AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
5343 
A Melon Party. 
N reading the article 
in the July Agriculturist : 
“ How to cure Fruit- 
| stealers,” I was remind 
i ed of a watermelon party 
(made up by some of the 
wild youths, while I was 
a farmer-hoy student 
at an Academy. The 
party had agreed to visit 
a farmer’s patch of ripe watermelons on a certain 
night. They started unobserved, as they sup¬ 
posed, but were seen to leave their rooms at 
about midnight by some of the scholars, who, 
rightly judged them to be going on a “ spree,” 
and prepared for their return by placing a num¬ 
ber of marbles upon the upper steps, leading to 
the rooms of the absentees. 
Our adventurers had about a mile to go, and to 
avoid being seen, they “ cut across lots.” They 
had nearly reached their destination, when they 
experienced a “ sudden attack in the rear” by a 
furious dog, who gave no notice of his approach 
until he was upon them. Being unprovided tor 
this assault, they retreated hastily, and soon 
scaled a high fence, minus sundry bits of cloth¬ 
ing, and plus a few well defined flesh marks. 
Nearing the “ patch ” they peered about cautious¬ 
ly, and finding the coast clear, ventured to enter 
upon one side, and were soon “ knifing” the big, 
red-cored melons, and joking about “stolen fruit 
being the sweetest,” when one of their number 
stepped upon a spot which suddenly gave way, 
and he found himself middle deep in sundry soft 
mixtures, the smell of which was far from be¬ 
ing agreeable, and from which his comrades 
were obliged to pull him out. Having eaten 
to their content, and smashed a few of the 
finest in revenge for the “ man trap,” they 
bagged as many as could well be carried, 
and started for home, by a circuitous route to 
avoid the “ dog.” The expedition promised to 
terminate better than it began, and they were 
nearly at the top of the stairs on the way to their 
rooms, when they came upon the marbles, and 
one bag of melons, accompanied by its bearer, 
made sundry revolutions, until it brought up 
with a crash against the lodging room door at the 
foot of the stairs. Immediately there was a rush 
to the spot of both scholars and teachers, armed 
for an encounter with robbers. The best that 
the authors of the confusion could do, was to 
drop all and run to their rooms in the hubbub, 
although not until they had been pretty well re¬ 
cognized. The other pupils seized upon what they 
considered legitimate spoils in the shape of broken 
melons, and were about eating them unceremo¬ 
niously, when it w’as discovered that a plug and 
a little white powder had been inserted in them, 
indicating that they had been prepared for other 
than honest persons ; and from the noise heard in 
the rooms of those who had been out in the 
“damp air,” and their non-appearance the next 
morning, some of the mischievous ones suggest¬ 
ed that they got hold of the wrong melons. They 
were quite taken aback, however, in a few days, 
when one of the teachers announced in the pre¬ 
sence of the school, a present from Mr.-to 
three individuals whose names he called, in the 
shape of a large watermelon duly labelled for 
each. The flushed faces of the trio and mean¬ 
ing glances of the others, spoke more than words, 
and from that time the term “ watermelon ” had 
a peculiar significance in the school. I never 
heard of another water melon party in that school. 
Dutchess Co., N. Y. S. R. 
Influence of Shade on Soils. 
It is claimed by many that shade exerts a posi¬ 
tively fertilizing influence on the soil. Our cor¬ 
respondence and exchanges bring us, every few 
months, statements and inquiries like these : 
M.—I once visited a friend’s plantation in Ala¬ 
bama, and on noticing a certain spot on a barren 
hill where the cotton was quite luxuriant, I in¬ 
quired the cause. The proprietor knew of noth¬ 
ing, only that a heap of pine poles had lain there 
for two years before the land was plowed and put 
into cotton. He thought the shade of the poles 
had caused a deposit from the atmosphere, and 
enriched the soil. 
P.—I once spread rye-straw over four rods 
square of ground, and after letting it lie from Oc¬ 
tober till the next April, I plowed the land, and 
the yield from that portion was much greater 
than from the adjoining land. I have seen simi¬ 
lar effects produced by piling lumber for a year or 
more on a piece of ground ; also, from brush- 
heaps lying in the same way. 
S.—Can you tell us, sir, why forest-lands which 
have been growing timber for centuries, do not 
become exhausted 1 The annual deposit of leaves 
does something, of course, to keep up its fertility, 
but not a great deal. Why should it not be as¬ 
cribed, chiefly, to the perpetual shading of the 
ground 1 If you ask farmers who raise flax and 
spread it on the land, whether the grass is more 
luxuriant under the flax, they will answer, yes. 
And why so, unless the shading of the soil pro¬ 
duces it'l Northern slopes of hills are more fer¬ 
tile than southern ; and why not because they are 
much in the shade 1 
W.—It is a frequent practice of southern farm¬ 
ers, immediately after cutting their clover, to top- 
dress with long manure, leaf-mold, dried peat, etc. 
