149 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
May 
tide to pack about the roots of trees that are to be sent 
a great distance, or kept out of the ground a long time. 
T. G. Yeomans. Walworth , Feb. 17, 1847. 
Raised Foot-paths. —Paths through the yard, near 
dwellings in the country, may be rendered much more 
convenient, and be much more easily kept in order, by 
raising an embankment from one to two feet in height. 
Two years ago, we dug a well, and had a quantity of 
the broken slate arranged for this purpose. It proved 
to be a labor-saving operation. Even when deep snows 
fall, very little (comparatively) settles on this ridge ; 
and it is but a small job to keep the path Open, while 
ail the rest of the year, it maj be safely traversed v fth 
slippers or thin shoes without wetting our feet, as tne 
rain soaks away from the surface almost as soon as it 
falls. It. is never slippery like plank or boards.—D. T. 
3 mo. 20, 1847. ...... 
£c Peculiar growth of varieties.” —As charac¬ 
teristics to distinguish one variety from another, I ap¬ 
prehend that too much importance has been attached to 
minute descriptions of the growth of the tree, and the ap¬ 
pearance of the buds and leave's. Such marks have led 
some pomologists into great mistakes. A few years ago, 
a kind friend sent me scions of what he intended for the 
- Karly Red Margaret and when the grafts grew, I ob¬ 
served that they greatly resemled in their downy leaves 
and slender twigs some that I had obtained from the late 
Robert Manning; but when the former came into 
bearing, it proved to be a winter apple! almost white ! 
and not worth the trouble of gathering! I see one at this 
very moment from my window, hanging on the tree. 
Now had my obliging correspondent paid less attention 
to what he considered the peculiarity of leaf , and more 
to the peculiarity of fruit, he would have been saved 
from a blunder, and I from the toil of heading-down and 
grafting the tree anew.—D. Thomas. Greatjield, 3 d mo. 
31, 1847. . 
Planting Orchards. —Apple trees should be plant¬ 
ed about 30 feet distant from each other; pears and 
cherries, 20 feet; plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots, 
and almonds, 12 feet. The large intervening space be¬ 
tween the rows of apple and pear trees., may be filled 
up with rows of pears on quince at 8 or 10 feet apart, 
or with peaches, plums, &.C., and thus all portions of 
the land will be productive of fruit crops during the pe¬ 
riod the apples and the pears on the pear stock, are at¬ 
taining their full development. Quinces should be 
planted about 8 to 10 feet apart, and as they flourish 
most in a damp soil, they may be planted in locations 
that are too moist for most other fruits. The grape 
delights in a deep friable soil, and although usually 
found growing in a wild state in moist locations, it ac¬ 
commodates itself to all soils that will admit of its roots 
penetrating deep and wide, to abstract the requisite 
nourishment, and there is perhaps no other plant that 
is susceptible of such universal adaptation to climate 
and soil by proper management. Wm. R. Prince. 
Flushing. L. I., April, 1847. 
Transplanting Trees. —For the northern section 
of the country, the fore part of May is not too late for 
transplanting trees; at least it will do to transplant 
them till their leaves have considerably expanded. 
Forest trees, designed for ornamental grounds and for 
shade, should be grown from seed in nurseries, or open 
grounds: but where these have not been provided, trees 
from the woods may answer as a substitute. If the 
forest is resorted to, it should be the object to obtain 
trees which have been as much as possible exposed to the 
air or light, and which have good tops, well balanced and 
regular. Trees of this description will be found to have 
the best roots, and are most likely to live and thrive. 
Those which have long slender trunks with but few 
branches, especially if the branches are chiefly on one 
side, should not be taken. 
In setting out trees, care should be observed that 
they are not set too deeply in the ground. They do not 
require to be placed any deeper than they formerly stood. 
For forest trees, particularly the maple, elm and ash, 
covering the roots with muck, or the decayed leaves and 
turf from the woods, will be found very useful in giving 
the trees a start. 
For evergreens, it is contended by some who have had 
considerable experience in the business, that it is best 
to transplant them quite late in spring, or the first 
of summer. J. Stetson states, in the Massachusetts 
Plowman, that he has succeeded in transplanting ever¬ 
greens any time from April to June, if taken fi an a 
nursery, because they t .ere form so compact a body of 
roots, that there is no danger with ordinary care, of 
shaking the earth from them. He has had the best suc¬ 
cess in planting in June. He planted 150 white pines, 
on the 22d of June, 1826, and the whole lot with the 
exception of three, lived. These three had the earth 
beaten off their roots in being moved, and, as was to 
have been expected, died. 
In some trials wdiich were made in this vicinity last 
year, almost equal success attended the planting. 
Black Knots on Plums. —Whatever be the cause 
of this disaster, there need be no difference or difficulty 
with regard to its prevention. Excision and burning of 
the affected branches has proved completely effectual 
where promptly and unremittingly applied. Some, in¬ 
deed, have complained of failure; but in these cases the 
disease appears to have made great progress before the 
remedy was applied; or else the operation was not 
closely followed up on every successive appearance of 
the excresenees. 
Some readers will remember to have seen notices of the 
efficacy of washing the branches in strong brine. Some 
instances have lately occurred where the application of 
soft soap has given a similar result; and an acquaintance 
has very successfully applied a mixture of soft soap and 
salt. The excresenees, if recent, soon wither and dis¬ 
appear. It may happen however, that some parts of 
the trees or remote branches may be inaccessible, and 
that excision may prove the easier of the two. T. 
Wash for Fruit Trees. —Lime wash, or white¬ 
wash, is not considered as good for trees as potash- 
wash. The latter is made by dissolving potash in 
water, at the rate of one pound to a gallon. It may 
be applied with a brush, in the spring, or at any other 
season, and will, by one or two applications, render the 
bark smooth and clean. For old trunks, with thick and 
rigid bark, Mr. Downing, (in.the Fruit and Fruit Trees 
of America.) recommends a wash of soft soap. He 
thinks it better for this purpose than potash. “ as a 
portion of it remains on the surface of the bark for some 
time, and with the action of every rain is dissolved and 
penetrates into every crevice, destroying the insects and 
softening the bark itself.” 
Invigorating Fruit Trees. —The papei’s often con¬ 
tain notices of the advantages of applying ashes, salt, 
cindei’s, charcoal, lime, soot, &c., to fruit trees, to in¬ 
crease their growth; these are often beneficial in mode¬ 
rate quantities, and occasionally eminently so in certain 
conditions of the tree or soil; but the treatment which 
is most strikingly beneficial, and in the greatest number 
of cases, is to make the soil deep and rich, and to keep 
it clean and mellow by constant cultivation. Hence 
the selection of stony ground or side-hills is bad policy. 
Public Pleasure Grounds. —The Tennessee Far¬ 
mer states that measures are in progxcss for purchasing 
a piece of ground at Nashville for a garden for horticul¬ 
tural improvement and ornamental pleasure grounds. 
This is well worthy the imitation of other cities. T c 
