114 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 1 I 



Cherries. 



We lately took a journey of two hundred and fifty 

 miles through the Western part of this Stale, in a pri- 

 vate carriage, having good opportunities for observa- 

 tion, — and only in one place after leaving home, have 

 we sren good cherries. There wo found two or 

 three sorts that were pleasant, but hardly jfne. " 



We make these remarks to show how little the most 

 of our farmers know about good fruit. At many 

 home-bteads we saw either no cherries at all, or the 

 common sour pie-cherry, with some seedlings of the 

 email heart cherry in a few places; but only one graft- 

 ed branch. So little indeed is seen of the better sorts, 

 that a very intelligent friend of ours in the West, had 

 arrived at the conclusion that this climate was unfa- 

 vorable to their growth and maturity ! Now if we 

 have spied out the nakedntss of the land, it may be 

 right and proper to tell our negligent countrymen, 

 how they may clolhc their premises, and eat fine cher- 

 ries, as wc do, for six weeks at least in constant suc- 

 cession. 



We have always found, in making collections of any 

 kind, that a proper ylace of deposll was of great im- 

 portance. Enclose therefore a fruit garden, in any 

 manner that may seem best, and of any size from half 

 an acre to two acres or more. — Not all for cherries 1 — 

 No; but whoever has a taste for fine fruit, will want 

 peaches and plume, and pears and apricots; and not 

 one tree only, because the sort may be "good enough," 

 but kinds suflicient to follow one another in succession 

 during the longest season of that particular fruit. — 

 We have no notion of feasting one week and fasting 

 the next. — Our trees were originally planted twenty 

 feet apart, and at this distance there will be room 

 enough for a long time to come. 



We have at this time about Hventy kinds of cherry 

 trees in all; and ought to have had many more, but 

 other trees were sent from the nurseries, instead of the 

 kinds we paid for. For instance, the American Heart, 

 the Amber Heart, the Oxheart, the White Bigareau, 

 and the Downton, came not; but in their stead several 

 sorts which wc had already in possession. This treat- 

 ment was highly improper and abusive, but mistakes 

 may sometimes creep in, even where great cnre is ta- 

 ken, and fair dealing intended. 



The earliest, cultivated either in this country or Eu- 

 rope, is the May Cherry, which is small in both fruit 

 and branch. We presume it might be grafted on the 

 dwarf Siberian, and then it would stand as a mate for 

 the currant bush. We have had them ripe in thelat- 

 ter part of the fifth month. 



The Early Richmond begins to ripen in immediate 

 succession. It fills the space between the May Cher- 

 ry and the common Pie Cherry, both in regard to size 

 and the time of maturing its fruit, which though sour 

 at first, becomes very pleasant when fully ripe. It is 

 valuable, and may hang on the tree foi several weeks. 



Four other cherries in our fruit garden ripen at the 

 same time with the Early Rii-hmond. The first sort 

 is also a round cherry, of good size, sweet for one of 

 its class, and decidedly a favorite. It came under a 

 wrong name; and we do not find it agree with any 

 description in Lindlcy or Prince. It will scarcely be 

 the less prized, however, on this account. 



The next is Knight's Early Black, which camo from 

 one of the Flushing nurseries marked " Black Tarta- 

 rian." Wc hardly regret the mistake. Indeed the 

 editor of the Pomological Magazine says that if he 

 were called upon to state specifically the difierence be- 

 tween them, he would be unable to do so. He adds 

 however, "It has the rare merit of ripening earlier: on 

 aaouth aspect it will be ripe even earlier than the May 



* In the principal villngea doubtless, some excelleiU sorts 

 arc fultivatrd. We Rpeak of only what we s.iw. 



Duke." t It is so with ours where the trees stand to- 

 gether. We have had some of these cherries from 

 young thrifty trees that measured an inch or more in 

 diameter. 



