128 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEE. 



April 



it is difficult to say, decidedly, what are the best 

 twelve sorts ; much more so than with apples. I 

 ■will venture, however, to append a list of twelve, 

 which include the largest proportion of those 

 named : Bartlett, Louise Bonne de Jersey, Urban- 

 iste, Beurre d' Anjou, Winter Nelis, Paradise of 

 Autumn, Seckel, Belle Lucrative, Sheldon, Beur- 

 re Bosc, Glout Morceau and Buffum. 



Salem, March, 1863. J. M. Ives. 



Far the New Enpland Fanner. 

 A LISTEIfER AT THE STATE HOUSE. 



At the Sixth Agricultural Meeting at the State 

 House, when the subject for discussion was Fruit, 

 and the Chairman Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, 

 this gentleman made some interesting remarks 

 upon the general topic. It can hardly be supposed 

 that many then present could concur in all the 

 views he expressed, as fruit culture must admit of 

 many fluctuating, vague and only partially sus- 

 tained opinions. I do not intend to follow the 

 gentleman in the order of his remarks, but will 

 venture a few comments upon what he and some 

 others said, with a view of facilitating the approach 

 to truth. 



Mr. Wilder observed that underdraining was 

 the basis of good orcharding, even upon hill-sides. 

 I agree with him, that a mellow soil, scarifying the 

 surface, surface-manuring in the autumn, and un- 

 derdraining on low, wet or very cold soils, are im- 

 portant requisitions in good orcharding. I am 

 not a little inclined to believe, however, now the 

 subject of draining has been brought so promi- 

 nently before the agricultural community, that de- 

 mands will be made Avhich may be found hereaf- 

 ter to be rather extravagant. Draining hill-sides 

 with tiles 7)i.ai/ be beneficial to an extent, but 

 whether, all things considered, it would j:>a^ — such 

 positions being usually rocky and admitting of no 

 stagnant water — is the mooted point. Certain it 

 is that very excellent orchards exist upon hill-sides 

 that are not underdrained. 



One reason the Speaker gave why orchards 

 should be underdrained, (both apple and pear, Ave 

 understood him to say,) was new to us. Uii- 

 drained land, in the autumn, he said, Avas subject 

 to a rising of cold moisture, which was injurious 

 to the roots of trees at the time they needed 

 warmth for the maturity of their fruit. In imder- 

 drained land the earth is dry and warm as deep as 

 the roots usually penetrate, and thus the ripening 

 process of fruit is facilitated. 



If I have understood the theory of underdrain- 

 ing correctly, it is this : Water should not remain 

 on the land to evaporate by the sun, because no 

 heat will penetrate the soil till it becomes dry ; 

 neither should it riui off from the surface, as on 

 side-hills, but should nin doicn into the soil, car- 

 rying with it the fertilizing properties from the 

 surface — which it does where there is an outlet be- 

 low. Thus the soil is kept porous to the depth of 

 the drains. Some of the roots of trees run equal- 

 ly deep, and are thereby enabled to withstand a 

 drought better than if on undrained land, as the 

 rains readily strike them in sinking, and they are 

 enabled to draw moisture from tlie subsoil more 

 freely, as it has no impediment to encounter in 

 rising, as in undrained land, where there is fre- 

 quently a hard, gravelly subsoil a foot or more 

 from the surface, which prevents this rising of 

 moisture from beneath when the more superficial 



roots need it from the dryness of the upper soil. 

 Hence the prevention of drought is one great ob- 

 ject in underdraining. In a word, it is lo keep 

 the soil open and permeable to a certain depth, 

 (say three feet,) so that it may retain from rains 

 only the moisture it needs, or draw from below, 

 by capillary attraction, just what it requires. Un- 

 derdraining may be defined as the hijgroinelic reg- 

 ulator of the soil. 



It Avould seem, then, that underdraining gives 

 that necessary moisture to the roots which Mr. 

 Wilder complains of, and which he would remedy 

 by underdraining ! It can hardly be admitted 

 that, in September, when vve are quite liable to 

 droughts, the moisture drawn up to the roots 

 is so cold as to check the ripening process, since 

 the earth has been heating all summer, and is 

 rather slow to part with its caloric. Certainly, 

 the objection cannot hokl good as to apples, if it 

 should to 'ivi}der pears. For the former to be th'JS 

 afi'ected, the soil must be very cold indeed. Win- 

 ter pears, however, we think should be placed in 

 warm positions, whether the soil is underdrained 

 or not, although to this there may be some olijec- 

 tions, which will appear further on. Underdrain- 

 ing may possibly supply a warmer moisture, but 

 I submit that this warmer moisture (than that 

 which the ordinary condition of the soil affords) is 

 not important with most fruit trees in the early 

 autumn months. 



Col. Wilder gave us another reason why or- 

 chards should be underdrained, and that was the 

 "prolongation of the season." This is granted. 

 But while the warm season is lengthened in the 

 autumn, it is also hastened in the spring. Now, 

 if the soil is warmed earlier in the spring by this 

 operation, will not the fruit huds of trees start be- 

 fore the weather is sufficiently sciiled and loarmfor 

 their security ') If so, (and the conclusion seems 

 inevitable,) will not underdraining, while it per- 

 fects the crops at one end of the season, endanger 

 the buds at the other ? Horticulturists speak of 

 the importance of northern and exposed locations, 

 and of late-blooming varieties of fruit as avoiding 

 spring frosts ; but underdraining tends to destroy 

 all tliis security, whether in apple, pear, or any 

 other fruit trees. 



Mr. Wilder also spoke of the importance of 

 thinning out fruit. This is very well, tliough a 

 difficult task for a man with many overburdened 

 trees. This superfecundity, the speaker well said, 

 exhausts the trees, and he inferred that on the 

 succeeding year they would not bear in conse- 

 quence of this exhaustion. But will a tree thinned 

 of one-half of its fruit one year, bear half as much 

 the next ? Can it be thus brought to bear equal- 

 ly — or anything like equally — each year ? But 

 suppose we destroy a portion of the blossoms ; 

 will this equalize the bearing? I know of no one 

 who has thus been successful. Some have thought 

 that, by destroying the blossoms on a young tree 

 whose variety was known to bear on even years, 

 it might be brought to bear the odd years ; but 

 they find nature will not be thwarted. Fruit l)uds 

 are formed the year previous to bearing ; hence, 

 while the sjiurs are occupied with a crop, they 

 cannot well form buds for the subsequent year. 

 Accordingly it bears little or none the next sea- 

 son. This seems to be a general law of fruit trees, 

 particularly of the apple and pear, although in 

 some trees less fixed than in others. And wheth- 



