838 
AMERICAN AGKRIC QLTURIST. 
then to get new roots to supply the loss of those 
cut off by the digging spade. Of course, then, 
we should plant the tree at that season when the 
earth is a little warmer than the air above ground, 
and when the branches will suffer least from 
evaporation. Now, is not that time in the Au¬ 
tumn, before cold weather sets in 1 Moreover, the 
experiment has been tried, and it has been found 
that trees, set out early in the Fall and then 
taken up again on the verge of Winter, have 
formed a mass of fibrous roots, and have become 
so well established in the ground that they would 
have grown the following year with considera¬ 
ble vigor. 
It should be considered that the prevailing 
dampness of the air in the Fall months is more 
favorable to the health of the tree, than the cold, 
dry winds of Spring. Then, again, the ground is 
generally in a better condition for working in the 
Fall than in the Spring. Autumn is also a sea¬ 
son of greater leisure than the Spring, and so en¬ 
sures the better performance of the work. It can 
not be repeated too often or too emphatically, 
that the greatest cause of the failure of newly 
planted trees at any season, is the hasty and im¬ 
perfect manner in which the holes are dug and 
the soil prepared for filling in around the roots. 
The long mild days of Autumn afford just the 
needful time for making all this preparation be¬ 
fore the trees are dug up. Then, again, if one is 
to purchase his trees from a nursery, he has a 
better assortment to choose from in the Fall than 
in the Spring. 
2. Let us now turn the tables. Admitting all 
that has been said in favor of Fall planting, it yet 
remains true that, tender trees and plants can not 
be removed at this season as well as in the Spring. 
The process of digging up trees, whether hardy 
or tender, carefully as it may be done, destroys a 
multitude of roots and fibers on which the life and 
health of the tree so much depend. But as a 
matter of fact, seven-eighths of all trees dug up 
are not taken up with care ; the roots are chop¬ 
ped off with a merciless spade, and more or less 
split and bruised, and after that they are left ex¬ 
posed for a considerable time in the sun and wind. 
The work of re-planting is often done in the same 
barbarous fashion. 
Again, trees are not generally set out early 
enough in the Fall, to enable them to heal over 
the wounds made and to form new roots before 
the setting in of cold weather. If planted late, 
they can not form a living connection with the 
soil, but stand all. Winter very much in the condi¬ 
tion of a post. Or again, if heavy rains fall, after 
planting, the ground becomes soft like mortar, in 
which the tree blows about, making a hole around 
the trunk, exposing the roots to the wind and to 
subsequent frosts. It frequently happens, also, 
that when the tree sways about in Winter against 
the frozen sides of this hole, the bark is chafed 
off completely. Moreover, if the soil is stiff and 
subject to standing water, the dormant roots be¬ 
come gangrened and perish, or are thrown out by 
the frost. 
3. On the whole, then, (if we venture any ad¬ 
vice,) we should say if one has much planting to 
do, he had better divide his work between Fall 
and Spring. But if he plants in the Fall, he should 
see to it that his ground is well drained and the 
soil well pulverized. If planting an orchard, the 
whole surface should be plowed and manured. 
He should take up his trees as early as possible 
after the frost checks vegetation, not waiting for 
all the leaves to fall: strip them off if they are 
very abundant. He should protect his trees in 
some way, against being blown about by the 
winds. This may be done by fastening them to 
stakes with wisps of straw, or leather bands, so 
as not to chafe the bark. A very good method is 
to make a hillock of dirt, a foot high around the 
collar and spread over the roots. This will keep 
the tree steady, guard it from excessive frost, and 
against the girdling of mice. The mound should 
be removed in Spring. Among the trees most 
suitable for Fall planting, are the apple, pear, 
cherry, plum, and native forest trees generally. 
If one has not time to plant all his trees in this 
thorough manner, he had best leave a part until 
Spring. Half-hardy varieties, and evergreens in 
particular should not be disturbed in the Autumn. 
If for any reason it becomes necessay to remove 
the first named in the Fall, they should be “heeled 
in ” in some dry, sheltered spot for the Winter, 
where they will not be exposed to bright suns or 
to piercing winds. They should then be set out 
early in the following Spring, before the growth 
commences. Those trees which generally suc¬ 
ceed best in Spring planting, are the peach, 
dwarf-pear, apricot, quince, all tender ornament¬ 
al trees and shrubs, and evergreens. Hardy, early 
starting plants, such as pajonies, dicentra, rhu¬ 
barb, currants, etc., should, of course, be set in the 
Fall. 
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What Varieties of Fruit to Plant. 
In our last (October) number, we gave an arti¬ 
cle entitled “ Plant Fruit Trees.” We now talk 
of what varieties to plant. And first, we will 
name the Atple, as this, after all, is the great 
and universal staple of the farmer’s fruit crop. 
Other tree fruits are so local in their extent of 
cultivation for market, beyond what are wanted 
for mere family use, that we postpone their dis¬ 
cussion for a future number. 
