1861 



THE ILLINOIS FAilMER. 



73 



on my place, with red clay subsoil, are much 

 larger than any other variety of same age, were 

 never pruned, and have very thick, heavy tops. 

 This year they are fruiting, most of them ; full 

 limbs beading over and opening the tops plenty 

 enough for light and air. 



THE SOIL. 



The effect of soil, I am not prepared to discuss, 

 but belipve any of our soil Will produce good 

 orchards that will produce good crops of corn, 

 wet or dry. 



ASPECT. 



The best aspect for nursery or orchard is an 

 easter i or southern one, always avoiding a north- 

 ern or western ; protection from the north and 

 west I consider indispensible. 



PEABS. 



We have been successful with pears, in propa- 

 gating both by grafting and budding. We gen- 

 erally import our stock, so they are frequently 

 not at hand >it the grafting season, then we bud. 

 Pears worked on the quince we prefer budding, 

 (in August), as near the ground as it can be per- 

 formed. We use both the Angers and Fontenay 

 for stocks ; we prefer the Angers, as it is easier 

 propagated from cuttings than Fontenay, and 

 about as hardy, grows more smooth and clear of 

 thorns. Last winter we lost nearly all our young 

 stock of dwarf pears, and nearly everything else 

 of one year's growth ; all were killed in the root, 

 and not in the top ; our ground was cultivated 

 with small double shovel plows, and left quite 

 level on the surface. We are of the opinion that 

 if the ground had been turned up against the 

 young trees with a mould board plow, so as to 

 have left it quite low between the rows, it would 

 have kept the water from the roots and possibly 

 saved the young trees. Our dwarf pear trees in 

 the garden, five to seven years old, a portion of 

 them, are fruiting well this season. They were 

 mulched last winter with manure, with exception 

 of one row of eight or ten ; those that had no 

 mulching bloosomed and partly leafed out and 

 then died ; aspect sloping to the south, soil 

 mixed with sand suflBcient to not retain water 

 but a short time. Stevens Genesee, Flemish 

 Beauty, Louisa Bonny de Jersey, Belle Lucre- 

 tia. White Doyenne, Madaline, Heathcoat and 

 Swan's Orange appear to be the most hardy in 

 my list. 



CHER5JES. 



We formerly propagated on the Mazzard stock; 

 they so universally killed last winter we have re- 



solved to discard it altogether, and use the Ma- 

 haleb, which stood last winter well. The Heart 

 and Bigarreau varieties are too tender for this 

 section; our dependence must rest on the Duke 

 and Morello varieties, for the present, at least. 



PLUMS. 



We have generaUy worked on f-.e tame, but 

 vast quantities of them root-killed last winter. 

 There is no doubt but that we must rely entirely 

 on our own native wild plum for stocks, worked 

 at surface of the ground. We have not had ex- 

 perience en&ugh yet to justify us in recommend- 

 ing any particular variety as most profitable, 

 although some varieties promise much better 

 than others. In the course of eight or ten years 

 we can better judge of the good and profitable 

 varieties of apples, pears, cherries and plums. 



PEACHES 



We have nothing to say about in particular, more 

 than every one should try to raise enough for 

 their own use, even i: the trees should kill occa- 

 sionally. 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO FRUIT TREES AND FRUIT 



Are the borer in the apple tree, near the sufact 

 of the ground; the best way is to cut them out 

 with a knife and cover the wound with earth. 

 Catapillars can be gathered in ther webs in the 

 hand and crushed under foot. The curculio. the 

 greatest pest of all, we do not know of any rem- 

 edy to prevent them from puncturing the fruit- 

 we have succeded in saving the fruit by jarring 

 them off upon a sheet made for the purpose. 

 This is a long and tedious process, to be follow- 

 ed up every morning for six or seven weeks ; if 

 making a hog yard of the plum orchard, as some 

 recommend, will answer the purpose, it will be 

 the cheapest and easiest of any plan. This we 

 intend to try. A gentleman of strict integrity 

 told us a few days ago that he had always been 

 badly troubled with the borer in his orchard ; 

 last spring he washed his trees with a wash re- 

 commended in Thomas' Fruit Culturist, made of 

 soft soap, sulphur and tobacce water, said it was 

 an effectual remedy. Since the application early 

 in spring, he had not found a single borer. 



Verry Aldrich. 



The above has never before been publish- 

 ed, and as it has lost none of its value by 

 lying over, we now send it forth. It will 

 be seen that Mr. A. is opposed to top or 

 stock grafting, and is a warm friend of 

 shelter, g We hope to hear some of the later 

 experience of friend Aldrich. Ed. 



