1847. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
339 
In conclusion the following astounding suggestion is 
presented, that, if all the land now under grain cul¬ 
ture in the state of New-York, was adapted to the drill, 
and that alone used, the value of the actual increase of 
the wheat crop alone, would amount to near four mil¬ 
lions of dollars, and of other grain about three millions 
of dollars. From these considerations, I am free to 
say, that the Patent Lever Drill or Seed Planting Ma¬ 
chine, is the most, valuable, wealth-increasing, agri¬ 
cultural implement ever introduced, since the cast iron 
plow first made its appearance. Very respectfully, 
yours, &c., C. Masten. Penn Yan, Sept. 21, 1847. 
[We understand these drills will be manufactured 
and for sale at Rochester,Geneva, and Penn Yan, where 
Mr. Masten resides, who will dispose of rights to 
manufacture them in other places.— Ed.] 
THE ORCHARD AND THE GARDEN. 
Budding once more. —An article of mine, propos¬ 
ing some improvements in budding young trees, ap¬ 
peared, I think, in your Oct. number, 1846, and received 
several subsequent notices Now, sirs, I frankly state, 
that I think I was too hasty in adopting notions ex¬ 
pressed in that article. With too little time for a fair 
experiment, I drew some conclusions the value of which 
I now question. For example:—At the time I wrote 
I had several budded peach trees and pear trees, that 
were budded in July, and topped down in order to se¬ 
cure a present year’s growth, and thus gain a season. 
I can now state the result: which was, that I saved not 
a single bud thus got forward, from the winter. Not 
being well wooded, t'ney all died. And, agreeably to 
a suggestion of one of your most experienced corres¬ 
pondents, one tree itself also died'—not probably, as he 
supposed, by being poisoned by the dead bud inserted, 
but being too much cut down, and by being deprived 
of its leaves in a growing part of the season, when a 
tree could hardly live without lungs. No tree can be 
deprived of its leaves by grafting, budding, or feeding 
silk worms, without endangering its growth and exis¬ 
tence. I conclude that the old way of budding, with a 
very slight topping, is yet the best. 
One word on transplanting trees :—Some little ex¬ 
perience induces me to think that peach trees, and per¬ 
haps other small trees, may be transplanted any month 
in the year, by adopting the following suggestions:— 
First, clip off most of the leaves. With the leaves on, 
a rapid evaporation of sap takes place, seen in the 
wilting of the leaves, and if continued, will soon be 
seen in the shrivelling of the bark. Consequently we 
secondly suggest the keeping of them as short a time 
as possible out of the ground. Thirdly, it is of incal¬ 
culable importance in taking up trees, that the ground 
be loosened by a crowbar as far as the roots extend, 
and that all of the roots be obtained. You are very 
much mistaken if you suppose you have purchased fifty 
trees, if the vender has not sent you the roots. And 
having obtained the roots of your trees, you will find it 
no easy matter to set them out again without liberal 
holes for them. And to have your ground rich, is as 
necessary for success as where you are designing a 
good harvest of corn. The smaller the trees when 
taken up, the better. 
Messrs. Editors, will you tell me why my Isabella 
grapes, during August, this year and last, are very 
much given to rot upon the vine ? Is there any reme¬ 
dy? R. T. Prospect , Conn. 
N. B. I tried budding in May from scions, cut early 
for grafting, and did not succeed in making one grow. 
Dubois’ Early Golden Apricot. —This is a seed¬ 
ing variety, originated by our neighbor, Mr. Charles 
Dubois, of Fishkill Landing, N. Y. It has attracted 
our attention for two or three years past, and as it ap¬ 
pears well worthy of something more than a local re¬ 
putation, we have procured specimens from the origi¬ 
nal tree, and now publish a correct description of this 
new variety. 
Though this apricot is of small size, and simply good 
flavor, it has two qualities which will, we think, ren¬ 
der it popular among fruit cultivators. The first is 
its great productiveness at . all seasons ; and the second, 
its comparative exemption to the attack of the curculio. 
We may give a pretty correct idea of the Early 
Golden Apricot by saying that the crop of fruit borne 
by the original tree (which is growing in common 
loamy soil without preparation) has been sold in the 
New-York market, for the last three years, at prices 
varying from $4 to $16 per bushel. In 1844 the crop 
of this tree brought $45; in 1845, $50; and the last 
year it was sold for $90. The fruit is very fair in ap¬ 
pearance, and bears carriage to market well. 
Mr. Dubois, who is a pretty extensive orchardist, 
finds that in Reasons when the fruit of the Moorpark — 
one of the best and surest sorts—nearly all drops before 
maturity, stung by the curculio, that of the Early Gol- 
den hangs in rich clusters on every limb. With him, 
indeed, this sort among the apricots, appears to be 
avoided by this insect, in the same way that the com¬ 
mon Damson does among plums—probably from the 
thickness or some other peculiarity of the skin. 
We cannot but think, therefore, that in all parts of 
the country where the sorts of apricots already in cul¬ 
tivation fail because stung by the curculio, this variety 
will be likely to give aoundant crops. The tree, pro¬ 
bably from being a native seedling, is also more thrifty 
and hardy than most other sorts. 
Mr. Dubois has propagated quite a stock of young 
trees, and will, in the autumn, supply orders at a very 
moderate price. 
Dubois’ Early Golden Apricot. —Fruit small, about 
14 inch in diameter, roundish-oval, w‘th the suture nar¬ 
row but well marked, but extends only half way round. 
Skin smooth, uniform pale orange. Flesh orange, 
moderately juicy and sweet, with a very good flavor; 
separates from the stone. The latter is oval, very lit¬ 
tle 1 compressed, kernel sweet. Ripens from the 10th 
to the 15th of July, ten days before the Moorpark.— 
Hort.for Aug. [See adv. in Oct. number, p. 325.] 
Soil for young Trees. —We believe it is gene¬ 
rally admitted, that transplanted trees succeed best 
when their early growth has been in soil similar to that 
for which they are destined to be placed permanently. 
If raised in such soil, and transplanted to that which 
is thin and poor, they seem to receive a shock from 
which they with difficulty recover. As a gentleman 
once remarked, it is like feeding a calf with all the 
milk he will take till he is six months old, and then 
suddenly turning him off to live on a short pasture. 
Mr. Charles H. Tomlinson, of Schenectady, who 
has of late years been much interested in the culture 
of fruits, informs us that trees grown in nurseries on 
the rich alluvial lands of the Mohawk, do not thrive 
