1846. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
149 
mtgam Muunmii tMt^aym«w.a s agsagigagii 
DOWNING’S FRUITS AND FRUIT-TREES OF AMERICA 
Mr. Downing, by his admirable and excellent works 
on Horticulture, has become a public benefactor, and 
his reputation, as a native author, is a matter of lively 
pride to thousands of his countrymen. I shall there¬ 
fore feel no delicacy in making a few remarks on his 
works, in the pages of the Cultivator. 
His volumes on Landscape hardening and Rural 
Architecture, have created a new era in rural taste in 
this country. Over the whole country, it is plainly 
seen that, from the publication of these books, the dawn 
of real taste in cottages and grounds commenced. The 
elegant, the graceful and the expressive,—before so 
dim and obscure,—Mr. Downing has rendered clear and 
significant to the eyes of his countrymen. 
But I wish to speak now more especially of his last 
work, the “ Fruits and Fruit Trees of America.” 
This is his most useful and most laborious work; and 
after a pretty intimate acquaintance with all the best 
English and Continental works on Pomology, I must 
express my humble opinion that it is by far the most 
perfect treatise on the subject ever issued. I am as¬ 
sured by the publishers that five large editions have been 
sold since its first issue—a success which has no parallel 
in any work in gardening literature. It has penetrated 
to every part of this country. Its adaptation to our 
soil and climate, its systematic arrangement, the mi¬ 
nute practical observation evinced in every page, and 
above all, its clear and perspicuous style, have contribu¬ 
ted to its great popularity. They will contribute every 
day more and more to its greater usefulness. 
I have noticed, however, in some quarters, a strong 
disposition to attack this invaluable work on Pomology 
—to distort its meaning, and deny its merits. Because 
a work which every one admits, from the very nature 
of its subject, must embrace errors, really does contain 
some, this small party of fusilleers have opened their 
warfare against it. They have affected to deny its 
facts, condemn its heresies, and decry its want of origi¬ 
nality. 
Unfortunately they have nearly all belonged to a 
class so evidently interested in disproving certain home- 
truths in this work—certain habits of miscalling sorts— 
dealing in spurious kinds—and cultivating in a misera¬ 
ble manner, (by which only we poor consumers suffer,) 
that their motives have been understood by the public 
at large. 
“ Envy will merit, like its shade pursue, 
But like the shadow proves the substance true.” 
The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America have attracted 
eminent attention abroad. A late number of the Lon¬ 
don Gardener’s Chronicle contains flattering commenda¬ 
tions of the work from the pens of Lindley and Thomp¬ 
son. 
The master “ heresy ” with which Downing is charged 
by some of his critics, is that of attacking the the¬ 
ory of Knight and others, respecting the duration of 
varieties of fruit. He swept away with a clean stroke, 
the whole fabric raised by the late ingenious President 
of the London Horticultural Society, which was based 
on the idea that a given sort only lasts as long as its 
original or parent tree. 
It must be very gratifying to Downing, and discom¬ 
fiting to his critics, to see a late leading article in the 
first Horticultural paper in England, and written by the 
most distinguished of scientific horticulturists, Profes¬ 
sor Lindley, who takes precisely the same ground on 
this “heresy,” as that' first taken by Downing, in the 
appendix to his work on Fruits. 
I hope you w r ill allow me space for the following 
brief and pithy extract from the Professor’s article: 
“ We regard the notion that the races of plants wear 
out, as utterly baseless and visionary. It is very singu¬ 
lar that not one of all those writers, who have been fa¬ 
tiguing the public eye, should have perceived that the 
very few facts on which they rely are susceptible of a 
much more simple interpretation than that given by Mr. 
Knight, and caught up by themselves. It is marvellous 
that they should have imagined that the common sense ; 
to say nothing of science, of the intelligent cultivators 
of the present day should accept for truth such an extra¬ 
ordinary exhibition of false reasoning. One would 
think all death or disease was exclusively the conse¬ 
quence of old age.” 
Here is Mr. Downing’s greatest heresy proved to be 
ultra-orthordox! And now that I have proved myself 
one of his ardent admirers and disciples, I am 
Respectfully yours, J. J. King. 
New-York, March 17, 1846. 
CULTURE OF CARROTS. 
Mr. Tucker —This subject is too generally deemed 
of minor importance to the farmer, and of more trouble 
than profit; but from eight years experience, the writer 
of this article is convinced that it is worthy the atten¬ 
tion of all cultivators of the soil, as a source of profit, 
and as a means of increasing the health of man and 
beast. 
From 1000 to 2000 bushels of carrots may be raised per 
acre, on good land—1000 bushels per acre might be as 
common a yield as 40 bushels of corn. My method of 
sowing and cultivating this crop is described in the March 
number of the Cultivator for 1839. [On reference, we 
find Mr. Meacham's mode is in substance as follows:— 
First, the ground is plowed very deep—manured the 
year previous with “ long manure ” and “ hog manure,” 
quantity not stated—the furrows are harrowed level. 
Seed is sown by hand. Furrows for the seed are made by 
the hoe, the edge being reversed, twenty inches apart-— 
the seed dropped from dishes held in one hand, taking 
out the seed with the other, and being careful to hold 
the hand close to the ground to prevent the wind from 
blowing it away. Covered with the hoe—giving only 
a slight covering, which Mr. M. thinks is best, as he 
believes a shower of rain will bring up the seed with¬ 
out any covering, if the soil is loose and light—thinks 
the seed is often lost by deep covering; brushes th« 
ground over, with the hoe as soon as the carrots begin 
to come up; when they get well up, plows among the 
rows with a horse, “again and again.” When har¬ 
vested, runs a strong team and plows as near the out¬ 
side rows as possible, and deep turning the furrows 
from the rows; the hands follow after, and pull the 
carrots out with the hands.— Ed.] 
All kinds of soil, except wet, will produce good car¬ 
rots. They may be sowed from the middle of April 
till the middle of June—probably first of May is the best 
time. For a number of years past, I have raised from 
1000 to 1500 bushels per year. On rich soil, they will 
frequently grow to the size of five inches in diameter 
at the crown, and from one to two feet in length. They 
are profitable for every kind of live stock—more espe¬ 
cially for milch cows in the fall, winter, and spring*. I 
have known work horses kept throughout winter on 
carrots and hay, and they enjoyed good health and per¬ 
formed well. 
I can give some facts which are definite and to the 
point, in regard to the importance and profit of carrot¬ 
raising. 
Mr. David Bennett, a neighbor of mine, a judicious 
farmer of some 60 or 70 years of age, having never 
learned the value of carrots, thought them, as do many 
others, beneath the notice of the farmer? Last spring, 
he consented to cultivate six square rods, on condition 
that I would sow them, which I diJ. The season was 
dry, yet he harvested over 50 bushels of carrots from 
the ground, which is over 1,300 bushels per acre. He 
fed them at the rate of half a bushel per day, divided 
between a farrow cow of ordinary size, and a farrow 
heifer, three years old past. He commenced feeding 
them the first day of December last, and the result is, 
he has made since that time, from the cow and heifer, 
130 pounds of good butter, besides having plenty of 
good milk for two persons through the winter—an in¬ 
crease of more than half the quantity of slops for the 
pigs, a saving of more than half the usual quantity of 
hay fed to his cows, and his cows are in better health 
and better flesh. His butter is of better color and flavor. 
