aa if a oki ? ‘ Hs en aN Sehoeeind iad ied rete pals’ *. moka ph ine void iF ty CUS iPae tee il CHT UR ea iii i a ical stlbnases berg whe S x Sees ‘) Aes 4 i. \ 4 - ee , } f a a re Os FRUIT GARDEN; A TREATISE ~ ai sf : * > INTENDED TO EXPLAIN AND ILLUSTRATE THE PHYSIOLOGY OF FRUIT TREES, THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF ALL OPERATIONS CONNECTED WITH THE PROPAGATION, TRANSPLANTING, PRUNING AND TRAINING OF ORCHARD AND GARDEN TREES, AS STANDARDS, DWARFS, PYRAMIDS, ESPALIERS, ETC., THE LAYING OUT AND ARRANGING DIFFERENT KINDS OF ORCHARDS AND GARDENS, THE SELECTION OF SUITABLE VARIETIES FOR DIFFERENT PURPOSES AND LOCALITIES, GATHERING AND PRESERVING FRUITS, TREATMENT or DISEASES, DESTRUCTION OF INSECTS, DESCRIPTIONS AND USES OF IMPLEMENTS, ETC. ILLUSTRATED WITH UPWARDS OF 150 FIGURES, ee REPRESENTING DIFFERENT PARTS OF TREES, ALL PRACTICAL OPERATIONS, FORMS OF TREES, DESIGNS FOR PLANTATIONS, IMPLEMENTS, ETO. . a" BY PORARRY, OF THE Toe HOPE NURS iis ROCHESTER, NEW YORK. AUBURN AND ROCHESTER: ALDEN & BEARDSLEY. 1857. — » 4 a * i. F ne : 7 & - e™ ve 3 . bg ® ~~ * + i : i Foe : © Ms t. : ,- ba t. ‘ :, -. ; os ‘ s * * ‘>: ” ” ‘ - - : a 4 . an * > a no n a * 4 * r 2 * a . 3 he 4 x * , Lc * 7 el 4 / 15781 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, by CHARLES SCRIBNER, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern i District of New York. 7 ‘ a s ae ? ron a ™ ” : . — oo ee by fies ‘ a met) Te £) 3 : ‘ a° { a od 7 * a .4 i: he WO cite, i sl &« » INTRODUCTION. | Tue subject of this treatise is one in which almost all classes of the community are more or less practically engaged and inter- . ested. Agriculture is pursued by one class, and commerce by another ; the mechanic arts, fine arts, and learned professions by others ; but fruit culture, to a greater or less extent, by all. It is the desire of every man, whatever may be his pursuit or zondition in life, whether he live in town or country, to enjoy fine fruits, to provide them for his family, and, if possible, to cultivate the trees in his own garden with his own hands. The agricul- turist, whatever be the extent or condition of his grounds, con- — siders an orchard, at least, indispensable. The merchant or pro- fessional man who has, by half a lifetime of drudgery in town, secured a fortune or a competency that enables him to retire to a country or suburban villa, looks forward to his fruit garden as one of the chief sources of those rural comforts and pleasures he so long and so earnestly labored and hoped for. The artizan who has laid up enough from his-earnings to purchase a homestead, considers the planting of his fruit trees as one of the first and most important steps towards improvement. He anticipates the pleasure of tending them in his spare hours, of watching their growth and progress to maturity, and of gathering their ripe and delicious-fruits, and placing them before his family and friends as @ * * a Av i + Dre s * . = ‘ INTRODUCTION. | 7 the valued products of his own ee and of his own skill and labor. Fortunately, in the United States, land is so goutt ab tained as to be within the reach of every industrious man ; ; and the climate and soil being so favorable to the production of fruit, Americans, if they be not dlready; must become truly “‘ a nation “y : of fruit growers.” + _ Fruit culture, therefore, whether considered as a branch of ‘ __ profitable industry, or as exercising a most beneficial influence upon the health, habits, and tastes of the people, becomes a great national interest, and whatever may assist in making it better un- ‘derstood, and more interesting, and better adapted to the various wants, tastes, ‘and circumstances of the community, cannot fail to. subserve the public good. Within a few years past it has received an unusual degree of attention. Plantations of all ‘sorts, orchards, gardens, and nur- series, have increased i in numbers and extent to adegree quite un- precedented ; not in one section or locality, but from the extreme north to the southern limits of the fruit-growing region. Foreign supplies of trees have been required to mect the suddenly and - greatly increased demand. Treatises and periodicals devoted to the __ subject have increased rapidly and circulated widely. Horticul- tural societies have been organized in all parts; while exhibitions, and national, state, and local conventions of fruit growers, have been held to discuss the merits of fruits and other kindred topics. To those unacquainted with the previous condition of fruit cul- ture in the interior of the country, this new planting spirit has appeared as ‘a sort of speculative mania, and the idea has sug- gested itself ‘to them that the country will soon be overstocked with fruits. This is a greatly mistaken 2 le After all that has ‘been done, let us look at the’ ‘actual condition of fruit culture at the present time. In the best fruit-growing counties e INTRODUCTION. wei eae ., - in the State of New York, the entire fruit planta tions of more than three fourths of the agricultural population | consist of very onjuiaty"dechards of apples. Not a dish of fine pears, plums, cherries, apricots, grapes, or cochlea has ever appeared on, their tables, and not a step has yet been taken to produce them. — People are but beginning to learn the uses of | ve and to appreciate their importance. | At one time apples were grown chiefly for cider ; now — are considered indispensable articles of food. The finer fruits, that were formerly considered Bs luxuries only: for the tables of the wealthy, are beginning to take their place among the ordinary supplies of every man’s table; and this taste must grow from year to year, with an oa ae supply. Those who consume a bushel of fruit this year, will require double or treble that quantity ie, The rapid i increase of population alone, creates a demand to an extent that few people are aware of... The city of Roches- ter has added 20,000 to her numbers in ten years. Let such an inerease as this in all our cities, towns, and villages, be estimated, and see what an aggregate annual amount of new consumers it presents. . ee oe i Age New markets are wentinually eet etiseloeas and. de- ew large supplies. New and more porte modes of pack- ‘ing and shipping fruits, and of drying, preserving, and preparing them for various purposes to which they have not hitherto been “appropriated, are beginning to enlist attention and inquiry. ' Immense amounts of money are annually expended. in import- ing grapes, ‘wines, figs, nuts, ‘prunes, ‘raisins, currants, almonds, &e., many of which might be produced perfectly well ¢ on our own soil. Pears have actually been imported. from France by the New York confectioners, this present ‘season, (1851. ) ‘These aré facts oe should | be well wept by proprietors of lands, y VA INTRODUCTION. and especially by those who have allowed themselves to imagine that fruit will soon be so plenty as not to be worth the growing. It is too soon by a century to apprehend an over supply of fruits in the United States, except of some very perishable sort, In a season of unusual abundance, in some particular locality where one branch of culture is mainly carried on. It is because fruit culture has been almost entirely neglected until within a few years, that the present activity appears so ex- traordinary. A vast majority of the people were quite unaware of the treasures within their reach ; and that in regard to soil and climate they possessed advantages for fruit growing superior to any other nation. We had no popular works or periodicals to diffuse information or awaken interest on the subject. For four- teen or fifteen years Hovey’s Magazine of Horticulture was the only journal exclusively devoted to gardening subjects, and it only found its way into the hands of the more advanced culti- vators. We had some treatises on fruits, but none of them cir- culated sufficiently to effect much good. Previous to 1845, Ken- rick’s American Orchardist, and Manning’s Book of Fruits, were the principal treatises that had any circulation worth naming. Coxe’s work, Floy’s, Prince’s, and some others, were confined almost wholly to nursery-men, or persons already engaged and- interested in fruit culture in.the older parts of the country. Mr. Downing’s ‘‘ Fruit and Fruit Trees of America,” that ap- peared in 1845, was the first treatise of the kind that really ob tained a wide and general circulation. It made its appearance at a favorable moment, just as the planting spirit referred to was beginning to manifest itself, and ' when, more than at any previous period, such a work was needed. Mr. Downing enjoyed great advantages over any previous Ameri- can writer. During the ten years that had elapsed since the . * - » ’ a es 6 INTRODUCTION. * vil publication of Kenrick’s and Prince’s treatises, a great fund of materials had been’ accumulating. Messrs. Manning, Kenrick, Prince, Wilder, and many others, had been industriously collect- ing fruits both at home and abroad. The Massachusetts Horti- cultural Society was actively engaged in its labors. The London Horticultural Society had made great advancement in its exami- nation and trial of fruits, and had corrected a multitude of long standing errors in nomenclature. Mr. Dowuing’s work had the benefit of all this ; and possessing the instructive feature of outline figures of fruits, and being writ- _ ten in a very agreeable and attractive style, it possessed the ele- ments of popularity and usefulness in an eminent degree. Hence it became at once the text-book of every man who sought for pomological information, or felt interested in fruits or fruit trees ; and to itis justly attributable much of the taste and spirit on the Y: subject, and the increased attention to nomenclature, that so dis- tinguishes the present tinte. Mr. Thomas’s recent treatise, | “The American Fruit Culturist,’? on the same plan as Mr. Downing’s, is also a popular work, and will be the means of diffusing both taste and information. Mr Thomas is a close and accurate observer, and his descriptions are peculiarly concise, methodical and minute. ‘‘ Cole’s Fruit Book’? is also a recent treatise, and on account of its cheapness and the vast accumulation of facts and information it contains is highly popular and useful. Be- sides these, periodicals devoted more or less to the subject, have increased in number and greatly extended their circulation, so that information is now accessible to all who desire it. om | The light which has been shed upon fruit-growing by these works, and the taste they have created, have not only improved old systems of cultivation, but introduced new ones. Until within a few years nothing was said or known among the great body of o ili iy INTRODUCTION. cultivators, or even nursery-men, of dwarfing trees, of the uses of certain stocks, or of modes of propagation and pruning by which trees are made to bear early, and are adapted to different cireum- stances. The entire routine of the propagation and management of trees was conducted generally in the simplest and rudest manner. Whether for the garden or the orchard they were propagated in the same manner, on the same stocks, and in the same form taken from the nursery, planted out and left there to assume such — forms as nature or accident might impose, and produce fruit at such 2 time as natural circumstances would admit. | The art of planting fifty trees on a quarter of an acre of ground, and bringing them into a fruitful state in four or five years at most, was entirely unknown. Small gardens were en- cumbered with tall, unshapely, and unfruitful trees, that afforded no pleasure to the cultivator ; and thousands of persons, who are now the most enthusiastic cultivators, were entirely discouraged from the attempt. Fruit gardening, properly speaking, may be said only to have eommenced. It is no longer a matter of mere utility, but of taste also; and, therefore, adaptation, variety, and beauty, are sought for in garden trees and modes of culture and management. Nothing so distinguishes the taste of modern planting as the partiality for dwarf trees, and the desire to obtain information in regard to their propagation and treatment. This has not been anticipated by any of our authors. The standard or orchard system alone is fully treated of, as being the only one practised ; and this requires so little skill in the art of culture, that only the simplest instructions have been given. The very elements of the science have been unexplained and unstudied, and cultivators in the main find themselves both desti- tute of knowledge in regard to the management of trees in the oo nal INTRODUOTION. 1x more refined and artificial forms, and the sources from which to obtain it. But a very small proportion of those engaged or en- gaging in tree culture have studied the physiology of trees in any degree. Very few have the slightest knowledge of the modes of growth and bearing of the different species of fruits, or even of the difference between wood or leaf buds, and fruit buds.. Very few understand the functions of the different parts of trees, and the relation in which they stand one to another ; the principles that govern and regulate the growth and maturity, the formation of wood and the production of fruit. Practice is no better under- stood than principle. Persons engaged largely in tree growing will frequently ask the most absurd questions on the subject of propagation, of stocks, of pruning, &c., matters that should be understood by every man who has a single tree to manage, but especially indispensable to those who wish to succeed in conduct- ing garden trees under certain modified forms, more or less opposed to the natural. The preparation of ground, laying out — small gardens, the selection of suitable trees, and a multitude of minor but nevertheless important matters, are very imperfectly understood. Neither our state nor national governments have ever manifested a disposition to favor the rural arts with any- thing like a liberal patronizing policy. - Advanced, wealthy and powerful as we are, not a single step has been taken, in earnest, - to establish model farms or model gardens, in which experiments might be made and examples given that would enlighten cultiva- ‘tors, and elevate and honor their profession. Whatever advance has been made is due wholly to individual taste, energy, and enter- prise ; and to these alone are we permitted to look for future progress. , Having for many years devoted much attention to this particu- lar branch of culture, and feeling deeply interested in its success, 1° : x INTRODUCTION. and having, bya business intercourse with cultivators in all parts of the country, an ample opportunity of understanding the nature and extent of the information desired, I have prepared the fol- lowing pages to supply it at least in part. I am well convinced that the work is neither perfect nor com- plete. It has been prepared, during a few weeks of the winter, in the midst of other engagements that rendered it impossible to be- stow upon it the necessary care and labor. My original intention was to give a few brief directions for the management of garden trees, but it was suggested by friends that it would. prove more generally useful by adding a sketch of the entire routine of opera- tions, from the propagation in the nursery to the management in the orchard and garden. This has involved much more labor than it was intended to bestow on it, or than I could really spare from business. It has, therefore, geen performed hastily, and, of course, in many respects imperfectly, but yet it is hoped it contains such an exposition of principles and practices as cannot fail, to diffuse amongst the inexperienced much néeded informa- tion. All doubtful theories, and whatever had not a direct prac- tical bearing on the subjects treated, have been excluded, both for the sake of brevity, and to avoid anything ealculated to mislead. The principles and practices set forth are not new, visionary, or doubtful, but such as are taught and practised by the most accomplished cultivators of the day, and have been success- fully carried out in the daily operations of our own establishment. In the pruning and management of garden trees, the French arboriculturists surpass all others. Their trees are models that have no equals, and that all the world admire. The English, notwithstanding their great gardening skill, and their refined and elegant modes of culture, are far behind the French in the management of fruit trees. French systems of pruning and INTRODUCTION. x1 training are at this moment advocated and held up as models by such men as Mr. Robert Thompson, head of the fruit.department in the London Horticultural Society’s Garden ; by Mr. Rivers, well known on this side of the Atlantic as one of the most ener- getic and accomplished nurserymen in Great Britain; and by many others whose skill and judgment command attention. Their introduction to English gardens is going on rapidly, and bids fair to revolutionize their whole practice of fruit tree culture. D?Albret’s great work on pruning is conceded to be the best . extant on that subject. He was the pupil and successor of M. Thouin, the world-renowned vegetable physiologist and founder of the great national gardens at Paris. _ His practice is founded upon the true principles of vegetable physiology, and strengthened by long years of the most minute and successful experiment. | M. Dubrieul, late conductor of the fruit department in the Garden of Rouen, has also published an excellent treatise on arboriculture ; and there are many other French works on the subject, all showing how thoroughly the science is there under- stood, and how minutely and skilfully its principles are dealt with, all, These as well as the best-managed gardens and the most perfect and beautiful trees in France and Belgium, have been carefully studied. ; The knowledge thus acquired, added to the experience of many years’ actual and extensive practice, constitutes the basis of the. course recommended. ' The same minute detail that characterizes European works has not been attempted, yet much detail is absolutely necessary in order to prevent misapprehension on the part of those wholly — inexperienced. ) J . Writers are apt to treat simple matters too much in the general, presuming them to be well understood. Detail is always tedious . , - aa INTRODUCTION. to those familiar with the subject, but nothing less can be satisfac. tory to the student. For the sake of convenient reference, the different branches of the subject have been separated into four parts. The jirst treats of general principles, a knowledge of the structure, character, and functions of the different parts of trees, modes of | growth, bearing, &c., &c.; soils, manures, modes of propagation, &c. This must be the ground-work of the study of tree culture ‘The second treats of the nursery. The third of plantations, orchards of different kinds, gardens, &c.; their laying out and management, and of the pruning and training of trees in different forms. The fowrth contains abridged descriptions of the best fruits, a chapter on gathering and preserving fruits, another on diseases and insects, and another on the implements in com- “ll mon use. . Illustrations have been introduced wherever the nature of the subject seemed to require them, and it was possible to get them prepared. It is believed that, these will prove of great value i in imparting a correct knowledge of the various subjects. Upwards of one hundred of the more important figures have been drawn from nature by Prof. Sintzenich of Rochester. a P.B i. J Mount Hope Garden and Nurseries, as t * # Rocuester N. Vi a i -. * an - A. Pr. F ~ 3 & r . ¢ eS » . « » * ‘ +; # * ~ CONTENTS. PART I. - GENERAL PRINCIPLES. CHAPTERI. “. * ™~ PAGE Names, DESCRIPTIONS, AND OrFices oF THE DIFFERENT PARTS .OF Fruit Trees, ° ci Aan . ° ° ° I ~ CHAPTER II. Sots, @ i @ e e e @ ) ® @ : 48 CHAPTER III. Manovres, a ° . - ° ° e ° 4 ~, ; ‘ CHAPTER IV. Tue Dirrerent Mopss or Propacatine Fruit TREES, o e 60 » CHAPTER V. Pruningc—Its Princretes aNnp PRacTICE, . é 2 ‘ 83 xiv CONTENTS. " THE NURSERY . ad . ° e ° ° 105 Bae PART IIL ah PLANTATIONS, ORCHARDS, ETO. nf CHAPTER I. PERMANENT Purantations oF Fruit TREEs, : . ° 157 CHAPTER 11. PrRuNING APPLIED TO THE DIFFERENT Species oF Fruit TREES UNDER DIFFERENT Forms, ihe 5 : : ° 203 PART IYV.. 7 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. — CHAPTER I. Asripcep Drscriptions or SeLectT VaRIETIES oF FRUvITS, ° eT CHAPTER II. GaTHERING, PackING, TRANSPORTATION AND PRESERVATION OF Fruits, 354 CHAPTER III. DisrasEs AND INsEcTs, 4 : 4 oa . 2 361 CHAPTER iV; Nursery, OncHaRD AND Fruit GarpEN IMPLEMENTS. . 877 PART I. - ao GENERAL PRINCIPLES. GENERAL PRINCIPLES. — a I. NAMES, DESCRIPTIONS, AND OFFICES OF THE ‘DIE FERENT. PARTS OF FRUIT TREES. ay ape General ‘Rend -& Tree is a living body aegosca of many parts, such as roots, branches, leaves, buds, blos- Fie. L Fig.l, atree. Seortot A—Ta Bose: Tur Roor is composed of several parts. Ist. The collar(A, fig. 1), which is the centre of growth, or point of union between the root and stem, usually at or just below the surface of the ground. In root graft- ing seedlings, this is the point where the graft is set. 2d. The body or main root (B, fig. 1), which usually penetrates the earth in a vertical direction, and decreases in size as it proceeds downwards from the collar. Itis also called the zap root. A seedling that has not been transplanted has usually but one descending or tap root, furnished in all its length with minute hairy fibres. 3d. The lateral roots (C, fig. 1) are principal divisions or branches of the main root, and take more or less of a spreading or horizontal airecuial When ‘seedlings are transplanted, having. a portion of the tap root cut off, these lateral or side roots are immediately formed. Ath. The fibres or rootlets (D, fig. 1) are the minute hair- like roots which we see most abundant on trees that have been frequently transplanted. Different species of trees vary much in their natural tendency to produce fibres. Thus the pear and the apple require frequent transplant- ing, and often root pruning, to produce that fibrous condi- tion which is necessary to great fruitfulness; whilst the THE ROOT. : 3 paradise apple, used as a stock for dwarf trees, and the quince, are always quite fibrous, the former never, and the latter seldom requiring root pruning. 5th. The Spongioles are the extremities of the fibres, porous and spongy, through which the food of trees de- rived from the soil is mainly absorbed ; these points are composed of soft, newly formed, delicate tissue, and are exceedingly susceptible of injury. Theslightest bruise or exposure to a dry or cold air is fatal to them; and this is the reason why transplanted trees receive generally such a severe check and so frequently die. If trees could be taken up in such,a way that these spongioles could all, or mostly, be preserved, trees would receive no check whatever; hence large trees are removed in midsummer without a "eat flagging. 6th. Growth of Roots—The ost popular theory at this time is—that the growth of roots is produced by the pro- longment of the woody vessels of the stem, which descend in successive layers to the extremities of the roots, and thus promote their extension. When these descending layers are interrupted in their course by some natural or accidental cause, or by art, as when we cut off the ends of roots, they pierce the here and form new roots or new divisions of the root in the same manner that branches are produced on the stem. Thus the roots furnish food to the stem and branches for — their support and enlargement, and inreturn, the stem and branches send down layers of young wood to increase and solidify the root; the one depending entirely upon the other for its growth and existence. Practical cultivators dre familiar with many facts that illustrate the intimate rela- tions and mutual dependency of the roots and stems. For instance, where one portion of the head or branches is much = or more vigorous than the other, if the roots be examined, it will be ioc that those immediately ? se . es GENERAL PRINCIPLES. under, or in direct connection with the largest branches, will have acorresponding size and vigor. In cases where one side of the top of a large tree is eut off, as in top grafting, a large number of new shoots are produced on the cut, branch, and, if the roots be examined under or in connection with this branch, a corresponding new growth will be found there. It is quite obvious from these and similar facts, that whatever affects ‘the roots or stems of trees favorably or unfavorably, affects the whole _ tree.: If the foliage of a tree be entirely removed in the growing season, the absorbent action of the roots is sus- pended ; and if the spongioles or absorbing points of the — roots be cut off, the growth of the fop instantly ceases, Those who have leisure should pursue the study of these highly interesting and important points still further. Section 2.—TuE — Lhe Stem is that part of a tree which starts from the collar and grows upwards. Jt sustains all the branches, and forms the channel of communication between the different parts of the tree from one extremity to the other. Plants like the grape, with twining or climbing stems, are called vines, and such as have no main stem, but have - branches diverging from the collar, as the gooseberry, cur- rant, &c., are called shrubs or bushes. Where the stem is destitute of branches to some distance from the ground, it is usually called the trunk. ns Different Parts of the Stem—A stem or branch of a tree is composed of the following parts, which are dis- _-tinctly observable when we cut it across. Fig. 2 repre- sents the half of a cross section of the stem of a young tree five years old. | 2 _1. The Rind or Outer Bark (A) on shoots or young parts of trees; this is thin, smooth, and delicate, like tissue se ¢ « one . - THE STEM. — q ‘ 5 perer, ae is amy oes from sie iports ‘beneath it. Te ne EET In some species, as the - grape vine, for example, this rind is shed and re- ¥\ newed annually, whilst | in others, as the apple, ij pear, &e., it unites with the layer of tissue be- neath it, and forms a _ hard, scaly, or corky substance, usually call- Fig. 2, half of the hori- 2@ntal section ofa five year 96 “°° GENERAL PRINCIPLES. 7 Round, roundish, as they approach a circular form like fig. 21. The point is often a distinguishing feature, some terminating suddenly in a sharp point, others drawn out to a long, sharp point, peaked, whilst others are nearly round. ‘They differ much, too, in . the form of the base, some are rounded, some sharp, and some heart-shaped. ae. Figs. 22 to 26, forms of leaves. 22, oval. 23, oblomg. 24, lanceolate. 25, ovate. 26, obovate. The divisions of the edges are serrated or toothed, when the edges are cut into sharp teeth, directed towards the point of the leaf; .jinely (fig. 27) or coarsely (fig. 28) ser- rate, as these teeth are fine or coarse; doubly serrate, when the principal division or tooth is subdivided. . Crenate (fig. 29), when the divisions are rounded, instead of being sharp like teeth. Pea “* * LEAVES. oF Lobed, when deeply cut, and the penetrating angle large, as in the currant, gooseberry, grape, «&c. Fig. 27, a leaf, folded, reflexed, and finely serrated or toothed. Fig. 28, coarsely serrated, Fig. 29, crenate. Flat, when the sur- face is even (fig. 21). Folded, when the edges are turn- ed inward (fig. 27). Reflewed, when the apex or point turns back- wards, giving the leaf more or less the form of a ring (27). Fra. 30. Waved, wrinkled, Fig. 30, a leaf of the currant, lobed. smooth Uy rough, . . 28 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. etc., are all terms used, but, well enough under- stood. ; The leaf stalk has often striking peculiarities in certain varieties, such as unusually long, stout, short, or slender. There are also glands on the leaf-stalk, close to the base, and in certain cases on the leaf itself, that are chiefly ary notice of in identifying varieties of the peach and necta- rine ; these differ in ; dhake too, being globu- eS lar (as in, fig. 31), reni- < form or kidney-shaped (fig. 32); these little A A Qh glands are supposed to be, and no doubt are, or- Fie. 31. gans of secretion. Fic. 32. " Fig.31.alesf ofthe These are all interest- rig. 32. the same: Am with globular in g items in th e study of oe eee the beautiful and almost endless variety of forms which the different classes of fruit trees, and even different varieties of the same class, exhibit in their foliage. : Section 6.