43 
AMEBXCAN AGBICUETUBXST, 
Glout Morcean, 3 Beurre d’Aremberg, 6 
Easter Beurre, 6 Winter Nelis, 2 Tri- 
omphe d’Jodigue.” 
AN AMATEUR’S FIRST APPLE. 
The first meal in a newly organized fami¬ 
ly, is an event always recalled with the 
liveliest pleasure by the heads of the house¬ 
hold. No feast in after life, however gorge¬ 
ous, can dim the splendor of that snowy 
cloth, spread for the first time upon the new 
table; or surpass the exquisite relish of the 
bread first broken in a man’s own house. 
His first achievements in fruit growing are 
another marked day in his calendar, and the 
first sample of fruit is only less admired than 
the first love he installed in his home, and 
for whom fruit growing became an object. 
So we thought as we plucked our first apple, 
and put it upon the shelf to ripen. It will 
be a great day when the dainty juices under 
that yellow skin are discussed. We have 
watched it from the blossom to its perfect 
development, have noticed its swelling and 
its change of hue, from green to the rich 
yellow which indicates ripeness; yea, we 
have watched it from the foundation of that 
little world on which it grew, and elaborated 
its manifold cells, stored them with juices, 
and clothed them with that beautiful skin. 
We set the tree with our own hands, put in 
the bones and compost, and trenched and 
manured for six feet on every side. 
“ Shall we discuss that Porter apple this 
evening my dear ?” 
“ W ill a man eat his idols 1 I fear you will 
be out of employment when it is gone.” 
“ Nonsense, my dear, please bring the 
fruit knife and a plate, and while you are up, 
reaeh me Cole, and let us see what he says 
of this Massachusetts apple.” 
We are indebted to a minister for its prop¬ 
agation, Rev. S. Porter, Sherburne, Mass. It 
is now the principal September apple in the 
Boston market, where thousands of bushels 
are disposed of every year. What a great 
work a man does for his race, who discovers 
and sends out to the world a fine fruit. He 
adds millions of dollars to the material 
wealth. It is a permanent investment of a 
large fortune, on which all may draw at 
pleasure, and which no one can ever dissi¬ 
pate. How many homes has this discovery 
at the parsonage in Sherburne, blessed with 
its smiles! How many desserts has it graced 
with its cheerful presence! In how many 
fairs of State and County, has it shone, as 
a chief attraction among the products of the 
orchard. How many trees, to-day, among 
the homesteads of New-England, are bur¬ 
dened with the yellow fruit! 
“Please hand the measuring tape.” 
“ Will you not have the scales also, that 
the length, breadth, hight, depth, and pon¬ 
derosity of that wonderful apple may be 
made out V' 
“ Nine and one-half inches in its lesser cir¬ 
cumference, ten in its greater,” soliloquized 
the amateur, “ I thought there was more dif¬ 
ference.” 
The weighing was omitted as an unneces¬ 
sary preliminary to the discussion, which re¬ 
sulted in a unanimous approval of the Porter, 
as the best the orchard had ever produced. 
THE BEST SEASON FOR TRANSPLANTING 
TREES, SHRUBS, ETC, 
Subscriber. —Which season do you prefer, 
spring or autumn, for transplanting trees ? 
You have had some experience in this mat¬ 
ter, and as I find my neighbors differ much 
in their opinions, 1 am anxious to have your 
advice. 
Editor. —It is true there are various opin¬ 
ions upon this matter. Many men, indeed a 
greater portion of those who give such ad¬ 
vice, sometimes rather dogmatically, never 
planted more than a dozen trees, and those 
not more than once or twice in their lives— 
when, perhaps, making their garden around 
their dwelling—and as they, of course, chose 
the season they thought the best, whether 
autumn or spring, they advise all to do as 
they did. Their evidence is ex parte ; for 
they never took hold of the thing experi¬ 
mentally—planting fall and spring for a se¬ 
ries of successive years; the only way to 
test such a question. 
Sub. —So I should think ; but I find, too, 
people not only differ as regards the general 
season of planting, but as regards the kinds 
of trees suited to the season. 
