1851. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
365 
€{ie Inrtirultol lepnrtrarat. 
CONDUCTED BY J. J. THOMAS, MACEDON, N. Y. 
The Secret of a Great Improvement. 
Three agencies have been at work for several years 
past, in extending to a prodigious extent the planting of 
fruit trees. One is agricultural publications ; another is 
horticultural exhibitions ; a third is the money offered 
by fruit-dealers in market. There is still another, which 
to most persons remains a profound secret, (judging from 
their actions,) although it is comprehended and carried 
out with great success by a few. If this secret were but 
well understood, generally, it would certainly give an 
impetus to the culture of fruit, such as it has never yet 
received. 
It consists simply in a full appreciation of the truth, 
that fruit trees, through all stages of their existence, 
need care and attention. The gardener, who plants cab¬ 
bages, melons, and celery, knows that he will get rather 
a scant reward for his labor, if he takes no further care 
of them after they are planted; and the farmer who for¬ 
gets to hoe his corn, potatoes and carrots, will be remind¬ 
ed of his negligence in due time, when the day of need 
approaches. But a different feeling seems to have fas¬ 
tened on the minds of a great many who set out fruit 
trees. They appear to take it for granted, that when 
this is done their labors have legitimately ended, and 
that nothing now remains but to await their time, and 
partake of the fruit. Talk to them of watching over 
and taking proper care of their trees, and they regard 
it as a grievous burthen that we are about to impose 
upon them. Show them by actual results that a peck 
of peaches may not only be had more cheaply, but much 
better in quality, by reasonable care, and they will per¬ 
haps admit it for a moment, but their subsequent prac¬ 
tice shows that it was only a floating thought. We see 
the effects of this mistaken notion in the multitudes of 
feeble and sickly young trees, enveloped in weeds and 
grass; in the fruitless plum and apricot trees, which 
have lost abundant half grown crops by the sting of the 
curculio; in the destruction of loads of reddening cher¬ 
ries, swept off by flocks of the cedar bird; in the mice- 
girdled apple trees, the black-knotted plums, the blight- 
stricken pears, the thriftless peaches, dwindling in pre¬ 
mature age, from a want of pruning, or dying of yel¬ 
lows. It is no wonder that many without orchards are 
deterred from planting by such poor examples, or those 
who have them, from renewing them, by such discour¬ 
aging results. 
On the other hand, one good example of careful and 
successful culture,—one orchard or garden filled with 
clean, thrifty trees, well loaded with delicious fruit, often 
has a wide and beneficial influence, although the owner 
may be sometimes pointed at as the “ lucky man, whose 
trees seem always to grow better than other people’s 
trees;” forgetting the old axiom, that ci diligence is the 
mother of good luck.” 
Pomological Meeting at Rochester. 
During the late State Fair, two very interesting eve¬ 
ning meetings were held at the City Hall in Rochester, 
for pomological discussion. They were attended by 
some of the best practical cultivators in the country, 
and were of much interest to fruit cultivators, as all such 
meetings must be where so much experience is brought 
together. 
The first evening was occupied in discussing the merits 
of the Hawley, Northern Spy, Wagener, Melon, and 
Early Joe, new varieties of the apple of considerabie 
celebrity in Western New-York. 
The Hawley was generally admitted to be a fine ap¬ 
ple, but subject to specks of bitter rot, which sometimes 
lessen greatly the value of the crop. On the rich soils 
of Cayuga county and some other localities, large 
trees, long in bearing, were stated to have succeeded 
well and to have borne uniformly fine fruit, while 
on light soils, its success had been uncertain. Instances, 
were however given, where it had borne excellent crops 
on light soils. The convention finally concluded to re¬ 
gard it as a fruit of high quality, but the best soil for its 
perfection as not yet fully determined. 
The Northern Spy, as was to be expected, excited 
much interesting remark. It had borne finely at Buf¬ 
falo.. besides in its native region, and with fair culti¬ 
vation (not with the total neglect received by most of 
our orchards,) will produce good crops. B. Hodge, 
of Buffalo, said he would not be afraid to plant out thou¬ 
sands of trees for orchard. L. F. Allen said that if 
farmers would cultivate them as well as they did their 
potatoes, they would find them one of the best of apples. 
He found that the upright compact heads were improv¬ 
ing as they came into bearing, the loaded branches bend¬ 
ing outwards and producing a handsome form. These 
favorable opinions were in accordance with the general 
voice of the meeting; a caution was however given, that 
nearly all the favorable experience had hitherto been 
with comparatively young trees; and in its tardy bear¬ 
ing, the variety was unfavorably contrasted with the 
Baldwin—an evil however of only short duration. 
The Wagener did not elicit such general commenda¬ 
tion as the Spy. It was admitted to be an excellent 
bearer, and by some was regarded as of the highest 
quality as a winter and spring apple, while others did 
not rate it quite so high. On the whole it was concluded 
that present information was not extensive enough to 
recommended it for general cultivation, but only for 
extensive trial. 
In connexion with this fruit, and the caution needed for 
new varieties, an interesting anecdote was related by P. 
Barry, showing the eagerness of some for untried fruits. 
A man had purchased a pear tree of a new and highly 
vaunted sort. But before it bore, this sort fell into 
disrepute, and he at once re-grafted it with a more re¬ 
putable variety. But this reputable variety was laid 
aside by one of the Pomological Conventions, and he 
now has the third sort growing upon its root, without 
having as yet seen the fruit from either. 
The Melon, or Norton's Melon, was not largely com¬ 
mented on, but was regarded by those who spoke of its 
merits, as an exceedingly pleasant and refreshing fruit— 
the tree of slow growth, but a good bearer—the fruit 
keeping through winter, but often lessened in its keep¬ 
ing quality by injury in gathering, from its texture. It 
was recommended as a good apple for family use. 
A similar value was accorded to the Early Joe, an early 
