1847. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
375 
The above is a cut of the Cherry plum, sometimes 
called the Early Scarlet, and known in Europe as the 
Myrobolan. Mr. Downing describes this fruit in the 
Horticulturist as follows: 
“ The Cherry Plum is not a high-flavored fruit; it is 
only what may be called one of pleasant flavor. But 
it is, we believe, the earliest of plums; it ripens at a 
season when fruit of every kind is exceedingly scarce; 
and it is quite an ornamental as well as acceptable ad¬ 
dition to the desert in the month of July.” 
It is considered a poor bearer; but Mr. D. states 
that Mr. Samuel Reeve, of Salem, N. J.,has adopted 
a method by which the variety is made productive, and 
he finds its culture as a market fruit very profitable. 
He supposes its usual non-productiveness is owing to 
too great a production of leaves and wood. “He 
therefore,” it is said, “ transplants his bearing trees 
every five or six years. In this way, the over-luxu¬ 
riance is checked, and an abundant crop of fruit sets 
and ripens every year.” It is stated that Mr. R. sends 
this kind of plum to the Philadelphia market early in 
July, when it brings from five to eight dollars per bu¬ 
shel. Mr. Downing suggests that voot-pruning , per¬ 
formed every two or three years, would answer the 
same purpose as transplanting. 
Application of Salt to Plum Trees. —On page 
255 of the present volume of the Cultivator, it is stated 
that Judge Cheever had lost three plum trees from 
putting salt round them. Last winter I had occasion 
to empty some fish barrels, and I directed the man to 
put, the contents round some plum trees that had not 
growh much the previous season. He put four pails- 
ful (the common painted pail,) round four trees. The 
brine and salt together came in immediate contact 
with the body of each tree. I shortly after saw the 
communication of Mr. Shurtleff in the Horticulturist, 
and considered our plum trees as bad as dead. But 
they are worth a good many dead ones, and have made 
good shoots this season, some of which are two feet 
long. The trees were ^et out in the spring of ’46. 
It may be that the frozen state of the ground prevent¬ 
ed the salt and brine from penetrating, and allowed it 
to be washed away before the opening of spring. H. 
W. Crosby. Easton , Pa. 
BANKING UP THE TRUNKS OF TREES. 
As a subscriber and young farmer, I take the liberty 
of applying to you for information respecting some old 
trees,, whose roots have become exposed by the wash¬ 
ing of the water along shore, and which I am now 
about to cover with fresh earth, and build a wall to 
protect the sea from making further inroads. On the 
principle that covering the base of a tree with earth 
destroys it, I am apprehensive that the same may occut 
where the roots have been so long exposed as in this 
case, (say 10 or 15 years.) 
If the above query comes within the range of yout 
experience, please inform me through the pages of 
the Cultivator, and add to the much valuable informa 
tion already obtained therefrom by 
Your obedient servant, D. L. Suydam. 
Remarks. — A difference between the roots and the 
trunk of a tree, is, that while the roots, though con¬ 
stantly immersed in water, will not absorb any more 
than the best healthy condition requires; the bark of 
the trunk similarly situated, soon becomes overcharged, 
and unless relief is afforded, decay follows. In small 
trees, and in branches buried as layers, this relief is 
obtained by the part itself gradually changing in cha¬ 
racter to that of a root. The older the tree becomes, 
the more slowly this change takes place, either from 
the nature of a trunk to a root, or vice versa. Hence 
caution must be used in banking the earth high round 
the stems of large trees. 
The time required to convert the large roots of a 
full grown tree to the nature of the stem, is unknown 
to us. It may be questioned whether in the cases 
above-mentioned, this change has yet been more than 
partial; if it has not fully taken place, the hazard of 
banking up would be lessened. In order, however, to 
insure their safety, and to allow them gradually to 
assume their former character, it may be prudent to 
place small stone or gravel in immediate contact with 
the roots as they are covered, which, though it may 
exclude the light, will permit the surface to remain 
dry during most of the time, if an outlet below is pro¬ 
vided for the drainage of these beds of stones or gravel. 
The above inquiry has been accidentally neglected 
for a few months. 
Winter Apples in Ohio. —In southern Ohio, a 
selection of good-keeping winter apples appear to be 
needed, quite different from the old standard sorts of 
New-England and New-York. The Baldwin, a good 
keeper in New-Engladd, is there only an autumn fruit. 
Would not the Newtown pippin, Northern Spy, Eng¬ 
lish Russet, and Tewksbury blush, prove good keepers 
in Ohio ? 
Profit? of Fruit.—P. Barry, of the Genesee Far¬ 
mer, says that when in the garden of Geo. Hoadley, 
Esq . r of Cleveland, the present season, the crop of a 
single cherry tree was sold for $10. The tree was 
eleven years old, and not larger than seven-year plant¬ 
ed trees at Rochester. 
The Norway Spruce. —Robert Nelson, of New- 
buryport, Mass., says that manure is, almost death to 
the Norway spruce, which is most fond of sandy, or 
still better, of gravelly soil. 