—F Lowers. Ist. Different Parts of Hlowers—Flowers are the principal reproductive organs of trees, and consist of floral envelopes, the calyx and =e and of sexual organs, stamens and pistils. The Calyx (A, fig. 35) is the outer covering, and is usually green like the leaves.. The corolla (A, fig. 33) is within the calyx, and is the colored, showy part of the flower ; its divisions are called petals. Stoning (fig. 34) are the male organs of plants. They are delicate, thread-like pr pation: (A, fig. 34) i in the cen- tre of the flower, supporting on their extremities the anthers FLOWERS. - 99 ( 3, fig. 34). The pistil (C, D, fig. 35) is the female organ and-stands in the centre of the stamens. It consists of the ovary. 7 at its base (B, fig. 35), which con- tains the seeds. The style (C4 fig. 35) is the erect por- tion, and the stigma © 7 (D, fig. 35) do, cm is the small Figs. 33 to 35 _Different parts of a flower. Fig. 33, A, the | glandulous petals. 34,astamen, A, filament or stalk. B, anther. C, pollen, 35, the calyx, ovary, pistil united. B, ovary. Cy, style. D, stigma. body on its summit that seceives the fertilizing powder (pollen) (C, fig. 34) from the anthers. Flowers may be deficient in any of these organs except the ovary, anthers, and stigma. These are indispensable to fructification, and must be present in some jaan or other or the flowers will be barren. , 2d. Sexual Distinctions —The fact that the two sexes or sexual organs, the stamens and pistis, are in certain species Felted on the same flower, and in others on dif. ferent flowers, and even on ae Seat trees, has created the necessity for the following distinctions: Trees or plants are called hermaphrodite (as in fig. 33) when both stamens and pistils are present on the same flower. Nearly all our cultivated fruits are of this class. Monecious, when the male and female flowers are borne on the same tree, as in the filbert flower (fig. 36, A, the male, and B, the female flowers). Diewcious, wnen the male flowers (fig. 37) are on one plant, and the female 30 . GENERAL PRINCIPLES. cad (fig.38) on another. The most familiar instance among plants cultivated for their fruits, is the strawberry.. In many varieties we find the stamens or niale organs so in- completely devel- oped (fig. 38) that they. are of no ser- vice in fructifying . the flowers, and occile pal of hence we plant near _ the strawberry. them varieties with an abundance of these organs strongly exhibited. Fic. 37. 3d. Lmpregnation.— Fie. 36. , Fig. 36, flower of the fil- The aeiipane of iam bert. pregnation is effected in this way: Whee the flowers first open, ee ae: the pollen granules or powder in the anthers, —_ Fig. 38, female - . or pistillate flow is covered over by a delicate membrane. ,. In a short time this membrane bursts in a manner similar to an explosion that scatters the pollen by its force, so that it reaches the stigma of the pistil; this is composed of glutinous or sticky secretions to which the pollen adheres ; there it forms new cells that expand into tubes; these tubes penetrate through the style of the pistil to the ovary, where the impregnation takes place, and new cells are immediately formed into an embryo plant. This impregnation is sometimes, from certain causes, only partially effected in the cases of fruit where the ova-. ry or seed vessel is ‘composed of several cells, as in the apple, pear, &c., and henée the fruit takes an imperfect, one-sided development from the beginning. The difficulty that appears to arise in the way of the impregnation of the stigma of one flower by the pollen of ~ e FLOWERS. i «81 another, distantly situated, either on the same plant as in moncecious trees, or on a different plant as in diccious, is wonderfully obviated by the provision that nature has made for its transmission, not only by the atmosphere, but by insects, that pass from one flower to another feed- ing on their honied secretions; the pollen adheres to them and they carry it from one to another. All natural flowers of the same species present the same number of petals in their flowers, but occasionally the stwmens are converted into petals, and thus what are called double flowers are produced. Among fruit trees we have double flowering apples, plums, peaches, and cherries. These seldom produce fruit ; when perfectly double never. All our double flowers, roses, paeonies, dahlias, &c., have been obtained by this transformation of the stamens into petals. It is supposed to be caused by.an excessively. high cultivation given to the plants that produce the seeds from which these double varicties spring. 4. Period of Blossoming.—In treating of fruit buds allusion has been made to the causes which, according to observation and experience, promote fruitfulness. These are chiefly a slow or moderate growth, and a branching or spreading, constrained form, instead of an upright one. Some species of trees bloom at a much earlier age than others. Thus the peach, the apricot, and the cherry will bloom in nearly one-fourth less time from the bud, all things being equal, than the pear. Some species bloom at an earlier period of the season than others; the apricot and the peach bloom very early, and this is the chief rea- son why the crop is so often destroyed in localities subject to late spring frosts. Among fruits even of the same spe- cies there is much difference in the period of blooming: one variety of’ ‘apple being nearly two weeks later than another. This, in some sections, is an important quality, where every day the blossom is retarded renders the crop 682 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. | surer, being more likely to escape frost. These differences ure caused ee various circumstances. Ist. Zhe Climate.—The period of blossoming of the same species varies much in different localities. Rockdetal is at least a week earlier than Buffalo, although the distance is less than one hundred miles; and it is nearly two weeks earlier than Toronto, which is still nearer. The large bodies of ice in the lakes, at both Buffalo and Toron- to, have no doubt a considerable effect in retarding the blossoming period. i hag: Fe Season and Position—In the sate locality, one’season is frequently a week earlier than others, and trees on the south side of a wall or building will expand their blossoms several days before the same variety in the open ground only a few rods distant, and ten days to a ‘fortnight before those on a north ar 3d. —p he Sotl—On warm and light soils, the roots of trees are excited into activity pee sooner ‘Tied in cold, damp, and heavy soils, and the blossoming period 18 ear- lier in consequence. The Different Character of Flowers.—F lowers vary in size, form, color, and other qualities, even in the same spe- cies. In the peach those distinctions are so obvious, that one of the principal classifications of pomologists is found- ed on them. Thus there are varieties with large, showy flowers (fig. 39), as the serrate early York, and small (fig. 40) as large early York, Craw- jyord Early, ete. The color also presents variations, some ‘ie being deep, others pale rose, Pre. 39. an. 30 and some almost white ; two Fig. 39, large flower of the peach. or three varieties of the . Fig. 40, small flower of the peach. ; peach have | flowers wholly white, as the snow, for instance. In all the other iruits, '% a FLOWERS. 83 = Fy _as in apples, pears, plums, cherries, &c., the flowers vary but slightly i in form and coior, and the caeecner are only taken note of in very full and minute scientific descrip- tions. A few cases, however, are well marked, as the Jargonelle pear, the flowers of ee are nearly twice as large as most others. © ( In connection with the flowers it may be proper to ex plain the important process of Hybridization —This is performed by fertilizing the pistil of one species or variety with pollen from the stamens of another. The seeds produced by the flower so impregnated will produce a cross or hybrid between the two parents. ‘This process is now well understood, and is carried on to a wonderful extent, especially in the pro- duction of new flowers. Compar nile few of our popu- . lar fruits have been produced in this way. A few good sorts have been produced by the late Mr. Knight, a dis- tinguished English experimentalist, who effected much in his time towards establishing many difficult and disputed points in vegetable physiology. Nearly all the native fruits of this country are accidental hybrids. A vast deal may be done to improve, in this way, all our fruits, The size, hardiness, and productiveness of one variety may be combined with the delicacy of texture and flavor of another, and endless variations and improvements may be effected. To obtain a true hybrid certain precautions © are necessary. The two subjects selected must flower at the same time. The stamens must be carefully removed from the one intended for the mother, without injury to the stigma. It must also be guarded from accidental im- pregnation by other varieties, and the pollen from the selected male be applied at the proper moment, that is, when it bursts from the anther. Hybridization is only possible between species closely related, for although there is a relation between the apple and the pear, and between 84 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. " the gooseberry and the currant, they will not hybridize ; but different varieties of the apple will hybridize with _ each other, and so with all the rest. Blbssonsihiy in Alternate Years—Many varieties of apple, pears, &c., fruits that take the whole season to mature, produce flowers in alternate years only, with great regularity. The reason is supposed to be this: The fruit during the bearing year, attracts a large quantity of the ascending sap of the tree in the same way as the leaves do; but instead of returning it to the tree, they consume it themselves. The consequence is, the buds that would have blossomed the following year if they had received their due share of nutriment, fail in attaining the proper condition, and producé only rosettes of leaves. During the unfruitful season, immense quantities of fruit- buds are again brought forward, and the year following, the tree is overloaded; so it proceeds in regular succes- sion. This is never experienced in trees regularly pruned, “and may be remedied by thinning out the crop. in bearing. years, leaving on but a ee amount that will not exhaust the tree. The bearing years have been completely reversed by removing the blossom-bnds or fruits on the bearing year. m Section 7.—Tse Frourr. ist.. Character of the Fruit—As soon as the ovary is impregnated it begins to swell; the petals, stamens, and other parts of the flower fall off, ol we then say the fruit is “set.” Asa fruit bud is but a transformed leaf-bud, a fruit occupies the samé relative connection with the tree as a branch; it attracts food from the stem and the atmosphere in the same manner, and performs : all the same functions, except that it does not, like the leaf, THE FRUIT. 35 return anything to the tree, but appropriates all to its own use; and this is the reason, as we have before remarked, that trees having borne a heavy crop of fruit one season are unfruitful the next—this is the case only with fruits, as the apple and pear, that require nearly the whole sea- son to mature them. Cherries, and other fruits that mature in a shorter period, and that draw more lightly on the juices of the tree, do not produce this exhaustion, and consequently bear year after year uninterruptedly. 2d. Classification. —In some fruits, as the apple for in- stance, the fruit is formed below or at the base of the | calyx, “the segments of which are still visible in the mature fruit; and often serves to some extent by its size and. other petealligitelen, as being spread out, or closed to- . gether in a point, to identify varieties. In Gher species, as the plum and cherry, the fruit is formed within the . ealyx, or on the top of it... Fruits of the former character forming below the calyx and including it in their struc- ture are classed as inferior—the apple, pear, quince, gooseberry, and cwrrant are all inferior, having the calyx adhering. Those-formed within the calyx, having the pistil alone connected with the ovary, are called swperzor ; such are the peach, plum, apricot, nectarine, cherry, raspberry, straw- berry, and grape. The more natural, popular, and useful classification of fruits, is that by which they are divided into Pomes or Kernel Fruits, as the apple, pear, quince, med- lar, etc. In speaking of these we eall the pericarp the jlesh, and the dry, bony seed capsules the core. Drupes or Stone Fruits—Those having a soft, pulpy pericarp, and the seed enclosed in a shell like a nut, as the peach, plum, apricot, cherry, etc. The peri- cep of these 1 is called the jlcsh, and the seed, the pit or stone - 36 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. Berries—These. have soft, pulpy flesh, containing seeds without capsules, as the gooseberry, currant, ra strawberry, and grape. Nuts, or capsule fruit, as the filbert, chestnut, ete., the fruits of which are nuts contained in husks or cups, that when ripe, open and let the fruit drop. The outlines or forms of fruits and their colors exhibit great variations, even in the same species. Every portion of the — the at Jlesh (C, fig. 41), core (D, fig. 41), seeds (Ef) or stones, stems (A), and in ker- nel fruits the ca’yx (B), have all, in some cases, meatal peculi- arities, and in others more minute and scarcely perceptible ; but yet in a strictly scientific study of po- : | _. mology, of more or soFieths renal secon cf snarrs storing ess service. It would C, the flesh. D, thecore. E, the seed. A,stem. be foreign to the pur- B, calyx. poses & this work to ~ notice-these points in detail ; all that is deemed necessary, useful, or appropriate, is to point out well-defined and practical distinctions, and the terms ordinarily made use of in popular descriptions. , 8d. Different Parts of the Fruit: The Base (A) is the end in which the stem is inserted. The Eye (B) is the opposite end, in the apple, pear, etc., . that have an adhering ie The Neck, in pears, the contracted part near the stalk, as seen in fig. 49. The Point is ‘the end opposite the stem in stone fruits : ° THE FRUIT. 37 * berries, etc., that have no calyx, and consequently no eye. The Length is the distance from stem to he or eye, * A to B, fig. 41. The Width, the line D #—cutting the fruit across, or at right angles with the length. The Bein: the depression around the eye or eal in kernel fruit, B, fig. 41. The Cavity, the deer ession around the stem. The Suture, in stone fruits the furrow-like depression run- ning from the base to the point. Ath. Different Properties of Fruits : Besides the principal divisions which have been alluded to, fruits are considered in regard to their s¢ze, color, form, texture, flavor, and season of ripening. Ist. The Size—Besides the natural difference in size that exists among different varieties of the same species, as, for instance, between the Bartlett and Seckel Pears, or the fall Pippin and Lady Apples, there are great dif- ferences between the same varieties owing chiefly to the following circumstances: Soid—We find that in’ new and fresh soils, the nutritive properties of which have not been impaired by cultivation, as in the virgin soils of the West, fruit of the same variety attains nearly double the size that it does in older parts of the country, where the soil has long been under cultivation; and that in the same orchard, the tree growing in a deep, alluvial soil, will give. fruit much larger than the one on a hard gravelly knoll. Culture-—This has animportant influence on the size of fruits. If an ofthard has been for several years neglected, and the ground about the trees become covered with grass and weeds, the fruit is small; and if the same orchard be ploughed up, some manure turned in around the roots, and the ground be kept loose and clean by tillage, the fruit will double in size in'a single season. Seasons—In 88 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. «+ ¢ » a dry season, when the supply of moisture at the roots and in the atmosphere is very limited, fruits are inyari- ably smaller than in seasons of an opposite character. Number of fruits on the tree—This affects the size of the fruit to a great extent in all seasons, soils, and climates, and under all grades of culture. ‘It is perfectly obvious, that the greater the number of fruits a tree bears, the smaller they will be, for as they derive their sustenance from the tree, a large number cannot be so well supplied as a smaller number. We cannot go into an orchard where there are many varieties without seeing an illustration of this. Here is a prolific variety loaded in every part; the fruits are small, cer- tainly not over medium size. There is a moderate bearer ; its fruits are thinly and evenly distributed over the tree ; . its fruits are consequently darge. So in the case of fruits that have been thinned; that is, a certain portion removed while young, either by accidental circumstances or by design, every specimen is twice as large, as if the whole crop had been allowed to mature. The English goose- berry growers, in preparing their prize specimens, leave but a few on each bush—not over a twentieth, or perhaps a fiftieth part of the entire crop. So in peaches, grapes, etc., grown carefully in houses. Where the size and beauty of the fruit, and the health and vigor of the trees _ are kept in view, a large portion of the crops, from one half to two thirds, is thinned out before maturity. Age of the trees—This influences the size of fruits to a great extent; we see fruit so large on young trees as to be entirely out of character: As trees grow older, the vigor decreases, and the number of fruits increase, and they are ‘consequently diminished in size. Zhe kind of stock has a “tendency te modify the size; thus we find many pears much larger on the @udnce stock than on the pear, and inany apples larger on the Paradise than on the common THE FRUIT. a apple steck. The reason of this is, no doubt, that on the quince and paradise the juices of the tree are better pre- pared, richer, and better suited to the growth of the fruit. In the common pear and apple stocks the sap is taken up in greater quantities, is watery, and better adapted to form wood than fruit. | CLASSIFICATION OF SIZE. _ The terms qualifying the sizes of fruitsare always given comparatively, in regard to the two extremes, the largest ~ and the smallest of the species; for instance—in apples, we may consider the Gloria Mundi and Twenty Ounce as extremely large, and the Lady apple as extremely small. The terms used, therefore, are such as to represent the various grades betvreen the two extremes. These are Very large, as the Gloria Mundi Apple, Duchesse d’An- gouléme Pear, Orawford’s Karly Peach, Yellow Egg Plum, and WVapoleon Bigarreau Cherry. Large, as the Baldwin Apple, Bartlett Pear, Red Check Melocoton Peach, Washington Plum, and Black Eagle Cherry. Medium, as the Rambo Apple, White Doyenne Pear, Imperial Gage Plum, and the American Amber Cherry. Small, as the Early Strawberry Apple, Dearborn’s Seed- ling Pear, Green Gage Plum, and Bawman’s May Cherry. Very Small, as the Amare Johannet Pear, Lady Apple, Winter Damson Plum, and the Jndulle(Larly May) Cherry. | The distance between some of these grades, as be- tween medium and large, &c., is so short that they are” frequently confounded; still they give a notion of com- parative size that answers all practical purposes. It 40 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. : would, perhaps, have been more accurate, ani, at the same time, more satisfactory to persons entirely un- acquainted with fruits to have given the comparative measurement of these different grades in inches and parts; but the varieties quoted as examples are common, and very generally known. 2d. Form.—lIt is exceedingly difficult, even impossible, to find any single term that will give a mathematically accurate notion of the forms of fruits; for, although we call an apple round or conical, it may not be, strictly speaking, either; perhaps partakes to some extent of both forms. But that is no reason why we should desig- nate it conical round ; we simply call it rownd, or roundish, if nearer round than any other form; and if it inclines slightly to the conical, we cannot so well convey the knowledge of that fact any other way as by simply say- ing so. | _ In the apple the rownd form prevails, and in the pear the pyramidal; hence, it is necessary to apply a different class of descriptive terms to each. FORMS OF APPLES. Round or Roundish (fig? 42)—When the outline is round, or nearly so, the length being about equal to the breadth. Flat (fig. 45)—When the ends are compressed, and the width considerably greater than the length. Conical (fig. 43)—In the form of a cone, ee from the base to the eye. Ovate, or egg-shaped (fig. 44). _ Oblong (fig. 46)—When the length is considerably oreatel than the width, and the width about equal at both * ends, not tapering as in the . THE FRUIT. | 41 In addition to these forms and their various modifi- cations, some varieties are Figs. 42 to 47, forms of apples. 42, round. 43, conical. 44, ovate. 45, flat ax, oblong. 47, ribbed. .ingular, having projecting angles on the sides. One-sided, having one side larger than the other. Leibbed (47), when the surface presents a series of ridges and furrows running from eye to stem. FORMS OF PEARS. It has been remarked that the pyramidal form prevails ~ in pears; but they taper from the.eye to the stem, which is just the reverse of the tapering form in apples. Their forms are designated thus— Pyriform.—When tapering from the eye x the base, and the sides more or less hollowed (concave) (fig. 48). | Long Pyriform—When long ard narrow, and tapering to a point at the stem (fig. 49). Obtuse Pyriform.—When the small end is somewhat flat. tened (fig. 50). Obovate or egg-shaped—Nearly in am of an egg, the small end being nearest the stem (fig. 61’. - 2 - 42 GENERAL lieiadane Seiinvic or top-shaped.—The ore somewhat rounded and Biers to a point at & the stem (fig. 52). Figs. 48 to 54, forms of pears. 48, pyriform. 49, long pyriform. 50, obease pyriform. 51, obovate. 52, turbinate. 53, oval. 64, round. Oval.—Largest in the middle, tapering more or less to each end (fig. 53). Round.—When the outline is nearly round (fig. 54). FORMS OF PEACHES. There is too much uniformity in the forms of peaches to render the adoption of any set of terms descriptive of them very serviceable. They are mostly round, occasion- ally approaching to oblong and oval; two sides are fre- quently compressed, flattened, exhibiting a suture or fur- row running from the point to the base: the width, depth, &c., of this suture are, in many cases, peculiar, or at least worthy of note. ne FORMS OF PLUMS. Plums are round, oval, or -oblong, as the peach, and marked, in some cases, by a similar flationing of the sides, and by the suture. THE FRUIT. 43 -FORMS OF CHERRIES. @ _ Merries ave round or heart-shaped ; obtuse heart-shaped, when too round to be fully heart-shaped; and pointed, when the point is more than ordinarily sharp or peaked. The suture is also taken note of as in plums and peaches. Gooseberries and Grapes are always round or oval. Cur- rants always round. Strawberries round, conical, or oval, sometimes with a neck; that is, the base is drawn out at the stem in the form of a narrow neck. Laspberries are conical, roundish, or long. 3d. Color—tThe color of fruits depends much on their exposure to the sun’s rays. We find that in orchard trees, where the heads are densé, and a large portion of the fruit shaded and shut out from the sun, there is a great difference in the color; indeed, so great, frequently, as to make their identity from appearance quite doubtful. Varieties that are naturally—when properly exposed to © the sun—of a bright red or a glowing crimson, remain ‘green in the shade. The climate, too, seems to have con- siderable effect on the color. As a general thing, we observe that northern apples are clearer and brighter colored than those of the south. Dry soils and elevated situations produce more highly- colored fruit than damp and low valleys. The terms used in describing colors, are all simple and well under- sto 4th. Flavor, in table fruits, is one of the most impor- tant of qualities ; for however large or fair a fruit may be, if insipid or astringent to an unpleasant degree, or if it possesses some other disagreeable quality, it is unfit for the table. There are various kinds of flavor even among varieties of the same species: in pears, particularly, it. is almost endless, the shades and degrees of sweet and acid, 44 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. and the various perfumes that mingle with these, are almost infinite. The same circumstances mentioned as favorable to high and brilliant coloring, are also favorable te the production of fine flavor. Jzght, heat, a dry soil, and moderate growth, seem to be all essential to fine flavor. On trees somewhat advanced in age, fruits are apt to be higher flavored than on young trees that have just commenced bearing, and in a dry than a wet season. The philosophy of all this is, that in a damp soil or season, or in a shaded situation, when trees are young and growing rapidly, the fruit receives more sap from the tree than can be pro- perly elaborated by the action of the sun and atmosphere on its surface, and, consequently, the sugary principle is produced in small quantities—the juice is watery, sour, or insipid, as the case may be. _ The various terms by which flavor is designated, such as sweet, acid, sub-acid, sprightly, perfumed, musky, spicy, &c., are all well understood. Section 8.—TxHeE SEep. The perfect seed contains the rudiments of a plant of the same nature as that which produced it. This rndi- ment of the new plant is called the embryo. It con- sists of three parts—the cotyledons (c ¢, fig. 55), which are the rudiments of the first pair of leaves; these arethe parts that first make their appearance. The bases of these cotyledons are united, and send down the radicle (6), or root, and between them is a bud (a), which sends up the stem, and is usually called the plumule. As soon as the seed is excited into germination by the heat and moisture of the earth, this vadicle or root begins to pene- trate the soil, and the plumule ascends in an opposite di- rection ; and thus the growth of the tree goes forward THE SEED. 45 tf the manner already described under the heading, Root, Stem, &e. It has been remarked that seed con- tains the ruciment of a plant similar to that on which it is produced; but this needs some explanation. In distinct species, this will be true; but the seeds of varieties that have been produced by culture and hybridizing, seldom or never reproduss exactly their like, hence the necess'ty for the various artificial methods of multiplication, . such as grafting, badding, layering, &c. It is to these operations that we are indebted for the preservation of varieties that were originated hun- _ dreds of years ago. Fre. 55. Germination—Heat and moisture, ig. 55, germinating air, and the exclusion of light, are all "6 |”. eee necessary to the healthy and perfect germination of seeds. It may be well te consider, briefly, the part which each of these has to perform. Ist. Morstwre—When seeds are sown in a time when the ground is parched, they will show no signs of germi- nation until it is, in some way or other, moistened. The quantity of moisture necessary to a seed depends on the ’ nature of its covering and its size. A small seed, with a thin covering, will vegetate much sooner and with less moisture than a large seed, with a hard, bony covering. The moisture must, in the first place, soften the covering, penetrate to the mealy part of the seed, and prepare it for the chemical changes necessary to cgnvert it into food for the embryo plant. Ifapple or pear seeds be kept in a dry, warm room all winter, they will not be likely to vegetate the following spring, but if sown will probably 46 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. lie in the ground all summer, and possibly germinate the spring following. If cherry seeds are kept dry for any length of time, say two or three months, they will not germinate the season following; and peaches and plums have actually to be in the ground all winter, under the action of frost, to insure their germination the spring fol- lowing. Seeds will germinate much quicker when freshly gathered than after they have dried, because heat, mois- ture, and air have. easier access to theh, and act more quickly on them. These facts, of whidh all are well aware, show the ans A for moisture and the nature of its influence. 