THE CULTIVATOR. 
87 
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THE SMALLER FRUITS. 
Among the smaller fruits, may be classed the Straw¬ 
berry, the Raspberry, the Currant, the Gooseberry, and 
the Grape. Independently of their delicious qualities, 
they possess one eminent advantage; they generally come 
into bearing within a year or two after being transplant¬ 
ed, which is a matter of some consequence to those who 
are commencing the culture of fruit by planting entirely 
new grounds. Most of them, also, are earlier in season 
than the larger fruits, and the crops are less liable to fail¬ 
ure from frost or other accident. 
The Strawberry stands inferior in importance to none. 
Its cultivation is as easy as anything which grows in the 
garden. Among some of the best varieties are,—the 
Austrian Scarlet, or Duke of Kent, which is the earliest, 
the Roseberry; and Keene’s Seedling. The red and 
white Alpine possess the peculiar advantage of bear¬ 
ing the season through. I have partaken of a freshly 
picked dish of them on the first day of winter. Hovey’s 
new seedling appears to be a variety of extraordinary 
excellence. The high price (two dollars a dozen) will 
prevent many from obtaining it this year. 
Any good rich soil, whether heavy or light, is well 
adapted for strawberries. They may be transplanted in 
spring, or in the latter part of summer. A common 
practice, after the beds are planted, is to suffer them to 
run wild and cover the whole surface; and this affords 
tolerable crops with little or no care. But a much su¬ 
perior way is to plant them in drills, at such distance as 
will admit a narrow cultivator to pass between; and it 
will be found that the free space they thus have, and the 
cultivation, with the occasional dressing of manure 
which they may receive, will much increase their qua¬ 
lity and productiveness. 
The Raspberry, preferred by some even to the straw¬ 
berry, is also of very easy cultivation; the chief reason 
of the want of success with some gardeners, being the 
want of pruning. When the stems are suffered to grow 
in dense bundles, none but imperfect crops can be ex¬ 
pected. Early in spring every root should have all the 
stems cut off at the ground, except three or four of the 
most vigorous, and the tops should be pruned down to 
about three feet in height. Any rich garden soil is 
adapted to their cultivation; and it should be kept clear 
of weeds and grass by frequent hoeing. 
The White or Yellow Antwerp is considered by most 
as the finest variety in cultivation. The Red Antwerp is 
also excellent, though it often bears very scantily, solely 
from the want of pruning. The American Red, and 
American Black are fine varieties, and doubtless might 
be much improved by cultivation. 
The Currant, so well known to every one, is generally 
rated lower as a fruit than its pleasant flavor, great pro¬ 
ductiveness, and hardiness, entitle it to be. It is scarce¬ 
ly ever cultivated, in this country, but merely permitted 
to grow by sufferance. Pruning and hoeing would be 
well repaid by the improved quality of the crop. When 
bushes are to be raised from cuttings, all the buds should 
be removed except a few at the upper extremity; this 
will prevent suckers. Every currant bush should have a 
single clear stem, at least six inches above ground. 
The principal varieties are the red and white. These 
have been improved by careful cultivators, and deterio¬ 
rated on the other hand by continued neglect. The 
small varieties should be rejected, and their place sup¬ 
plied with those which are larger and improved. 
The culture of the Gooseberry has received abundant at¬ 
tention in England; but the course pursued, and the va¬ 
rieties raised there, have not succeeded so well in this 
country. The same general remarks apply to the culti¬ 
vation of this fruit, as to the currant. Disappointment 
often results from the large English varieties, which are 
not only of inferior flavor in most cases, but scarcely 
ever escape mildew. There are some smaller fruited 
ones which are well adapted to this country; but by 
what names they are known, is uncertain. 
