[o. 8 



AND G A R D E N E R 'S J O U R N A L. 



123 



id grBlefitlly recognize in him n friend nnd benefnc- 

 and lick the hand which ie accustomed to feed 

 id fondle them. Here now let us see the neatly 

 ainted cottage, with its grccen shads, its piazzas trel- 

 sed with vines, its sides covered with the spreading 

 Im or flowing acacia, with here and there the bcauti- 

 il fir to shade the picture, and the mountain ash show- 

 ig its rich clusters of crimson fruit among the deep 

 reen foliage, and the smooth and verdant lawn 

 tretching its smooth and beautiful carpet in the front 

 lew; then look again and see the parents at the close 

 f day, resting from their labors and enjoying the 

 aim evening, with the pledges of mutual and devo- 

 oted affections, rioting before them iit all the buoy- 

 ncy of youthful innocence and delight; nnd if,at f uch 

 n hour as this, you can hear the hymn of grateful 

 raise rising from this humble abode of peace and love, 

 nd iis charming notes mingling with the music of the 

 [urgling brook that (lows near by, or broken by the 

 ccasional shrill nnd hollow notes of the gentle and 

 jnrless birds, which deem themselves members of 

 ins loving household; if then, whether traveler or so- 

 lunier, your heart is not touched with this charming 

 aJ not unusual picture of rural felicity, cease to call 

 joursclf a man. If still you sigli for the bustle nnd the 

 ( loise and the confinement of the city, with its impure 

 Ivaterand offensive odours, with its despicable affecta- 

 I ions, with its heartless formalities, with its violent 

 xcitements, with its midnight festivities; with its ut- 

 er destitution of sympathy, with its low estimate of 

 luman life, with its squalid poverty, its multiplied 

 onus of wretchedness and crime, its pride, its vanity, 

 ts ambition, its pomp, its servility; then go back to 

 .■our gilded prison house, nnd to pleasures, which an 

 iiicorrupted nnd refined taste, accustomed to drink in 

 bo free air of heaven, and to appreciate its freshness, 

 19 purity, and its salubrity, will find no occasion to co- 

 i et or envy. The man who by his cultivation nnd 

 :;iiod hufibandry, presents such a picture to the passer 

 \v, shall he not be called a benefactor to the commu- 

 nity 1 Has he not done much to improve and bless 

 'iK-icty by his example t Has he not built a monu- 

 nieiit to his own honor more eloquent than the marble ? 



Dwarf Fruit Trees, 



In some places, especially in France, a method pre- 

 vails of cultivating dwarf fruit trees. These are said 

 by English and French writers to have many advanta- 

 ges. The trees are not as much exposed to high 

 winds, they produce better fruit, bear earlier and more 

 nbundnntly. 



Dwarf trees are produced by innoeulating on stocks 

 of comparatively slow growth. Thus by inoculating 

 the apple on the Paradise or Douciu stock, the peach 

 «n a slow growing plum stock, and the pear on the 

 tjuince, &c. This is practised here, more particular- 

 ly, in gardens where the frees are set along, the bor- 

 ders nlternating with gooseberries or currant bushes. 



The pruning and mnimgeraent of dwarf apples and 

 pear trees, are well described in the following remarks: 



The first subjects of the following remarks, from 

 their appearance, were planted six or seven years pre- 

 viously to the commencement of any prutiing being 

 given them. In consequence they required to be very 

 much thinned out, so as to get the branches clear of 

 each other. For thinning I always bore in mind to 

 cut off the old wood close to the stem or branch it was 

 attached to; this prevented young wood springing af- 

 terwards. When the trees were thinned of the old 

 ehoots, as above stated, the young side shoots were 

 what is generally termed, spurred in; that is, they 

 were so shortened, that only two or three buds were 

 left on them, and tlie leading lop shoots were shorten- 

 ed to half their length. 



The following and every succeeding year, the trees 

 were treated in the same manner, as rcspec'.a the 

 young wood, till they had acquired the desired height, 

 when the leading ehoots were shortened, as the side 

 Ehoots or sjiurs had been previously. When the lend- 

 ing shoots show a disposition to grow very luxuriantly, 

 which io apt to be the case under this treatment, they 

 ehould he prevented doing so, by cutting off part of the 

 old wood along with the old shoots immediately above a 

 flower bud. This will prevent the shoot so cut from 

 increasing in length. The spurs must be treated in a 

 Eiiiiilar manner, by cutting off a email portion of the 

 rild wood along with the young, when they are get- 

 ting loo long. 



I have never found the above treatment prevent the 

 fruit swelling, or in any way detrimental to it; but on 

 the contrary, it was always improved. 