2d. Heat is the next most important element. Seeds do not grow in winter. We sow our apple, pear, peach, and plum seeds in November; but they show no signs of ger- mination until a change of season. When the warmth of spring penetrates the soil, it reaches the seed, and, in con- nection with the moisture already imbibed, induces what we usually call fermentation. This chemical process ex- cites the vital energies of the germ, decomposes the thealy part of th@seed, and prepares it for the temporary nutrition of the young plant. 3d. Avr.—Although seeds may have heat and moisture in the requisite proportions, still it has been proved by many experiments, that without avr, germination cannot take place. Practical cultivators are aware that seeds planted too deeply do not grow; many kinds will lie buried in the ground for years without growing, and when turned up near the surface will germinate immediately. It is the oxygen of the air that constitutes its importance; it pro- duces, by forming new combinations with the gases con- tained in the aued: that chemical process which converts the starck into sugar and gum, as we observe in ordinary cases of (dbiviterstahaiees: THE SEED. 47 Ath. Exclusion of Light-——The manner in which self- gown seeds in the forest are covered with fallen and decaying foliage, plainly indicates that nature never intended the light to strike germinating seeds. A seed entirely erosde would be at one time saturated with moisture, and at another parched with drought; chemical changes would be alternately promoted and checked, — until the vital principle would be destroyed, or so weaken- ed.as to produce a feeble and worthless plant. The depth of the covering should always be regulated by the size of the seeds. Small and delicate seeds n may be sown almost on the surface, whilst large ones may be imbedded to the depth of four or five fabhes The small seed requires little moisture, and has but a feeble force to penetrate an earthy covering; but the large requires much moisture, and has force enough to push its way up. CHAPTER II. SOILS. Section 1.—Dirrerent Kinps or — : Soms are usually designated by terms expressive of the predominant material in their composition, thus we hear of sandy, loamy, gravelly, clayey, calcareous or chalky, and alluvial soils. A sandy soil is that in which abe is the ‘principal in- gredient. Such soil is usually quite defective. It is so porous that it parts almost instantaneously with moisture, and plants in it suffer from drought. All the soluble parts of manures are also quickly washed out of it, and hence it requires continual additions to produce even a scanty growth. The great point in improving it, is to render it more retentive by the addition of clay, ashes, &e. A clayey sow is that in which clay predominates. It may be considered the opposite of sandy, inasmuch as its defects are, that it retains moisture too long, is too adhe- sive, ii dry weather it becomes as hard as a burnt brick, impervious to dews or light showers, and when chortle saturated with wet it is tough, eat requires a long time to dry. No fruit tree succeeds well in such a soil ; bet it is capable of being improved and fitted for many bipkies, and especially the plum and the pear. The obvious way to improve it is, by incorporating with it i. porous soils, as sand, muck, or leaf mould. . SOILS. 49 A gravelly sot} is one made up in greater part of small a-ones, pebbles, decomposed rock, &c.; such soils, as a reneral thing, are unfit for fruit trees, unless great labor is incurred in trenching, deepening, and mixing with clay, muck, &c., of opposite char ahtrs. A loamy soil is one we hear a great deal about, and may ~ be understood in various ways. It may be considered a mixture of equal parts of sandy, clayey, and vegetable soil. [t is neither so light as the sandy, on the one hand, nor so tenacious as clay on the other; and, as a general thing, contains such elements, and is of such a texture, as to ren- der it eligible for all ordinary purposes of cultivation, and especially so for fruit trees. Loamy soils are spoken of as sandy loams, when sand forms a large ingredient, say one half of their composition ; gravelly, when pretty largely mixed with small stones; codcareous, when lime is found in them. Calcarecus or chalky soils have a large amount of lime mixed with the other ingredients of which they are com- posed. All the lands in. limestone districts are of this character, and, as a general fing; are well adepled to fruit culture. Peaty sow consists chiefly of vegetable mould from de- eayed marsh plants, in low, wet hae It is unfit, in itself, for fruit trees, but is valuable for improving both light and heavy soils. 'Allinial soils are composed of decomposed vegeta- ble substances, the sediment of rivers, and materials washed down from neighboring hills ; oh valleys of all our rivers and streams are composed & this, and it is the richest of all soils. Fruit trees in such soils make a rank, vigorous growth, but they are not so hardy nor so fruit- ful, nor is the fruit so high flavored as on soils with more sand, clay, or gravel, and less vegetable mould. 3 : 50 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. In treating of the different classes of fruits, we shall refer to the particular soils best adapted to them. Section 2.—Dirrerent Mopsrs or Iwrrovine Soms. ' In regard to depth, soils vary materially, some being not over eight or ten inches in depth of surface, others a foot, while in deep alluvial valleys they are often two feet. For orchard and garden purposes, a deep soil is quite essential to enable the roots to penetrate freely in search of food, and to enable them to withstand the demands of protracted droughts. . Few soils in their ordinary condition of farm culture are, in this respect, suitable for trees. Even where naturally deep and loamy, if the upper part’ only (say to the depth of six inches, which is as deep as most people plough) be in a friable condition, it cannot be considered as in a proper state for the reception of trees, for their roots cannot be confined to six inches of the surface. Some means of loosening and deepening must = resorted to, and what are they ? 1. SUBSOIL PLOUGHING. This is the avonpést and best method, where a large quantity of ground is to be prepared for extensive plant- ing. The common plough goes first, and takes as deep a furrow, as practicable. The pabsbilar follows in the same furrow and loosens, without turning up, the lower part of the surface and a part of the subsoil. Except in cases where the subsoil is a very stiff clay or a hard gravel and near the surface, the two ploughs can go to the depth of eighteen or twenty inches. This is our mode of pre- paring nursery grounds.’ If a single ploughisg in this _.. ‘way does not accomplish the desired end, a seond : may _ be given, going down still a SOILS. 51 We had a piece of soil the surface of which was about a foot deep of black vegetable mould, with a slight admix- ture of sand, resting on a stiff clay subsoil, which pre- vented the water from passing off. In this condition we found it entirely unfit for trees; we subsoil ploughed it six or eight inches deep, turning up the clay subsoil and mixing it with the surface ; we also drained it, and spread over the surface the clay that came out of the drains, and in this condition we find it producing the finest trees, especially apples, pears, and plums. The soil is more substantial, and the surface water passes off freely. . 2.. TRENCHING. In gardens too limited in extent to admit of ploughs, or where it is desired to make the soil thorough and perma- nently deep, trenching is the means. _ The spade is the ee used in this operation. A trench two feet wide is opened on one side of the ground, and the earth taken out of it is carried to the opposite side. Another trench is opened, the surface spadeful be- ing thrown in the bottom, and the next lower on the top of that, and so on till it is opened the required depth, which, for a good fruit garden, should be about two feet. If. the subsoil be poor and gravelly, it is better to loosen it up thoroughly with a pick, and let it remain, than to throw it out on the surface. When the whole plot is trenched over in this way, the earth taken out of the first trench will fill up the last one, and the work is done. If the soil be poor, a layer of well-decomposed manure may be added alternately with the layers of earth; and if the soil be too light and sandy, clay, ashes, etc., can be added; and if too heavy, sand, lime, muck, peat, scrapings of dead leaves from the woods, or any other material calculated to render it porous and friable. Ifa garden is thne trenched 52 : GENERAL PRINCIPLES. in the fall or winter, and then turned over once in the spring to effect a thorough mixture of all the materials, it will be in suitablé order for planting. This is something like the way to prepare soil for a garden; and let no one say it is too troublesome or too expensive, for in two years the extra pleasure and profit it will yield, will pay for all. Nothing is so expensive or so troublesome as an ill-prepared soil. 3. DRAINING. There is a false notion very prevalent among people, that where water does not lodge on the surface of a soil, it is “dry enough.” However this may be in regard to meadows or annual crops, it is quite erroneous when ap- plied to orchards or fruit gardens. Stagnant moisture either in the surface or subsoil is highly injurious—ruin- ous to fruit trees. In stich situations we invariably find them unthrifty and unfruitful, the bark mossy, and the fruit imperfect and insipid. All the soils, then, not per- fectly free from stagnant moisture, both above and below, . should be drained. In draining, it is, of course, neces- sary to have a fall or outlet for the water. Having se: lected this, the next point is to open the drains. We usually make them three feet deep, and wide enough to give sufficient room to work—say three feet wide at top, narrowing gradually to six inches at the bottom, which should be even and sloping enough to the outlet of the water to enable it to run. A laborer who understands draining, will make two rods of these in a day; and good pipetile, two inches wide, can be had at the-rate of about one -cent per foot.. Draining, therefore, is not so costly an operation as many suppose. — Where draining tiles are not to be had conveniently, amall stoves may be used. The bottom of the drain SOILS. 53 should be filled with them to the depth of eight or ten ° inches. In using these, the drains require to be at least -. six inches deeper than for tiles, in order that a sufficient quantity of stones can be used without comingstoo near the surface. Some brush, or turf, with the grassy side downwards, should be laid on the stones before filling in the earth, to keep it from filling up the crevices. CHAPTER III. MANURES. Section 1.—Lvrortance oF MANuURES. No soil, whatever may be its original fertility, can sus- tain a heavy and continued vegetation for many years without becoming, to some extent, exhausted. Indeed, there are few wee so fortunate, except those who settle upon new, uncultivated lands, as to procure a soil that does not heed manuring to fit it for the first planting with trees. It is, then, a matter of importance for every man who has more or less land to cultivate, to inform himself well on the subject of saving, preparing, and applying ~ manures. In this country, the only class of men, gene? rally speaking, who can be properly said to collect and manage manures with system and care, are nurserymen © and market gardeners near our large towns. It is very seldom that people generally give the matter a thought until garden-making time comes around: in the spring; and then, anything in the form of manure is carried into the garden, and applied whether fit or unfit. This is not the proper course. Every garden should have its manure heap, that, in 1 the fall or spring, when it comes to be applied, will cut like paste. In that state only is it safe to apply it. All parts ‘ of it are then decomposed thoroughly ; ; all seeds of noxious plants are dead, and it is in a condition capable of yielding at once, to the roots of growing - plants, *" MANURES. 55 healthy nutrition, that will produce a wgorous, firm, sound, and fruatful growth; and this is precisely what is wanted: far betterto have a tree starved and stunted, _ than forced into a rank, gett growth, with crude, ill- prepared manures. Srction 2.—PREPARATION oF Manurzs. The best gardeners pursue a system something like this: A trench is prepared two or three feet deep, and large enough to hold what manure may be wanted. In the bottom of this trench, a layer of muck, grassy turf, ashes, anything and everything capable of being decom- posed, is laid down, say a foot deep. On the top of this, a thick layer of stable or barnyard manure, two or three feet deep, then. another layer of muck, gypsum, ete. In this way it remains till more manure has accumulated around the stables; it is then carried and deposited in another layer, with a layer of the other materials on the top. The manure should always be saturated with mois- ture, and trodden down firmly to hasten its decay, and if an. occasional load of night soil could be mixed in with it all the better. The layer of muck and other substances being always placed on the top of the last layer of manure absorbs the evaporations of the heap, and hastens the decay of all. When stable manure is thrown down and left uncovered, a dense steam will be seen. to rise from it; and this is the very essence of it escaping to be lost, ye if it be thrown down in a heap dry it will im- mediately burn—that is, dry rot. Its enriching ingre- dients all pass off by evaporation, and there is nothing left but its ashes, so to speak. When the heap has accumulated for four or five months as described, the whole should be turned over, “completely mixed, and piled up in a,compact, firmly- ity * 56 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. trodden mass, when it will undergo farther decomposition, and, in a short time, become like paste. Adjoining every manure heap, there should be an excavation to receive its liquid drainage, in order that it may be saved, and either applied in the growing season, in a liquid state, diluted with water, or be thrown over the heap. _ “Special manures” have been much talked of lately. By the word “special,” is meant a particular quantity, of a particular mixture, for certain species, and even for certain varieties of fruits. Nearly all the suggestions on the subject are speculative and unreliable. The subject is an important one, but we want direct and careful ex- periments. It is only when we know to a certainty what material certain trees need most of, and in what degree it abounds or is wanting in our soil, that we can apply it safely. The experience of farmers and gardeners, grain and fruit growers, all over the world, affords undoubted evidence of the enriching qualities of stable manure. On all soils, and for all sorts of crops, it is an unfailing and powerful fertilizer; and we make it the base of all our manure and compost heaps. By mixing with it the in- gredients we have mentioned, we hasten its decay, save its parts from waste, and, at the same time, combine with it other substances that will not only enrich but improve the texture of soils, and increase the supply of the mine- ‘ral substances required by plants. Dr. Daubney, a dis- tinguished writer on the character and improvement of soils, ete., says, “Fortunately we are provided in the dung of animals with a species of manure of which the land can never be said to tire, for this simple reason, that it contains within itself not one alone, but all the ingre- dients which plants require for their nutrition, and that, too, existing in .the precise condition in which they are most readily taken in and assimilated.” But a good sub- btitute for this article, where it cannot-be obtained, is an MANURES. 57 important point. Some time ago, we noticed in the re- port of a discussion on manures in Boston, that the Hon. M. P. Wilder, one of the most distinguished horticulturists in America, stated that he had found the following com- post equal to stable manure for gardening purposes gene- rally, and for fruit trees. * One cord of meadow muck, haying been exposed to - the action of the air and frost at least one year; twelve bushels leached ashes ; six bushels crushed bones. This mixture cost him at the rate of $4 50 cents per cord. Latterly he added to this his stable manure, and about an eighth of the whole bulk of fine refuse charcoal from the depot of venders, which was delivered to him at-$5 per cord; and in this way he found it the best, as a general manure, he had ever used. On fruit trees its effect was remarkable. “In the spring*of 1847, he planted a square in the nur. sery with imported trees from England, this compost having been spread and ploughed in. These trees were from four to five feet in height, and although it is not usual for trees to make a large growth the first year, they acquired branches of three to four feet, and were so hand- some as to command $1 25 each, for a row of fifty trees, without any selection. “In June last, which is very late to set out trees, he prepared another square on rather poor land, and planted ' trees just received from England upon it. The soil had . been thrown up to the frost. the previous winter, and the compost here was applied in the trenches near the roots. Mr. Wilder exhibited two shoots which had grown from those trees since they were set in June. The shoots wero four feet in length, and the wood hard and well ripened.” In edition to all these sources for manure, it may be added that fallen leaves, scrapings of streets, weeds, _ wood chips, sawdust, the ashes of all prunings of trees Qe 58 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. and brush, soot, blood, animal flesh, soap suds, and slops from the kitchen, and, in fact, everything decomposable may be used, to increase the bulk of the ‘mannre heap, taking care that everything likely to waste by evapora- tion be covered at once with muck, charcoal, or some material calculated to absorb the gases evolved by de- - composition, We very frequently see people, in the spring of the year, when their garden is undergoing a purifying and fitting up process, carry to the highway all the brush, dry stems of plants, and-all the wreck of the previous season’s work, there to make a bonfire to get it out of the way, while at the same moment they complain sadly of the lack of manure. There was no such thing as a manure heap on the pre- mises. Section 3.—Mopss or Appiymves MANURE. Where an acre or several acres of ground are to be prepared for trees, the better way is to spread the manure over the surface and turn it in with the plough. When it is scarce and economy necessary, it may be applied around the roots, by mixing with the earth at planting time. Quantity to be Applied—tThis, of course, depends on two things, the necessities of the soil and the quality of the manure. If the land be poor, an even covering of - two or three inches should be given; if in tolerable good condition, one inch will be sufficient. One inch of well decomposed animal manure will be equal to three inches of a partially decayed comnoct. Srorion 4.—Tiqgcuip Manure. Manure in a liquid state has these advantages to recom- pa uae MANURES. 59 mend it. It can be applied to trees and plants in a grow- ing state without in the least disturbing the surface of the soil, and it supplies, at the same time, both nutriment and moisture. It can be applied to bearing trees, strawber- ries, etc., i frurt, if defective in vigor, or suffering from ° drought, and yield an immediate sustenarice that will enable them to produce much larger and finer fruit than they could have done without it. It may either be collected in a tank, kept on purpose near the barns, or it may be made ee wanted by dis- solving manure in water. It may be much stronger for trees, the roots of which are a considerable distance from the surface, than for such plants as have their roots near the surface. It is the only prompt and effectual stimu- lant for trees on a poor soil, to enable them to perfect their crop. We have frequently witnessed its astonishing effects. It should be applied.in the evening, and in such quantity as to penetrate to the roots; half a dozen water- ings will be sufficient in most cases, but it is better to apply it well diluted and often, than a smaller quantity too strong. A dozen shovelfuls of animal manure will make a barrel of liquid powerful enough for most pur- poses; and if pure liquid soakage of the manure heap or urine of animals is used, at least one half rain water should be added. Soap suds form an excellent liquid manure for all trees. The grape vine is especially be- nefited by liberal and frequent application. Se CHAPTER IV. THE DIFFERENT MODES OF PROPAGATING FRUIT TREES, General Remarks—The propagation of fruit trees may be classed under two principal heads—the Watural, which is by seeds; and the Artificial, by the division of the plants, as in cuttings, layers, suckers, buds, and grafts. PROPAGATION BY SEEDS. Seedling fruit trees are propagated, either to obtain new varieties, or stocks for budding or grafting. It is only where the very rudest system of fruit culture is practised, as for instance in newly-settled countries, that seedlings are planted out to bear, for the reason that, unless in very rare instances, varieties worthy of cultiva- tion do not reproduce themselves from seed. The_im- portant differences that exist between the seeds of dif ferent classes of fruit trees, render it necessary to treat of each separately ; their management will therefore be given in detail, in connection with the propagation of stocks. There are.some points, however, of general application that may be considered here with propriety. It scarcely admits of a doubt, but that the greater part of the diflicul- ties met with in fruit tree culture, as maladies of various sorts, unfruitfulness, etc., are induced by a careless and PROPAGATION BY SEEDS. 61 undiscriminating system of propagation. The stock has a most important influence on the health, longevity, fruit- fulness, and symmetry of trees, and it does not seem pos- sible that our indiscriminate mode of saving seeds for stocks is at all consistent with rational, intelligent cul- ture. | | What is the ordinary course? To raise apple seedlings, a quantity of pomace is procured at the cider mill, with- out the least regard to the quality or maturity of the fruits from which it was produced, or of the health, vigor, and hardiness of the trees that bore the fruit—these points are -never thought of. So it is in the case of pear seeds. During the last few years, these seeds have been nearly as valuable as gold dust; the price being seldom less than $5 per quart. The present season, a neighboring nurseryman has paid at the rate of $4 per qvart for a bushel. How is this seed procured? Is it selected from healthy, vigorous trees, with sound constitutions, and from perfect, well-matured fruits? By chance it may be; but seed collectors are usually glad to find fruits of any kind, and from any sort of tree, if they have only seeds apparently good. We do not, by any means, intend to charge upon any man a fraudulent intent in this matter. The seed collector is no more to blame than the nursery- man, for the nurseryman seldom asks any particulars about the origin of the seeds. How is it with peach trees? The peach is a short-lived tree, highly susceptible of deteriora- tion from bad treatment; and it is obviously impossible for an unhealthy, feeble tree, to produce sound and healthy plants from theirseeds. In some districts of the country, a sound, vigorous peach tree is a rarity; and yet, how are peach seeds saved and procured? The seeds are brought in to the seedsman, he buys them without asking any ques- tions about either the health or sickness of the trees that produced them. They are peach stones, and that is all ne- “= 62 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. cessary to be known. The nurseryman buys of the seeds man just as he received them; this is the way that the coun- try has been filled with miserable, diseased, and unsightly trees, and whoisin the fault? “ Why,” most people would say, the “ nurserymen, of course. They ought to be more careful in selecting their seeds, so that they might be cer- tain of having sound and healthy stocks. They ought te select the fruits, from which to obtain their seeds, while on the tree, and see that the trees are not in an incipient, or, - perhaps, an advanced state of decay, but in full health and vigor, possessing such characters, as to habit, growth, and hardiness, as are desirable in the best quality of nursery stock.” Mery true, itmust beadmitted. This is precisely the course that nurserymen ought to pursue. It is the course followed in the great orchard districts of France, and that ought to be adopted everywhere. But we must haye ‘cheap, easy, and labor-saving modes of doing things now- a-days; as well the raising of trees as everything else. Suppose a nurseryman could be found who would go about the culture of trees after some such system as we have indi- cated, it must be very clear that he could not sell his trees as cheap as another, who followed the present almost uni- versal hap-hazard course, and if he could not do this, the probability is he would be compelled to keep them; fox purchasers of trees, as a general thing, make no such diseri- minations. It happened one season that more than the usual quantities of seedling, unworked, peach trees were brought into the streets of Rochester for sale; they were as miserable, in all respects, as trees could be; yet they were sold by the thousand, at from 4 to 8 cents apiece, and scarcely one of them ever grew, for they were killed by exposure, fortunately. At that very time there were large stocks in the nurseries, about town, of good worked trees of the best varieties, offered at one whilling each. This instance is quoted simply to show who are to blame PROPAGATION BY SEEDS. 