IS? 



THE NEW GEXESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 1. 



1) 



The Fruit CaidBn. 



■NVlint is me reneon thnt 6uch vae! numbeTS of ibe 

 freehuUUrs in Western -New York, only cuUivnle the 

 coarser fruits? If we trnvcl from tbu r.'siiig of the 

 sun till tbe going down of ibe BHine — etop at every 

 house by lb: road side where there is any prosject — 

 inquire for the Blaclc Tartarian or May Diike cherry, 

 for Apricots of any kind, for the Ytlknv Harvest or 

 eine qiianon npplc, for the Madeleine or Jargonelle 

 pear, for the Primordian or Green Gage plum, for the 

 Enrly Ann or Early York peach — and if we find one 

 half of these tjrts out of the principal villages, we 

 should consider oi-rselves uncoininonly successful. 



If we ask, la the soil unfavorable to such produc- 

 tions? The answer would be, .Vti( nt all — it is nei- 

 ther wet, nor eour, nor sterile. Are the winters too 

 cold for the trees, or the sunshine in Euinn;er too fee 

 bio to mature the frnit? — Nothing of the kind. Fruit 

 trees withstand our hardest winters, and niuturc their 

 fruit whether tbe summers be wet or dry. What then ? 

 Have tbe people no taste for such simple luxuries? — 

 Taste enough. There is scarcely a countenance in 

 the land that would not brightim at the iirospectof 

 fine fruit; and every neighborhood within the limits 

 of our knnvledge has i;3 thicres who are willing to 

 risk a hundred and fifty dollars fine " and ei.\ months 

 iinprisonmfflit to obtain a shar,;. 



What then con be tbe matter 7 — There are many 

 reasons. Some perhaps, never heard of such Iruile; ma- 

 ny have never seen them; ami majiy more may have 

 never tatted them. Some dislike the expense of buy- 

 ing trees. Some forget nil about it, in the time of 

 planting. Simcareloo busy, hither and thither, to 

 take care of them when they are planted; and some 

 ore too indolent. Some ore afraid the fruit would be 

 Etalcn, and some would rather steal. 



Bad as the condition of our country is, in these res- 

 pects, we do not despair however; but look forward 

 with confidence to a brighter day, not far distant, in 

 some parts of Germany, the preceptors of public 

 schools have to teach tbe art of plai;ting and the nian- 

 ngement of fruit trees; and in some schools in Eng- 

 land, they instruct tbe children in the principles of 

 morality, and especially in regard to the sinfulness and 

 nieannefs of petty thefts. " When tbe Spilalfieids 

 school was lirj-t established, it was found that the chil- 

 dren were habktiul pilferers, Tiiey constantly atten- 

 ded th; markets, and levied heavy contributions on the 

 fruit sellers. The master of that school succeeded so 

 well in subduing this propensity, that though both 

 flowers and fruit were within their reach, in the open 

 space appropriated for their amusements, they scru- 

 ptdously abstained from picking a single currant, or 

 plucking a single leaf." 



Now the State of New York, by moans of her Com- 

 mon ScboiilB, might soon give a new turn to public 

 sentiment on this subject. Let every teacher who re- 

 ceives any part of his wages from the State tiensury 

 be required to inculcate the most scrupulous respect 

 for the property of others, placing all the products of 

 industry on the same level; and a higher toned moral- 

 ity would soon bo felt ihrouijhont all her borders. 



All pillijrers, — whether of gardens or of hen-roosts, 



would be treated alike; criminal courts would have 

 little to do; and prisons might contract to far less than 

 half of th^'ir present dimensions. 



