiali Qiiinoy, jr. in the chair. Subject, 

 " Fruit Trees," continued from last week. 



Mr Allen, of Pembroke, said he came to the last 

 meeting with raised expectations, and he was not 

 disappointed. Situated as lie wag in the interior 

 of the country, his experience was limited on the 

 subject. He considered the transplanting of trees 

 a work re(|uiring much care. In taking them from 

 the ground, it was important that the ro'its should 

 not be wounded, and all the small fibres should be 

 preserved. In planting, they should be set the 

 same depth they were before removal. The prepa- 

 ration of the soil for an orchard, was a work of 

 great importance. The subsoil plow was no doubt 

 an excellent instrument for this purpose, but at 

 present it was not likely to come into general use. 

 He should recommend that holes for the trees he 

 dug G or 8 feet square, and from 2 to 3 feet deep, 

 and filled up to within one foot of the surface with 

 stones, tanners' waste, or some other sub.stance 

 which would be a long time in dissolving. Fresh 

 soil from the forest should then be procured to fill 

 up the hole : there was something in this conge- 

 nial for the growth of the tree, and nothing could 

 be better. In regard to plowing orchards, there 

 were various opinions ; but he thought Mr Gray's 

 mode described at the lajt meeting, as etfectual as 

 any : viz. to break up the ground around each tree 

 to the distance of a number of feet. Budded and 

 grafted trees were necessary for the early enjoy- 

 ment of the fruit ; but they were short-lived, and 

 the fruit not quite so perfect as from trees raised 

 from seed. Ho would not discourage grafting, but 

 would suggest to young farmers whether it would 

 not be well to nurture and plant seedling orchards, 

 so as to secure better fruit than that which is en- 

 joyed by the present generation. 



One difficulty which he had experienced in rais- 

 ing young trees, was, they ^inade wood too fast for 

 the extension of the bark, which cracks and as- 

 sumes an unhealthy and rough appearance. To 

 prevent this, some take a knife and make a slit lon- 

 gitudinally, but to him this appeared an unnatural 

 and rash measure : if milder means coold be used, 

 he should like to be informed, and should be glad 

 to have the opinion of the meeting upon the subject. 



Mr Stone, of Beverly, remarked that erer since 

 our great progenitor in the garden of Eden said, 

 " the woman gave me and I did eat," the subject 

 under discussion has been an interesting one. To 

 him (Mr S.) there were two causes which made it 

 peculiarly so— a natural appetite, in the first place ; 

 and in the second place, on recovering from a fe- 

 ver, a few years since, fruit had been recommend- 

 ed to him by his physician, with [lermission to in- 

 dulge in it freely, and he derived great benefit from 

 its use. He always enjoys better health when 

 there is abundance of fruit, than he does when it 

 is scarce. 



It had been to him a matter of surjirise to wit- 

 ness the indifterence manifested by many of the 

 farmers in the interior of the Comtnonvvcalth, on 

 the subject of fruit, while in other respects their 

 farms were well managed. He asked an acquain- 



tance, somcwhal advanced in life, why ho did not 

 plant more fruit trees .' The answer was, he had 

 enough to answer his purposes, and the ynimg 

 folks must do as he had done, and look out for 

 themselves. Mr S. said he considered this to be 

 a false principle — an immorality : il was a viola- 

 tion of the golden rule : it was not " doing unto 

 others as we would that they sliould do unto us." 

 If our predecessors had transmitted enjoyments to 

 us, we should do the same to those who are to 

 come after us. Not ordy those who were engaged 

 largely in fanning, were neglectful in this respect, 

 but, what was more surprising, those who possess 

 small lots of land, were loo prone to follow the ex- 

 ample of the farmer. Every one who has a small 

 plot, can plant a few trees, and in a short time he 

 may eat the I'luit of his own labor. Mr Stone said 

 he had derived great pleasure and benefit in filling 

 up a small lot with trees — and in their cultivation 

 and in watching their growth, his thoughts were 

 often lifted up, and he was led to consider the Au- 

 thor of all growth. 



In regard to the varieties of fruit most advisable 

 to cultivate, farmers must be governed by circum- 

 stances. The most important was the apple, and 

 those residing at a distance from market, should 

 cultivate the winter fruit ; while those living near, 

 might find it more profitable to cultivate such fruit 

 as was from time to time maturing through tlie 

 season. 



In New England he thought the quality of the 

 apple was as good as it was in any part of the 

 country, although it might not grow to so large a 

 size as it does at the West. 



He thought the pear might be cultivated with 

 much profit, as it could be brought into bearing 

 early — [when budded on the quince stock. — En.] 

 He recommended the Pound pear as being very 

 saleable, commanding a high price, and the tree 

 rery hardy. He knows a tree of this kind from 

 which the owner realized the interest on 150 to 

 200 dollars yearly, without trouble. 