Voung trees are to be treated in the following man- 

 ner: if there are more than three shoots on the plant, 

 reduce ihem to the number, and shorten each to three, 

 four and six eyes, accofding-io their strength. The 



following season reduce the number of lending shoots 

 to six, and shorten them to three-fourths of their 

 length, and spur in the remaining shoots. The tree 

 should be managed in every respect in this manner un- 

 til it has attained the retpiired size, which of course 

 depends on the convenience or fancy of the owner, or 

 conductor of the garden. 



I make a point of letting the trees take their natural 

 form of growth as far as the system described will per- 

 mit; for I consider it of little consequence what shape 

 is given to the tree, provided my end is attained; that 

 is, to make every branch as it were a long spur, with 

 bearing buds iVoni the base to the extremity. 



Two or three years' trial of this method only, might 

 possibly deter many from a continuance of it, in con- 

 sequence of the quantity of young wood which will 

 be produced yearly at first, and from the apparent dif- 

 ficulty of getting rid of tho superfluity. But that 

 inconvenience will he ultimately surmounted if the 

 foregoing instructions arc attended to, and the contin- 

 uance ^^'ill be the possession of both healthful and 

 fruitful trees. To attempt to bring very old trees into 

 this method of manngcment would be attended with 

 difficulty, unless they were cut down short and allow- 

 ed to make new heads, which I should recommend 

 where their produce can be spnrcd for a time. In n 

 few years line healthy heads would be formed, which 

 w^iU yield fruit superior to nny that could be expected 

 from them if left in their rude state. But if the trees 

 cannot bo spared to be headed down, they may be very 

 mitch improved by thinning out the spray, nnd cutting 

 out a few old branches, which will cause them to 

 throw out young shoots, and these in a short time will 

 become bearing wood. The remainder of the old 

 branches may be thinned out with effect. Even if 

 this process is pertbrmed only once in two or three 

 years, nnd the stem nnd brnnches well cleared of moss 

 nnd dend bark, it will be of great service to the trees, 

 and be a means of keeping them free from insects, and 

 giving them ■ neat and clean appeal ance. — Practical 

 tanner. 



Science ami Agriculture. 



Sir — I have for a long time been deeply impressed 

 with the importance of agriculturists acquiring scien- 

 tific knowledge, to assist them in bringing to perfec- 

 tion their truly honorable vocation; and I have been 

 led to regret that very many of our farmers have for- 

 gotten, or never learned, that the true interest of agri- 

 culture is achieved only when the farmer can avail 

 himself of the advantages which scientific knowledge 

 places within his reach. Many farmers seem satisfied 

 with the way in which their fathers trod in tilling the 

 soil, satisfied in knowing Justus muck as they did, 

 and perfectly satisfied in educating their children after 

 the old fashion. Hence, seeming blind to the impor- 

 tance of n more liberal and enlightened policy, there 

 are still, perhaps, some few fanners content if their 

 children but learn to " read, write and cypher," igno- 

 rnntly supposing that this is all-sufficient 'or n farmer; 

 that ns their fnthers got on " well enough" with this 

 amount of knowledge, their children can also do well 

 enough without book learning. I will not speak of 

 the fallacy of this kind of reasoning; I only regret 

 that it is by far too prevalent. 



The truth is, the agricidlurist occupies an impor- 

 tant station in society; no vocation is more honorable, 

 and none, when properly pursued, that sooner insures 

 competence. Hence the importance of acquiring 

 such knowledge as will assist him in developing the 

 resources of nature and bringing to his aid such means 

 as will produce the moat beneficial result.5 in the culti- 

 vation of the earth. Every farmer should be an edu- 

 cated man ; he should not be satisfied in being able to 

 read and write, and "cast up accounts" — he should 

 achieve more thnn this for himself, and much more for 

 hie children. He should be able to ncertain, by chem- 

 ical tmnlysis, the nature nnd properties of the soil he 

 cultivates. As the science of chemistry is intimately 

 connected with thntof agriculture, he should be famil- 

 iar with its principles, that he may reap the advantages 

 which its truths reveal. He should be able to define 

 the nature and properties of plants, vegetables and 

 flowers, ever remembering that, ignorant of these 

 things, he loses many opportunities, not only of profit 

 but of enjoyment. Hence, the farmer should be a 

 botanist, both practically and theoretically. This is 

 not merely the opinion of the writer; every man with 

 a just conception of the vast improvement of which the 

 science of agriculture is susceptible, will subscribe to 

 it all I have said. Mr. Van Bergen remarks, in his 

 excellent address delivered before the New York State 

 Agricultural Society, that the business of the agricul- 

 turist " involves the laws of chemistry, botany and 

 geology. By the last he is to judge of soila and their 



fitness for certain products; by the second be must de- 

 termine what ploiils are most suitable to his soil and 

 climate; by the first he must he instructed in that most 

 important branch of knowledge to the farmer — the na- 

 ture and composition of manures, and their fitness to 

 the several kinds of grain and fruits he proposes to cul- 

 tivate." 



