

'^^Hr^g?^gg^»?^^^^gy>?as;j^^ '. '.'"'.'y 



1864. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



107 



orchard. Low-headed trees and hardy bearing 

 Borts. Book farming — well, that will do it in our 



style.- 



-Ed. 



Cotton in Egypt. 



Dr. N. C. Meeker, of Dongola, writes us under 

 date of March 6 th : 



" We are going to raise cotton this year ; I know 

 of many who are so earnessl that they will plant 

 by the Ist of April, though the 10th of May has 

 been thought the best time. It is certain that a 

 month's early growth is worth two of late growth, 

 and this muy be said of all crops here. It requires 

 a different kind of management to succeed here 

 from what it does with you in farming operations. 



Whatever crops do not get a good start, and are 

 not mostly or wholly made in June or July, are not 

 likely to be of any value, on account of the dry, 

 hot weather of the later months." 



— Just so — we have for years been advocating 

 early planting, in the south part of the State, so as | 

 to make the growth during the rainy months. — 

 In this respect the Dr. is only approaching the 

 practice of the best farmers here. Plant early. — 

 Ed. 



Alton Horticultural Society. 



Saturday, March 5th, 1864. 



Pursuant to adjournment the society met at the 

 residence of the president, Dr. E. S. Hull. 



Present, E. S. Hull, B. F. Long, J. M. Pearson, 

 A. Starr, F. Starr, H. G. Mc Pike, J. Huggins, 

 •Jumes Xewman, C. W. Dimmoek, J. Burton, E. A. 

 Riehl, John Curtis, F. Curtis, C. Merryman, G. W. 

 Long, D. E. Brown, W. C. Flagg. A numbar of 

 ladies, also graced the meeting with their presence. 



Dr. Long presented a quantity of garden seeds, 

 received by him from the commisioner of agricul- 

 ture, which were distributed among the members. 



Members were requested by vote to report upon 

 the success of the new varieties disseminated, and 

 upon the correctness and vitality of the seeds gen- 

 erally. 



F. Starr, the essayist for this meeting read some 

 notes upon March work, which, however, sickness 

 had previ'nted him from putting into shape. Snme I 

 of the subjects embraced therein were taken up for 

 discussion. The essay was put on file. 



TRANSPLANTING. 



Dr. Long said the first labor of this season, 

 should be the taking up of fruit trees while they 

 were dormant, and the ground soft. He had once 

 taken up and heeled in 1 1 1 3 trees, previous to March 

 12th, and only lost three in transplanting. 



Dr. Hull tho»ght it important to take up treat 

 early, especially when planting is to be late, in or- 

 der that a callus may be formed before setting. 



Mr. Burton had succeeded perfectly in planting 

 trees taken up after the leaves were started. 



F. Starr has found September planting success- 

 ful. 



It was voted that trees should be taken up as 

 early in March as possible. 



PRUNING. 



Dr. Long would cut off' the large limbs of apple 

 trees previous to the middle of March. Smaller 

 limbs he would trim later, when the growth is most 

 vigorous. Dr. Warder and Mr. Whitney's practice 

 is the same. 



Mr. Starr prunes in winter or in summer alter 

 the leaves are out. 



Mr. Burton prunes in winter because the wounds 

 then dry better, and then is the time of leisure. 



Mr. Huggins prefers to prune large limbs in win- 

 ter, and small ones in June. "In summer for fruit, 

 in winter for wood." 



Voted to recommend pruning of large limbs pre- 

 vious to March. 



Mr. Mc Pike asked the opinion of the members 

 in regard to shortening in large transplanted trees 

 of Scotch Pine. 



F. Starr has practiced shortening in Scotch and 

 Austrian pines. Does not do so with Norway 

 spruce. 



Mr. Brown thinks it is an advantage to thin out 

 limbs of Norway Spruce. 



Mr. Huggins would not prune Austrian or Nor- 

 way Pine branches except to put the tree in shape. 



Dr. Hull thinks it important to retain the limbs 

 to peserve the vitality of the tree. 



Dr. Long has transplanted the Red Cedar from 

 the bluffs in August, with perfect success. 



PRUNING OF GRAPES. 



Dr. Hull illustrated pruning by a sample of vine 

 from his vineyard. He trains two or three stakes — 

 cuts off last year's bearing wood, takes the strongest 

 cane of last year's growth for bearing — counts off 

 about ten eyes and cuts it off. The cane for wood, 

 he cuts down to two or three eyes — leaves say 

 three bunches of fruit to a spur and pinches off, 

 leaving one to three leaves outside the last bunch 

 — does not pinch off the laterals on the wood cane. 

 As regards pruning the present year, he would de- 

 f r it until we can ascertain more definitely the 

 effect of the cold of January first on the vines. 

 The buds upon his own vines are killed, except 

 upon the lower terraces or other points where they 

 were covered with drifted snow. 



Mr. Riehl said that where the buds were all kill- 

 ed, the new growth must start from below the 

 snow line. 



Mr. Dimmoek, from the Committee appointed to 

 invite old members to renew their membership, 

 reported that all he had seen wished to do so. A 

 few had not yet been called upon. The report was 

 received and the Committee continued. 



The following gentlemen were proposed as new 

 members and unanimouslv elected: J. W. Schweppe. 

 E, A. Riehl, D. E. Brown, G. W. Long, Chas, 

 Merryman, John Curtis and F. Curtis. 



EFFECTS OF COLD OF JANUARY FIRST. 



Mr. Huggins exhibited sections of peach trees 

 that had passed through the winter of 1855-6 

 Being of Strong's Mammouth, and Large Early 



