NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb- 



For the New England Farmer. 



DISEASED APPLE TREES— SELF-AOTIKTG 

 WELLS. 



Mr. Editor : — HaAdng been in the situation 

 represented by your correspondent of Still Hiv- 

 er respecting "diseased apple trees," I have sym- 

 pathy with him, and will tell him that I planted 

 an orchard of trees from western New York in the 

 spring of 'ob, and in the spring of 'bQ found thera 

 in the condition represented by him. I lost some 

 of them, but could have saved nearly all, had I 

 been in possession of the information that I have 

 since acquired. Expei-ience I had but little, but 

 believing it to be the effect of exposure to cold, 

 being in an exposed position, I set about for re- 

 pairs. My first step was to make a batch of graft- 

 ing wax, which may be made as follows : One 

 pound tallow, two pounds bees-wax, four pounds 

 rosin ; all pure and clean articles : put the whole 

 into an iron pot and heat thera till they come to 

 a foam ; then turn the heated wax into a tub of 

 water ; then with greasy hands work thoroughly. 

 With a sharp knife cut off the dead bark, and ap~ 

 ])ly the wax, and put about the roots of the trees 

 a bushel or more of chip manure, and when you 

 find a tree-top cannot be saved, cut it off near the 

 ground where the wood is green ; cover the stub 

 with wax, and protect the first sprout that comes 

 of a thrifty appearance, and cut off all others. Cut 

 off all dead branches, and wax over the end of the 

 limb next the tree. In this way I saved eighty of 

 an hundred, many of them in the condition spoken 

 of by "Still River." The manure should be ap- 

 plied immediately, and the waxing in a warm day ; 

 in the spring I apply to each tree a small handful 

 of unleached wood ashes. The ground should be 

 ])ut to a hoed crop for four or five years at least. 

 Care and anxious attention by him, will save his 

 trees. O. w. D, 



Ooshen, Vt., 18j9. 



Remarks. — We have no means at hand of re- 

 f.'cring you to the Proprietor of the Self- Acting 

 Well. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 BUTTER IN WINTER. 



In my reply to your "New Bedford coiTespon- 

 dent," I, last week, gave some views on this sub- 

 ject, and promised soon to render other informa- 

 tion. This I could not acquire until I saw the 

 result of this morning's churning. 



Here, the churning is done once a week, and 

 from cream obtained by feeding "meadow hay" 

 only. Better feed, sure, ought to give better 

 cream ! The milk of night and morning, during 

 winter months, (as before said,) is thoroughly 

 scalded immediately after milking, and straining. 

 The past week, during sudden changes of weather, 

 the milk after scalding and being placed away in the 

 pans, accidentally became frozen solid. The cream, 

 however, (partially at least,) had risen. But it was 

 so solidly frozen, it had to be scraped off with a 

 spoon, and in such state, was placed away, think- 

 ing it worthless. This morning, however, it was 

 thawed out by putting the cans holding it into 

 hot water. This was the condition of all the 

 creani" churned this day. The result was, most ex- 

 cellent butter in thirtv minutes churning, and the 



"butter-milk" remaining could not be distinguish- 

 ed from new milk from the cow. I would also say, 

 the cream from milk that has been scalded never 

 has a bitter taste, as is generally the case with 

 cream from milk not scalded. This, sure, is a 

 gain. Let, therefore, no one object to a little 

 ' "pains-taking" in the scalding of milk, as it surely 

 saves so much labor in churning, "and ofttimes 

 saves the whole week's product of cream from be- 

 ing lost. 



Now, Messrs, Editors, for all this rendering, 

 can any one give me any information as to the 

 churn advertised with you the past summer, that 

 would produce good butter from "butter-milk" in 

 five or ten minutes churning ? As the Scripture 

 says, "Come over and help us." Oak Hill, 



'Dec. 23, 1859, 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 

 CULTURE OF CRANBERRIES, 



I have a cranberry bed about nine feet square, 

 from which I picked twelve quarts of handsome 

 berries, although the grass is a» thick as the vines ; 

 the soil is wet and springy, but not boggy ; I would 

 like to know the best way to increase the size of 

 the bed, and whether it should be flowed or not j 

 if flowed, at what time, and how long ? 



George Eddy, 



JSTorih Providence, B. I., 1859, 



Remarks. — ^Increase your cranbeiry patch by 

 covering a square rod by the side of the old bed 

 with gravel, so as to cover all the grass, and in 

 April next set it with vines within six or eight 

 inches of each other. The vines may be taken 

 from the meadow with a little tuft attached to 

 them. Pull out all the gi-ass when you set them, 

 and never allow that, or weeds, to gi-ow among 

 them afterwards. Put up a board, edgewise, 

 around the bed so as to rise three or four inches 

 above it, and then, outside of the board dig a lit- 

 tle trench a foot wide and four inches deep, to 

 prevent the grass growing into the bed. Give uk 

 the result. 



We do not think flowage necessary, unless to 

 kill wonns or prevent damage by frost. 



vegetable mould for meadow LAND, 



Will it answer to draw a rich mould on to a 

 piece of old meadow, broke up last fall, without 

 making a compost of it ? The mould appears to 

 be decayed vegetable deposit, out of which I 

 drained the water last fall. A, D, Holt, 



Salisbmy, 1859, 



Remarks. — Peat, or muck meadow land would 

 ndt be materially benefited by the application of 

 vegetable mould. Such land abounds in vegeta- 

 ble matter, and needs sand in some form. Would 

 it not be better to apply the mould to the high 

 lands and a dressing of sand to the meadow ? 



PRUNING pines. 



I have about thirty acres covered with a thick 

 growth of pines, from twelve to fifteen years old. 