He was inclined to think the Peach could be 

 raised to profit in favorable aspects, where it was 

 protected by buildings, &c., but not in orchards. 

 A neighbor of his has a tree in his garden, no lar- 

 ger than his wrist, which was trained to a trellis, 

 from which he had realized $12 from what he sold 

 in one year. 



As to Cherries, they were so well known that 

 little need be said about them; he thought it was 

 desirable that some means should be adopted by 

 which they might be brought into market for a 

 considerable time in their season. He thought 

 tliere was no difficulty in retarding the ripening by 

 extending an awning over the tree to keep them 

 from the sun. 



He spoke of the difficulty of raising plums, on 

 account of the depredations of the Curculio ; re- 

 marked upon the habits of this insect, and of 

 the mode of destroying by shaking them oflT in the 

 morning upon sheets. He alluded to the dismal 

 appearance of trees when eaten by the canker 

 worm, and of the little success in destroying them 

 by the usual applications. Ho thought there was 

 a partial remedy, at least, for this affliction, if 

 farmers would only combine together and prevent 

 the destruction of birds. It was a well established 

 fact that canker worms and other insects had in- 

 creased in those districts where this murderous 

 practice had been indulged in. It was an objec- 

 tion made by some, that birds destroyed the cher- 



ries, and it was necessary to kill them ; but It 

 would be belter to let Ihe birds have all the fruiji 

 rather than to shoot them. liut this was not neceak 

 saty: the birds would not take it all: farnier| 

 should plant a few trees for their special use: h« 

 had done so, and thought the pleasure derive* 

 from the notes of the songsters, a fair equivaler 

 for the fruit. 



(Concluded on editorial page.) 



For the N. E. Farmer. 



IMPORTANCE OF WARMING AND PUI 

 VERIZING THE SOIL. 



Joseph Breck, £57.— Dear Sir — As seed time i, 

 fast approaching, allow me, through the medium (, 

 the New England Parmer, to call the attention (| 

 our farmers and gardening friends, to the gre: 

 importance of having the ground well prepared be 

 fore any seed is sown, or plants, shrubs or tree, 

 transplanted. The attention of all has so ably an| 

 repeatedly been called of late, by writers in all th| 

 agricultural papers, to the importance of manurin, 

 well, I fhall pass that over, and proceed to what 

 conceive to be the ne.xt important point — prepa; 

 tion ; viz. 10 have the ground wtll, often, and dee.pl 

 stirred,— not only to pulverize it, but to warm 

 I believe for want of proper attention to this, man | 

 failures occur in raising good crops of Indian corn, | 

 Lima and Seba b'?ans, squashes and melons, sj 

 well as various other vegetables and fruits, ft 1 

 which the season with us is quite short enough, t| 

 the longest, to bring to maturity. Few at thi 

 busy season, stop to think hnw important it is Ih 

 ground should be well warmed before the seed i 

 sown, or roots of plants, bushes, or fruit trees, ar 

 put into it. 



I am not agoing to propose hot-beds, or coa 

 fires under grounil to heat it, but simply to take ad 

 vantage of nature's furnace, the sun. My groun 

 is mostly low — all a clay loam, resting on a sub 

 soil of stifle clay. To be sure, I have pretly thor 

 oughly drained that part of it I cultivate as a gar 

 den : still, being low, it is moist, and naturall 

 late to vegetate in spring. I am able, in a grea 

 measure, to overcome the natural lateness of ih 

 soil, and bring forward my vegetables, mature m; 

 melons, strawberries, raspberries, &c., nearly a 

 early as my friends, in their gardens at Dorchestei 

 Roxbury, and other places in the vicinity of Bostor 

 although the season with them is at least a weel 

 (we generally consider it ten days) earlier than a 

 Salem and vicinity. 



My practice is to plow, spade, (or whatever othe 

 method I use to stir the soil,) always wheti the sw 

 shines clear ; and, if possible, from 11 A. M. to ' 

 P. M. By this means, the surface earth, now wel 

 warmed by the sun, is turned under, warming thi 

 earth yet lower down, by coming in contact will 

 it. I repeat this plowing or spading two or thref 

 times, and in every case on warm, sunny days, ant 

 find the seed planted a week or ten days later 01 

 land thus prepared, than on ground having had bu 

 one plowing or spading, will mature their vegeta 

 bles or fruits much earlier, and of superior size 

 always allowing the same manuring and after atten 

 tion to both. 



All seeds with dry husky coatings, beets, &c. 

 (I soak peas, beans, corn, &,c.,) should have boiling 



"A compost of equal parts hen manure and unleachec' 

 wood ashe«, applied in the quimtity of (say) lialf a pini 

 to each hill of corn, on a moist day, immediately afteil 

 hoeing, produces a wonder/ul eifecl. 1 