Legislatures indeed, have been engaged nt times 

 for centuries past, to determine the proper punishment 



•The words 111' the law, iirc : " lOvrrv iicrsun wlui =l,all 

 wiirniy cninriiit any tre^lniss by miilicioiisly I'nltiiw rli.wn 

 loppiiii;, girillins;, ur otlierwise injuring any frujl or i.rna- 

 inentnl or shady tree, or liy innlieiru^ty t^cvcring from tbe 

 frecholil any pruiliu-e thcrcuf, or .tny thing ^ttiit'linl liic.c- 

 lo,— sliiiM upon ronvi.-tinn It; ju(Ipp<I suilly or' a n)is:lenican- 

 or. anil »h.-ili l)c inoilshol iiy iniprianumcnt in a i-nuntyjall 

 not e.vc'i^rillns -iiv months; nr hv a fine not cvc." ling one 

 hun Ire! and fifty doUnra ; or by Ijotli sudi line and iuijrrisoa- 



for crime in all its gradations; but unless we niistaUe, 

 not a thousandth part of the care or expense has been 

 employed to prevent it. Who has gone round into eve- | 

 ry abode of the vicious and the negligent, by aulhori- 

 ly, to summon the children into schools for morality 

 tii \\c\l UB literature? If the S:ate has the right to 

 punish crime, she has the right to prevent it. If she 

 can wrest property from the hands of a drunkard, she 

 can rescue a child from its vicious parent. 



"All the children in Nassau," says a late traveler, 

 " are obliged by order of the Duke to go to school 

 from si.x to fourteen years of age;" and if they fail to 

 do BO, their parents are fined. This may seem like 

 an arbitrary proceeding, but it is consistent. If the 

 State has a right to train her youth for soldiers, she 

 has aright to train them for useful citizens. f 



StraAvberrics. 



Horry's l?eeillivg. This is the name of n Etrnw- 

 berry which was originated in 1834, by C. M. Hovey, 

 Editor of the Magnzne of Horticulture at Boston. 

 It is the result of cross fertilization. It has now had ii 

 trial of three years, and each season, it has drawn the 

 premium of tbe Mafsachusctts Horticul.urnl Society ! 

 The editor says in his advertisement, " Gentlemen ac- 

 quainted with all the other varieties cultivated in this 

 country, have seen the bed in full bearing, and they 

 unhesitatingly pronounce it to be the largest, hand- 

 somest, bcstfarored, most productive, and hardy va- 

 riety, they have ever seen." Plants are offered at $5 

 a dozen. 



As some of our readers may obtain them, or other 

 i-.ne kinds at this season, we v/iU offer a few words of 

 advice in regard to planting. 



Choose a spot so dry that wheat would not be drawn 

 out by the frost; and then having prepared tbe hole, 

 spread the roots, packing fine earth among them and 

 on them in tbe firmest manner with the hand. When 

 the earth is all filled in, press it down all round the 

 plant with the foot, as closely and firmly as possible, 

 so that water cannot lodge there, to expand into ice, 

 and to draw up the plant from its bed. Even tbe 

 plant itself may be trodden on, heavily; but be careful 

 that there is no depression of the surface round it, to 

 retain tbe water. For want of this jnecaution, we 

 have lost many, in times past, but r.one since we 

 adopted this method, though we have set out strawber- 

 ry plant!) in winter, w hen the weather was open. 



Bear in mind however, that all plants that lose a part 

 of their roots in taking up, will be more tender than 

 such as remain undisturbed; and that some covering 

 to protect them from sharp frosts will be proper. We 

 know of nothing better for this purpose than the 

 branches of evergreens. t 



Treatment of Peacli Trees. 



In a late number of our paper, we noticed the dif- 

 ference between peach trees suffering from theyrlluies, 

 and from the worm at the root; but it is remarkable 

 thnt some intelligent minds seem unable to compre- 

 hend tbe distinction. One imagines that this disease 

 is induced by the worm; nnother thinks it is caused 

 by intense cold suddenly succeeding mild weather in 

 winter; and a third is satisfied it arises from the root 

 soaking in mineral water. These opiniems wotdd be 

 entitled to some respect, if the authors had respective- 

 ly taken the pains to show us that the fupposed cause 

 wassulcicicnt to explain the whole phenomena; but so 

 careles^'ly have they looked at the subject, that they 

 appear not to know that the ycUoirs is contagious. 

