1848. 
213 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
.Experiments with Copperas on Sickly Foliage. 
The day after the receipt of the Cultivator, which 
contained some statements relative to the beneficial ef¬ 
fects of a solution of sulphate of iron, (copperas,) on 
morbidly yellow foliage, I made a preparation of the 
salt by dissolving l drachm in a gallon of rain water. 
I say rain water, for some hard waters, as lime stone 
water, will rapidly decompose the sulphate, and make 
the experiment less satisfactory. This solution I sprin¬ 
kled over about fifty strawberry plants at one applica¬ 
tion ; and the next day, and the day after, I applied 
the same amount to them, and waited for the result. 
Twelve days have now elapsed, and much of that pe¬ 
riod has been very rainy. The soil of the bed is com¬ 
posed of rotted chips, leached ashes which contained 
lime, and pig-pen manure. Soon after transplanting 
the vines, the leaves began to fade to a sickly yellow; 
some, indeed, became almost white, and some plants 
died. Ail these morbid effects E would have ascribed 
to the soil, had I not discovered that some plants left 
in a former bed of ordinary garden earth, where they 
last year were healthy, had assumed more or less of 
the same yellow hue. 
A day or two after the last application of the solu¬ 
tion, the ground became obviously of a yellowish brown 
color, from the decomposition of the sulphate of iron. 
The rains probably interfered much with any effects 
which the immediate application of the solution to the 
leaves may have otherwise had; at the same time that 
the copperas, (180 grains in all,) by those very rains 
was more likely to be washed down within reach of 
the roots, than in a dryer state of the atmosphere. 
Again, I took up one of the worst plants which had 
not been treated with the solution; and after washing 
off all the soil from its roots, potted it in common gar¬ 
den soil. This ease was a desperate one, for the plant 
had but six leaves, not half an inch long, and nearly 
white. Call this No. 1. Another plant, stunted and 
with yellow leaves, was dug up, washed, and placed 
in a solution of several grains of copperas, in two oz. 
of water, and left for four or five hours; and then com¬ 
mon earth was added to absorb the solution, and in this 
slush it has been left till now. Call this No. 2. A 
third dwarf plant, with decidedly yellow leaves, was 
treated similarly, except that the soil added to the so¬ 
lution in which the roots were immersed, was taken 
from the strawberry bed in which the sickly plants 
grew. All these pots have been almost constantly 
drenched by the rains alluded to, and have had the be¬ 
nefit of but little sun; if, indeed, under the circumstan¬ 
ces, the sun’s strong rays would have been beneficial. 
Now for the results: 
The fifty plants treated with the solution, have now, 
at the expiration of twelve days, assumed a considera¬ 
bly greener hue than those of the other half of the bed 
which were left untouched, for the purpose of compari¬ 
son ; and to determine whether any change which might 
take place in the experimental plants, might not be 
due to the coincidence of other agencies as the wea¬ 
ther, or the recuperative powers of the plants. The 
difference in the two halves of the bed was very per¬ 
ceptible to three persons, who were not informed of 
my motive for requesting their judgment, until they 
bad expressed it. Their judgment was not biassed. 
In plant No. I, now, after eight days, there is no 
striking change. 
In No. 2, there was a decided improvement in five 
days, the leaves becoming of a lively green color, which 
they still retain. 
The third plant has been but three or four days un¬ 
der trial ; but it is now perceptibly improving is ver¬ 
dure. 
E will remark, by the way, that a young walnut tree 
(Juglans nigra,) two young coffee bean trees, (Gym- 
nocladus canadensis,) two Catawba grape vines, and 
one Elsinboro’ grape vine, all of which were trans¬ 
planted into the bed in which my sickly strawberries 
are, (except the walnut, which came up from a nut 
planted there,) are'in a thrifty condition, while two or 
three Cassia marylandjca plants, some parsley, onions, 
&c., transferred to the same bed, have some of them 
perished, while others remain stunted. 
I shall continue my experiments as occasion calls 
for them, having received encouragement enough to do 
so, from the results of the foregoing trials with the so¬ 
lution of copperas. Jno. T. Plummer. Richmond, 
Ind., 5 Mo. 22nd, 1848. 
The Orchard—Renovation of old Trees. 
Messrs. Editors —Among the many visible im¬ 
provements which are progressing with railroad speed, 
at the present time, the cultivation of improved varie¬ 
ties of fruit is beginning to be felt as a matter of grow¬ 
ing importance. The change which has taken place 
in public feeling, in regard to this subject, is truly won¬ 
derful and agreeable. Let us look at the contrast 
which a few years furnish in this particular. Formerly 
apple orchards were scattered abundantly over the 
country, but what were their products ? They yielded 
just such fruit as nature inclined them to yield. Not 
one tree in fifty, probably produced anything agreea¬ 
ble to the taste, while the stomach rose in utter rebel¬ 
lion, against their unsavory and sickening qualities. 
Consequently, public opinion in those days very near¬ 
ly coincided with that of a certain squaw, who said 
u what fools Adam and Eve were to eat the apple from 
the forbidden tree ! For her part she would much ra¬ 
ther have it made into cider.” Our apples, unpalata¬ 
ble to man, and almost obnoxious to beasts, were made 
into cider. Every cellar was furnished to overflowing 
with the article, and what could not be stowed at home, 
was taken to the distillery, and manufactured into bran¬ 
dy, a portion of which was returned and placed by the 
side of the cider casks for the future use of the far¬ 
mer. 
The temperance reform came, and a new and more 
cheerful feature was given to this state of things. Dis¬ 
tilleries were seen going to ruin, because farmers 
would not furnish them with the raw material for the ma¬ 
nufacture of blue ruin; and even distillers, many of them 
men of conscious integrity, saw the wrongfulness of 
manufacturing an article of such fatal consequences to 
the human race, were glad to close the fountains that 
poured out streams of liquid fire and death. 
A serious difficulty arose, however, at this point of 
the passing state of things. The fruit was, for th© 
most part of an inferior quality;—its value for stock 
had not been learned, and therefor© could not be ap¬ 
preciated, and consequently, what trees existed, beyond 
the necessary number to furnish fruit for family use, 
were, in too many instances, deemed fit only for the 
wasting fire. Consequently, it was not unusual to see 
whole orchards nearly destroyed root and branch, to 
give the land to what was then considered, more valu¬ 
able purposes. 
Here our farmers committed an almost inexcusable 
error. Had they waited only a year or two, until the 
value of apples, both for stock and market, was fully- 
determined, and then grafted these trees which were 
prematurely doomed to destruction, with choice varie¬ 
ties of fruit, they would not only have added an increased 
value to their estates by adopting a new means of in¬ 
creasing their 11 annual revenue,” but have conferred a 
benefit upon others who would have become partakers 
of the luxury their fields afforded, almost too great to 
be appreciated. 
The value of apples for domestic animals is being 