Ed. —Yes. I am aware of that: one cul¬ 
tivator states that he prefers the spring for 
all kinds of trees ; another, that he prefers 
the fall ; a third prefers the fall for every¬ 
thing except peaches ; and others would set 
out everything in the autumn except stone 
fruit. 
Sub. —True ; and it is for "this very rea¬ 
son that there are so many opinions that I 
wish to know which season you prefer, and, 
if not too much trouble, to give the reasons 
that have guided you in your choice. 
Ed. —Willingly. It is a rule we have 
always adopted in our horticultural opera¬ 
tions, never to do anything unless it can be- 
justified upon some principle. This hap¬ 
hazard kind of gardening—doing what others 
have done before us—or following the ad¬ 
vice of every writer who gives his year’s 
experience to the public, is what we never 
practice, unless accounted for on good and 
sound reasons. 
Sub. —I have not read your Magazine 
without learning that long ago, and therefore 
ask the question in regard to transplanting 
trees ; for, beyond the mere ipse dixit of the 
many that the fall or the spring is best be¬ 
cause it is, I have been unable to learn Avhy 
one season is better than the other, or why 
both are not good alike. 
Ed. —You will bear in mind that winter 
often leaves the ground in such a wet and 
sodden state that transplanting can not be 
well done for some days, and frequently a 
fortnight is as good as lost. While in the 
autumn the ground is dry, loose, and friable, 
and the operation of transplanting can be 
done in half the time—and infinitely better 
too—than it can in the spring. 
Sub. —True enough. This condition of 
the soil in autumn never occurred to me; its 
wet state has always kept back my work in 
spring. Then I understand you to say you 
would plant both fall and spring. 
Ed. —Yes, both. 
Sub. —But you do not mean to say you 
have no preference of one over the other? 
Ed. —Certainly not. You have not heard 
me through. My object is to show that if 
autumn planting is no better than spring, 01 - 
even not as good, it is necessary that a good 
deal of it must be done then where large 
quantities are to be set out. I decidedly 
prefer the autumn for transplanting all hardy 
trees of any size. 
Sub. —Go on. 
Ed. —Autumn planting is better than 
spring for the following reasons : 
1st. The time is longer than the spring. 
2nd. The ground is in better condition. 3d. 
The trees are then in the most dormant state. 
4th. The roots, where cut, heal better, and 
are prepared to send out fresh ones even be¬ 
fore the frost is out of the ground. 5th. 
The winter and spring rains settle the earth 
around the roots. 6th. The trees are well 
established before warm weather overtakes 
them. 
Sub. —These appear satisfactory reasons, 
and based on sound principles ; but I should 
be glad to hear you state whether you would 
transplant in the autumn without reference 
to soil or locality. 
Ed. —Not by any means. There are soils 
and situations where autumn planting might 
be injurious ; but then these are not likely to 
occur; for that soil which will not admit of 
transplanting in the autumn is 'entirely unfit 
to grow a tree, at least with expectation of 
producing fine fruit; and therefore there is 
little necessity of making any such exception 
in our rules. We are presuming that the 
object of every planter of fruit trees is to get 
good fruit. It can not be done in a soil or 
situation too wet and cold to set the trees out 
safely in the autumn. It is somewhat differ¬ 
ent with forest trees ; as it is often an object 
to plant up some low, cold piece of ground, 
needed for shade or shelter. In that case 
only, the spring would be the preferable 
season. 
Sub. —I appreciate the truth of your re¬ 
marks, and agree with you that no tree ought 
to be planted in a soil which can not carry it 
safely through the winter. But is there no 
danger of winter killing the shoots or trunk, 
even in favorable soils ? such is the general 
complaint of spring planters. 
Ed. —Not the least: that is, no more than 
if the tree had not been removed. If the 
tree is in good health when set out, it will 
receive no more injury than it would have 
done standing in the nursery row. We have 
known severe winters to kill some kinds of 
young pear trees to the ground ; if set out 
previous to such a hard winter, they might 
be injured; but we do not think their dan¬ 
ger increased by removal. 
Sub. —That is just what I wish to learn ; 
your experience extends over many years, 
and through a series of variable winters, 
which should enable you to judge correctly of 
their effects upon transplanted trees, and with 
this experience you are confident there is no 
more danger of winter killing than if set out 
the previous spring ? 