The White Tartarian, like the last, is a heart cher- 

 ry; and when fully ripe there is none better. We 

 have a young tree marked the White Ilartfordshire, 

 which diflTers in its growth but not in its fruit; and 

 when a few of each sort were exhibited, wc were una- 

 ble to detect the difference. 



The Blacli Caroon is also a heart cherry, of good 

 size, and a fine fruit. It receives a full share of at- 

 tention from visitors. At Aurora and its neighbor- 

 hood, it has been called the Albany Cherry; but it 

 would be well to lay this name aside. 



While these sorts are growing thin on the branch- 

 es, the Transparent Gitigne, is swelling and softening 

 as well as the later crop of the May Duke; and both 

 are highly valued. One of the round class, marked 

 " Waterloo," keeps time with them, and the fruit is 

 decidely fine; but we cannot distinguish in it Lindley's 

 characteristics of Knight's Waterloo with certainty, 

 and wc must wait for more light. 



The Carnation is later than the preceding sorts.— 

 It is a moderate bearer, and in rainy weather is apt to 

 decay on the tree; but it is very polatable, those icho 

 harenercr seen it ripe to the contrary notwithstanding. 

 It appears to do better where it receives the reflected 

 heat from a building. The brief but timely showers 

 of the present season have not injured it; and in a dri- 

 er elimnte, this tendency to decay would be no objec- 

 tion. 



The Common Fie Cherry, (Kentish ?) and the Mo- 

 rcllo, are valuable fruits, and ought to be more cultiva- 

 ted than they ore; but they are too sour for the table, 

 uncooked. These sorts grow freely from suckers, and 

 are generally within the reach of every one who wish- 

 es to have them. 



The Cream Cherry originated in or near the South 

 part of Seneca county, and promises to be valuable. 

 It takes the name from its color; which however, is 

 sometimes tinged with red. It is the latest of on 

 cherries, medial size, heart shaped, and sweet. We 

 want to see it on a stock exclusively its own, and then 

 we can form a better judgement of its merits. 



One remark more. Ten trees of the finest sorts of 

 cherries can be had for five dollars. The interest on 

 this sum is thirty-five cents n year. Who would not 

 be willing to pay it annually for such a treat ? — for 

 cherries come onnually without fail. f 



t We tliink liotvever, that poniolo^sts err in referring 

 he iH.-iy Diikc's time of ripening : It ripens In patches, ai 



_„ to 



tlic iH.ay Diikc's time of ripening : It ripens In patches, and 

 onie may be used when the cherries on the other parts of the 

 tree are not colored, showing a dirterence of several weeks. 



The Canada Thistle. 



This weed has so much increased in some parts of 

 Cayuga county, that it may be found in almost every 

 lot and field. Among crops where the hoe is intro- 

 duced, as corn and potatoes, it stands but little chance; 

 but among such as are sown broad-cast, it is a great 

 pest; and every advantage that can be taken of it, 

 ought to be known. We wish to ctmtributeour mite. 

 Oats when sown early in the spring, will not send up 

 stalks as soon as this weed; and there is a time when 

 the latter may be mown without injuring the crop. — 

 The scythe, if not very sharp, will glance over the 

 grain, but cut the stiffer stems of the thistles. This 

 operation gives them an effectual check forthat season, 

 and the oats may be harvested with very little incon- 

 venience. 



We would recommend this practice however, only 

 where there are but few patchcsof thistles in the field; 

 and not where it is much over-run with them. In the 

 latter case, the land should not be sown with wheat, 

 oats, or barley; but either planted with some horse- 



hoeing crop, or turned into a regular fallow, — not to 

 be ploughed only two or three times, but as often as 

 once a month throughout the season, and then in the 

 most thorough manner, so as to leave no shoot uncut. 

 The farmer who undertakes this business, must pre- 

 pare himself accordingly. He must make his ealetila- 

 tions before-hand, and nerve himself for the contest. 