Virginia farmers often sow peas after wheat, and 
very many ascribe the beneficial effects of this 
practice to the shading of the soil by the peas. 
We might multiply such facts and opinions 
from many parts of the country, hut these will 
suffice. Now, is there any foundation in fact and 
science for these opinions 1 We think there is. 
Not that there is fertility in the simple shade, but 
in certain effects produced by it. If there were 
fertility in mere shade, then the north side of 
every building and high fence would be richer 
than the other sides, which is not the fact. But 
this much is true, viz : if you cover the ground 
with some porous material, as straw, brush, leaf- 
mold, etc., it prevents the evaporation of mois¬ 
ture from the soil; it condenses certain volatile 
and useful gases from the atmosphere, through.the 
agency of dew and rain ; and it promotes the rapid 
decomposition of vegetable matter in the soil and 
on its surface. Hence one reason why mulching 
trees and plants is often so beneficial. But this, 
we believe, is the extent to which shade fertilizes 
any soil. 
Many of the effects commonly ascribed to 
shading the ground may be accounted for in other 
ways. The boards, brush, logs, straw, leaf-mold, 
etc., with which the soil is sometimes covered, 
decay more or less while lying on the ground, 
and impart fertility to it; and leaves and other 
perishable materials which lodge about them, 
slowly decay and leave fertilizing deposits behind 
them. If it be true, (which we somewhat ques¬ 
tion.) that the northern slopes of hills are richer 
than the southern, may not the constant freezing 
and thawing of the south side in winter, with the 
attendant washing away of fertility by snows and 
rains, be the chief cause of their exhaustion 1 
And as to peas and clover, and the like, benefiting 
land by their shade, we should rather ascribe it 
to their absorption of ammonia and carbonic acid 
from the atmosphere through their ample foliage, 
and then their being turned under as a green ma¬ 
nure. Or if these crops are mostly fed out to 
stock on the farm, they generally find their way 
back into the field, and that in a more savory and 
stimulating condition. * 
Eise and Fall of Sap—Interesting Ex¬ 
periment. 
The July Agriculturist, last year, (Vol. XVH, 
page 213.) contained an article on the “rise and 
fall of sap,” in which the opinion was maintained 
that the sap passes up through the new wood to 
the leaves, where it is elaborated, and that it af¬ 
terwards descends through the inner bark, depos¬ 
iting on its way, the materials for the formation of 
wood, bark, buds, etc. A subscriber, Mr. Chas. 
M. Keep, became interested in the subject, and 
tried the following experiment with a view of 
testing the accuracy of the theory. During the 
innoculating season, he took a bud from a pear- 
tree, and with it, the bark attached an inch above 
and one-fourth of an inch below. This was in¬ 
serted in the usual manner, except that the hori¬ 
zontal cut in the bark of the tree was made at 
the lower end of the vertical incision to cut off 
any sap that might flow upwards to supply the 
bud. The experiment was successful as far as 
the growth of the bud was concerned. This, 
however, is not conclusive as to the course 
of the sap ; for, in the usual method of bud¬ 
ding, the effect of the horizontal cut above the 
bud would as certainly prevent the downward 
flow of sap to heal the wound and form a union. 
It is probable that in either case enough of the 
fluid would find its way around the sides of the 
cross cut, through the bark, to secure the growth 
of the bud, other circumstances being favorable. 
If in a number of trees, the bark should be so cut 
away around the bud, that sap could only reach it 
from above, and in an equal number of others the 
same process should be applied, so as to give a 
supply of sap only from below, the results when 
compared would be more decisive. 
Watering Trees and Plants. 
When it is necessary to do this, do not just 
sprinkle the surface of the ground : this is “only 
an aggravation ” to the thirsty roots, and it leaves 
the ground in a bad state, hard and dry. Instead 
of this, remove the surface soil several inches 
deep, and give the roois a thorough soaking; 
then return the top soil, and mulch it with straw, 
leaves, tan-bark, or any such porous material. 
This will prevent the baking of the ground, and 
will keep the soil moist for a long time. The 
usual method of dashing water on the top of the 
ground is almost useless. Very little of the 
water so applied, reaches the roots of the tree. 
But carefully put into the ground, as we have 
mentioned, it will really answer some purpose. 
Head the Eunning Vines. 
Some of the squashes, melons, and cucumbers, 
are now pushing ahead as though bent on outdo¬ 
ing each other in the space they cover; but they 
show little fruit. Nip the ends and you force 
them into bearing. This may need a repetition 
in the course of a week or two. We have se¬ 
cured larger melons, squashes, etc., and more of 
them by this heading back. Beds of cucumbers, 
melons, and squashes may be kept in regular 
form (and the appearance of the whole garden be 
improved) by frequently pinching or cutting off the 
straggling vines. 