63 for the defective and vicious systems of propagation usually practised. That there will be a reform soon is not to be doubted. A discriminating spirit is already becoming ap- parent among the best classes of cultivators, and their example will soon be felt. The selection of seeds for stocks is a point of more than ordinary importance, and merits the special attention of every man engaged, to whatever extent, in the propagation of fruit trees. Ftecduetion of New Varieties—New varieties are pro- duced from seeds that have been properly hybridized, as described in the article on hybridization, or from seeds of the best specimens of the best varieties. Where it is desired to obtain seedlings of a particular variety, free from any crossing with others, the flowers should be protected while in blossom, to guard them against foreiga impregnation; seeds should be saved only from large, perfect, fine flavored specimens, and the seeds themselves should be plump and mature. Sometimes a good variety is obtained by selecting from beds of seed- lings, such as possess marked evidences of improvement, vigorous, luxuriant growth, large heavy foliage, pro- minent buds, and smooth, thornless wood. These charac- * ters indicate superiority, but do not always ensure superior fruit. The stock is supposed to exert considerable influ- ence on the seed; and if this be the case, it would be well — to get such varieties as we wish seeds from, on their own roots, by layering, or grafting on roots in the ground, so that the graft will itself strike root. Mr. Knight’s mode of obtaining seedlings, of the best varieties, was to prepare stocks from some good sort that would strike from cuttings. These stocks he planted in rich warm soil, and grafted with the kind he wanted the seeds from. The first season after grafting he took them up, reduced the roots, and planted again. In this way he had them bear fruit in two 64 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. A ties years. Heallowedonly a couple of specimens to remain: on each tree, and these, consequently, were very large, mature, and every way fine, and from these the seeds were taken. Seedlings may be tested quickly, by budding or grafting them on bearing trees. We may fruit apples and pears in this way, in four or five years, whilst ten or fif- teen would be necessary on their own roots. Experimenters - on this subject have found the seeds of new varieties are more certain to produce good fruit than the seed of old - ones. 2. By Division of the Plants—It has been remarked in the article on buds, that every bud is capable, under favorable circumstances, of producing a new individual, similar to that from which it is taken. Hence it is, that out of the young annual wood of an ap- ple, pear, peach, or any other fruit tree, we frequently make several hundreds. Every good, well-formed bud, properly separated, and inserted under the bark of the in- dividuals of the same, or a closely allied, soe will, in one year from its insertion, or with one season’s srcall have become a new tree. Itis by these means we are enabled to disseminate new varieties with such wonderful rapidity. Ifa young tree of a new variety will make halt ° a dozen shoots the first season, each. bearing half a dozen buds, we can, if we have stocks to bud on, be in possession of thirty trees of that variety in two years from the time we obtained one tree, and in aflother year we may have © four times that number. The production of a tree from a bud, a graft, a layer, or acutting, is but the same thing effected by different means. In all the cases, a part of the parent plant, with one-or more buds attached, is separated from it. The cutting, sometimes composed of one bud or joint, and sometimes of several, we put directly in the ground, where it forms roots. The graft is a cutting in- PROPAGATION BY CUTTINGS. 65 - gexivd, not in the ground, but in the wood of another plant to which it unites. The bud inserted under the bark of another tree, and the one buried in the ground, differ only in this, that one draws its support directly from the soil, and the other indirectly, through the tree to which it unites. Section 1.—Propacation By Curtrncs. A cutting is a shoot, or part of a shoot, generally of one season’s growth. The length of the cntting varies from a single eye or joint, to a foot, according to the nature of the species, or the circumstances under which they are to be grown. The wood should be as stout and mature as pos- sible, and should be cut close and smooth toa bud at both ends (fig. 56). In all cases, cuttings taken off closely to the old wood, with the base attached, as in fig. 57, aro Figs. 56to 59 cuttings. 56, a cutting, allof young wood. 57, a cutting, witha heel of old wood. 58, a cutting, with 2 or 3 eyes of old wood. 59, a cutting. of single eye of the grape vine. 60, along cutting uf the grape, line .@, B, surface of the ground, PO Raa 66 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. more successful than when cut at several joints above; and in many cases, as in the quince for example, an inch or two of the old wood left attached to the base of the cut- ting, as in fig. 58, renders it still more certain of success The more buds we can get around the base of a cutting, the better, other things being equal; for these buds, as soor, as they become active, send down new matter, from whick the roots are emitted. : Cuttings of the grape are sometimes made of a single eye (fig. 59), with an inch or so of wood above and be low it. , ; The time to make cuttings is in the fall, as soon as the wood is ripe, and through the early winter months. It shou!d not be deferred later than January. The sod for euttengs is of the greatest importance to their success, for if, on the one hand, it be cold, damp, and compact, they will decay, and if too loose and sandy, they will dry up for the want of sufficient moisture. A soil so mellow that it cannot bake, and yet so compact as to retain humidity enough to support the cuttings, until new roots are formed, seems to be ‘absolutely necessary—such a soil aS we may suppose a good garden border to be composed of. Rooted _ plants can endure extremes, but cuttings require the most * favorable circumstances. i Time to Plant-—The fall would be the better season to plant all cuttings, if we could cover them so as to prevent the frost from heaving them out. It is on account of this ~ difficulty that we plant, from necessity, in the spring; but _ spring planting must be done very early, that vegetation may proceed gradually. If late planted, warm weather comes on them at once, before they have formed roots sufficient to support the demands of the young leaves. Where only a few are grown, shading might, at certain times, be given, and some light substance, like saw dust, PROPAGATION BY LAYERING. 67 be spread about them, to preserve an even temperature and humidity, or they might be put ina cold frame, where they could receive any required attention. Where acres of cuttings are grown, these things are not practicable. Depth to plart.—As a general thing, cuttings should be inserted so deep, that only two buds will be above the surface of the ground, and in the vine only one. If cut- tings are long, they need not be set perpendicular, but sloping, so as to be within reach of heat and air. A cutting of a single eye of the vine with a piece of wood attached, must be entirely covered, say half an inch deep; see figures 56 to 60, ground line, A, 6. But such cuttings are seldom planted, except in pots, in houses, or . in hotbeds. Preserving Cuttings.—If cuttings are not planted in the autumn, they should at least be prepared quite early in the winter, and be buried in the earth out of doors, in a pit. A mound of earth should be drawn up over the pit to throw off water. At the very first favorable moment in the spring they should be planted. Trenches are opened as deep as necessary with a spade, and the cuttings set in it at the proper distance, from three inches to a foot, ac- cording to cireumstances. When the cuttings are in the trench, the earth is partly filled in, and trod firmly down with the foot, then the balance is filled in and levelled up. , ' Cuttings require particular attention, in the way of weed- ing and hoeing; if weeds grow up thickly, and appropri- ate the moisture of the ground, or ifthe surface he allowed to crack, as it may after rains, if not quite sandy, they will either make a feeble growth, or fail entirely. The ground wants repeated stirring, to keep it friable and perfectly _ free from weeds. : # * 68 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. Section 2.—PropaGation By LAYERING. A layer is similar to a cutting, except that it is allowed to remain in partial connection with the parent plant until it has emitted roots. On this account, layers are much more certain than cuttings. It is the best method of propagating the grape and the gooseberry, and also the guince, paradise, and Doucain, for stocks. It may be performed in the spring with shoots of the previous year’s growth, before vegetation has commenced, or in July and August on wood of the same season’s growth. - The ordinary mode of doing it is, first, to spade over and _ prepare the ground in which the branch is to be laid, in order to make it light and friable. The branch is then brought down to ces ground (fig. 61), an incision is made ‘at the base of bud ile through the bark, and partly through the sii, the knife is dvawwtl \ * upward, Siete the sliget an inch or two in length, and the branch is laid in the earth with dhe: cut open, and kept down by means of a crooked or hooked wooden pegs B. The earth is then drawn in smoothly around, cov- ering if two or three irieMed deep; and the end of the shoot that is above ground, is tied up toa stick (C), if it re- af TUE quires support. In the grape, Fiz. 6i, 2 coramen phe aaa gooseberry, or currant, a simple _ incision. B, hooked peg. ©, notch below a bud is sufficient, mars | '. and they will root if simply pegged down; but roots are formed more rapidly when the shoot is cut one third through, and slit as described. F A long shoot of the vine may be layered at several points, and thus produce several rooted plants in the PROPAGATION BY LAYERING. 69 course of one season. This is called serpentine layering (fig. 62). Zhe Quince, Paradise, and Doucain: stocks, where raised in large quantities, are propagated in a different way from that described. The pro- cess requires much less labor; and where. plants root so freely as they do, it answers every purpose. We will take a plant of the quince, for ex- ample, and, in the spring, before growth commences, we cut it down — nearly to the ground, leaving four or five buds at its base (A, fig. 63). During that season, a number of vigorous . shoots will be made. The following autumn or spring the earth is drawn up around the base of the plant, so that _ the crown where it was cut will be covered, and, con- sequently, the base } of all the shoots | . for several inches in height. Dur- ing the next sum- mer’s growth every branch is suffi-_ ciently rooted to be separated and placed in nursery Fig. 63, Mound layering or hanking up. 4, the point rows the following at which the mother plant was cut back. Fie. 62. Fig. 62, Serpentine layer. spring. This is the way to obtain strong stocks ; for the cutting back of the mother plant produces -very vigorous shoots the first 70 ' GENERAL PRINCIPLES. ~ season, and when another season’s growth is added they are as strong as can be desired: We succeed in rooting ' these shoots the first season of their growth by earthing them up about midsummer ; but they are not quite strong enough, or sufficiently rooted, for transplanting and bud- ding the following season. : SecTIon 3.—PROPAGATION BY SUCKERS. + Suckers are shoots sent up from the roots. We ob- serve them most frequently around trees that have had their roots wounded by the spade or plough. The wounds induce the formation of buds, and these buds send up shoots. They are occasionally used from necessity for stocks, but should not be employed where seedlings can be obtained. Occasionally we find certain varieties of plum throw up fine vigorous suckers, that would make excellent stocks if taken off with good roots; but their tendency to produce suckers renders them exceedingly ‘annoying in gardens, and on th's account objectionable. The roots of the raspberry are full of buds, and, con- sequently, throw up great quantities of suckers; and the smallest cuttings of the roots will grow. Suckers of any plants that can easily be propagated by cuttings or layers, should never be used. ; a ‘Secrion 4.—Propacation By Bupprve. _ This operation is performed during the growing season, and usually on young trees from one to five years old, with a smooth soft bark, It consists in separating a bud with a portion of bark attached, from a shoot of the cur- rent season’s growth of one tree, and inserting it below the bark cf another. When this bud begins to grow, all that_part of the stock above it is cut away, the bud grows on, and eventually forms a tree of the same variety as PROPAGATION BY BUDDING. ; vel that from which it was taken. Buds may be inserted in ‘June, and make considerable growth the same season, but_as a general thing this is not desirable in the propa- gation of fruit trees. The ordinary season in the Northern States is from the middle of July till the middle of Sep- tember, and the earliness or lateness at which a species is budded depends, other things being equal, on the con- dition of its growth. 7 Those accomplishing their growth early in the season are budded early, and those that grow until the autumn are budded late—thus the season extends over a period exceeding two months. In all cases, the following condi- tions are necessary : Ist. The buds must be leas y developed in the axrs of the leaves on the young shoots intended to bud from. This is seldom the case until the shoot has temporarily ceased to lengthen, as indicated by the perfect formation of its terminal bud. If. buds are wanted before this condition naturally ar- riyes, their maturity may be hastened very much by pinching the tips of the shoots. In ten or twelve days after the pinching of a very soft shoot, its buds are fit for’ working. 2d. The coe must rise freely from the bet to be bud- ded. This only happens when the stocks are in a thrifty and growing state. Where only a few stocks are to be worked, they can be easily watered, if necessary, a week or so before it is desirable to bud them. Trees that ac- — complish most of their growth early in the season, must be watched and budded before they cease to grow; those © that grow very late, must not be budded early, or the formation of new ae will surround and cover the buds; in gardener’s language, er will be “ drowned by the sap. 99 The wnplements needed are a pruning knife to dress & . _& he GENERAL PRINCIPLES. the stocks, by removing any branches that may be ir. the way of inserting the bud; and a budding knife to take off the buds and make the incisions in the stock. “The - latter should have a very thin, smooth, and keen edge. Strings for tying in the buds are either taken from bass mats, or they are prepared from the bark of the bass- wood. We always prepare our own; we send to the woods and strip the bark off the trees in June; we then put it in water from two to three weeks, according to the age of the bark, until its tissue is decomposed, and the fibrous, paper-like inner bark is easily separated from the outer, when it is torn into strips, dried, and put away for use. Before using, it should always be moistened to make it tough and pliable. Cutting and Preparing the Buds.—Young shoots in the condition described, are cut below the lowest plump bud; an inch or two of the base of every shoot, where the buds are very close together, and quite small, should be left. The leaves are then stripped off, leaving half of each leaf stalk to handle the bud by, as in fig. 63. Preserving the Buds——When a cousiderable quantity is cut at once, they should be wrapped in a damp cloth as soon as cut and stripped of the leaves, and they may be preserved in good order for ten days, by keeping them in a cool cellar among damp saw-dust, or closely envelop ed in damp cloths, matting, or moss. We often send buds a week’s journey, packed = moss slightly moistened ; the ~ leaves being off, the evaporation is trifling, none in -fact ~ when packed: up, consequently very little moisture is needed. . es Having the stocks, buds, and implements in the condi- tion described, the operation is performed in this way : The shoot to bud from is taken in one hand, and the budding knife in the other, the lower part of the edge of the Knife i is placed on the shoot half an inch above the =i ay 5 ij w/ al e4, Fies. 64 to 70, Buppina. Fig. 64, a shoot of buds with the leaves taken off. .4, the point above the bud where the knife was inserted. B, the point below where it comes out. Fig.65, is a bud badly taken off, with a hollow in the centre. Fig..66,a good bud. 4, root of the bud. B, root of the leaf. 68 * PROPAGATION BY BUDDING. 3 . we bud to be removed (A, fig. 64), the thumb of the knife- hand rests on the shoot below the bud (4), a drawing cut is then made, parallel with the shoot, removing. the bud and the bark to which it is attached, half an inch above, and three quarters be- low it. This is the usual length, but it may in many cases be shorter. The cut is made just deep enough to be below the bark, a small portion of the wood is always taken oe z . Fig. 67, a stock with the bark slit vertically and across. Fig. 68, the same with the bark raised as far as the dotted line. Fig. 69, the same with the bud inserted. Fig. 70, the same tied up. off with it, and if this adheres firmly it should be allowed 4 _ 74 ga, PRINCIPLES. to remain; if it parts freely, it should be taken out, but in doing so the voot of the bud: must be carefully preserved, for if it comes out with the wood, the budis useless. The root of the bud, as it is termed, is a small portion of wood in the hollow part of the inside of the bud. Fig. 64 isa good bud, -A, root of bud, B, root of leaf. Fig. 65 is im- perfect, the roots of leaf and bud both out. A smooth place on the stock, clear of branches, is then chosen, where two incisions are made to the depth of the bark, one across the end of the other, so as to form a T, fig. 67; thé bark on the two edges of the perpendicular eut is raised (fig. 68) with the smooth ivory handle of the budding knife, and the bud is inserted between them (fig. 69); the upper end of the bark attached to the bud is cut square, to fit to the horizontal cut on the stock, the bass string is then wound around tightly, commencing at the bottom, and covering every part of the incision, leaving the bud itself, and the leaf-stalk, uncovered (fig. 70), the string is fastened above the horizontal cut, and the work is done. The success of the operation, as far as its execution is con- cerned, depends, in a great measure, on smooth cuts, an exact fit of the bud to the mcision made for rt, secure, close .tying, that will completely exclude air and rain wa- ter, and the quick performance of the whole. The inser- tion of a bud should not, in any case, occupy more than a minute; ordinary practised budders will set two in that time, and often two hundred in an hour with a person to tie. Where the stocks and buds work well, two thousand is not an uncommon day’s work in our nurseries, especially. of cherries, peaches, and apples. Where only a few buds are to be set, a cool, shiek day or evening should be selected, as they will ie more cer- tain of success than if fer cues the middle of a hot, dry day. | | _ The chief difficulty experienced by oe in pud- > PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. _ 45 ding, is the proper removal of the bud. When ithappens that the knife passes exactly between the bark and wood, the bud cannot fail to be good; but this rarely happens— more or less wood is attached, and the removal of this is the nice point. Where the buds are flat, the ditficulty is less than when.they have large prominent shoulders, as the plum and pear have, in many cases. When all*the wood is taken out of these, a cavity remains, which does not come in contact with the wood on which the bud is placed, and therefore, although the bark unites well, the bud will not grow. Sometimes, such as these are sepa- rated by making an incision through the bark; lift the edge of the bark attached to the bud with the knife, and push it off with the fingers. A safer way still is to cut around the bud, and draw a strong silk thread between the bark and wood, thus removing the bud in perfection. ¢ Section 5.—PRopPAGATION BY GRAFTING. - Grafting is the insertion of a scion of one species or variety on the stem or branch of another, which is called the stock. Its principal object is to increase certain varie- ties that cannot be reproduced from seed with certainty ; but it is frequently periormed te other objne ects In view. _ For instance— To Fruit a New Variety—A scion inserted in a branch of a bearing tree, will bear fruit perhaps the second year from the graft; but if the same scion had been put on a young seedling, it would not have borne in ten years. One species is frequently grafted with success upon another, by which certain important .modifications are wrought upén both the size and fruitfulness of trees, and the quality of the fruits. Thus, we can graft,in many cases, with highly beneficial results, the peach and apri- 4 om 76 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. -- cot on the plum; the pear on the quince; strong grow- _ ing species and varieties on weaker ones, and wee versa. But experience has established the fact, that there must be between the stock and graft a close alliance. We cannot graft an apple on a peach, nor a cherry on a pear; but the pear, the apple, quince, medlar, thorn, and moun- tail ash—a naturally allied group—may, with more or less success, be worked upon one another. ~The French horticulturists, who are the most skilful and curious in all matters pertaining to the propagation of plants, describe in their works upwards of one hun- dred different modes of grafting, practised in different ages and countries, and for the attainment of particular. - objects; but, however interesting the study of all these may be to the student and experimentalist, the great bulk of them are of little practical utility, and are never applied in the multiplication of fruit trees. It is, there- fore, unnecessary to fil] up the pages of such a treatise as this, with either a historical account or description of - them. The methods described below are those univer- | sally adopted, with slight xaodifications, by the best prac- tical propagators every paar at the present day. Stocks are of all ages frem a yearling seedling to a tree forty or fifty years old; but of whatever age, they should be sound and Really” Nursery stocks will be more particularly spoken of in the proper place. Scions are generally shoots et the previous year’s growth. Rarely those bearing frnif buds are used for the purpose of experiment, but in such eases only. They should be cut in the autumn after the tall of the leaf, or in the winter, and be preserved carefully in earth till wanted for use. Jf intended for root-graftiny early in the spring in the house, it will be sufficient tt bury their lower ends in earth, in a cool, dry cellar; bet if wanted for out-door grafting, they should be buried in drp sandy e > * PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. | UT sow, in a pit, on the north side of a wall or fence, and deeply covered with earth drawn up in a mound to throw | off the water. They are thus kept perfectly dormant until used, and not so dry as to shrivel the bark, They should always be taken from healthy, vigorous trees ex- clusively, and be of firm, well-ripened wood. A mode- rate-sized shoot or scion, if well matured and sound, is much better than one as thick as a man’s finger, pe y and unripe. People are by no means so careful.and dis- criminating in this respect as they ought to be. Half of the maladies of trees originate in ee and vicious systems of propagation. The repleae used in graft- ing are the grafting-knife, saw, and chisel (see imple- eee In w hip-grafting or splice-grafting, the. stocks being small require the knife only, or not more’ than the knife and chisel. It is always better to have two knives—one to prune and do the rough work, and the other to prepare the scion. Grafting composition is pre- pared in various ways. Losin, beeswax, and tallow, in about. eqnal parts, answer very well. Lately, however, we have’ found it better to use more rosin and less bees- wax and tallow; thus, to two pounds of rosin’ we add one and one fourth pounds of beeswax, and three fourths of a pound of tallow. Tor whip-grafting on the root, and small trees in the nursery, we use cloth saturated with this composition, instead of the composition itself, and find it more convenient and expeditious. If we have no old calico, we buy a very thin article, at about four cents per.yard. This we tear into narrow strips, roll into balls, and then soak in the liquid composition until every pore of the cloth is filled with it.. The person who applies it to the grafts takes it from these balls, tears it in pieces the length and breadth required by the size of the stock, and two or three turns of it around the graft secure it completely. This thin cloth soon decays, and yields to 6) GENERAL PRINCIPLES. © * ~ the enlargement of the parts it encloses. We have tried » tow, paper, and other materials, but find this the best. Having the scions, implements, a composition i in readi- ness, the work is performed as follows: _ Whap-Grafting on the Foot.—For this purpose, seed- ling stocks are generally used, one or two years old, vary- ing from one fourth to three eighths of an inch in diameter. The graft is always made at the collar, and, therefore, the stems of the plants are cut off at that point; the small tap-roots and any cumbrous fibres are removed, leaving them about four inches in length (fig. 71); they are then washed clean, and are ready for the operation. The . grafter then salihecli smooth, even, sloping cut, an inch long, upwards on the collar of the root, A ; and in the centre of this cut, he makes a slit‘or tongue, B, downwards. The scion, which should be three or four inches long (fig. 72), is cut on the lower end with a sloping cut down- wards, and similar in all respects to that made on the ~ stock; a slit, or tongue, is made in it upwards, B, cor- responding, also, with that on the stock; and they are . then neatly Wf, fitted together, the a Fies. 71 to 73, Root GRaFTING. tongue of the one Fig. 71, the root. A, the sloping cut. B, the tongue cate Fig. 72, the scion. * a the sloping cut. B, tongue. C within the other baa attop. Fig. 73, the union of scion and stock, (A, fig. 73), and the inner barks of both placed in close and perfect contact, at PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. "9 least on one side. The fit should be so complete as to sit . close and firm in all parts. The person who applies the wax, takes a narrow strip of the cloth described, and wraps it firmly around, covering the parts united. A man and boy can graft of these twelve to fifteen hundred per day, and by a special effort two thousand. When the grafting is thus performed, the grafted plants are put » away as closely as they can be packed an small boxes, with sandy earth among the roots, and deposited either An a cold cellar or in a dry place out of doors, where frost cannot penetrate to the roots, until planting time in spring. Whip Grafting on small trees, standing in the open ground, is performed in precisely the same manner, the oblique or sloping cut and tongue, corresponding in stock and graft, fitting into each other with precision, and the inner bark of both, at least on one side, placed in close contact. Stocks an inch in diameter can be grafted:in this way. Either the cloth or the liquid composition may be applied, the latter put on with a brush. For all moderate sized stocks the cloth is preferable. In cold weather, a small furnace can be kept at hand to keep the composi- tion in working order. Cleft Grafting is practised on ide or branches too. large for whip grafting, say from an inch in diameter up- wards. In this case, the scion is cut precisely in the form of a wedge (fig. 74). . The part cut for insertion in the stock, should be about an inch or an inch and a half long, with ‘a bud (A) at the shoulder, where it is to rest on the stock; “this bud hastens the union of the parts, in the same way as a bud at the base of a cutting, set in the earth, hastens and facilitates the emission of roots: the outer edge should also be somewhat thicker than the inner. A sloping cut (A, fig 75) is then made on the stock, an inch and a half . ~ -serted (A, B, fig. 78); 80 | " GENERAL PRINCIPLES. _ long, another cut (B) is made across this cut, “*. aoa ‘about half way down, as at point B, " cidbacke . is split on one side of the pith, by laying the» | , chisel on the horizontal surface, and striking” lightly with a mallet; the split is : kept 9) with the knife or éhigel till the scion is insert with the thick side oe ee | out (A, fig. .74). ” “ay ee AF ax” Grafts of this kind: |" Rms ye heal much more ra- pidly than when cut at once horizontaliy. Very large branches are sawed horizon- tally off atthe point to be grafted (A, fig. TOS _the surface is then pared smooth with the knife, a split is made w ith x + 1 aa 1, ] Fig. 74, the scion prepared with a slop‘ng cut on tne c Lise near yin each side like a wedge. A,a bud at the shoulder. — the centre, and two Fig 75. the stock cut and split. A, the sloping cut. B, the horizontal cut. Fig. 76, the scion inserted in wedge-like scions in- +. stock, ee » Fics. 74 to 76, ce Grartina, , if both grow, and they are afterwards Ho close, one can be cutaway. Another mode of grafting such large stocks, or * ' branches, is to cut them off horizontally, as above, and pare them abt with the knife; ; then cut the scion on one side, about an inch and a half long, making a-shoulder at the top, then raise.the bark from the stock ‘with the handle of «. a a ode knife, and insert the scion between the bark and wood, and cacly the composition the same as in the © others, all over the cut part. Two or three'scions may be put in each, The principal objection to this mode is, that ~* .