The Grape is a valuable fruit, though ripening at a 
season when the peach, apple, plum, and nectarine, are 
in their full splendor. Much has has been said on its 
culture; but the chief requisites are, a deep, loose, fertile 
soil, frequent cultivation, and proper pruning. Among 
the best varieties are,—the Isabella, which for hardi¬ 
ness, great productiveness, and sweetness of flavor taken 
together, perhaps stands unrivaled; the York Madeira, 
earlier, hardier, and possessing less of the musky taste 
than the Isabella, to which it is preferred by some; and 
the Catawba, a large, beautiful, productive grape, but 
not equal to the other two in flavor. The Bland is a fine 
grape, but our seasons are usually too short for its tho¬ 
rough ripening. These are all hardy American. Among 
exotic grapes, the White Sweet Water is most admired, 
and is of most delicious flavor. The vines, however, 
require renewing every four or five years, to prevent 
mildew; and require laying down every autumn to avoid 
destruction from frost. But this renewing is no more 
labor than the yearly planting of corn and potatoes; nor 
the laying down than the autumnal harvesting of these 
crops. Yet many consider it so grievous that they are 
entirely deterred by this alone from the cultivation of 
this fine variety. The Malvoisd is a smaller grape, but 
even more exquisite in flavor. The Burgundy, (Black 
Cluster, or Black Orleans,) is a very good exotic grape, 
and has the singular advantage over most other exotics, 
of being quite hardy; at least,it is so in Western N. York. 
Long and minute directions for the cultivation of the 
preceding fruits often afford many useful hints; but, on 
the other hand, they bewilder new beginners in the bu¬ 
siness, who perhaps have but comparatively little atten¬ 
tion to spare from the crops of the farm. To such be¬ 
ginners it may be recommended, to use the same care, and 
apply the same principles to the culture of fruit that they 
do to the raising of corn, and success will follow. Corn 
will not bear its crop if suffered to grow too thick, if 
overrun with weeds, or on a sterile soil; so neither can 
the raspberry, the gooseberry, or the grape, be made to 
bear well without corresponding attention in pruning, in 
hoeing, and in procuring a fertile soil. But with this 
care, and a decent share of common sense superadded, 
none need despair of eminent success. 
Macedon, N. Y. 4th mo., 1842. J. J. Thomas. 
CULTURE OF MELONS. 
“ Messrs. Editors —Will you be so good as to give 
in your next Cultivator some directions as to the raising 
of melons? It is a fruit of which I am very fond, but in 
the cultivation of which I am not always successful. 
A Subscriber.” 
If there is one thing more essential than another in 
the culture of melons, it is a sandy soil; and if not such 
naturally, must be made so artificially. To think of 
growing melons on a compact clay soil, however rich it 
is made, is idle. We now rarely fail of a supply of me¬ 
lons; but we were obliged to correct the soil of our 
garden with many a load of sand before we could be 
sure of success. We sometimes succeeded, in favorable 
seasons, by covering a load of manure with inverted 
turf or garden mold; in this manure digging a hole some 
12 or 18 inches deep, filled with light, rich earth, and 
on this planting the melon seeds. Some of the best me¬ 
lons we have ever seen were grown on a bed made of 
some two feet of stable manure in a box, on which was 
placed a foot of rich earth. The seeds were planted in 
this, and common sash frames placed over them until all 
danger to the young plants from frost had passed. The 
vines were then allowed to run over the sides o t the 
box, and from a few vines a large crop of melons was 
produced. The difliculty with such beds of manure is 
the danger the plants run of suffering from drouth. It is 
better, therefore, to make the beds for the plants where 
this evil will not occur, that is in the soil itself. If your 
soil has the proper quantity of sand, make it rich with 
hog, sheep, or hen dung—the last is the best—and mak¬ 
ing the earth for the hills fine, plant your seeds some 
eight feet apart. Few plants suffer so much from being 
crowded as melons; and if the hills are too close, or too 
many stalks are allowed in a hill, large, fine melons will 
not be produced. The seed should not be planted deep; 
an inch is sufficient; and if after covering them a pane 
of glass is laid on the spot, the germination will be con¬ 
siderably hastened. We have used boxes made of six 
inch boards, over which small sashes of four lights were 
secured in such a way as to be movable. These we 
have found not only excellent for melons but for other 
plants, such as tomatoes, peppers, &c., which in our 
climate it is desirable to forward as fast as possible. 