For market purposes the farmer wants a varie¬ 
ty of apple which is hardy in the tree, a constant 
bearer, if possible, vigorous in growth, and a 
popular, as well as decidedly good fruit in its sea¬ 
son. As to the season of ripeness, he must adapt 
that to the demands of his market. Early apples 
are perishable; therefore he must only have such 
a number of early trees as will give a supply for 
two, three, or four weeks in succession. So 
with the Autumn apples ; but their season being 
longer by a few weeks, the number of trees can 
he greater than that of early or summer apples. 
Next follow the winter varieties, and if a market 
be easily and cheaply accessible, one can scarce 
have too many trees, or pay too much attention 
to their cultivation. 
Now as to the sorts. Find out which the public 
most want, or which are most salable in mar¬ 
ket, and if you can grow these varieties, put 
three-fourths, or even nine-tenths of your trees 
into them alone. Let the others be of any “ fan¬ 
cy ” variety you like, but let your “ crop ” be 
alike—sure, only, that it is good. Two varieties 
are enough for early fruit—one acid, the other 
sweet. Wherever they will grow, the Early Har¬ 
vest, and Sweet Bough are the best, and most 
popular. If you can not grow these, get the next 
best varieties corresponding to their season, and 
so on, caring for no others, only by way of experi¬ 
ment, or for variety. Your apples become known, 
and the demand is always sure. You will find 
your account in it. 
For Autumn fruit, commencing early in Sep¬ 
tember, and ending early in December, three, or 
at most four varieties, are sufficient—one or two 
sweet, the other one, two, or three, sub-acid, or 
tart, each following the other in the season of 
ripening. The varieties of apple best suited to 
the soil, position, and climate, are so various, 
that we shall hardly venture to recommend any 
particular ones as best for all localities, and there¬ 
fore will only advise you to select popular fruits 
where you live, or where your market is, and 
stick to them almost without exception. Cook¬ 
ing into pies, tarts, sauces, baking, as well as 
drying, are the chief uses of the Autumn apples, 
and for these purposes they should be of good 
size, fair in shape and appearance, of agreeable 
color—red or yellow', usually—with crisp, and 
juicy flesh, and well flavored. Such are also 
good for cider, if you make the article. 
As Winter varieties, and carrying them further 
into the Spring, or even early Summer eating, 
two, three, or four sorts are enough ; as the 
Rhode Island Greening for early and mid-winter, 
the Spitzenberg, and Baldwin, for late winter and 
early spring, and the Roxbury, and Golden Rus¬ 
sets for late spring and early summer. We do 
not recommend these varieties solely, but as 
samples of succession in ripening, and which are 
widely cultivated in the Northern States. Fur¬ 
ther South, and West, are many local varieties 
better suited to the soils and climates than these, 
which we would have in their places ; but the 
succession should be the same. A sweet, as well 
as a tart apple should be in each season—the 
former for baking, being usually preferred, while 
the latter is most popular for cooking in pies, 
sauces, or dumplings. 
Thus, a dozen varieties, at the extent, are all 
that even the most extensive orchardist need cul¬ 
tivate, and less would be quite as well. In fact, 
he who grows hut two, or at the extent, three 
kinds of good winter apples, finds his account in 
it better, usually, than he who grows half a dozen 
sorts. We have often gone into a large orchard, 
and found half the fruit worthless, or wasting, 
near a large winter market, because the apples 
were of the wrong kinds, being an over-crop ot 
Summer and Autumn varieties, when if every 
single tree had been a winter apple, a brisk de¬ 
mand would clear every tree of its burthen at a 
round profit. We know it is hard to resist temp¬ 
tation in multiplying varieties. Some esteemed 
friend will recommend a certain kind he cultivates, 
or has seen growing elsewhere, as “ so good 
or your own eye, and taste, will be so tempt¬ 
ed by a new thing that you yearn to “ try ” them. 
But pay no attention to these, if you already 
have satisfactory kinds. We don’t believe that 
we have a really superior apple in our orchard, ol 
a variety less than fifty years old, unless it be one 
which has sprung up as a seedling in a newly set¬ 
tled district. A friend of ours, planting largely, 
some years ago, was so taken up with a new ap¬ 
ple which had lately been brought into notice, and 
so widely puffed in the pomologieal papers, that 
he grafted it into near half the trees in his or¬ 
chards, and after cultivating, coaxing, pruning, 
and trying them for a dozen years, and getting 
but two or three satisfactory crops in the whole 
time, while his long established varieties were 
yielding their annual crops in abundance, he had 
to go back, head down his new-fangled things, and 
graft in the old sorts, losing hundreds, if not 
thousands of dollars by his folly. 
Better winter apples need not be desired, when 
they will grow, than the Newtown Pippin, the 
Spitzenberg, the Rhode Island Greening, the 
Swaar, the Roxbury and Golden Russets, among 
the sub-acids, and the Talman Sweeting among 
the sweet ones. \Ve know it is hard work to 
keep our fingers off the whole of these, but if we 
were to grow apples for a livelihood, we would 
confine ourselves to two or three of them alone. 
If the brain sow not corn, it plants thistles 
