1860. 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



271 



plowed In the spring he funrowod as deep as he 

 could M'ithout turning up the turf. He prepared 

 his manure by putting in the green manure some 

 ioam, ashes and brine or salt not very strong. He 

 cut his potatoes so that one as large as a hen's egg 

 ■would be divided into throe or tour pieces, and 

 put thixee pieces in a hill^ the skin side up, in a 

 triangle of about five or six inches apart. He 

 then put a shovelful of the manure on the top 

 of the potatoes. The result was that his potatoes 

 yielded at the rate of from eight to twelve hiUs to 

 the bushel of good market potatoes. He told me 

 lie took good-sized potatoes to plant. The pota- 

 toes he raised were large enough — would average 

 as large as turkeys' eggs. I shall try it, and if 

 any of your readers would like to do the same, 

 you may give them a chance. Ed. Emerson. 

 HolUs, April 20, 18G0. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 DECAT OF PEAK TKEES. 



The pear tree is considered to be a longer lived 

 fa'ee, than the apple ; notwithstanding this, most of 

 our newly introduced fruits show symptoms of de- 

 cay, while on the contrary, many of tlie o!d varie- 

 ties, which are scattered here and there through- 

 out New England, are still in a healthy and bear- 

 ing state. If it is admitted that the natural life of 

 this tree is upwards of 100 years, it becomes of the 

 highest importance to ascertain, if possible, the 

 cause of this premature deeay. 



The old varieties alluded to, as far as we know 

 Shem, are growing upon the spot where they came 

 lup from seed, or where transplanted when young 

 with their tap root uninjured. Our cultivators at 

 the present time invariably cut off this tap root, in 

 order that lateral roots may multiply, and the 

 trees grow faster, and to appearance more vigor- 

 ously, as they unquestionably do for a time, but 

 not, as we apprehend, permanently ; in nature there 

 is an equilibrium between the roots and top of all 

 trees, and by cutting off the tap root, we inter- 

 fere with its healthy action, by producing a forced 

 growth, and a sort of plethora, which may tend to 

 produce disease, although it may hasten its bear- 

 ing. Another cause which may tend to hasten 

 this decay may be from the method pursued by 

 Van Mons, from whom many of the new varieties 

 proceeded, the leading feature of whose theoi-y was 

 to subdue or enfeeble the original coarse iuxuri- 

 ousness of the tree, by gathering his fruit from 

 which he took his seed before being fully ripe, al- 

 lowing the fruit to rot ; from the seedlings pro- 

 duced, he cut off the tap roots, and shortened the 

 side branches, besides planting these trees very 

 near together. Duhamei, of France, was in the 

 habit of planting seed from the finest table pears 

 of his day, without producing scarcely one fine 

 variety ; Van Mons, on the contrary, by the en- 

 feebling process, has produced a score of fine sorts. 



The healthiest pear trees we have recently seen 

 were upon the farm of Gen. Josiah Newhall, of 

 Lynniield ; these were grown from seed sown some 

 years since, and they were remarkably thrifty, and 

 much larger than any we had ever seen at that 

 age from the seed ; a few of these were in flower 

 last spring. These trees had not been pruned in 

 root or side branches, these side branches clothed 

 with leaves protecting the trunk from the scorch- 

 ing rays of an August sun. We apprehend that 



it will be found that the cutting off the tap root, 

 and pruning the side limbs of our trees when 

 young, is a bad practice. 



An Illinois cultivator has said that "the effect 

 of pruning the trunks of young trees severely re- 

 sults from disturbing the natural relations of the 

 ascending and descending sap." He allowed the 

 shoots on the trunks to grow on, and in two 

 years they covered them to the ground ; his trees 

 then started with a vigorous growth throughout 

 the whole top, and are now loaded with fruit, 

 while a neighbor who continued the practice of 

 trimming the bodies of his trees, lost them by 

 what ho called pear blight. Pear trees, particu- 

 larly when young, are subject to a sort of dry 

 canker, or desiccation of the bark, which we think 

 is caused by the powerful rays of a burning sun, 

 occurring immediately after a shower, striking the 

 branches still wet ; one proof of this is the fact, 

 that we find these appearances generally on the 

 south side of the stem, more especially on the 

 south south-west side, or towards the 2 o'clock 

 sun ; from this we infer, that nature intends 

 these side branches, with their leaves, to pro- 

 tect the tender bark of young trees. The pear 

 tree should not be planted in swampy or wet 

 land, or where water stands under the surface 

 (or subsoil.) If in rather wet soil, it may be neces- 

 sary to take off or bend up the tap root, in order 

 that the roots may be kept near the surface ; if, 

 however, the roots of any fruit tree enter and re- 

 main in a swampy or wet soil, such roots will de- 

 cay, and a corresponding decay (sometimes called 

 canker,) will be seen commencing in the top 

 limbs. 



Salem, 3fass., 1860. j. m. I. 



For tli£ New Englmid Farmer. 



MARKET DAT TN ESSEX. 



The first market day of the season, for Essex, 

 came off yesterday at Danvers. As was feai-ed, a 

 variety of incidents combined to embarrass the 

 contemplated operations of the day. 



1. Our farmers are very busy at home, and can- 

 not well spare the time to attend such meetings. 



2. The prevailing cattle distemper has thrown a 

 damper over all trade in cattle, and people are 

 not disposed to purchase much, especially ani- 

 mals recently imported ; the apprehension being 

 that this malady is more apparent in the improved 

 breeds, (as they are called,) than in our natives. 

 This brings to mind what was told me yesterday 

 by Mr. Wm. Osborn, of Ljun. He said in the 

 days of Henry Colnaan, he had a native cow, that 

 gave in 78 days, from January 1st, onward, forty 

 pounds of milk per day. This cow he exhibited 

 at Brighton,where she obtained the first premium. 

 He said he had owned many cows, but had found 

 his natives best for milk, and supported at least 

 expense of feed. This harmonizes so well with 

 information from other sources, that I thought it 

 might be worthy a place in your farmer's journal. 



April 25; 1860. P. 



HL\Y.— "H K ," Kennebunk, Me., will 



find the person he wishes to communicate with, 

 by addressing Winthrop II. Dudley, dealer in hay, 

 Boston. 