 No half-way measures will answer. To plough them 

 once !« the spring, cultivates them; and to plough 

 them twice, is but a check; but every subsequent 

 encounter destroys a portion of their vital energy. — 

 The next season cultivate the ground well in corn, po- 

 tatoes, field beets, or Swedish turnips, and it will give 

 them the finishing stroke. 



To pull up the stalks of this thistle, weakens the 

 horizontal root much more than to hoe them; and we 

 have used wooden tongs for this purpose, nearly sha- 

 ped like the blacksmith's. If the holes left by the 

 stalks, be then filled with brine, very few if any new 

 shoots will appear. t 



From the Southern Cabinet. 



Notes on Earopean Agricnltnre. 



BY AN AMKRICAN. 



Wheat. — In my last I gave some notes on the ro- 

 tation of crops in Great Britain, — a judicious mode of 

 culture, which is now adapted to a considerable extent 

 in Sweden, Denmark, and the grain growing coun- 

 tries in the north of Europe. Thus, the soil, although 

 it does not annually give the same kind of product to 

 the cultivator, is never idle, but produces in succes- 

 sion crops which are often more vtduable than wheat 

 itself. 



As however wheat is not only one of the staple arti- 

 cles of Europe, but also of our own country, I propose 

 to devote this article to a description of the method of 

 culture. 



1st. Preparation OF THE Soil. The wheat crop, 

 08 I have stated in a former chapter, usually succeeds 

 the fallow crop, which consisted of potatoes, beans, or 

 turnips. This fallow crop is richly manured. Stable 

 manure is in a mnjority of instances used, and in most 

 soils is preferred. It is spread on the fields brood cast 

 in the proportion of twenty or twenty-five tons to the 

 acre. In about half the cases it is scatteied over the 

 fields in the early part of winter, and ploughed under 

 in December. Where time is wanting the manure is 

 not applied till early in the spring, which I am in- 

 (ormed, answers equally well. Lime is much need on 

 light sandy soils. In some parts of the coast of PIol- 

 land, where the soil is poor and sandy, the application 

 of lime has given a dark, rich color to the earth, which 

 now retains its moisture and produces abundant crops. 

 On the sandy lands between Berlin and Dresden re- 

 sembling our Carolina pine-barrens, I noticed it used 

 in some fields with very beneficial effects. Similar 

 results have been produced in New Jersey by the ap- 

 plication of lime on bare sandy soil. Bone dust ii 

 nmch used in Englond on light soils. It is generally 

 procured from the continent. A few mills for the pur- 

 pose of grinding the bone for manure exist in England 

 and Scotland, although they did not fall under my no- 

 tice. A model of one exists in the agriculturol muss- 

 urn of Edinburgh, which was politely exhibited to mo 

 by Professor Lowe. The construction is very simple; 

 but ae I believe it is well understood in the Unitetl 

 Slates, and as I am not much of a mechonie, I need 

 nut venture on a description. The bone dust is used 

 in the proportion to twenty-five bushels to the acre; a 

 greater quantity has not been attended with any in- 

 creased beneficial results. It is sown broad cast on the 

 land; sometimes mixed with turnip seed. Night soils, 

 (a very valuable manure,) are limited to the neighbor- 

 hoods of towns, and principally applied to gardens.—" 

 This article is prepared in the vicinity of Paris by a 

 method rendering it not in the least oft'cnsive. It has 

 the appearance ot' largo dried bricks, which are broken 

 up when wonted, and applied to the land in the man- 

 ner of bone dust. 



When the fallow crop has been removed, the ground 

 is ploughed and put in order for the reception of wheat; 

 occasionally some manure is added, but it is in gene- 

 ral believed that the ground is sufficiently enriched for 

 the ensuing crop. The ploughiiig is Similar to that of 

 our own country. The wheat is sown from the mid- 

 dle to the end of October, generally in drills, but some- 

 times broad cast. The sowingor drillingof the wheat 

 does not complete the labor till the time of harvest, as 

 is the case in America. The wheat is regularly hoed ^ 

 between the drills two or three limes, and when the 



