410 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JUKE 36, 1844. 



KENRICK'S NEW AMERICAN ORCHARD. 

 1ST. 



Wp liavo received the seventh edition of Kcn- 

 rick's Orcliardist. W'' htive not had linje to give 

 it a critical examination, but notice some additions 

 and ror-ectinns. iNlr Kenrick has evidently made 

 the subject of fruit trees an object of dilifjcnt study ! 

 and research for years. His Nursery ranks among 

 the oldest in the country, in which he has been 

 dilig^'ntly engaged during his whole life-time, giv- 

 ing him peculiar advantages to become acquainted 

 with and to prove the many fruits wdicli he de- 

 BCribes in his book. He has also had the advanta- 

 tage of travelling in Europe, and visi!ing eminent 

 horticulturists and nurserymen in that part of the 

 world. In describing so many fruits, it would be 

 next to impossible to be correct in every pirticu- 

 lar. There has been much confusion in the classi- 

 fication and nomenclatures of fruits, which the 

 Hortii ultural Society of London and our own Mas- 

 sachusetts Society have done much to arrange and 

 systematize, but there still remains much more to 

 be done. This lias been a Herculean task, and 

 Mr Kenrick, in his efforts to accomplish it, 

 has hai the advantage of their labors. The fol- 

 lowing remarks in reference to the new edition of 

 the Orchardist, are copied from the Boston Courier, 

 of M;iy 30: 



"The extensive sale of this work, and the call 

 for repeated editions, furnish conclusive evidence 

 of itp value. It is not, we believe, more than five 

 or six years since the first edition came from the 

 press ; and if the circumstances just mentioned are 

 insufficient to establish the reputation of the work, 

 we have the testimony of numerous witnesses 

 among our most successful scientific horticulturists, 

 that it is truly the best treatise of the kind. 



'^ This seventh edition, Mr Kenrick informs us, 

 has been revised with particular attention and care 

 — all the latest and most eminent writers of Eu- 

 rope, wliich had come within his reach, having 

 been i;onsulted, as well as those of our own coun- 

 try. We have not compared the present editu-n 

 with its predecessors, with a view of ascertaining 

 the precise amount (if new information wh^ch it 

 presents, nor are we able to point out to the read- 

 er all the improvements it embraces. By "im- 

 provements" we presume, is to be understood, par- 

 tially, at least, the correction of errors or the sup- 

 plying of deficiencies in former editions. That 

 the author has tnken great pains to procure infor- 

 mation — having made two voyages to Europe in 

 the years 1840 and 1841 — we are well aware ; and 

 that he has honestly communicated whatever he 

 has ojtained that could be valuable to his country- 

 men, we have no doubt. 



" The improvements and alterations are so dis- 

 persed over the whole, that it would be impossible 

 to point them out in a brief newspaper notice ; but 

 we perceive that about one hundred pages are re- 

 constructed, and exhibit evidences rf dilifrenl and 

 faithful research. Descriptions of new and highly 

 »pproved fruits are introduced, and present to the 

 horticulturist some remarkable varieties — espe- 

 cially of the Pear, the Peach, the Grape, the Rasp- 

 berry and the Strawberry. The lilt of ' out-cast' 

 Pears, or such as are found to be of inferior value, 

 or not susceptible of profitable cultivation in our 

 climate, is somewhat extensive. This list, we pre- 

 su I e to embrace the results of actual txperience. 

 The fruits, which are mo'^t particularly recommend- 

 ed, to compose a moderate collection, and which 



have been satisfactorily proved, are designated by 

 a star, throughout the book. 



" The directions for cultivating the various kinds 

 of fruit, will be found useful, especially to gentle- 

 men who have not been scientifically educated in 

 the art of horticulture. 



" An appendix of nearly one hundred pages, con- 

 tains a catalogue and description of the most use- 

 ful Nutritmu.s Roots, Esculent Vegetables, Salads, 

 Pickles, Savory and Medicinal Herbs, &c., which 

 will doubtless be useful to tho.'^o who do their own 

 gardening. It contains, also, a descriptive cata- 

 logue of Ornaineiital Trees and Shrubs, Flowers, 

 &c. 



•' We would not pledge our word that Mr Ken- 

 rick's book is now perftct ; but that it is the best 

 treatise on raising of fruits, which can now be 

 found, we have no doubt, and we cordiilly recom- 

 mend it to the favor of the public." 



NEW-YORK FARMERS' CLUB. 



From the conversation had at one of the late 

 meetings of this useful association, we make the 

 following extracts : — 



Chairman. — A great variety of insects infest 

 cucumber, melon, squash, and other vines. Take 

 a dredgino-box full of snuff, and sprinkle the 

 plants well : I have cleared out in this way whole 

 colonies of these enemies. 



Mr Dickenson — 1 have tried experiments on the 

 Rose-bugs. They attack the Isabella grape. I 

 treated the bugs with a stream of tobacco smoke, 

 formed by tobacco stems burning in a pot. These 

 bugs had destroyed sometimes, all except a very 

 few bunches of my grapes — by smoking I have 

 saved them. I have tried it on the early cherries 

 with great success. The Rose-bugs select the 

 ripest side of the finest cherries, and spoil them. 