We have been in the habit of sowing lettuce in the inter¬ 
vals between the hills, as this will occupy the space un¬ 
til the vines begin to spread. Mr. C. E. Clarke, of Jef¬ 
ferson county, recommends radishes and early beans in 
addition to lettuce. After the plants are well up, all the 
attention they will require is hoeing frequently, (get up 
early in the morning, before the sun rises, to do this;) 
thinning out, so that but two or three plants are left in a 
hill; and repelling the attacks of the striped bug and cut¬ 
worm. The most effectual remedy we have ever found 
for the first, is a well directed pinch between the thumb 
and finger; but Mr. C. recommends that at the time of 
planting, an onion, garlic, or shalot, be placed in the 
hill. This mode we have never tried, but think favora¬ 
ble of it, and shall test it the coming summer. The best 
melons we have raised, at least the larger ones, were 
from Long-Island, or Jersey seed. Some of the most 
delicious and fine flavored ones, but small compared with 
the L. I. ones, were produced from seed lately intro¬ 
duced into the South, and termed the Ice melon, from 
the extreme thinness and brittleness of the rind. The 
melon will endure a great degree of heat and dryness 
without injury; but if it is necessary to water, it should 
be done with rain water, and a liberal supply be given. 
Watering in a hot sun is injurious rather than beneficial. 
PRUNING ORCHARDS. 
Messrs. Editors —I have recently commenced read¬ 
ing the Cultivator, and know not what it has contained 
previous to the January number of the present year on 
the subject of pruning apple trees. I observe in the 
number for February, on 31st page, that in pointing out 
“Work for the Month,” you say—“trees may be pruned 
this month.” In the same paragraph you state that—“it 
is wrong to suffer years to elapse without pruning, since 
when it is then done, the cutting out of branches of many 
years’ growth makes large wounds, and injures the tree.” 
I have had some experience in raising an orchard; and 
my practice has been to prune apple trees at any season 
of the year; and sometimes I have found it necessary to 
cut off' a limb of three or four inches in diameter, and 
without any injury to the tree. During many years, I 
have kept in my orchard in the spring, summer and au¬ 
tumn, a kettle of grafting wax, made by mixing three 
pints of tar with with one pound of bees’ wax, one pound 
rosin, and six ounces of tallow, and placing the kettle 
over a fire until the rosin, bees’ wax and tallow are all 
melted. The kettle is then placed where its contents 
become so cold as to begin to stiffen, and one pound of 
Spanish brown or yellow ochre is stirred in and tho¬ 
roughly mixed with them. When cold, it will be of 
about the consistence of shoe-maker’s wax, and is ap¬ 
plied to the tree with a round or square pointed knife, 
kept in the kettle for that purpose. A thin coat is suffi¬ 
cient. I have pruned off large limbs in the summer, 
when the bark peeled easily; and by cutting through the 
bark round the limb with a knife before sawing off the 
limb; the bark was not started on the stock. I then 
smoothed the wound with a sharp knife, and applied the 
wax. Some of the wounds I have thus made and cover¬ 
ed ha> e been from 6 to 8 years in growing over; during 
all which time the wax has adhered, and was only push¬ 
ed off by the encroachment of the new wood and bark, 
and not until completely healed over. I have removed 
the wax after it had been years thus in use, and have 
found the wood under it as sound and white as when the 
wax was applied. Were I to use no kind of composi¬ 
tion to cover the w-ound made by pruning, I should 
prune within the last ten days before the blossoming of 
the trees. The wounds then made will grow over much 
quicker than those made in February. 