% bg . * . *. ? : i i PROPAGATION BY GRAFTING. 81 ~ the grafts, if they grow rapidly, are apt to be blown otf before they have united strongly to the stock. The great points to observe always are, to have sharp instruments that will make. smooth clean cuts, to have placed in per- fect contact the inner barks of scion and stock, and the whole cut surface, and every portion of the split | "perfectly covered with the composition, to exclude airand water. The scion should always be cut close to a bud at the point (¢, fig. 71), and have a bud at the shoulder, or point of union with the stock (A, fig. 73). In grafting the heads of large trees, it is not gas = . convenient to use the 77and 78, cleft grafting, large trees oF ‘composition in a melted Newser 7, the sock cut heron state, to be put on with the brush, and the large cut surfaces cannot well be covered with the cloth; it is therefore better to mse the composi- tion in such a state that it can be put on with the hands. _ A very small quantity of brick dust may be advantage- ously mixed with it, when intended for this purpose, to - prevent its being ed by the sun. Double Working—When we graft or bud a tree al- ready budded. or grafted, we call it “ double worked.” Certain very important advantages are gained by it. Some _ varieties are of such feeble growth, that it is impossible to _ make good trees of them in the ordinary way of working — on common stocks. In such cases, we use worked trees of strong growing sorts as stocks for them. * I # 82 , _ GENERAL PRINCIPLES. : Many varieties of the pear do not unite well with the © quince stock; we therefore bud other varieties of strong growth that do succeed, and use them for stocks to work the others on. By this means we are enabled to possess dwarf trees of many varieties, that we could not otherwise have in that form. We have fruited the Dix in two years by double working on the quince, when otherwise it would have taken not less than seven. A great many improve- ments may be effected, not only in the form and growth of trees, but in the quality of the fruit, by double working. Very few experiments have yet been made on the subject in this country, except from necessity ; but the general in- terest now felt on all matters pertaining to fruit tree cul- ture, cannot fail to direct attention to this and similar matters that have heretofore, in a great measure, been overlooked. pe i gl il 3 a PRUNING—ITS PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE. Tuts is one of the most important operations connected with the management of trees. From the removal of the seedling plant from the seed bed, through all its succes- _ Sive stages of growth and maturity, pruning, to some extent, and for some purpose, is necessary. It may, therefore, be reasonably presumed, that no one is capable of managing trees successfully, and especially those con- ducted under certain forms, more or less opposed to nature, without knowing well ia to prune, what to prune, and when to prune. This knowledge can only be acquired by a careful study of the structure of trees, because the pruning applied to a tree must (aside from the general principles on which all pruning depends) be adapted to its particular habits of growth and mode of bearing its fruit. It is in view of this fact that the chapter on the structure and mode of formation of the different parts of fruit trees has been given in the first part of this treatise, that it may form the basis of this branch of culture. The. idea that our bright American sun and clear atmosphere render pruning an almost unnecessary ope- ration, has not only been inculcated by horticultural» writers, but has been acted upon in practice to such an extent that more than three fourths of all the bearing fruit trees in‘the country, at this moment, are either lean, misshaped skeletons, or the heads are perfect, masses of a? # 84 < GENERAL PRINCIPLES. wood, unable to yield more than one bushel of fruit in ten, well matured, colored, and ripened. This is ansiie the case even in what may be called, . in comparison, well managed orchards. Look at the a ference between the fruits produced on young and old trees. The former are open, the fruits are exposed to the sun, and, therefore, they are not only large and perfect, but their skins are smooth and brilliant, as though they were painted and polished. This ought to teach us something about pruning; but this is only one point. We prune one por- tion of a tree to reduce its vigor, and to favor the growth of another and weaker part. We prune a stem, a branch, or a shoot to produce ramifications of these parts, and thus change or modify the form of the whole tree. We prune to induce fruitfulness, and to diminish it. We prune in the growing as well as in the dormant season ; and, finally, we prune both roots and branches. Thus we see that pruning is applied to all parts of the tree, at all seasons, and to produce the most opposite results. It appears necessary to treat of pruning under each of these circumstances separately. Ist. Pruning to Direct the Growth from one Part of a Tree to another—The first period in the existence and growth of a tree in which this becomes necessary, is in the nursery. Those who have had any experience in tree culture, have observed that young trees in nursery rows have a tendency to increase in height without acquiring a well-proportioned increase in diameter. In certain cases, this want of proportion becomes so great, that the tree bends under its own weight; and hence, it is necessary . to resort to some method of propping it up. This con- dition is attributable to several causes. First, the absence of a sufficient amount of air and light around the stem, to enable the leaves on it to fulfil their functions properly. It has been shown that the formation of new wood de PRUNING. 85 | pends upon the elaborating process carried on in the leaves, and that this process can be maintained only in a free exposure to the sun and air. This being the case, it is obvious that any part of the tree excluded from the action of these agents, cannot keep pace in growth with other parts to which they have full access. In nursery rows, as trees are usually planted, the stems, after the first year’s growth, are, to a great extent, excluded from the light, consequently the buds and leaves on them can- not perform their parts in the creation of new wood. The top of the tree, however, is fully exposed, and, conse- quently, it makes a rapid growth towards the free air and light. When this is continued for two or thzee years in succession, the tree becomes top-heavy; the quantity of woody fibre at the top is as great as,and it may be greater than, at the bottom; and hence it bends under its own weight. 2d. The Tendency of the Sap.to the Growing Points at the Top of the Tree-—Growth is always the most active andvigorous, when trees are in a natural condition, at the _ newly-formed parts. The young buds are the most excit- able, and,the more direct their communication with the roots, the more rapid will be their growth. Hence it is that a yearling tree furnished with fifteen to twenty buds or more, from its base to its top, frequently produces a shoot from its terminal bud only, and seldom more than three or four shoots from the whole number of buds, and these at the top. This natural tendency, and the exclusion of light from the stems of nursery trees, by their closeness to one another, are the chief causes of weak and crooked trees, to counteract which we resort to pruning. In “ heading down” a young tree, we cut away one third or one half of the length of the stem, and this removes the actively growing parts; the sap must then find new channels. Its whole force is directed to the buds that were 86 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. before dormant, they are excited into growth, and produce new wood and leaves; these send down new layers of woody fibre on the old stem, and it increases rapidly in diameter, so that by the time it has attained its former height, the base is two or three times as thick as the top, and possesses sufficient strength to maintain an erect position. Maintaining an equal growth among the branches of @ tree is conducted on the same principle. Branches that are more favorably placed than others, appropriate more than their due proportion of the sap, and grow too vigor- ously, are checked, by removing more or less of their grow- ing points ;. this lessens the flow of sap to that point, and it naturally takes its course to the growing parts of the weaker branches that were left entire, and thus a balance is restored. Pruning to renew the Growth of Stunted Trees—It frequently happens that trees, from certain causes, become stunted, and almost cease to grow; the sap Sls be- come contracted, and every part assumes a comparativel yi dormant condition. In such cases they are cut back, the ; number of their buds-and leaves is reduced, the whole force of the sap is made to act upon the small sai re- maining, and enables them to produce vigorous young shoots; these send down new woody matter to the stem, new roots are also formed, and thus the whole tree is re- newed and invigorated. Pruning to induce Fruitfulness—This is conducted on the principle that whatever is favorable to rapid, vigorous growth, is unfavorable to the immediate production of fruit. Hence the object in view must be to check growth and impede the circulation of the sap, just the opposite of pruning to renew growth: The only period at which this pruning can be performed, is after vegetation has com- menced. If a tree is severely pruned immediately after > o : om PRUNING. 87 it has put forth its leaves, it receives such a check as to be unable to produce a vigorous growth the same season; the sap is impeded in its circulation, and the result is that a large number of the young shoots that would have made - vigorous wood branches, had they not been checked, as- sume the character of fruit spurs and branches. Pdnch- ing is the principal mode of pruning to promote fruitful- ness, and will be explained hereafter. It depends upon the above principle, of impeding the circulation of the sap and checking growth. Pruning to dimmish fruitfulness, is conducted on the same principle as that to renew growth, for thig, in fact, is the object. , ks Pruning the Roots—tThis is practised as well to pro- mote fruitfulness, as to lessen the dimensions of trees. The roots, as has been shown, are the organs that absorb from the ground the principal food of the tree, and in pro- portion to their number, size, and activity, other things being equal, uré the vigor and growth of the stem and branches. Hence when a tree is deprived of a certain portion of its roots, its supply of food from the soil is les- sened, growth is checked, the sap moves slowly in its channels, is better elaborated in the leaves, and the young branches and buds begin to assume a fruitful character. Roots are also pruned to prevent them from penetrat- ing too deeply into the earth, and induce the formation of lateral roots near the surface, similar to the cutting back of a stem to produce lateral branches; the principle is the same. | Pruning at the time of Transplanting.—This is per- formed, not only to remove bruised and broken roots and branches, but to restore the tree to a proper balance. As trees are ordinarily taken from the gr ound, the roots are bruised, broken, or mutilated, to a preater or less extent. This otal destroys the natural balance or proportion . 88 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. that existed between the roots and stem, and in such a condition the tree is unable to grow. The demand upon the roots must therefore be lessened, by reducing the stem and branches in length or number, or both; and the more the roots have suffered, the greater must be the reduction of the stem and branches, to bring them to a correspond- ing condition. PRUNING MECHANICALLY CONSIDERED. Having now treated of the principles on which prun- ing depends, it remains to speak of its mechanical execution ; for it is not only necessary to know what and why, but how to prune. Phsety is ics useful as it serves to guide in practice. . Ist. Pruning Stems or Pr auaies —The great point to _be observed in making incisions on the stems and branches of trees, is to provide for the speedy and perfect healing of the wounds or cut surfaces. In removing a portion of a branch or stem, if we cut between two joints, and thus leave a portion of wood above the bud intended to be cut to, as in fig. 79, this wood dies, and we have the ~ trouble of fae ie, pruning to remove it. If we cut too close to the bud, and thus remove.a portion of the wood with which it is connected, as in fig. 80, the bud will either die or disappoint us by producing a very feeble growth. The proper way is to take the branch to be. operated on in the left hand, place the edge of the knife on it, opposite the lower part of the bud to be cut to, and then make a firm, quick, smooth draw-cut, slop- ~ ing upwards, so that the knife will come out on a level with the point of the bud, as in fig. 81. In soft- wooded, pithy trees, like the grape vine, for example, half an inch of wood ought to be left above the bud. The cut should also be made as much as possible on the . PRUNING. 89 lower side of the branch to prevent rain from lodging in the centre. The position of the bud cut to, is also worthy of consideration in pruning, to produce or modify certain Fics. 79 to 62, PRUNING. Fig. 79, cutting too far above the bud. Fig. 80, cutting too close. Fig. 81, the cot as it should be. Fig. 82, removal of a branch, the cross line indicat- ing the proper place for the cut. fxyms. When we wish the new shoot of a lateral branch to take, as much as-possible, an wpreght direction, we prune to a bud on the inside ; and if we wish it to spread, | we choose one on the outside. In the annual suppression, or cutting back young trees, to form a stem or side branches, the bud selected to form the leader is chosen on ~ opposite sides every successive year, in order to maintain” the growth in a straight line. If cut every year toa bud — on the same side, it wovid, in two or three seasons, show an inclination to that side injurious to the symmetry of the tree. | The Removal of Large Branches, where they are to be entirely separated from the tree, is often very clumsily performed. In orchards, it is not at all uncommon to see them chopped off with a common axe; and even in gar- dens there seem to be few persons who either know how, or take the proper care in this matter. They are either cut so that a portion of the base of the branch remains, and sends out vigorous shoots, defeating the objects of the % 90 ' GENERAL PRINCIPLES. pruning, or they are cut so close that a portion of the wood of the main branch or stem is taken with them, and a wound made that years are required to heal up. Both these extremes ought to be avoided. The surface of the cut made by the removal of a branch should in no case be larger than the base of the branch. Where a branch is united to another, or to the main stem, we notice both above and below the point of union, a small projection or shoulder, as at the cross line in fig. 82. The knife must enter just below that shoulder, and, by being drawn upwards in a straight line, the base is so completely removed that no shoots can be produced there; and yet the cut surface on the stem is no larger than the base of the branch. When the saw is used, the surface of the cut should be pared smooth with the knife, to pre- vent water lodging on it, and facilitate the healing of the wound. 2d. Pruning the Roots.—This is performed by opening a trench around the tree, just at the extremities of the roots: the distance from the tree will, therefore, depend on its size, and the spreading characters of the roots. The trench should be the width of a common garden spade, and deep enough to admit of an inspection of all the _ roots of the tree. If the lateral roots are to be shortened, ~ this is done first. The knife should be placed on the lower side of the root, and the part separated with a clean draw-cut, such as would be performed on a branch. ‘If the tree has vertical, or tap roots, they are most easily operated on with a sharp spade, prepared and kept for the purpose. A smart stroke with such a spade, in as nearly a horizontal direction as possible, will separate a pretty strong root. The extent to which root pruning may be performed, depends on the character of the species, the condition of the tree as regards growth, and the object aimed at. Those practising it for the first time, ; PRUNING. 91 should go to work with great caution. It will be better to operate too lightly than too severely. As regards the season, it may be performed either at the end of the first growth, in July or August, or in the autumn or winter, when vegetation is quite suspended. We have operated on cherry trees with complete success in August, in a dry time, when little growth was going on. At this season, a copious watering should be given after the pruning is per- formed. ; Implements of pruning, and the mode of using them, will be treated of in the chapter on implements, to be given hereafter. The Season for Pruning.—We are not permitted to be very definite on this point. The climate, the nature of the species, etc., control the period of pruning to a great extent. In the south, what we term the winter pruning— that performed during the dormant season—may be done very soon after the fall of the leaf. In the north, it is deferred-to February, March, and even April. In western New York, we prune apples, pears, and other hardy fruits, as soon as our severe frosts are over—say the latter end of February and beginning of March. If pruned sooner, the ends of the shoots are liable to be injured, and the terminal bud so weakened as not to fulfil its purposes. Besides, the wounds do not heal well. The peach we prune just as the buds begin to swell. The fruit and leaf buds are then easily distinguished from one another, and the objects of the pruning are ac- - complished with more precision. | Grapes may be pruned any time in the winter, as a _ portion of wood is always left above the bud. (oose- berries and currants also, any time in winter. The stone fruits should always be lightly pruned, because severe amputations almost invariably produce the gum. Where it is absolutely necessary in the spring, the wound 92 3 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. should be coated with grafting composition, or with that recommended by Mr. Downing: “ Alcohol, with sufficient gum shellac dissolved in it, to make a liquid of the con- sistence of paint, to be put on with a brush.” This excludes air, and is not affected by changes of weather. > Pinching is a sort of anticipated pruning, practised upon the young growing shoots, intended to promote a uni- form circulation of the sap, and thus regulate the growth, and also to induce fruitfulness. Ist. Zo Regulate the Growth—In the management of trees, this is an operation of great importance, as it obvi- ates the necessity of heavy amputations being made at the winter or spring pruning. Instead of allowing certain ~ superfluous er misplaced shoots to acquire their full deve- lopment at the expense of other parts, we pinch them early, and give to the necessary parts, or branches of the tree, the nutriment which they would have appropriated, if allowed to remain. In this way, we are able to obtain results in one season, that two or more would be required for, if we depended wholly on the winter pruning. We will suppose, for an example, the case of a young nursery tree in the second year, intended for a standard. In ordi- nary cases, the terminal bud, either the natural one or that pruned to, is developed into the leading shoot or stem, and a greater or less number of buds below it Biase branches ; and it frequently happens that some of these, if not pinched! acquire so much vigor as to injure the leader | and produce a consequ Pe deformity in the tree. Fig 83 (A) represents a case of this kind, which is very common, and too often neglected. The able, a, a, ought to have been pinched the moment they began to exhibit a dispo- sition to outgrow the leader. There are other cases still worse than this, familiar to all tree growers; for instance, where a strong shoot is produced on the middle or lower > PRUNING. | 93 part of the stem, attracting an undue proportion of the sap, thus contracting the growth of all other parts, and giving the young tree a deformed character. All such a a . ba Fic. 83 (A). | Fic. 83 (B). Fi, « A ead of a young tree ; B, the leader; a, a, vigorous shoots below it, tha, sught ru have been pinched. _ Fig. 83, B, a branch of the pear, twice cut back witn te lateral shoots pincied; a@, a, the first section; c,c,c, the second; 6, and d,d, shevts pinched close tu faver the leader, and those below thom. shoots as these should be nipped early, the moment their character is apparent, and thus a year’s growth nearly will be saved to the tree, and its proper form and propor- tions be preserved. In conducting young trees for pyra- mids, the constant and careful application af pinching is ? 94 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. absolutely necessary, for in them we must have the lower branches always the strongest and longest, and it is only by operating on the stot in their “outta stages of growth, that we can fully attain this end; for the strong- est shoots do not always grow at the desired point, but by timely attention they are perfectly within our control. The various accidents and circumstances to which young trees are subject, give rise, in a multitude. of cases, to an unequal distribution of the sap in their different parts, and this produces, to a greater or less extent, deformity of growth. This, at once,shows the necessity for pinching, to check the strong and favor the weak. Pinching to promote Fruitfulness—Those who have never practised this, or observed its results, may have seen, if experienced in tree growing, that a shoot of which ~ the point was broken, bruised, or otherwise injured, dur- ing the growing season, frequently becomes a fruit branch, _ either during the same or the following season; and this, + especially if situated in the interior of the tree, or on the older and lower parts of the branches. The check given to the extension of the shoot concentrates the sap in the part remaining; and, unless the check has been given very early in the season, or the growth very vigorous in | the tree, so that the buds will break and form shoots, they are certain to prepare for the production of fruit. It is on this principle of checking the growth, and concen- trating the sap in the pinched shoot, that pinching to in- duce fruitfulness is performed; and its efficiency may be estimated from the fact, that trees on which it has been practised, have borne fruit four or five, and perhaps seven years, sooner than they would have done without it. It is a most useful operation in the case of vigorous growing and tardy bearing sorts. The best illustration, on a large scale in this country, is the specimen plantation of pear trees of Messrs. Hovey & Co., of Boston. A large : ae PRUNING. 95 number of these are pyramidal in form, and on pear stocks, very beautiful trees, indeed the best specimens of the kind in any American nursery, and though, now in 1850, only 7 years old (the oldest), yet they have as a general thing produced fruit, and many of them for 2 or 3 years past. This result has been obtained by pinching, which has been regularly, but not to the fullest extent, practised upon them everyseason. The mode of performing it, is to pinch off the end of the shoot with the finger and thumb; if a small portion of the remaining part be bruised, no matter, it offers a greater check than if a clean cut were made, as in pruning to a bud; and in the general winter or spring pruning which follows, the bruised parts can be cleanly separated. The time to perform zt depends wholly on circumstances. If the object be to regulate growth, then the time to do it is, when the tendency to undue or ill-proportioned growth is first observable, and this will be from the time the young shoots are two to three inches long and upwards. ‘The particular season of the year or day of the month will, of course, depend upon the earliness or lateness of the season, and on the soil and situation as well as on the habits of growth of the species or variety to be operated on. The true way is to bealways on the watch. Ifthe object be to induce fruitfulness, the length which the shoots should attain before being pinched, depends upon the nature or mode of growth and bearing of the species, and will be more definitely treated under the head of ‘“‘The Pruning of Trees,” hereafter, the object now being merely to indicate general principles and modes of operating. To illustrate this, let us suppose the lateral branch of a pear tree, (fig. 88, 8). This was cut back the first time to 6, and below that point five shoots were pro- duced, none of which were needed for branches. We, therefore, prnched them in June, when about three inches long or thereabouts, and the result is, they are now fruit np * & & 96 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. branches. The same branch was cut back the second time to d, d, and on that section seven shoots were pro- duced that were not needed in the form of the tree, and were consequently pinched, and will become fruit branches. At the points 0, and d, d, are small spurs, the base of shoots that hanviapitees pinched close to favor the growth of the leader, as well as the development of the shoots below. Without pinching it would have been impossible to obtain such results in this branch in the same time. M. Dubreuil, formerly Professor of Arboriculture in the Garden of Plants at Rouen, in France,sums up the general principles of pruning as follows. (I may remark here, that in 1849, I visited the Rouen garden, and found M. Dn- breuil’s theory and practice beautifully illustrated on the trees in his charge. My visit was made at the time of his practical lectures, and I was able to examine the whole with the most satisfactory minuteness. The trees there, under all forms, and embracing all the hardy spe- cies of fruits, were the best that. 1 anywhere found, not ’ even excepting the much admired and famous pyramidal pear trees of M. Cappe, at Paris. They were not only per- fect in furm, but as regards wgor and fructfulness, in the most admirable condition.) He says: ‘The theory of the pruning of fruit trees rests on the follow. ing six general principles: “1. The vigor of a tree, subjected to pruning, depends, in a great measure, on the equal distribution of sap in all its branches. ‘Tn fruit trees abandoned to themselves, the sap is equally dis- tributed in the different parts without any other aid than nature, because the tree assumes the form most in harmony with the natural tendency of the sap.* * This is not in all cases true. Peach trees, we know, left to themselves, exhibit a very striking example of the unequal distribution of the sap. The _ ends of the branches attract nearly the whole, leaving the lateral shoots and a PRUNING. 