Samuel Steveris. Esq. — The bug which infests 

 our cherries, is perhaps the lightning-bug : it passes 

 from one to another : to roses, grapes, &c. ; it pre- 

 fers a particular sort of scarlet rose. On the Aus- 

 trian yellow rose-bush a full bud is hardly ever 

 seen. 



Gardeners should try proper washes: use soap, 

 snuff, cause it to stick to their plants. Smoke 

 them, dredge them. Our green-houses are smoked 

 and the insects all destroyed. Put bits of tobacco 

 stems around the roots of the cauliflower, cabbage, 

 &c. ; the moisture partially dissolves the tobacco. 

 I warrant that no grub will touch your plant so 

 treated. 



Mr Brown. — Will smoking kill the bark lice ? 



Mr Stevens. — I do n't know, but it kills the plant 

 louse on the rose and peach. 



Chairman. — Infusion of tobacco and liuie is 

 good for cabbages infested with liee or bugs. He 

 had tried it, and they all left. The white rose 

 gral'ted on the berberry, becomes yellow. 



Mr J. Brown. — Whale-oil soap and water thrown 

 by a syringe on plants infested by injects, kills 

 slugs and all other vermin. I have tried it two 

 years. It is better than snuff or any thing else. 

 This soap is only three cents a pound. Use one 

 part of soap to fifty of water. The rose-slug keeps 

 underneath the leof, and must be syringed accord- 

 ingly. 



Dr. FieW. — Failures in the use of means are 

 often due to the insufficiency of the application. 

 It should be continued, beginning as the leaves 

 and flowers bud out. Begin early, and repeat. 



Mr Bro.cn stated that thn pear had been grafted 

 on the mountain ash. 



For the N. E. Farmer. 



TILLAGE OF CORN. 



Mr Editor — The practice mentioned by you in 

 your article on the tillage nf the corn crop, of plow- 

 ing the earth from the plants, and after the lapse 

 of a proper period, throwing it back again, cannot 

 be too stronoly recommended. I tried it last year 

 for the first time in the tillage of corn, and was so 

 liighly satisfied with its effects, that I have adopted 

 It among the permanent practices in my husband- 

 ry. You will remember the long period of very 

 dry weather that prevailed in the early part of last 

 summer. In that time, many fields of corn in my 

 neighborhood, shew very plainly how hard it was 

 to contend with a lack of moisture. The most of 

 them were well attended to by their owners, by 

 the use of the plow and cultivator; but still the 

 crops had to struggle hard to keep up an appear, 

 ance of any thing like thrift. My corn, on the 

 contrary, which was treated in the way above al- 

 luded to, shew no indications of suffering from 

 want of moisture, and extended its growth percep- 

 tibly every day. 



With respect to the damaging of corn, by sev- 

 ering the small roots in tillage, I hold an opinion 

 which I suppose will be deemed heretical — that is, 

 by the majority. 1 fdo not believe — because I 

 have never found it so to operate — that cutting off 

 the small roots of corn by the plow, is perceptibly 

 injurious to the crop. I have experimented upon 

 this point, and could not perceive thai either in 

 the crop when standing, or in the yield at harvest, 

 there was the least evidence of injury resulting 

 from cutting the roots. Still, I would not advo- 

 cate the cutting of the roots purposely : 1 think it 

 best to avoid this as much as possible ; but 1 would 

 not forego the use of the plow (and frequently) be- 

 tween the rows — especially in dry weather. 



Yours, Medford. 



ICT^The experience of farmers is always accep- 

 table to us, whether it be in accordance with gen- 

 erally received doctrines or not. Our correspon- 

 dent has noticed no injury resulting from cutting 

 the roots of corn — others have — and the practice 

 is not recommended by our agricultural writers. 

 As we suggested in our article on the tillage of 

 the corn crop, the severing of the roots on 07je side 

 only, by plowing in every other row, might not be 

 productive of so much injury to the crop, as benefit 

 from deep stirring of the soil, — but we cannot ad- 

 vise deep plowing in every row after the roots have 

 begun to spread. Theory is against this — and we 

 cannot but think practice will prove so also, if ex- 

 periments be fairly and thoroughly conduciei'. No 

 one single experiment can be called a fair test, in 

 most disputed points. 



For the opinions in reference to the ''Faii.ier" 

 expressed by our correspondent in his private note, 

 j we return him our thanks. Perhaps he does us 

 j credit over much. Our next number will appear 

 j in a new dress, but we can promise no further im- 

 ! provement in the character of the paper. We 

 shall, however, do our best to merit the praise he 

 accords us. — Ed. 



The Ranunculus This splendid flower, native 



of the Levant, requiring the greatest care during- 

 its entire growing season, may be seen in high 

 perfection at this time, at the garden of Mr Sunuel 

 Walker, Eustis street, Roxbury Mail. ^ 



