1«47. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
87 
while the other exhibits little or no beauty. There are 
many flowers which always face the light or the sun; 
consequently the beds should be so placed that the spec¬ 
tator in the walk or window, should look them full in 
the face . That is, the strongest light, and the position 
of the spectator should always be on the same side of 
the bed. This will be found particularly necessary with 
the pansy or tri-colored violet, and some other of the 
smaller flowering plants. 
Best Sites for Fruit Gardens. —Edson Harkness, 
of Peoria, Ill., who has had much experience in fruit 
raising, makes the following statement in relation to the 
culture of the peach and grape, (which are partially 
tender,) which will be found to contain valuable infor¬ 
mation to western fruit cultivators, and which fully ac¬ 
cords with experience elsewhere. “ The peach and 
grape flourish best upon our highest lands*, and upon a 
thin soil; and it does not seem expedient to cultivate 
these fruits extensively on any other. The beautiful, 
gently swelling hills, called mounds, which are found 
interspersed all over our prairie country, are, so far as 
tried, peculiarly adapted to the culture of the peach and 
the vine. The exemption of the mounds from frost, 
after vegetation starts in the spring, gives them a great 
advantage over lower situations. During the last ten 
years, the wild grapes upon our highest lands have not 
been injured by frost, while in the low lands or hollows, 
they have been destroyed nearly every alternate year. 
And when the peach trees are injured by the winter in 
every other situation, those on the mounds escape. 
The Minister Apple. —This apple, first brought to 
notice by the late Robert Manning, has lately been 
recommended by various writers as one of the very finest 
of all fine apples. From a full examination of speci¬ 
mens produced in western New-Yorkfor two years past, 
the writer has been unable to place it higher than second 
rate in flavor, though a fine-grained, large, and fine 
looking apple. 
Fruit Trees Gnawed. —A correspondent of the 
Gardener’s Chronicle, finds that a mixture of soot and 
milk, applied with a brush to fruit trees, protects them 
from rabbits. According to Downing’s Horticulturist, 
a mixture of tar and milk, in proper portion to be of the 
thickness of paint, is a good application. 
Cranberries on Upland. —A. Burnham states in 
the Massachusetts Plowman, that he set out cran¬ 
berries from the swamps, on good corn ground, of a 
loamy character, in hills to admit the cultivator, and 
clean hoeing. A part had six inches square of muck 
on the roots, and others none; both did equally well. 
The transplanting w r as done early in spring; they 
bloomed about mid-summer, and bore fruit the same 
year. u The fruit,” he states, “ is large and handsome, 
many of the hills yielding a pint of berries.” T 
PREMIUM CROPS OF VERMONT. 
We have often thought, that in regard to climate and 
natural advantages, too much importance is given to the 
idea, that the south and southwest portions of the country 
are superior to the northern and New-England states. 
Some people, for instance, appear to entertain the belief 
that Vermont is located so far in the Boreal regions, 
that she must ever be subject to an ungenial clime, and 
prevented from being distinguished as an agricultural 
state. Perhaps a lingering idea of this kind in the mind of 
the writer, was one cause of the agreeable surprise he 
experienced when he for the first time passed through a 
portion of the Green Mountain state. The section al¬ 
luded to is composed chiefly of the counties of Rutland, 
Addison, and Chittenden. Perhaps there are other por¬ 
tions of the state of equal quality; but we can safely 
say, that we have never passed through three counties 
of any other state, where the general condition of things 
indicated a more independent and intelligent agricultu¬ 
ral population. 
In amount and value of agricultural products, also, 
it is believed that some parts of Vermont are not be¬ 
hind any other section of the country. It has been sta¬ 
ted by one who had carefully examined the statistical 
returns, that the county of Caledonia, (the northern 
boundary of which is only twenty-five miles south of the 
45th degree of north latitude,) produces more in pro¬ 
portion to its farming population, and the number of 
cultivated acres, than any part of the Union. [See 
Cultivator, new series, vol. 1, p. 273.] 
We have been led to these remarks from having late¬ 
ly seen in the Vermont papers, notices of the premiums 
awarded for crops grown last year, by various county 
agricultural societies in that state. We give herewith 
a brief abstract of the yield of the crops of wheat, corn, 
and oats, which received premiums. 
The premium crops for winter wheat in the county of 
Addison, were 59 bushels 12 quarts per acre, for the 
crop which took the first premium, and 39 bushels for 
that which took the second premium. For Chittenden ( 
county, the premium crop was 41 bushels per acre; for 
Windsor county, it was 35| bushels, for the first premi¬ 
um, and 28 bushels for the second; for Franklin county, 
it was 38| bushels. 
For spring wheat , the yield of the crop which took 
the first premium in Addison county, was 56 bushels 
per acre, and that which took the second premium, 40 
bushels per acre; for Chittenden county, the yield of the 
premium crop was 31 bushels per acre; for Rutland 
county it was 27| bushels; for Windsor county, 32 
bushels, for the first premium, and 3l£ bushels for the 
second premium. 
For Indian corn , the yield for the crops whioh took 
the first and second premiums in Addison county, were 
113 bu., and 82| bu.; for Chittenden county there were 
four premiums, and the yield of the respective crops 
was as follows:—944, 93, 85g, and 80, bu. per acre; for 
Rutland county, the premium crop was 88 bu. per acre; 
for Windsor county, 119 bu., and 106 bu. per acre; for 
Franklin county, there were four premiums, and the 
respective yields were 1014, 100, 744, 734 bu. per 
acre. 
Of oats, the premium crops of Chittenden county 
were 67 bu. and 64 bu. per acre; for Rutland, 83| bu.; 
for Windsor county, 93| bu., and 80 bu.; for Franklin 
county, 63 bushels. 
We notice that in Franklin county a premium was 
awarded for 960 bushels of carrots produced on an acre. 
These would certainly be considered remarkable crops 
for any part of the country; and they indicate the spirit 
which we are confident pervades the farmers of Ver¬ 
mont to a wide extent, for the advancement of improved 
agriculture. Nowhere is a more general inquiry awa¬ 
kened, or a more liberal patronage bestowed on agri¬ 
cultural publications, and we cannot doubt that the le¬ 
gitimate results of this spirit are evinced in the pros¬ 
perous condition of the farmers and the bountiful crops’ 
they obtain. 