97 * But in those submitted to pruning, it is different; the forms imposed on them, such as espalier, pyramid, vase, &c., change more or less the normal direction of the sap, and prevent it from taking the form proper to its species. Thus nearly all the forms given to trees require the development of ramifications more or less numerous, and of greater or less dimensions at the base of the stem. And, as the sap tends by preference towards the summit of the tree, it happens that, unless great care be taken, the _ branches at the base become feeble, and finally dry up, and the form intended to be obtained disappears, to be replaced by the natural forth, that is a stem or a trunk with a branching head, It is then indispensable, if we wish to preserve the form we im- pose upon trees, to employ certain means, by the aid of which the natural direction of the sap can be changed and directed towards the points where we wish to obtain the most vigorous growth. To do this we must arrest vegetation in the parts to which the sap is carried in too great abundance, and on the con- trary favor the parts that do not receive enough. ‘To accomplish this the following means must be successively employed. “1. Prune the branches of the most vigorous parts very short, and those of the weak parts long. We know that the sap is at- tracted by the leaves. The removal of a large number of wood- buds from the vigorous parts, deprives these parts of the leaves which these buds would have produced; consequently the sap is attracted there in less quantities, and the growth thereby dimi- nished. The feeble parts being pruned long, present a great num- ber of buds, which produce a large surface of leaves, and these attract the sap and acquire a vigorous growth. This principle holds good in all trees, under whatever form they may be con- ducted. “2. Leave a large quantity of fruit on the strong part, and remove the whole, or greater part, from the feeble. We know already that the fruit has the property of attracting to it the sap from the roots, and of employing it entirely to its own growth. lower parts to die out. In other species, similar instances might be quoted, and as a general thing, the proposition is unsound, except in a comparative sense. 5 - 98 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. The necessary result of this is, what we are about to point out, viz., that all the sap which arrives in the strong parts, will be ab- sorbed by the fruits, and the wood there, in consequence, will make but little growth, while on the feeble part, deprived of fruits, the sap will all be appropriated by the growing parts, and they will increase in size and strength. “3. Bend the strong parts and keep the weak erect. ‘The more erect the branches ‘and stem are, the greater will be the flow of . sap to the growing parts; hence, the feeble parts being erect, © attract much more sap than the strong parts inclined, and, con- sequently, make a more vigorous growth, and soon recover their balance. This remedy is more especially applied to espalier trees. | | “4, Remove from the vigorous parts the ‘superfluous shoots as early wn the season as possible. and from the feeble parts as late as possible. The fewer the number of young shoots there are on a branch, the fewer there are of leaves, and consequently the less is the sap attracted there. Hence, in leaving the young shoots on the feeble part, their leaves attract the sap there, and induce a vigorous growth. “5. Pinch early the soft extremities of the shoots on the vigorous parts, and as late as possible on the feeble parts, excepting always any shoots which may be too vigorous for their position. By thus pinching early the strong part, the flow of sap to that point-is checked, and naturally turns to the growing parts that have not _ been pinched ; this remedy is applicable to trees im all forms. “6. Lay in the strong shoots on the trellis early, and leave the feeble parts loose as long as possible. Laying in the strong parts obstructs the circulation of the sap in them, and consequently favors the weak parts that are loose. This is only applicable to espaliers. © 7 an espalier trees, giving the feeble parts the benefit of the light, and confining the strong parts more in the shade, restores a balance, for light is the agent which enables leaves to perform their functions and their action on the roots, and the parts receiv- ing the greatest proportion of it — the most vigorous de- velopment. . PRUNING. 99 2. * The sap acts with greater force and preduces more vigorous growth on a branch or shoot pruned short, than on one pruned long This is easily explained. The sap acting on two buds must evidently produce a greater development of wood on them, than if it were divided between fifteen or twenty buds. “Tt follows from this, that if we wish to obtain wood branches, we prune short, for vigorous shoots produce few fruit buds. On the contrary, if we wish to obtain fruit branches, we prune long, because the most slender or feeble shoots are ae most disposed to fruit. “ Another application of this principle is to prune short for a year or two, such trees or parts as have become enfeebled by - overbearing. (This. principle deserves especial attention, as its acum is of great importance.) 3. “ The sap tending always to the extremities of the shoots causes - the terminal bud to push with greater. vigor than the laterals. Ac- cording to this principle, when we wish a prolongment of a stem or“branch, we should prune to a vigorous wood bud, and leave no production that can interfere with the action of the sap on it. A. “* The more the sap is obstructed in its circulation, the more likely it will be to produce fruit buds. This principle is founded on a fact to which we have already had occasion to refer, viz.— that the sap circulating slowly is subjected to a more complete elaboration in the tissues of the tree, and becomes better adapted to the formation of fruit buds. ‘This principle can be applied to produce the following result: — When we wish to produce fruit buds on a branch, we prevent free circulation of the sap by bending the branches, or by making annu- _lar or circular incisions. on it; and on the contrary, when we wish to change a fruit branch into a wood branch, we give it a vertical position, or prune it to two or three buds, on which we concentrate the action of the sap = thus induce their vigorous” pete * The leaves serve to prepare the sap absorbed by the roots for ie nourishment of the tree, and aid the formation of buds on the shoots All trees, therefore, deprived of their leaves are liable to Hits This principle shows how dang gerous itis to remove a. 100 GENERAL PRINCIPLES. large quantity of leaves from trees, under the pretext of aiding the growth or ripening of fruits, for the leaves are the nourishing organs, and the trees deprived of them cannot continue to grow, neither can the fruit ; and the branches so stripped will have feeble, ill-formed buds, which will, the following year, produce a weak and sickly growth. 6. “* Where the buds of any shoot or branch do not develope before the ageof twe years, they can only be forced into activity by a very close pruning, and in some cases, as the peach, this even wil often fail. This last principle shows the importance of prun- ing the main branches of espaliers particularly, so as to ensure the development of the buds of their successive sections, and to preserve well the side shoots thus produced, for without this, the interior of the tree will become naked and unproductive, and a remedy will be very difficult.” If these principles and practices of pruning be carefully studied in connection with the habits of growth and bear- ing of the different fruit trees, pruning will be compara- tively an edsy matter. The mode of obtaining any par- ticular form or character cannot fail to be perfectly plain and simple; yet no one need hope to accomplish, in all things, the precise results aimed at, for even the most skilful operator is sometimes disappointed: but those who give constant attention to their trees, will always discover a failure in time to apply a remedy. I insist upon it, because I have been taught it by most abundant experience, that the most unremitting watch- fulness is necessary in conducting trees in particular forms. It is not, by any means, labor that is required; but attention that the most delicate hand can perform, fifteen or twenty minutes at a time, say three times a week during active growth, will be sufficient to examine every shoot on a moderate collection of garden trees; for the cye very svon Lecumes trained so well.to the work, that a glance at a tree will detect.the parts that are either too stroag or too weak, or that in any way require atten- PRUNING. j 101 tion. This is one of the most interesting features fn the management of garden trees. We are never allowed to forget them. From day to day they require some atten- tion, and offer some new point of interest that attracts us to them, and augments our solicitude for their prosperity, until it actually grows into enthusiasm. y eT oll. THE NURSERY. Y : THE NURSERY. Boe ee - >. CRSPTEgZ,t, a ore oe 1.—Sor, Srruation, ETO. Ir is not a part of the design of this treatise to give anything like a full exposition of nursery operations ; for. this’ would, in itself, be a subject sufficiently extensive to — form atdinme ; but as all fruit growers should possess at least some knowledge of nursery management, it seems quite necessary that the more important ea should be noticed. “Ast. The Soil, as to Disses —For a frnit tree nursery » Aheoil must be perfectly dry, both above and below. In damp, springy soils, or where the subsoil is so compact as ~ not to admit of the aired water passing off immediately, trees do not thrive, the roots are destitute of fibres, the ~ wood is watery and delicate, and where frosts are severe -— the trees are cast out of the ground by the expansion of the water with which the soil is filled. We have known (Of a single instance in which several thousand dollars were lost by planting a pear nursery’on a soil imperfectly drained. The» plants grew finely the first season, were budded, the buds had taken, and in the autumn all looked ‘prosperous but the autumn rains filled the soil with water, the situation was low and level, and the subsoil compact, so that the water could not pacsibly get away. The consequence was, the roots decayed, the plants were cast out of the ground, and i ey was so great and re Be 106 . THE NURSERY. . so general that the whole plantation had to be taken up. This ground was then thoroughly drained, and is now as good a pear soil as can be found—a stock of beautiful trees standing on it at the present time. This single in- stance illustrates the importance of a dry soil, as well as twenty would. We frequently find that in the same row of trees, if there happens to be a low, damp spot, the . trees in it have no fibrous roots, and are altogether inferior to those on the adjacent dry Soda 2d. Depth—As a general thing, the soil of a nursery should be a foot to eighteen inches deep; but all trees do not require the same depth. Those (such as the pear) whose roots descend more than they spread, require the deepest soil. The best quality of nursery trees are grown on common farming land, twice ploughed with the com- mon and subsoil ploughs, one following the other, as de- scribed in the chapter on soils. This gives depth enough for all ordinary purposes. 8d. Zexature—A. soil of medium texture between the heavy and the light, is, on the whole, the most advan- tageous, as being the best adapted to general purposes. A good friable loam, with a gravelly subsoil, or a mixture » of sand, gravel, and clay, that will allow water to pass off freely, and yet not too fast, will be found suitable for almost any species; and one great advantage of such a ‘soil is, that it admits of rotation in crops. Ath. Quality. —For the growth of young fruit t trees, a soil should be in such a MaDe as to furnish a sufficient | SUp- ply of nutriment to ensure a vigorous and robust. growth ; but it may be too rich, and produce rank “wood that will not mature properly, and be unable to withstand the change of climate or soil consequent upon transplanting. Where manures are used, they should be well decom- posed; fresh warm manures excite trees into a very rapid growth, but the wood is watery and feeble. A dry soil of * SOIL. 107 moderate richness produces hardy trees, their wood is firm, the buds plump and close together, and the parts well pro- portioned. 5. Laying out.—Where the nursery is of considerable extent, the ground should be laid out and arranged in Square or rectangular plots of convenient size, and be ‘intersected with walks. One portion should be set apart for the propagation of stocks from layers, another for cut- tings, another for seeds, &c. In setting apart ground for the different kinds of trees, if there be a choice, the pear should have the deepest and best, the plum the most com- pact or clayey, the peach, apricot, cherry, &c., the lightest and dryest. 6. ELxposwre—Nursery ground for fruit trees should be . well elevated, but not fully exposed to the prevailing high winds, as the young trees are apt to be broken off as the first year’s growth if not kept well tied up to aes In our section we find it very advantageous to have some protection -from the west winds especially, though we sometimes have a south wind quite destructive in exposed places to the young buds. Situations where snow is liable to drift into, should be avoided, in sections where heavy- snow storms prevail, for sometimes vast quantities of trees are broken down in corners of fences and sheltered situa- tions where the snow accumulates in heavy drifts. 7. Rotation or Succession of Crops—This is quite as important in the management of the nursery as of the farm. Not more than dhe crop of one species should be planted _ on the same ground; and those of the most opposite character should follow one another. Where one species is grown on the same ground for eight or ten years, it is found by experience that even the most liberal manuring fails to produce such fine, sound, healthy, and vigorous » trees as new ground without manure. Where land is scarce, and it is necessary to use the same ground for the 108 THE NURSERY. same kind of trees, it should at least be allowed one season’s rest, and be well supplied with such material as the trees to be grown in it require in the largest quantities, or in which the soil is found to be most deficient. Srction 2.—Drscrirtion AND PropaGATIon or Stocks. This branch of the subject is of such importance, and involves so many considerations, that it seems to be more methodical to treat it separate from subsequent operations. Ist. Stocks for the Apple—The principal stocks in use for the apple are the common seedling, or free stock, the Doucain, and the Paradise. Seedlings, or free stocks,'are ordinarily produced from seeds taken promiscuously from the cider mill in the autumn. Preparing the Seed—The cakes of pressed pomace are broken up, and the coarser materials, straw, &c., sepa- rated from it by means of a coarse sieve, the sifted pomace is then put into large tubs, and subjected to repeated washings until clean. The clean plump seed falls to the bottom, and the pomace and light poor seed are carried off in the washings. When fruits have been selected for the seeds, they are placed in heaps until fermentation and decay have reduced the flesh to a,soft pulpy state, when they are washed in tubs, in the same manner as pomace. _ Saving the Seed—When the seed is washed out as above, it must be spread thinly on boards, and-repeatedly turned over until perfectly dry, when it is put away in boxes, mixed with sand, containing a slight degree of moisture. The boxes should be well secured against ver- min, and be mie in a dry, cool. ve till the time of planting. Season and Mode of Planting—If the ground be in readiness, and perfectly dry and friable, the best time is PROPAGATION OF STOCKS. 109 the fall, as soon as the seeds are cleaned. At this season the pomace, seeds and all, as it comes from the press, may be planted without any washing. It should be broken up fine, so that it may be evenly distributed in the sced bed. The difficulty of doing this, is a serious objection to this mode. By taking some pains in the sowing, we raise as good stocks in this as in any other way; the decayed pulp contributes considerable nutriment to the young plants in their earliest stage of growth. When deferred till spring, it should be done at the earliest moment that the condition of the ground will ad- mit. When the ground is ready, a line is stretched along one side of the plot, and a drill opened with a hoe about eight or ten inches wide and three deep; the seeds are then dropped, and the fine earth drawn over them with the hoe as regular as possible, covering them about three inches deep. If some leaf mould from the woods or old decomposed manure in a fit state for spreading could be had, and a covering of an inch deep of it spread on the top of the drills, it would prevent the surface from baking or cracking, and allow the plants to come up with greater strength and regularity. Whatever depth of such a cover- ing be used, should be deducted from the covering of common earth. | Distance to Plant.—When large quantities are raised, the drills should be three feet apart to admit of the culti- vator passing between them; for the ground should be kept pertectly clean and mellow around seedlings the whole season. After Management.—It is of great importance that they be. not in any way stunted, either in first coming through the soil by a hard surface, or afterwards by weeds and lack of culture; seedlings stunted during the early stages of their growth never make vigorous, healthy stocks, and indeed should never be planted. When they appear 110 THE NURSERY. above the surface and are too close together, they should as soon as possible be thinned out to regular distances; for when grown up in dense masses, they are generally feeble and worthless. One hundred good vigorous stocks are worth five hundred poor ones. It is very common to see seedlings of one year larger than those of two years, under different management, and in such a case the year- lings are worth twice as much as the others. A very good ~ plan is to thin out all the weakest plants when about four or five inches high, leavag those only of vigorous habit and large foliage. The Dini is a distinct species of apple; the tree is of medium size, bears small sweet fruit, and reproduces itself from seed. It is used for stocks for apple trees of. ‘medium size, pyramids, or dwarf standards for gardens. It is propagated almost exclusively from layers; see fig. 63. The plants to be propagated from are planted in a rich deep friable soil, and cut back to within four to six inches of the collar; the buds, or the part below the cut, will, during the next season, produce strong shoots; the following spring the earth is drawn up around each plant in the ne of a mound, so that — whole of the stem and the base of all the gods will be covered at least three inches deep; during that season all the shoots will pro- _ duce roots, and should be separated from the mother plant or stool, as such plants*are termed, in the fall. If left on till spring the frost would be likely to injure them. The stools are then dressed, the soil around them is spaded up and enriched with well decayed manure, and the follow- ing season another crop of shoots is produced, much more numerous than the first, to be treated in the same way. Every year these stool plants increase in size and in the quantity of their productions, if well treated. Another course, but not so good, is frequently pursued when stocks are scarce. The shoots are layered, by bend- ¥ od ” « - PROPAGATION OF STOCKS. 111 ing down as described in layering, the first season of their growth in July, and may be sufficiently rooted in the fall _ to be transferred to nursery rows in the spring following; a year is thus saved, but the stocks are, of course, much inferior. If earthed up in midspmmer, they will be par- tially rooted in the autumn too, but not so well as if bent down, for the bending has a tendency to stop the sap at the point fastened to the groinidiiand hastens the forma- tion of roots.. The Paradise—This also i 18, a distinet species of apple. The tree is of very small size, never attaining over three to four feet in height. It is used for etc for dwarf trees or bushes that occupy but a small space in the gar- den. Itis propagated in precisely the same manner as that described for the Doucain. 2d. Stocks for the Pear—trThe pear seeilling and the quince are the only two stocks on which the pear can be advantageously worked to any considerable extent. The mountain ash and the thorn are occasionally used for special purposes only. Pear Seedlings—The seeds are obtained by collecting such fruits as can be had, containing perfect seeds. Great care should be taken to. gather ‘the fruits of hardy, healthy, vigorous trees only, and the seeds should be full ~ and plump. The seeds are separated and washed, as de- scribed for apples. They are also saved and planted in a manner similar in all respects; but in this country it is a much more difficult matter to succeed with pear seedlings than with the apple. - This difficulty is: owing chiefly to a species of rust or blight that attacks the leaves of the young pee very often before they have completed their first season’s growth. To. obviate the difficulty which this malady presents, a vigorous growth should be obtained early in the season. New soil, or that in which trees have not been grown in before, hould be selected. The re 0 3 112 THE NURSERY. autumn before planting, it should be trenched or subsoil ploughed to the depth of two feet, for the pear has long tap roots, and liberally enriched with a compost of stable manure, leaf mould or muck, and wood ashes, in about equal parts: four inches deep of this spread over the sur- face before ploughing, will be sufficient for any ordinary soil. Lime should also be given liberally, unless the soil be naturally and strongly calcareous. A soil prepared thus in the fall, will require another ploughing or spading in the spring, to mix all the materials properly with the soil, and fit it for the seeds. Where large quantities are grown, the drills may be the same distance apart as that recommended for apples, three feet; but if only a few, twelve to eighteen inches will be sufficient, as the clean- ing can be done with the hoe. The seeds should be scat- tered thinly, that every plant may have sufficient space without any thinning. From time to time we find re- gular recipes given for raising pear seedlings, with the same precision that pudding recipes are given in the cook books. Bone dust, blacksmiths’ cinders, muck, lime, wood ashes, and half a dozen other things, are recom- mended to be compounded in pecks and half pecks, all with a view’ to remedy the rust or leaf blight that no - man can say originates in any defect of the soil. The cause may be in the atmosphere, or it may be an insect, or it may be something else, for aught anybody yet knows to the contrary. The end to aim at, as before re- marked, is to get good growth, say eighteen to twenty inches in height, and stout in proportion, before the first of August. This can be done in any deeply-trenched, fresh soil, well prepared and manured as described above. During the past season, a lot of very fine seedling pears were raised in fresh, new soil, in Ontario county; their foliage was quite fresh when the frosts came, and they had received no special manuring either. Pear seedlings a PROPAGATION OF STOCKS. 113 should always be taken up in the fall, after the first season’s growth, the largest selected for transplanting into the nursery, and the smaller to be put into beds, to remain another season. Quince Stocks are propagated with considerable success by cuttings. These should be strong shoots, six inches to a foot long, taken off close to the old wood, and, if pos- sible, with a small portion attached, prepared as directed in article on cuttings, early in the winter, and kept in pits two or three feet below the surface of the soil, in a dry place, till planting time in spring. They should be planted in a light, friable, deep soil, in rows eighteen inches to two feet apart, four to six inches apart in the row, and so deep that but a couple of buds remain above the surface. The ground should be kept clean and mel- low amongst them all summer, and if the cuttings were stout and long, they will in the autumn be fit for taking up and preparing for planting into nursery rows the fol- lowing spring. The best and surest method of propagat- ing the quince stock, however, is by layers, as the best variety for that purpose does not strike so freely from cut- tings as the common sorts. The manner of layering is that recommended for the Doucain and paradise, by earthing up. The stool plants should be set out in a fine, ‘rich, deep border of warm, friable soil, and be about six” feet apart, when designed to be permanent. As each stool, by the system recommended, can only yield a crop of plants every two years, there should be two sets, so that an annual supply may be obtained. By the ordinary system of bending down the shoots, and slitting, or even without the slitting, a crop may be obtained every year, that is, the shoots of the current sea- son’s growth may be layered in July or August, but no such stockscan be obtained as by the earthing up and "114 | THE NURSERY. taking a crop.every two years. This is the systemi recow mended to those who want jirst rate quince stocks. The very general lack of information in this country on the subject of quince stocks for pears has given rise to-a great many misapprehensions and erroneous statements in regard to them, both by horticultural writers and others. At first it was said that the stock used*by the French and imported by nurserymen here were the Portugal. Again, it was discovered they were nothing more than the com- mon apple quince ; consequently a multitude of the apple quinces have been worked, and sent out as “ dwarf pears.” The slow and feeble growth of this variety unfits it entirely for a stock for the pear, and only a very few varieties will form a union with it that will last over three or four years. Such trees cannot fail to give general dissatisfaction, and among people who know no better, create a prejudice against quince stocks in general. Indeed this is the cause why so much has been said about the pears on quince being so short-lived. The truth is, that the varieties used in Prana are nei- ther the Apple nor the Portugal Quince, but vigorous hybrids that have been criginated there, and found te answer this purpose particularly well. The great requisite of a quince stock for the pear is a free, paste and rapt growth. A variety originated at the town of Angers in - France, and extensively used, propagated and sold there as the Angers Quince, is probably the best yet known fo . a pear stock generally. It is a very rapid, vigorous grower making strong shoots three feet long in oneseason. It has large foliage resembling the Portugal. In some parts of France, as in Normandy, it is known as the broad-leaved There is another variety with smaller leaves, but of free vigorous growth too, almost exclusively cultivated in some districts. Several extensive nurserymen at Orleans, Paris, and elsewhere, consider it superior to the broad-leaved, PROPAGATION OF STOCKS. | 115 and especially for very vigorous growing sorts. It is known as the small-leaved. We have tried both extensively, and find but very little difference thus far in the results obtained. We are now engaged in experiments testing the fitness of another variety quite distinct in its character, habits of growth, —&c., from all the others. It is remarkably erect, with a _ Behl, branching head, and roots composed almost entirely of fine fibres. ee cutting grows when other sorts area complete failure; and a cutting made of a stout shoot set in the ground in ‘April may be budded inSeptember. The largest plants we have are but three years old; and judg- | ing from these, it will not attain so large a size as the Angers, but the pear seems to unite well with it, and we believe it will make an excellent stock, for free growing kinds particularly. It is yet too soon, however, to decide upon its merits in any respect, except that of being easily propagated. The Mountain Ash, it is said, makes a good stock for certain varieties in very light, sandy soils, when neither the pear nor quince succeeds well. It is propagated from seed, and requires to be two years old before being worked. The Thorn.—Seedlings of our vigorous native thorns make good stocks when about three years old; the seeds require to be in the rot heap one year before sowing. The only cases in which it can be recommended, are those in which a soil may be so wet and cold as to be unfit for the pear or quince; but it is better to improve such soils by draining, subsoil ploughing, and by the addition of suitable composts, for even the thorn will fail in giving satisfac- tion on a stiff, cold soil. 3d. Stocks for the Cherry.—The principal stocks used for the cherry are the mazzard for standard orchard trees, and the mahaleb for garden pyramids and dwarfs. — Mazzard Seedlings.