In the same article of your February number, you say 
—“the latter part of this month is an excellent time to 
select and cut cions.” My experience here, “down 
east,” provms that the best time to cut cions is from the 
10th to the 25th of April, according to the early or late 
commencement of vegetation. If cut so late, they will 
need no attention to preserve them in good order to the 
time for grafting, which is here during the first half of 
May. Cions cut so late will not need claying at the 
butts. You have only to lay them on the floor of a dry, 
cold cellar, until it is time to use them. 
Bucksport, Me., March 16, 1842. Sam’l M. Pond. 
P. S. Should the heat of a summer’s day melt the wax 
applied as above, so as to cause it to soften sufficiently to 
run off, you have only to melt it, and stir in more ochre. 
GARDEN HINTS. 
There are many plants that should be transplanted from 
the hot bed the last of this month. Of these, the cabbage 
and tomato are perhaps the most common. In trans¬ 
planting, the ground should not be wet; but just moist 
enough to pulverize easily, and press close upon the 
roots without baking, or becoming hard when dry. A 
cloudy, but not a rainy day is best for transplanting. 
Melons and cucumbers, when first transplanted, should 
be shaded from the hot sun, or it would be fatal to them. 
Lettuces started in a hot bed may be transplanted into 
beds, and will produce fine heads. It is a good plan in 
removing plants to dip the roots in a thick paste, or mud 
made of rich soil and water; this adheres to the roots, 
and prevents their drying up, or the exposure to air of 
the delicate rootlets. Plants from a hot bed will be 
more tender, and require more attention, than if started 
in the open air; but the trouble is well repaid by their 
being so much sooner ready for the table. 
Silk ©allure in llju Hnituir Status. 
HATCHING, FEEDING, CLEANING, HURDLES, &c. 
As soon as the warm weather has become settled, from 
the 1st to the 15th of May, the eggs intended to be hatch¬ 
ed may be spread out upon a table, either in the cocoon¬ 
ery or an ordinary room. A small ordinary room is best, 
because in case of a cold spell of weather a fire may be 
made, and the temperature thus kept equable. In small, 
domestic establishments, nothing more need be done than 
to spread out the papers containing the eggs, and thus 
let them remain till the young worms make their ap¬ 
pearance. If the eggs are loose, not on paper or cloth, 
spread them out thinly on paper, just as if the worms 
had laid them so. If the eggs are in good condition, 
they will hatch in from 5 to 10 days from the time they 
were brought out. The worms generally hatch in the 
morning. On the first day of the hatching but few will 
come out, and these need not be attended to. In the 
morning of the second day a considerable quantity will 
appear, and they must be secured. The simplest way 
of doing this, is to lay some whole leaves of the mulber¬ 
ry flat upon the worms, covering the whole. About one 
hour afterwards, the young worms having attached them¬ 
selves to the leaves, take each leaf by the stem and 
lay it gently upon another table, and thus continue till 
the whole are secured. The next day proceed in the 
same way, and on the next again. Generally, it is not 
advisable to save any that do not hatch on the second, 
third and fourth days, as those that appear afterwards are 
apt to be weakly and indolent, giving more trouble than 
they are worth. Observe that each day’s hatching must 
be carried to a separate table. When all the worms are 
thus secured, feed them with fresh leaves as often as you 
find them without food; and at all events, give them 
fresh leaves three times a day—simply lay the leaves flat 
upon the worms. The better plan is to feed them in 
small quantities at each time, taking care that they are 
never without fresh food. While young, and if you 
have not plenty of leaves, it is well enough to tear or cut 
the leaves into small fragments and scatter them over 
the worms; but if you have plenty, this is not necessary. 
In from five to seven days the worms will begin to 
change their skin, which you will observe by theirbeing 
asleep. In 24 hours many of them will revive- and as 
soon as this is observed, lay on some leaves and remove 
the worms, as was done from the hatching table, to 
another table or shell, and thus continue each day till 