It mny be said by some one that he is too old to 

 learn these things now; that while occupied in acqui- 

 ring this knowledge, his farm would go to ruin I How 

 utterly ridiculous ! yet how often is the above remark 

 heard 1 Every farmer, however;- has some time to 

 spare; there are sensons when, without nny prejudice 

 to his interest, he might employ himself profitably in 

 the acquisition of useful knowledge, that would a- 



bundantly pay him for the time and labor bestowed 



But if too indolent or indifliprent about the matter for 

 himself, let him educate hie child rcii ; and, as some 

 one has ajitly remarked, 'Met every farmer who has 

 a son to educate, believe and remember that scikxcf. 

 lays thcfoundation of ccerij thing ruluahlc in agricnt- 

 ture." 



1 have said that the vocation of the agriculturist is 

 an important and honorable one, nnd 1 believe it. — 

 From this class of the community have arisen some of 

 the brightest ornaments of our country; men who 

 would have conferred honor on any station; and let our 

 farmers but awake to a full sense of the importance of 

 education, oi acquiring knowledge themselves, of ini- 

 p'jrting it to their children, and applying it to their 

 profession, and they will lenrn of a truth, " that all 

 the energy of the hero and nil the science of the phi- 

 losophers, may find scope in the cultivation of one 

 farm. — Am. Far. Com. J. 



Ccntrerillc, Kent Co., Md. 



Cabbage Plauts. 



A sure — but rather troublesome — protection of 

 cabbage plants against the grub worm, is to go out in- 

 to the woods nnd get lots of strips of birch bark from 

 small trees. These will naturally maintain the shape 

 they sustained on the tree — round like a wafer box, 

 without top or bottom. They should be about two 

 inches high or deep. Let each strip enclose a plant, 

 and press it gently in the earth. The grub can then 

 ircilher crawl under nor climb over it. Look he ever 

 so wishfully that way, he camiot set his teeth inio the 

 delicious fibres of the young cabbage stalk. — Maine 

 Cultiralor. 



White Grub Wop.m.— The white grub or " dung 

 worm" which infests sward lands, and in some instan- 

 ces does grent damage, by eating the roots of grass, is, 

 when it emerges from the chryeallis state and becomca 

 a perfect insect, what is commonly known as the May 

 Bug, or cockchaper, which secretes itself by day and 

 rises only by night. A good way to destroy them is 

 to make a fire in the field after dark, by the light of 

 which the swarms that arise from the earth will be at- 

 tracted, nnd by the heat of which they will be des- 

 troyed. The perfect insect, as a flying bug, is quite 

 harmless; but the eggs they deposite in the earth be- 

 fore they die, will generate myriads of new giubs 

 which Will do essential injury to the grass roots. — lb. 



To prevent the Destruction of Corn by Crows. 



PJr. C. Nichols, of Mass., gives the following reci- 

 pe for preserving corn from destruction by crows nnd 

 blackbirds. Although out of season now, we put it 

 on record for reference when planting time again ap- 

 pronchea. We copy it from the Monthly (N. H. ) 

 Visitor. — Am. Fur. 



"In the spring of 1837, I ploughed a piece of mow- 

 ing, which I wished to bring into a better condition, 

 consisting of about one fourth of an acre, upon which 

 I planted corn, and when up about three to four inch- 

 es, these marauders came and destroyed full twenty- 

 five percent, of it. In the spring of 1638, I planted 

 about three acres — the seed prepared agreeable to the 

 recipe, and it all came up in seven days — and when 

 otthe height of the former, the enemies cnme, pulling 

 a spear or two of three or four bills — tatted the flavor 

 of the seed, and left them attached to the root of the 

 stalk — which was the first and last of this visit. I 

 imputed the effect to the seed being so strongly im- 

 pregnated with the solution, that it was offensive to 

 their taste. 



Recipe. — Dissolve 2 lbs. of saltpetre in a pnil full 

 of soft water; in this situation I put 3 pecks ot seed — 

 soaked 2-1 hours — rolled it in plaster, planted and cov- 

 ered it while it was moist. It must not be exposed to_ 

 the sun, or current of air, as evaporation passes oft' 

 rapidly. As I remarked, every kernel came uo in se- 

 ven days. I think the alkali must have forced its ger- 

 mination, and the plaster had an effect to keep it in a 

 state of moisture." 