—The mazzard cherry is a lofty, 7c ‘ 116 THE NURSERY. ~ + rapid-growing, pyramidal-headed tree. Its fruit is small, dark brown, or black, with a sprightly flavor and slight bitterness. It is the original type of all the heart varie- ties. ao Preparing and saving the Seeds—The fruit is allowed to remain on the tree until thoroughly ripe. It is then shaken or picked off, and put into tubs, where the pulp is washed off until the stones are perfectly clean. They are then spread out on boards, and turned over occasion- ally until dry, when they are put away in boxes, mixed with sand very slightly moist. A layer of sand is spread in the bottom of the box, then a thin layer of the stones, next a layer of sand, and so on till the box is full. The boxes are secured against vermin, and put away in a cool, dry place, until needed for planting. If not planted-in the fall, they may be wintered in a cellar, or out of doors, protected from rain by boards or other covering. When to Plant—lIf circumstances were favorable, all seeds would be better planted in the fall, or immediately after their maturity. Nature, in her course, indicates this to be a general law; but in cultivation this must depend on circumstances. The ground may not be in readiness. It may be so wet and heavy, that seeds would be so satu- rated with moisture during the winter as to lose their vitality; or the ground might become so beaten down and compact with fall, winter, and early spring rains, as to make it almost impossible for the young plants to make their way through it. All these things are to be con- sidered in deciding the proper time to sow seeds. If the soil be very light and porous, cherry seeds may be sown as ‘soon as gathered; if the contrary, it should be deferred till spring: but they germinate early and at a low temperature, so that it is necessary to keep them pretty dry and cool, and get them into the ground at the earliest practicable moment. We find it quite difficult to v aa . PROPAGATION OF STOCKS. 117 keep them properly, and yet prevent them from germinat- ing before the ground is dry enough to receive them. How to Plant.—For cherry seeds the ground should be light, in a good fertile state, but not strongly manured. The seeds are sown in drills as recommended for apple and pear seeds, and so thin as to give each plant space to erow in without being crowded by others. In this way, and with clean summer culture, the stocks will all be large enough at the end of the first season’s growth, to be taken up and prepared for planting in nursery rows the following spring: The Mahaleb (Cerasus mahaleb) is a small tree with glossy, deep green foliage. The fruit is black, about the size of a marrow-fat pea, and quite bitter. It blossoms and bears fruit when about three years old: It is considerably cultivated in many parts of Europe, as an ornamental lawn tree. There are very few bearing trees in this country yet; consequently nearly all the edd used are imported, or grown from imported seeds. The seeds are prepared, saved, sown, and managed in all respects similar to the mazzar a and are fit ae trans- ferring to the nursery rows at the onl of the first season’s a The common red pre cherry and the small morello make very good stocks for dwarf trees of the duke and morello classes; but the hearts and Bigarreaus do not take on them. "These are raised from a in the same way as the mazzards and mahalebs. It may be added, however, as a warning, that buds are more liable to fail on them than on the mahaleb. } 4th. Stocks for the Peach—As a general thing the peach is worked on its own stocks in this country. The stones should be placed in a state of stratification during the winter, placed in boxes with alternate layers of sana or light earth, and be kept in a situation exposed to the 118 THE NURSERY. frost; unless this is done they will not germinate the fol- lowing spring; they require more. moisture and exposure to open their hard shells, and induce germination, than any other fruit seeds. They should be examined a week or two before planting time, and if they exhibit no signs of ve- getation more moisture should be given them; if they have been kept dry for a month or two before being stratified, they may require to be cracked. This is done by placing the edge of the stone on a wooden block and striking with a mallet; when cracked they may be mixed with’ moist earth and germinated in a warm place. The growth of every one so germinated can be depended on, and the rows will be regular. As the seeds are planted where the trees remain until transferred to the garden or orchard, it is a very good plan to nip off the point of the young root protruded from the seed; this makes it ramify, so that when taken up the trees have fine branched and fibrous roots instead of long tap roots, as is very generally or case. Planting. —tThe seeds should be put into the ground as soon in the spring as it is in a fit state to be worked. A line is stretched, and holes made with a dibble to receive the seed; it should be put in with the root downwards, and be covered not over one fourth of an inch deep. ‘Plum Stocks are used for the peach in soils of a stiff, adhesive character, in which the peach does not succeed. In England the peach is worked almost exclusively on the plum, as it suits their moist climate and soil better. In France the hard shell almond is used almost exclusively on dry, and the plum on damp soils. Almond stocks are raised in the same way as the peach. | ! Dwarf Peach Trees are produced by working on the same stocks recommended for dwarfing the plum. Some time ago a French journal gave a very interesting account of experiments made in dwarfing the peach and plum, by PROPAGATION OF STOCKS. 119 a Dr. Bretonneau of Tours, France. He had succeeded in producing very pretty dwarf plums and peach trees on - a dwarf plum indigenous to this country (Prunus pumila.) He exhibited beautiful prolific dwarf trees of the green gage plum on the sloe, and was making farther experi- ments with the dwarf almond as a stock for peaches. These subjects are all worthy of attention; we have many experiments of this kind under way, but it is yet too soon to communicate the results. The art of growing a large collection of fruits on a small spot of ground is of great importance to curious and tasteful people living in towns and villages. Stocks for the Apricot and Nectarine—kEvery thing that has been said of peach stocks, applies with equal force and propriety to these two trees. 5. Stocks for the Plum—lIt is not a little difficult in this country to get good plum stocks. If seeds be taken promiscuously from any variety that is to be had, as is done with most other trees, the probability is, that of the seedlings not one in 500 will be suitable fora stock. I have seen bushels of seeds planted that were said to have’ _ been collected from strong growing trees, but out of the tens of thousands of seedlings produced from them, not 100 were ever worked, or fit to be. It is not only neces- sary to obtain seeds from vigorous growing trees, but from a species or variety that reproduces itself from seed. This is the point. The Horse Plum, an oval, purple, free-stone sort, with vigorous downy shoots, reproduces itself from seed, and makes good stocks. On a suitable, well-prepared soil, its — seedlings often attain two feet or more in height in one season, and are then fit for the nursery rows. They require a rich, substantial soil, prepared as recommended for pear seeds. Other vigorous sorts have been recommended in various parts of the country, but on trial they have been 120 THE NURSERY. found quite inferior to the horse plum, and asa general thing worthless. The Canada or Wild Plum, which abounds in Ohio, Michigan, and other western States, are distinct species, and reproduce themselves from seed. The seedlings of some grow extremely rapid, making fine stocks in one year on any good soil. They continue in a thrifty, growing state until late in the autumn; but they should not be worked above the ground in the usual way, as their growth . does not keep pace with the species to which most of our cultivated sorts belong. The best way to manage them is ’ to take the yearling seedlings, whip-graft them on the collar, and set them out at once in the nursery rows; they will make good trees for planting out in three years. The stock is all below the surface of the ground, and in time the graft sends out roots and becomes in a great mea- sure independent of the stock. Where the seedlings are not large enough for grafting the first season, they may be set out in the nursery and allowed to grow one season, and then the earth can be removed from the collar until the graft be inserted, and then drawn up. ‘To procure strong stocks for standard trees of weak growing sorts, like the. Green Gage, such thrifty varieties as the Lmperzal Gage and Smith’s Orleans may be grafted on this native species, and in two or three years they will make stocks strong enough for any purpose. The French use several natural species that are produced from seed—the S¢. Julien, large and small (Brussels of the English), and the p Oe. novr, large and small. The first is generally used for stocks for posible and peaches as well as plums. We find none of these superior in vigor to the horse plum, but they are worked more successfully. In England, the Brussels, Brompton, and Muscle stocks are used, propagated from both seeds and layers. For small sized garden trees, either dwarf standards or pyramids, the cherry plum et \ PROPAGATION OF STOCKS. 121 cakes a very good stock. Itis probably the same as used by the French under the names of “ Cericette” and ‘‘ Myro- balan.” Several of our authors and even some English writers say that the Ivrabelle is the stock used for dwarf- ing the plum, peach and apricot, but it seems probable that they are mistaken. In France the cericette or cherry plum is used, and stocks sent us from England as Mira- belle, are but the cherry. How the mistake could be made is difficult to say, for the two trees are as different in habit, foliage, wood and fruit, as they can be. The cherry plum is a very low tree with bushy, erect branches, very straight, slender, willow- like, reddish shoots, exceedingly small leaves and buds, and smooth bark. The Jfirabelle is also a low tree, but much more spreading than’ the other; the shoots are stouter, of a gray color and downy, with rather prominent buds for so small shoots. It ripens in September, and the cherry a month sooner. ‘ The cherry plum is a natural species, and can there- fore be produced true from seed. It maintains a vigorous growth all summer, and may be worked in July, August, or September. It may also be propagated from layers. The Sloe is also used to some extent where very small trees are wanted, and we have no doubt some native spe- cies, as for instance the Beach and Chicasaw plums, small trees, will make good dwarf stocks. I am inclined to think, however, that very nice garden trees may be raised on the smaller species of the auade Plum. The first year’s growth and even the second are quite vigorous on them, but after that the vigor diminishes, and the trees . wet ue quite prolific. This and the cherry plum will probably become our principal stocks for dwarfing. Plums for seeds should ripen well on the tree ; they are then gathered, the. pulp washed off, and the seeds dried and put away in boxes of sand in alternate layers, as 6 & 122 ‘THE NURSERY recommended for cherries. They may be saved in fall or spring as circumstances already mentioned will admit. Nearly all plums used for stocks may be propagated by layers. Mother plants or stools are planted out and cut back as recommended for paradise, &c.; the shoots of the previous season’s growth are pegged down in the spring flat, and two inches of earth drawn over them. Every bud on these layers will produce a shoot that, generally, will be well enough rooted in the fall to be separated from the stool and planted out into nursery rows the following spring. These layered shoots are cut off close to th® old plant, and the upright shoots produced during the previ- ous season may be again pegged down. The stools or mother plants managed in this way require the best treatment to maintafn their vigor, that a supply of strong shoots may be produced every season fit to lay down in the spring. Weak, slender shoots, unfit to layer, should be cut out. early in the season to aid the growth of those intended for use. This usually goes by the name of Chinese Layering. Srction 3.—Transpiantine Srocxs. This comprehends three separate operations, taking up, dressing or pruning, and replanting; but before touching on the detail of these operations, it may be well to con- sider | Ist. Lhe age at which Stocks should be transplanted. — On this point there seems to be a diversity of opinion, not only among book writers but practical cultivators. The very general opinion, and one that is most acted upon, is, 4 ‘that they should remain where they have been propagated until they are large enough to be worked; a great many plans are therefore suggested for wintering seedlings, and especially the pear. The experience of the best culti-° i. | TRANSPLANTING STOCKS. 123 vators every where is that seedling stocks especially, of all sorts, should be transplanted when one year old. It may be urged against this, that some seedlings are so ~small when one year old, as not to be worth transplanting ; so feeble, that more sare and culture would be required before they could be worked than they are worth. In re- ply, it can only be said that such feeble productions are only fit to be thrown away, because the seeds must. have been defective, or the soil and culture bad; and stocks raised from poor seeds, or stunted b7 bad soil and culture, will never make sound, healthy, vigorous, or long lived trees. When seedlings remain longer than one year in the seed bed, they grow up slender and weak; one more vigorous than its neighbors will ruin all around it; then the roots do not ramify, but continue to lengthen without forming laterals or fibres, and when removed and réduced to the necessary dimensions they receive a severe check; but at one year the check is very light, they at once form lateral roots, and instead of being drawn up tall and slender, they become stout and well proportioned. The best pear grow- _ ers in Europe, and even in this country, would scarcely take as a oift, two year seedling pears from the seed bed, unless in case of absolute necessity. The proper plan is to take up all seedlung stocks, and all layers, sufficiently rooted to bear separation from the stool, and all cuttungs that stand close, at one year old,* and sort and arrange in separate classes, in this way: in one class put the strongest, those fit for immediate use, either to be grafted on the root, or budded the summer following; in another class, put such as may require to stand one year in the nursery rows to be fit for working; and in the third class, such as are too weak to be put in the nursery rows, * The sloe (Prunus spinosa), or any such very slow growing thing excepted. 124 THE NURSERY. 4 ” but will require to be “ bedded out,” that is, set closely in beds by themselves, where they can remain for one or two years, until they are large and strong enough for root grafting, or for the nursery rows. Unless in the case of stocks scarce and difficult to procure, this third class had better be thrown away at once, as it will cost as much tc nurse them as to raise fine stocks from the seed. 2d. Lime to take up.—There is but one proper time tc take up all seedlings and rooted layers for stocks, and that is the fall, and this for several reasons. ‘The first is, they ~ are all liable to injury by the frosts of winter ; seedling? have no side roots to hold them in the ground, and layers are near the surface, so that the freezing and thawing draws them up ; the roots are thus exposed and seriously injured. The second is, they can be dressed during the winter in the cellar, and be ready for planting in spring. When taken up they can be laid closely in by the roots - in the soil in a dry place, and covered over so as to - exclude frost. When out-door work is over, they can be ~ uncovered, taken into the cellar and dressed, and laid in again by the roots carefully in the same place, which should be protected from frost, of course, in the mean time. The third reason is, that when seedlings are taken up in the fall, the ground can be prepared for another crop; and this is of considerable importance. In the case of layers, the stools or mother plants can be manured, dressed, and put in order for another season’s growth; and this, also, is important. Such are some of the advan- tages, or, in fact, the necessities of taking up stocks in the fall. _ 8d. How to take up—Seedlings are very easily taken up, without in the least mutilating the roots, in two’ ways. If one person do the work, he should begin at one end of the row, and with a common spade, or, which is better, one with three strong prongs, a foot long and TRANSPLANTING STOCKS. : 125 an ich and a half wide; dig under the plants without | cutting the roots, and as fast as they are loosened below, pull them out, and in this way proceed. Another and quicker way is, for two men to loosen the plants, each on opposite sides of the row, inserting a forked spade as deep as the roots go, while another follows, and pulls out the plants. When the ground ig quite soft, this way answers very well; but if dry or hard, the first is better. Layers require more care and caution. A trench must be opened all around the layered branches deep enough to go quite below the roots, and in an oblique manner, so as to undermine them. Where the branches are pegged down, the pegs must be taken out, and the layer is then separated between the rooted part and the stool, and gently taken from the earth. Especial care must be taken not to split those that have been layered by incision ; their removal must be done slowly and cautiously. Mound Layers are easier separated ; the earth is simply removed from the base of the rooted branches, and they are then separated within an inch or so of the stem. Layered Branches or Chinese Layers.—W hen the young rooted plants are produced from the eyes of a buried shoot or branch, the pegs are removed, the whole branch dug under, completely loosened and separated from the stool; the young plants are then taken off one by one close “ their base. Ath. Pruning or Dressing Stocks. —The objects i in view always in performing this operation are, to remove in- jured or broken roots, to reduce the tap root that it may produce laterals, to reduce the stems to a proper propor- tion with the roots, and put them in a condition that will. ensure a vigorous growth. Secdlings taken from the seed bed, have always a long tap root, with few or no laterals; and as trees with such roots are unfit for safe transplantation, it is necessary to 126 THE NURSERY. take measures to change their character. We, therefore, _ remove the small tapering portion of the root, ea a 84, 4; and this ensures the production of or spr eading roots near the surface of the ground. ‘The pear roots espe- cially are inclined © more to descend in a straight line than. to spread; and un- less they are well cut back when young, they are always difficult to— transplant ‘safely afterwards. “Roots that. descend like the prongs of a fork, are usually destitute of fibres; whilst those that spread out hori- zontally, or near . . the surface, are of \ Ki { \. well furnished with 85.4 as fibres, that not only make trees | ; : easily . transplant- Fig. 84, a seedling stock, one year’s growth, as it comes from the seed bed. The line at .4, shows the ed, but inclined to shortening of the tap root. Thatat B, the shortening early fruitfulness. of the stem before replanting. Fig. 85, a quince cutting ; the cross lines on the stem and roots indicate the prun- This operation on ing before replanting. +e the roots, it is ob- vious, destroys the natural balance or proportion that ex- _ isted between them and the tops. Hence the necessity for shortening the stem in a corresponding manner. But even if the roots were not shortened, the stems should be. Vv \ Fie. 84. SNRs 6b. ~ », il TRANSPLANTING STOCKS. 127 ia order to obtain a vigorous = The very removal of the plant lessens the power of the roots to absorb and convey nutriment; and on this account, if no other, the stem should be seeitieod by way of romulotine the supply and demand. We sometimes see young stocks planted out without any shortening of the stem; and the result is, they scarcely make any growth the first season—the roots are barely able to absorb enough to keep them alive. If one half the stem had been cut away, the remaining buds would have received such a supply of food as would have produced a vigorous growth. It is a pretty good rule, therefore, to reduce the stems of seedlings one third to one half, as at B O, fig. 84; but there are exceptions to this. For instance, a stock with a very large and strong root, and a short, stout, close-jointed stem, well matured and furnished with plump, prominent buds, requires very little, if any shortening of the stem; and again, others are just the reverse, tall, slender, and feeble, having been. suffocated in the seed bed. Such as _ these require to be olga more than = perhaps two thords. Layers or Cuttings (fig. 85) are in a different situation from seedlings, and require, therefore, different treatment. They have no tap roots, but masses of fibres; and these fibres, if they are oe fresh and sound till replanted, need no shortening; but if destroyed by exposure, they should be cut off, to make way for new ones. The short- ening of the stems depends entirely on the size and con- dition of the roots. If well rooted, and the roots be in good condition, they may be left faa: long ; if poorly rooted they dhonld be cut back to six or eight “inches. This applies equally to the layers of the guince, paradise, Doucain, plume, ete. . 5th. Planting stocks in the nursery rows where they are to be budded.—tThe first consideration which this _* ot: " > tt a 128 THE NURSERY. operation suggests, is the condition of the soil. Under the head of soils, sufiicient has been said respecting the modes of deepening, drauming, and enriching ; and it is only necessary to say here, that where stocks are planted, the soil should be at once deep, dry, and rich; for no such thing as sound vigorous fruit trees can be vital on a poor, shallow, or wet soil. The various means of im- provement have been already pointed out and explained. It may, however, be well to remark that ground may be too rich, and induce a rank, watery growth, that would either result in death at the final transplanting into the garden or orchard, or in a very feeble and sickly growth after it. We see frequent illustrations of this in the case of trees raised in old, worn out nurseries, where rapid. growth has been foted by powerfully-stimulaniall ma- ° nures. These rank, pithy, soft productions, are very attractive to the eye; but they suffer somuch by removal, no matter how well treated, that they seldom fail to dis appoint the planter. This thing should, therefore, be guarded against. Manures used should be well decom- posed, and incorporated with the soil, if possible the autumn before planting. “x ‘ e . - - . . . c - 1 £ a = be naar -” al » > . . ae : . LS : zz x ‘. . «i *. . ts * CHAPTER. PERMANENT PLANTATIONS OF FRUIT TREES. Section 1.—Tse Direrent Kips or PLantations. Tese are of several kinds, and may be classed as fol- lows—Ilst. The Lamily Orchard, which is a portion of the farm set apart for the production of the more hardy and common fruit, principally apples, for the use of ‘the farm stock and the family. 2d. The Market or Commer- cial Orchard, is a large plantation of the various species of fruit trees for the production of fruit as an article of commerce. 38d. The Frat Garden, withthe Farmer is a plot of ground near the dwelling, in which the finer fruits, as pears, peaches, plums, cherries, apricots, &c., and all the small fruits are cultivated. In many cases, and even in most cases, it is a portion of the kitchen gar- den, where the table or culinary vegetables are grown. With the professional man, the merchant, the mechanic, and others who reside in cities, villages, and their suburbs, possessing but small tracts of land, at most but a° few acres, the fruit garden is the only source for the supply of fruits for their families, and is usually planted with the more rare, perishable, and valuable sorts that cannot s0 easily be procured in market. The pleasure and profit derived from fruit plantations, * 158 = |" PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. under any or all of these circumstances, depend upon the judicious selection of soil, situation, trees, and va- rieties, and their proper arrangement and management. These are the essential points, and every man who con- templates planting to a greater or less extent, should avail himself of all the light which experience has shed upon these various branches of the subject, before making the first movement towards the execution of his project. : Section 2.—THE OrcuHarp. The orchard is distinguished from the fruit garden in this, that the trees planted in it are generally of the larg- est size to which. the species attain; they are grown in the natural, or, as it is called, standard form, without any particular training, and the varieties are generally the most hardy and productive of the species. 1. The situation of an orchard with regard to exposure or aspect, requires very little consideration in some parts of the country. Where, as in Western New York for in- . stance, the winters are uniform, or comparatively so, in temperature, and late spring frosts do not prevail, the main difficulties to guard against are the prevailing high winds from the west and north that injure the blosgoms and blow off the fruit before it is mature. If ‘possible, a situation should be chosen where some natural obstacle, - as a hill or a belt of woods, would break the force and influence of these destructive winds.. Where no such obstacle naturally exists, a belt or border of rapid grow- ing ‘trees, such as soft maples, white pines, and Abeles, should be planted simultaneously with the planting of the orchard, that they may grow up and form a protec- tion by the time the trees have come into bearing. In other sections, as in some of the central and south- em counties of New York, and in some parts af Ohio, * THE ORCHARD. 159 Illinois, Wisconsin, and others of the western as well as in the southern States, where late and fatal spring frosts prevail, the selection of a situation isa most important point... In such localities an eastern and southern expo- sure, and low grounds, sare to be avoided. John J. Thomas, in his Fruit Culturist, states that, ‘* In the valley of the Gentioeten, which is daukoa by hills five hundred feet high, peach trees have been completely killed to the ground, but on one of the neighboring hills, five hundred .feet above, and probably twelve hundred feet above the level of the sea, an orchard planted in good soil yields regular crops. In the town of Spencer, Tioga County, near the head of Cayuga inlet, peaches have with- stood the climate and done well at an elevation of seven. hundred feet above Cayuga Lake.” Lawrence Young, Esq., Chairman of the Kentucky Fruit Committee, reported to the Pomological Convention at Cincinnati, in 1850, the | ease of an orchard in that State, lying within the peach district, oceupying the slopes of hills of no great height, © inclining gently toward a river distant only a few hundred _ yards. Its success was that common to a fickle western climate—a fruit year and a failure, or perhaps two years of productiveness and three of disappointment in every five. Within five miles of this orchard, however, is located a hill six hundred feet high, upon which the peach crop has not failed since he first knew it. Numerous other instances are quoted and the particulars given with great accuracy, showing the effects of even very slight eleva- tions. | Among others is an instance of the heath-peach bearing a full crop in one part of an orchard, whilst in another part thirty feet lower, the same variety bore not a single fruit. Multitudes of such cases might be collected in all parts of the country where the climate is variable, because 160 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. in such situations vegetation is earlier excited than in those more elevated and colder, and frosts always fall. more heavily on low than on high grounds. Every one who has paid the slightest attention to the action of frost on vegetation is aware, that even an elevation of two or three feet of one portion of the same field or garden above the other frequently proves a protection from an untimely frost. In a dry and frm soil, vegetation is more exempt from inju- ries by frost than in a damp, soft, and»spongy.soil on the ~ game level, not only because trees on such soils are more mature and hardier in their parts, but because the soil and the atmosphere above it are less charged with watery par- ticles that attract the frost. Bodies of water that do not freeze in winter, such as some of our inland lakes, exert a favorable caenere for a considerable distance sfrém ‘their margins in protecting vegetation from late spring and i autumn frosts. In some parts of the West, as in Wisconsin and ‘Tlinois, the winters are so variable—during the day as mild as spring, and in the night the mereury fallings™ many degrees below zero—that even apple and pearstrees in soft, Re and rich soils, are fr anil sag hie killed to the ground. In such localities, experience has taught cultivators that elevated, dry, firm, and moderately rich soil, that will produce a firm, well-matured growth, is the only safeouard against the destruction of plantations in the winter. - In all localities where fruit culture has made any considerable progress, there is generally experience enough to be found, if ae sought for and collected, to guide beginners in fixing upon sites for orchards ; pe no man should venture to plant without giving due attention to the subject, and availing himself of all the © experience of his neighbors; for experience, after all, is — the only ately reliable guide. ‘ THE ORCHARD. 