PICTORIAL CULTIVATOR ALMANAC. 
17 
THE CIRCLE OF FRUITS. 
Are our farmers—or sucli of them as have abundant 
means' for this purpose—supplied with good fruit dur¬ 
ing tl]e whole twelve months ? Is there any one com¬ 
modity, more calculated to increase the pleasures of 
the country, and to render home attractive to young 
people, than fine, ripe, fresh fruit, of one’s own raising, 
during the entire season ? 
Many have adopted a very 
erroneous opinion, and sup¬ 
pose the “ fruit season ” to 
be a small portion of the 
year. A good selection 
would extend the period of 
actual bearing and ripening 
in the open air, to nearly 
six months; and such kinds 
as possess keeping proper¬ 
ties, if insufficient quantity, 
would supply the other six. 
The first fruits ripen, even 
so far north as Albany and 
Rochester, by the first day Burr’s New Pine. 
of summer, and two weeks earlier at Philadelphia and 
New-York. Three varieties of the cherry—the Early 
May, May Bigarreau, and Early Purple Guigne—mature 
simultaneously with the Duke of Kent and Large Early 
Scarlet Strawberries; a host of other fine varieties 
of both these kinds immediately succeed them. Cur¬ 
rants and Raspberries soon join 
the list; the Primordian plum, 
the Amire Joannet and Made¬ 
leine pears, and several deli¬ 
cious apricots are on hand by 
wheat harvest. After which the 
profusion of peaches, pears, ap¬ 
ples, plums, grapes, &c., fur¬ 
nish the richest supplies through 
autumn. Grapes and pears may 
be kept till spring, and apples 
till the succeeding summer. 
But, let it be remembered, that 
if the long-keepers are not laid 
in in very liberal quantities, the „ , , 
stores Avill soon be exhausted. Red Antwer P- 
The loss by unavoidable decay, as well as by consump¬ 
tion, must be allowed for An excellent mode of keep¬ 
ing winter and spring apples, in the absence of a better, 
was this: 11 Lock them up in a cool, dry cellar, and 
hide the key.” The error was in the limited supply; 
its correction, is to supersede the necessity by an abun¬ 
dant store. Every cultivator, 
therefore, while he plants liberally 
of the earliest ripening varieties, 
must plant still more liberally of 
long-keepers; for while the former 
are soon succeeded by others, the 
latter must extend their benefits 
through a long and otherwise 
dreary period. 
Raising Quinces. —A corres¬ 
pondent of the Horticulturist, 
who raises this fruit of extraordi¬ 
nary excellence, pursues the fol¬ 
lowing course-. He selects good, 
deep, dry, rich soil, which is deep- 
cried by a thorough use of the sub- ' n 
soil plow, and manure applied co¬ 
piously and deeply, by dropping 
it in the bottom of each furrow as ~ p 
the plowing proceeds. Large and 
deep holes are dug for the trees; each receives half a 
barrel of good compost ; the branches arc shortened one- 
half, before setting, and the soil well settled among the 
roots by drenching with water before the hole is quite 
filled. All fruit trees, by the way, should receive this 
good treatment. He docs not lose one tree in a hun¬ 
dred, by this excellent practice. 
The pruning is given in autumn, and consists of cut¬ 
ting out, as sparingly as possible, and only old, crooked, 
crowded, and decayed brandies. Every autumn, ma¬ 
nure is spread round each tree, and after a light plow¬ 
ing in spring, salt is spread broadcast at the rate of ten 
bushels per acre. The salt is regarded of very great 
consequence, but it must be 
applied in connexion with 
free manuring every year. 
The ground is kept mellow 
and clean by constant culti¬ 
vation,potatoes,sugar beets, 
See., being found well adapt¬ 
ed to the purpose. The prin¬ 
cipal secret of success, it 
will thus be perceived, con¬ 
sists in cultivating and do¬ 
ing every thing in the best 
manner; while others, who 
do not succeed, do not cul- 
Blade Prince. the “ tre <f j“ a1 '- „ 
The writer states that a 
good crop of quinces may be obtained three years after 
transplanting, and the trees will continue in a produc¬ 
tive state thirty years. 
Raspberries. —These should be pruned as soon as 
the surface of the ground becomes thawed in spring. 
All the old stems, and all the 
smaller young shoots, should 
be cleared away to the ground, 
and about half a dozen of the 
largest stems of last year’s 
growth left tor bearing. Their 
upper extremities, for a foot or 
two, should be cut off, being 
weak and useless, and detri¬ 
mental, from their weight and 
shade. The remaining stems, 
if not of a stiff and upright va¬ 
riety, should be loosely tied to 
stakes. 
Fastoiff. Hardy Grapes need prun¬ 
ing early, before the sap flows and bleeding commences. 
A moderate bleeding need not be feared, but if profuse, 
it is detrimental. The sooner the work is done in the 
spring the better. The Isabella, Bland, Catawba, and 
other American varieties, are of such rampant growth, 
that when only a few years old, they bear most abun 
dantly, and hence the inexperienced culti- 
^ vator concludes that pruning is not neces¬ 
sary, and that they do better without it. 
A most erroneous conclusion—for the vines 
by such neglect, soon become a mass of 
thickly matted stems and branches, their 
vigor is exhausted, and diminutive crops 
)' of poor fruit are the result. But by good 
pruning they may be kept in perennial 
vigor and undiminished productiveness. 
Cultivating Dwarf Pears. —Every in¬ 
telligent fruit raiser is aware of the neces¬ 
sity of cultivating and manuring the soil 
well, for dwarf pear trees. S. B. Parsons 
states that lie has 1700'trees on four acres— 
jp° that he applied to this orchard last spring, 
$150 worth of manure, and gathered in the 
autumn 275 bushels of potatoes, 30 tons 
Spur pruning. sugar beets, and a large quantity of tur- 
neps and cabbage—paying the expenses of 
manure and cultivation, and giving the pear trees a 
vigorous impulse. 
Fruit Trees which lack vigor of growth, should be 
stimulated with a good coating-of old manure, spaded 
in as soon as the frost leaves the ground. Soapsuds 
is good for any tree, and especially for the peach. 
