PROCEEDINGS OP THE FARMERS' CLUB, 335 



ble the bulb to grow and to find sufficient nourishment; and when potato 

 vines grow rank, the tubers are small. 



Fruit trees grown on the granite and primitive soils seldom carry so 

 much sap as to run so largely to wood as not to produce fruit. Whenever 

 the sap flows too freely, the wood increases in a disproportionate size, 

 while little fruit appears. This is the case with grape vines which grow 

 in a rich soil and are permitted to run on to trees without pruning^they 

 are always barren to a great degree, of fruit, but lay down the vines into 

 a horizontal position and prune off the growth of wood, and they are sure 

 to bear. Vines taken from the forest and planted beside a stone heap in a 

 pasture or mowing field, or confined to a horizontal position, will produce 

 abundance of fruit, while a vine of the same kind running on to a tree, will 

 exhibit but a meagre crop of fruit. Whenever grape vines or apple trees 

 or orchards have been favorably located as to soil along the green stone 

 ranges of the trap formation, tiiey liave always produced abundance of 

 fruit. So with the apple, quince and the plum, when planted among the 

 granite and mica slate and limestone forjnations. Whatever may be the 

 soil, whether primitive, transition or secondary, the fruit grower will find 

 that his orchards will not produce choice fruit unless he feeds the proper 

 nourishment to his trees. Nature, among plants, as among animals, must 

 be kindly treated and fed with congenial and whulesome food, and enough 

 of it, and then she responds bountifully and with alacrity to the efibrts of 

 the cultivator. 



There is no country which produces better and more abundant fruit 

 orchards when cultivated, than these among tlie granite and mica slate 

 hills. The materials of the soil for fruit among these primitive ridges, are 

 most abundant. All that is needed, is to plant and set out the orchards in 

 deep soil on the southerly and easterly side of the ranges of primitive rocks 

 every where found on the hills and mountains. The grafting process works 

 well, provided that the grafts are put in at the right season, and the stump 

 or staff is properly protected. This should be done by covering the end 

 of the boughs where the graft is inserted, with an abundance of grafting 

 wax made of melted rosin, tallow and beeswax, and put on the end of the 

 stock grafted; the whole of the stump should be covered with moss and 

 tan-bark and surrounded with glazed or oiled cloth, so as to effectually ex- 

 clude moisture and ice for the first four years, from the graft and the 

 stump; the buds must come up through the moss, tan- bark and oiled cloth 

 to the air, but not left so that the water will follow it down in rain during 

 the winter and fall. 



Fruits will partake of the soil on which the tree grows. I have known 

 a peach tree which appeared to be dying with the yellows in the fore part 

 of the season, revive by digging around the roots of it, and killing the 

 borers or worms, then pouring soap suds around the roots twice a week 

 during the balance of the season. On this application the tree revived, the 

 leaves turned to a deep green, and in the fall the tree matured a heavy 

 growth of fruit, being the Oldmixon or the St. Catherine cling stone. The 

 peaches grew remarkably large, but the flavor of soap suds was tasted in 

 every peach. 



This economy of nature gives great power to the fruit-grower to improve 



