376 



NEAV ENGLAND FARMER. 



Aug. 



A TBIP AMONG THE FARI.IEKS. 



Dracut, Mass., June 29, 1860. 

 oviXG along at an easy 

 pace with my one-horse 

 power, I reached this 

 place at about eleven 

 o'clock ; the morning had 

 been sultry and hot, fol- 

 lowed by a copious rain, 

 and before night set in 

 there was a splendid dis- 

 play of fireworks and ar- 

 tillery. What a pity it 

 did not happen on the 4th 

 of July! What a world 

 of powder and crackers it 

 might have saved ! Glad to reach shelter from 

 the pelting rain, and still more to become ac- 

 quainted with the family of an old friend, we (for 

 I had a woman with me) turned aside at the invit- 

 ing homestead of Mr. Asa Clement. 



The rain was very considerate, for after load- 

 ing the foliage, flooding the roads and drenching 

 everything else, it ceased, and Mr. Clement and 

 myself went forth to see what the month of June 

 had to show. And a splendid show it proved — 

 all beyond the power of my pen, aye, beyond the 

 power of any pen to describe. What fullness 

 everywhere — in the field and forest, in the orch- 

 ard and garden ! What a prodigality of foliage 

 and coloring, and what lavish promises of future 

 harvests ! If nature permits all this gorgeous 

 scenery to fade and decay, can she ever produce 

 its like again ? It seems impossible ! Look at 

 those trees, only a few days ago leafless and bare ; 

 now how their foliage shines — how dense and 

 gi-atcful is their shade in the fervid noon ! And 

 the flelds, how crowded with nutritious grasses 

 and fragrant blossoms, — the air is redolent with 

 their perfumes. But Nature is not content with 

 this wonderful display for the sense of smell and 

 sight, so she regales the ear with the voices of 

 singing birds and running waters ! How few 

 contemplate this world of beauty and mystery 

 aright, in thankfulness and love. How many 

 look upon it all as a matter of course, as nothing 

 but rocks, and grass, and trees, after all, instead 

 of so many infinite expressions of wisdom and 

 love. 



These were my first feelings, and the present 

 condition and probable progress of agriculture 

 next occupied my mind. 



Mr. Clement entered upon his farm with slen- 

 der pecuniary means, and whatever he has done 

 to make the desert blossom, to secure a reputa- 

 tion as a skilful horticulturist and good farmer, 

 or to gain a pecuniary competence and a substan- 

 tial and permanent home, has been done by ag- 



ricultural pursuits alone. Among the present 

 objects of his care are some thousands of young 

 apple trees, for which he finds a demand pretty 

 much all over Middlesex county. His trees are 

 healthy, and so formed in the nursery as to need 

 little shaping after being transplanted. This 

 is a point of considerable importance to the 

 purchaser, and more especially to those who are 

 not particularly acquainted with the management 

 of young trees. His grounds are also stocked 

 with standard apple and pear trees, M'ith peaches, 

 a variety of grapes, and smaller fruits. Ascend- 

 ing the hill to his nurseries, I passed an exten- 

 sive peach orchard, but without a peach to be 

 seen, and the trees, though not old, had the ap- 

 pearance of age and decay. On passing higher 

 up I found another orchard of peach, intermin- 

 gled with apple trees, every tree of which seemed 

 to be fcadod with fruit — a sight my eyes have not 

 been blessed with before, this season. The cause 

 of this fruitfulness is probably altitude and shel- 

 ter, as the trees are not only on a high piece of 

 land, but are sheltered by the apple trees mingled 

 with them, and on the north and northwest by a 

 belt of forest trees four deep, and occupying a 

 space of about twenty-five feet in width. Out- 

 side of this belt, and entirely exposed to the 

 northwest wind, is a row of peach trees full of 

 fruit, which are undoubtedly protected by the 

 belt, though on the south side of them. The force 

 of the wind is obstructed by the belt, and the 

 sun's rays tempered so that the atmospheric 

 changes in the neighborhood of the peach trees 

 are not so sudden nor in such extremes as they 

 would be without it. In connection with the light- 

 er and warmer air than is found in the valleys, 

 these trees have the efl'ect of so modifying and 

 ameliorating the climate that the peach tree re- 

 mains fruitful. 



This instance aS"ords a fine example of the 

 benefits to be derived from shelter. Indeed, suc- 

 cess can scarcely be expected without it, in the 

 cultivation of peaches, pears, and most of the 

 small fruits ; and our common garden crops, such 

 as beans, peas, squashes, «S:c., do much better 

 where they are protected from violent winds. 



Mr. Clement has made an experiment with ap- 

 ple trees that I have not seen elsewhere, and 

 v/hich promises good results. In a pasture where 

 his cows run he found many thrifty young apple 

 trees which he transplanted into rows at quite 

 wide distances apart, and then grafted them so 

 high as to be beyond the roach of the cattle, aid- 

 ed a little by the brush which was cut up and 

 thrown around the stem of the tree. The brush not 

 only kept the cattle from rubbing against or brows- 

 sing the tree, but served as a mulch to keep the 

 soil moist about them. These trees were set seven 

 or eight years ago, and many of them are now in 