 Neither do they appear to know that it commenced its 

 ravages in Pennsylvania nnd New Jersey, nbout the 

 year 17!)7. Let us ask however, were there no peach 

 worms, no nnfavorable seasons, and no mineral 

 springs fir the trees to dip their roots in, previous to 

 tho yetr 1797? Peach trees were cultivated near 



I'hiladelpbia for more than a century bclbre any such 

 disease appears to have been known; and in Western 

 New York more than thirty years parsed away, alter 

 the Indian had resigned his old peach orchard to the 

 white man, before it was intrvduccd amongst us, yet 

 the worm was busy, the weather came as it listed; and 

 the mineral springs where there were any, soaked 

 away as they bnddone tor centuiies before. 



The origin of this disease affords an interesting sub- 

 ject of inquiry nnd speculation; but like the oiiginof 

 tbe small pox and measles, it will probably remain un- 

 known; and the horticulturist may do well without 

 such discovery, if he can be made properly to under- 

 stand thnt it is rery contagious. With this idea fairly 

 before him, he will remove the sickly trees from bis 

 garden before they contaminate the others; and ha 

 will be careful not to let any tool that has been so em- 

 ployed, especially the saw, be used on a healthy tree 

 before it has been thoroughly clean.ie.l. 



The peach worm, though an enemy not to be des- 

 pised, rarely destroys a tree, except when it is small, 

 or when considerable numbers attack it at the same 

 time. It has been several years since we went round 

 among our large trees to search for this insect; and 

 we have no reason to ihink that more than two or 

 three have suflered materially. Still we would re^ 

 commend the search to every proprietor who can 6l««l 

 away from bis other avocations. 



The oozing of the gum in wet weather, is no certain 

 indication of tbe worm, especially if it be on the 

 trunk, a foot or more from the ground; but when the 

 gum is crowded with filth, diligent search sboidd be 

 made. Ri move tbe earth from the tree to the depth 

 of two or three inches; and with a strong pocket knife 

 endeavor to find the cavity where the depredator re- 

 sides. Vile as tbe outside of bis dwelling oppcare, 

 tbe inside is generally kept clean — (not crowded with 

 ordure Uke tbe track of the borer.) When the knift 

 once entcrd this covered way, which is cut in the pul- 

 py part of the bark, it is commonly easy to find him: 

 but in all cases where it is practicnblo, cut longitudi 

 nally, and not cross-wise. When the worm is re 

 moved, — and no creature can be n'.ore helpless whei 

 he is expelled from his nest, — the hole should be laii 

 open through its whole length, and then filled will 

 clay mortar, or some other composition. A pencl 

 tree very speedily recovers from such wounds. 



Lime or ashes laid close round the tree is nn excel 

 lent preventive of the worm; and if the hnie has be 

 come mild, or the ashes leached, one or two shovelful 

 maybe very safely applied. Quick lime, especial] 

 hot lime, or unleached ashes however, may require t 

 be given in smaller quantities. 



The advantages of such applications appears to b 

 that the grass is destroyed, and consequently the bar 

 is harder down to tbe very surface of tbe lime or asb 

 es, — near which tbe mother insect is more unwjllin 

 to deposit her eggs. 



A fow words in regard to pruning. As soon as th 

 peach trees show symptoms of bi*ing stunted by beai 

 ing, — amputate, and encourage the growth of youn 

 vigorous branches. The fruit on such is often as fin 

 as the fruit of a young tree. t 



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The Best Soil lor a Garden. 



It is the general opinion that a >varm, light soi 

 with nn inclination to the South, or East, is the bei 

 for a garden. In high, moist regions, this rule may b 

 unerring; even in tbe warm, dry climate of Scneci 

 it may hold good for early vegetation, and for thof 

 vegetables wbich by their shade are enabled (o prever 

 the escape of moisture from the soil, like Indian con 

 sugar beets, \c. But by far the most productive ga; 

 den in this vicinity is on a flat surface of heavy cla 

 loam. It is generally too wet to plough before th 

 middle of May. A detail of the yield of potatoei 



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