182 



THE ILLilSrOIS FARMEK. 



June 



I never have mine cut below the surface of the 

 ground, and use it when from six inches to a foot 

 high, all of which will be tender and good. 



I find this vegetable grows spontaneously around 

 the slate rocks, and often very large and tender, 

 where no cultivation or manure has been bestowed 

 upon it. This would seem to indicate that a top- 

 dressing of slate gravel would be useful. My bed 

 has considerable slate in the soil, and the slate 

 rock underlays part of the bed, if not all of it, prob- 

 ably fifteen or twenty inches below the surface. 



Z. A. Lelasd. 



Mechanicsville, May 2, 1864. 



. «•• 



Marvels in Fruit Growing— Humbug- 

 gery. 



A class of minds exists in every community rea- 

 dy to adopt anything and everything in the line of 

 marvels, without ever troubling themselves with 

 an investigation of the senseless statements float- 

 ing around in the papers, giving credence to these 

 marvels. The ninety and nine persons who expe- 

 riment by book and fail, keep their own counsel, 

 regarding themselves foolishly sold by the . writer 

 of the humbug article. They shrink from an ex- 

 posure, lest their own want of sagacity might be 

 exposed thereby. 



To expose all of these sells, is a task we do not 

 propose to undertake at this time. A few in con- 

 nection with truit growing only is proposed to do. 

 Not a few persons insist that the Apple, (one half 

 sweet, the other half sour,) was produced, not nat- 

 urally from seed, but uniting two buds in halves — 

 one from a sweet the other from a sour apple tree. 

 A moment's reflection will convince any one capa- 

 ble of reasoning, such a union to be impossible; 

 and if otherwise, that the union would only pro- 

 duce a tree, the buds and branches upon one side 

 producing one kind, and the other another kind of 

 apples like those trees from which the half buds 

 were taken. Commingling with the sap having 

 nothing to do with determining the character of 

 the fruit, as has been often, and may be again pro- 

 ven, by grafting different varieties in succession 

 upon the same tree or branch, each separate sec- 

 tion producing branches, leaves and fruit, accord- 

 ing with the original variety from which the scions 

 were taken, although the sap ascending and de- 

 scending, has to circulate through sections of wood 

 and bark of a different variety. The character of 

 the fruit ia, in all cases, determined or controlled 

 by the leaves, bark and wood, and not by the sap. 

 The character of the latter being fully controlled 

 by them. The apple in question is not divided in- 

 o two sections, the one half pure sweet, the other 

 acid, with a well defined line dividing the parts — 

 but is of an inferior, sweetish flavor upon one side, 

 and a mild, sub-acid upon the other, each quality 

 gradually blending into the other near the dividing 

 section. The apple is called sweet and sour, and 

 is sometimes propagated and sold by nurserymen 

 as a curiosity. It originated as do all varieties, as 

 an accidental seedling. 



The public are humbugged periodically with an 

 article from some novice who hurries to print his 

 success in growii'g apple and pear trees from cut- 

 tings in the open ground, The cuttings will put 

 forth leaves, and if the Bummer is moist, live 

 tUrough tiie first season, but failing to strike roots 



die before the next summer. We know some will 

 insist that they have seen the thing done, and can 

 do it again. Our reply to all such is — we will hold 

 ourselves in readiness to pay one dollar each for 

 three year oM trees produced from cuttings in the 

 open ground — the fact to be well established by 

 evidence of any intelligent nurseryman or fruit 

 grower, -watching the operation. Competitors 

 may commence this spring, and the experimenter 

 may have the benefit of sticking "his cuttings into 

 raw potatoes," or any other similar vegetable to 

 retain the requisite amount of moisture. 



We consider what the old gentleman told a cor- 

 respondent of the Maine Farmir twentj -five years 

 ago (page 51, present volume of the Homestead,) 

 about the process of raising seedless apples, an- 

 other of this class of humbugs. In the first place, 

 apple branches, with the tips buried with the plow 

 accidentally or by design, will not strike roots 

 from the tips, and if they did, would not produce 

 trees by severing the connection with the parent 

 stock, But if this were possible, the tree grown 

 as directed, and bearing the inversion, could not 

 possibly change the flower, and if not the flower, 

 how could the fruit be changed ? 



These seedless apples and pears are caused by 

 imperfect fructification at the flowering season 

 from excessive moisture, or cold, at that season. 

 Some varieties possessing weak organs, producing 

 no seeds ; others more perfect, others a part only 

 perfect. The same tree will sometimes produce 

 no perfect seeds ; in more favorable seasons, all the 

 seeds will arrive at perfection. 



We recollect another of these marvels produced 

 by grafting currents upon maple trees, pears upon 

 butternut trees, and many other unnatural allian- 

 ces said to have been forced by skillful grafting. — 

 These are all cheats. They may, like the cuttings, 

 live one season, but can never form a union with 

 the stock, unless with a nearly allied species, as 

 the Peach, Plum and Apricot — the Apple, Pear 

 and Quince — the Potato, Tomato &c. — Iowa Home- 

 stead. 



Report of the Agricixltural Depart- 

 ment. 



The following is a synopsis of the bi-monthly 

 report for March and April of the Agricultural 

 Department. 



The leading article shows the character of the 

 plans adopted in Great Britain, Prussia and the 

 United States to estimate and report speedily the 

 amount andj condition of the crops. 



The table most interesting to farmers and pro- 

 vision dealers is the one that exhibits the amount 

 of farm stock in January last. Compared with the 

 amount in 1859, as returned in the census of 1860, 

 it is as follows in the loyal States : 



Horses. Mules. Cattle & Oxen. 



1859 4,199,141 301,600 7,941,148 



1864 4,999,042 280,847 9,965,439 



Cows. Sheep. Hcs. 



1859 5,726,964 15,104,272 17,060^035 



1864 6,066,748 24,346,391 16,148,712 



This table exhibits an active decrease of horses, 

 mules and hogs, a very small increase of cattle, a 

 larger increase of cows, but one still far below the 

 usual increase, and a very great increase of sheep. 