161 Sd. The Soit—Having treated already of the different characters and modes of amelioration of soils, it is only necessary here to point out what particular qualities or kinds are best adapted to the different classes of fruit trees, as far as experience will warrant inso doing. There are soils of a certain texture and quality, in which, by proper management, all our hardy fruits may be grown to perfection. For instance, the soil of our specimen orchard, which is that usually termed a sandy loam, with a sandy clay subsoil, so dry that it can be worked imme- diately after a rain of twenty-four hours. On this we have apples, pears, plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, and, indeed, all the fruits planted promiscuously, side by side, not by choice but necessity, and all these yield bountiful crops of the finest fruit every season, and that, so far, without any special attention in the way of manures or composts. Our country abounds in such soils, and others somewhat different in character, but equally eligible for all fruit “trees when well managed. On the other hand, there are soils wholly unfit for fruit trees of any eal such are peaty or mucky, and damp, cold, and spongy soils. For an orchard of apples or pears, a dry, deep, substantial soil, between sandy and a clayey loam, and possessing among its inorganic parts a considerable portion of lime, is, according to all experience, the best.* On such soils - we find the greatest and most enduring vigor and fertility, the healthiest and hardiest trees, and the fairest and best- flavored fruits. Trees both of apples and pears, planted on such soils in western New York, upwards of fifty * The ashes of the bark of apple trees disclose the fact, that in one hundred parts upwards of fifty arelime. In the sapwood eighteen of lime, seventeen of phosphate of lime (similar to bone earth), and sixteen of potash. In the heart or perfect wood, thirty-seven of lime. In the ashes of the sapwood of the pear of one hundred parts, twelve of lime, twenty- . seven phosphate of lime, and twenty-two of potash. In the ash of the _, bark, thirty of lime. 162 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. years ™nz0, are, at this day, in the very height of their vigor and productiveness, without having received more than the most ordinary culture. In some of these soils, where the pear and apple flourish so well, and endure so long, the peach does not succeed at all. The reason is, it is too stiff. and compact. The plum succeeds best, as a general thing, on a clayey loam, rather stiff. The Canada or native plum, however, succeeds well on very light soils. The cherry, the peach, apricot, nectarine, and almond, require a light, dry, and warm soil, and will not sueceed on any other. The best and most enduring peach orchards are on dry, sandy loams ; but good orchards are raised with proper manage- ment on loose, light sands, though on such the trees are shorter lived, and require constant care in the way of dressings of manure and compost. There are two points to be observed in regard to soils under all circumstances. They must possess the inorganic substances, such as lime, potash, etc., that constitute a large portion of the ashes of the wood and bark when burned, and a sufiicient amount of organic matter, vegetable mould, which dis- solves and furnishes material for the formation and growth of new parts... When large and permanent plan- tations are to be made, it will well repay the trouble and - expense of procuring-the analysis of the soil, in order to ascertain somewhat correctly its merits and defects. People who have been long engaged in the culture of the soil, can judge pretty correctly of its quality by its appearance, texture, subsoil, and the character of the rocks and stones that underlie and prevail in it; but the inexperienced do not understand such indications, and will do well to have recourse to a careful analysis by some competent person. | a 3d. Preparation of Soil for an Orchard.—The season _ before planting, the soil should be at least twece ploughed ‘THE ORCHARD. 163 with a common and subsoil plough, enriched with suitable composts, and drained, if necessary. It should be a inches to two feet deep and quite dry. : 4th. Enclosures——Before a tree is planted, it is neces- sary that the ground be enclosed with a fence, sufficient to protect it against the invasion of animals. It is no un- common thing to hear people regret that the cattle broke into the orchard and destroyed many trees. Indeed it fre. quently happens that more damage is done in this way than, if duly estimated, would have fenced the whole orchard. ‘There is much inquiry now-a-days on the subject of fences, and various plans and materials are suggested and tried. we hedges are unquestionably the most orna- mental and appropriate enclosures for extensive planta- tions of fruit trees, and in time will no doubt be generally adopted. Hitherto the failure of many plants tried, and the cost and difficulty of obtaining others, have retarded their introduction. Experience, however, has at length pretty fairly decided that the Osage orange is the best for the west and south west, and the buckthorn for the north and east. The seeds of both these plants are now easily procured, and plants of them may be obtained in nurseries at $5 or $6 per 1000, and about 2000 will fence an acre of ground, setting the plants twelve inches apart in two rows six inches apart, which is the strongest way. A single row at six inches apart will make a good fence with pro- per shearing to thicken them at the bottom; either way they will make a beautiful and efficient fede 3 in five or six years. The honey locust is also a strong, hardy, rapid growing plant, and makes a hedge in three or four years that animals will be afraid to look at. It is sometimes objected to hedges that they harbor birds, but it is to be remembered that birds are the natural foes of insects, and never failto accomplish a vast amount of labor for the good of the fruit grower, for which they ought to be fully =", 164 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. entitled to a participation in his enjoyments. As the fea- thered race are persecuted and driven away from our gar- dens, insects become more numerous and destructive; at least this is the experience of most people, and should lessen, if not entirely prevent, the cruel hostility that is cecilia waged against them. 5th.—Selection of Varieties of Fruits for an Orchard-— This is a most important point; the selection of varieties must in all cases be made with reference to the uses to which they are to be appropriated. The family orchard of the far- mer, we will suppose to contain apple trees alone, as all the other fruits are, or ought to be, grown in the fruit garden. His selection of varieties must be adapted to his wants and circumstances. In the first place, the number of his family must regulate the proportion of kitchen and table varieties. In the second place, he must consider how many he will want for sauce, how many for baking and drying, how many for cider, and how many for the dessert, and what proportion of sweet and of acid. These are all considerations that depend upon the habits, taste, and mode of living of families, and for which no man can provide, or suggest, but the planter himself. Then, again, he must consider to what extent it may be advantageous to feed apples to his stock, and provide for it accordingly. Without considering well all these points, a man may sit down and select what are called “the best varie- ties,” and yet find himself badly suited when they come to bear; for so it happens that a variety that may be best for the dessert will be exceedingly unprofitable for other purposes. A hardy, vigorous, and productive variety of medium quality, quite unfit for the table, may be infi- nitely more advantageous for feeding stock, than a feeble growing, shy bearing variety, quite indispensable for the dessert; and an apple may be excellent for sauce, for bak- THE ORCHARD. 165 ing, or drying, and unfit for the dessert; these Points should all be daly considered. The Market or Commercial Orchardist must exercise the same discrimination in the selection of his varieties, adapting them to the mode of culture he intends to pur- sue and the market he intends to supply. In the imme- diate vicinity of large cities and towns, where the or- chardist may carry his fruit to market in a few hours, the most profitable culture will, generally speaking, be summer and early autumn fruits, or such as require to be consumed immediately after maturity, and are unfit for distant transportation. arly apples and pears only will be profitable for him, because the autumn and winter va- rieties carf be sent so easily from the most distant portions of the interior with such facilities as our present system of railroads, plank roads, canals, and steamboats afford. In addition to early apples and pears, his position gives him great advantages for the profitable culture of all the stone fruits, gooseberries, currants, raspberries, grapes, and such soft fruits, when intended to be disposed of in a raw state. : The Market grower of the interior will find his most profitable culture to be principally, autumn and winter apples and pears, to which he may add guinees; because all these can be packed and transported toa great dis- tance with safety, and the comparative cheapness of his lands enables him to compete advantageously with those more favorably situated in regard to market. Ile can only cultivate the summer fruits with a view to drying or preserving, or for the supply of a local demand. All orchard fruits, intended for profitable orchard culture, should’ be jérst, in regard to the trees, hardy, vigorous, and productive. The fruits should be of good size, fair appearance, good keepers, and of good quality. It should . = - 166 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. be borne in mind that many of the very best fruits are very unprofitable for general market culture. Under cer- tain circumstances this may not be the case, as for exam- ple, in the neighborhood of such a city as London, or Paris, or even Wew York or Boston. . 178 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. large plantation of these trees, should be well provided with heaps of compost a year old, and give each tree a peck to half a bushel before the setting in of winter. every year. This will maintain their vigor, and ensure large and regular crops of fine fruit. Directions for pruning‘and forming the -heads of standard trees, will be treated of under the general head of pruning. Section 3.—Tue Frorr GArpben. * The fruit garden is a plantation of fruit trees intended to supply the family with fruit. In some cases, where a large supply of fruit is wanted, and the proprietor has land and means to warrant it, a certain portion of ground is wholly devoted to it; and in others, it forms a separate compartment of the kitchen garden, or is mixed with it— the fruit trees occupying the borders or outsides of the compartments, and the culinary vegetables the interior. The latter is most general, in this country, at the present time. In a country like ours, so well adapted to fruit culture, where almost every citizen of every rank and calling not only occupies but owns’ a garden, and, as a general thing, possesses sufficient means to enable him to devote itsto the culture of the higher and better class of garden productions, the fruit garden is destined to be, if it is not already, an object of great importance. In the old countries of Europe, the rich alone, or those com- paratively so, are permitted to enjoy such luxury; for land is so oe that working people are unable to pur- chase it, and if they are, they are either unable to stock it with trees, or their necessities compel them to devote it to the production of the coarsest articles of vegetable food that can be produced in the greatest bulk. It is not so in America. “Here every industrious man, at the age of five-and-twenty, whatever may be his pursuits, may, THH FRUIT GARDEN. 179 if he choose, be the proprietor of a garden of some ex- - tent, and possess sufficient means to stock it with the finest fruits of the land. The present actual state of the population gives abun- dant evidence of this happy and prosperous condition. Let us look at our cities and- villages. In Rochester, excepting a narrow circle in its very centre, every house has its garden, varying in extent from twenty-five by one hundred feet to an acre of ground; and not one of these but is nearly filled with fruit trees; and so itis, but on a larger scale, in all the villages of western New York—a section of country in which the first white men’s settle- ment can scarcely date back over fifty years. Aside from the beneficial results to individual and public health and prosperity from this general union of the fruit garden and the dwelling, it cannot fail to exercise a softening and refining influence on the tastes, habits, and manners of the people, and greatly strengthen their love of home and country. The great thing wanting at this moment; is a knowledge of the correct mieshid of planting and managing fruit gardens. We cannot pass along the streets a rod, where there is a garden, without seeing and feeling that three fourths of the profit and pleasure which gardens might afford, are sacrificed to bad management, arising, in the main, from ignorance of the proper modes of culture adapted to such limited grounds ; and it is hoped that the suggestions and plans offered in the following detail of fai garden management, may afford at at a portion of tins information rented; The furmation of a fruit garden requires a consideration of the soil, situation, pe lisesies laying out, selection of trees, selection of varieties, and planting. Ist. The Situation.—This is generally governed by the particular cireumstances of the proprietor, those only 180 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. who build with reference to the location of the garden, or who have a large domain at their disposal, having an opportunity of selection to any considerable extent. Per. sons who live in cities and villages, have to make the best of their situation. As it is, if it be exposed, they can only give it protection by lofty enclosures, that will break the force of the winds. The aspect they cannot alter, and must adapt other circumstances to it. Those who can should select a situation convenient enough to the dwell- ing, to render it at all times easy of access, in order to save time and labor in going to and from it. It should also be sheltered from the north and west winds. The former are destructive to the blossoms in spring, and the latter frequently blow off the fruit before its maturity. In sections of the country subject to late spring frosts, an elevated situation is to be preferred, as in the case of orchards. A full eastern or southern aspect should ‘be avoided, because in them the sun’s rays strike the trees while the frost is upon them, and produce. injuries that would be avoided in other aspects. Where artificial shelter is required, a belt of rapid-growing trees, com- posed of evergreens and deciduous trees mixed, should be planted on the exposed side, but at such a distance as to obviate any difficulty that might arise from the injurious effects of shade, or from the roots entering the garden. Such a belt of trees might, at the same time, be made to -Impart a pleasing and highly ornamental appearance to _the grounds. 2d. The Soil is a most important consideration. As in a garden a general collection: of all the fruits is to be grown, and that in the highest state of perfection, the soil sould be of that ibtracton in its texture, depth, and quality, best adapted to general purposes.. It should not only be suitable for the apple and the pear, but for .the peach, the cherry, and the plum—a good, deep, friable ° - THE FRUIT GARDEN. oc ae loam, with a gravelly clay subsoil, and entirely free from stagnant moisture. In this country, our warm summers, and frequent, protracted droughts, render a deep soil for a garden absolutely necessary. Two fect is little enough, and three would be still better. The means for deepening, drying, improving, and changing the character of soils have been already pointed out Baile the general head of soils, and need not be repeated here. Suffice it to say, that it will always be found true economy to be liberal in the first preparation of the soil; for after a garden is laid out and permanently planted, improvements are always made with greater difficulty and expense. . Linclosures.—Vhe cheapest and most ordinary kind of enclosure for gardens in this country, is the tight board fence, and the picket or paling fence. The former should be made of stout cedar posts, set at’six feet apart, and three or four feet in the ground, the ends being previously charred to increase their durability, connected in the mid- dle and on the top with cross-bars or rails which may be two by four inches. The boards should be well seasoned, matched, and securely nailed to the cross-bars. Where the fence is required to be higher than the posts, the boards can extend above the top rail two, three, or even four feet, if necessary. The picket or paling fence is made in the same way, as far as the framework, posts, .and cross- bars go; but, instead of matched boards, pickets, from three to six inches wide, and pointed on the top, are used, and a space of two inches left between each. Where the proprietor can afford the expense of a brick or stone wall, it will prove the most permanent, and, in the end, elas cheapest enclosure. The height of the fence or wall depends somewhat on the extent of the garden. In ordi- nary cases, eight or ten feet is the proper height, but when the garden is very small, five or six feet is enough; and / 182° PERMANENT PLANTATIONS, the open paling will be preferable except on the north side, to the tight board fence, as it offers less obstruction ‘to the air and light. A hich fence around a very small garden, besides being injurious to vegetation in it, looks quite out of character, giving to it the appearance of a huge box. Live hedges, as recommended for orchards, might be employed around country gardens of considera- ble extent, say an acre or upwards, but they require to be kept in the neatest possible condition. Trellises—In England, and other parts of Europe, where the summer temperature is not so high as it is here, espalier trees are trained directly on the garden walls or fénce ; but our hot sun renders this unsafe, except in the case of the grape, or on the north sides of-the walls. The sun strikes the south side. of a fence with such force that the foliage in contact with it is burned. It is therefore necessary, where the walls or fences are to be occupied with espaliers, to erect suitable trellises at the distance of six to twelve inches from them, on which to train the trees ; the form of these differs according to the nature of the sub- ject to be trained. They are generally made of upright and cross bars, of inch boards three inches wide, placed within six to twelve inches of each other, according to the growth of the species; the larger the foliage and the longer the shoots, the greater may be the distances; thus, the grape twelve inches, and the peach eight. Sometimes they are constructed of wooden bars and wire rods alter- nately; these answer a good purpose for the grape, as it fixes itself to the wires by the tendrils. The trellis is fast- ened,to the wall by iron hooks, and should stand a little - farther from it at the bottom than at the top, for the pur- pose of giving the tree a better exposure to the sun, rain, &e. Fruits are grown so successfully in this country in the open ground that walls or trellises are seldom used, THE FRUIT GARDEN, Pp ‘ 183 except to economize space. In the north, however, ,.where the more tender fruits do not succeed in this open red. walls may be advantageously employed, as the trees trained on them are easily protected both from winter and spring frosts. paeor * Laying out the Fruit Garden. —This is the ‘arr ange- ment or distribution of the ground into suitable plotg or compartments, necessary walks, etc. The mode of doing this depends on the size of the garden, and the manner in which it is to be planted. Fruit gardens, properly speak- ing, are such as are wholly devoted to fruits; but a very common form, as has been already observed, is the mixed garden, where a portion only is devoted to fruits, and the remainder to culinary vegetables. We will first con- sider The Fruit Garden proper—tin all fruit ora heel the number of walks should be no greater than is absolutely necessary for convenience. In small places the better plan appears to be, to carry the principal walk around the outside, leaving as much as possible of the interior, where air and light are enjoyed to the greatest extent, for the trees. A border should be left between the fence and the walk, of sufficient width for the trees to be trained on the fence trellis. If appearances were to be strictly ob- served, this border should be as wide as the fence is high, but as a general thing five to six feet will be sufficient ; and where ground is limited, appearance must in many eases be sacrificed to economy. Where the work is all performed by manual labor, the walks need not be more than five to six feet wide, as that admits of the passage of a wheelbarrow ; and this is all that is required. Fig. 98 is a design for a very small garden fifty feet by one hundred. A is the entrance gate, four feet wide; B, B, a walk five feet wide; C, C, fence border, six feet “> co) A + » e im | ** & _/ PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. wide, - - The rows‘of trees are eight feet — The py- ramidal pears and cherries, Nos.:-1,. 8B and 4, at seven feet apart in the row. Nos. 5 and 6, dwarf ap- ples, at four feet apart. No. 7, pyramidal or dy warf’ standard fete, at seven feet. Nos. 8, > 9, and 10, low standard peach- es, at ten feet apart, the out- side ones four feet. from the walk. Nos. 11, 12, 13, and 14, low _ standard quinces, etc. Nos. 15, 16,17, 18, 19, and 20, _ espaliers, apri- cots, srapenjen: One border is filled with gooseberries and currants, the other can be occupied swith raspberries and strawberries. This ar- rangement gives in this little garden twenty pyramidal trees, thirteen. standards; twelve dwarfs, six espaliers, besides space enough for two dozen currants, two dozen gooseberries, two eee raspberries, etc. For sev eral years - ww ww SY ee a ie a ] | faa > » 2 m I & 5 m & 5 3 EI —~ THE FRUIT GARDEN. a ~ (SS afew strawberries and low vegetables, such as lettuce, radishes, beets, carrots, turnips, or even dwarf peas, may be grown in the spaces among the trees, but in no case to be permitted nearer than within three feet of the tree. A walk through the centre would be necessary, and this should be ten feet wide, and there should be a turn- . ing place left at the end opposite the entrance. The mixed, or fruit and kitchen garden, is laid out in a similar manner; the trees are planted in rows on a bor- der six to ten feet wide, according to the size of the trees, along the w ks, leaving the interior of the compartments for vegetab es. This arrangement is a very common one, and generally answers a very good purpose; but where it is practicable, it is much better to devote a separate por- tion exclusively to fruit, in order that the one may not in any way interfere with the other. In such a garden, the number of the walks, and consequently fruit borders, wili depend upon the proportion of the ground intended to be allotted to fruit, and this again will be regulated by the means, tastes, and demands of the family. Fig. 99 (see Sbatiepibieas is the plan of a mixed fruit and kitchen garden, one hundred and fifty feet wide by two hundred long, being one hundred and ten square rods, somewhat less than three quarters of an acre. The de- sign is to have two tree borders exclusive of the outside or fence border. The centre main walk from A to O, is ten feet wide. That crossing it in the centre six feet wide. The small walk next the fence border four feet wide, and that between the two tree borders five feet. The fence border is six feet wide, and may be planted with espalier trees, vines, etc., besides currants, raspberries, strawberries, or anything of low growth, not requiring the fullest exposure. Tite tree borders are all eight feet wide, except the dwarf apple border, which is only six. The outside border is cht on the two sides with low stand- -_ ? 186 ' PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. ard peaches, apricots, plums, quinces, etc., at twelve feet apart, and the two ends with pyramids at eight feet. The inside borders are planted with pyramids and dwarfs, the former at eight, and the latter at six feet apart. A,is the entrance; J, well or cistern; -C,aspace to turn a horse and cart upon. This arrangement gives thirty standard trees, eighty-three pyramids, and forty dwarfs, leaving clear the outside border over six hundred and sixty feet long and six. wide, and the four interior compartments each about thirty by sixty feet. In crop- - ping the latter with vegetables, they may be divided as in the design into narrow beds three or four feet wide, separated by paths eighteen inches wide. : Walks in the Fruit Garden —The number of these, as has been remarked, should be simply sufficient for con- ducting the operations of gardening with convenience; this .being provided for, the fewer the better. Where horse labor is employed, the main walk, either through the centre or around the sides, should be nine or ten feet wide. Where manual labor alone is employed, as in small gardens, five or six feet will be sufficient, and even four feet, as that admits of the passage of a wheel-barrow. Between each compartment, or line of trees, there should also be a path two or three feet wide, as a passage for the gardener or workmen, and others who may desire to inspect the trees. Where the expense can be afforded, the mains walk should be gravelled so as to be dry and comfortable at all seasons and in every state of the wea- ther; for it is presumed that every man who has a fruit garden, worthy of the name, will wish to visit it almost daily, and so will the members of his family and his friends whovisit him. The labor and expense of making a walk depends upon the nature of the soil. If dry, with a porous subsoil, absorbing water rapidly, six inches of good pit gravel, slightly rounded on the top, 2 THE FRUIT GARDEN. 187 wil} be sufficient. If the soil be damp, and the subsoil compact, it will be necessary to remove the earth to the depth of a foot in the centre, and rising towards the sides, ~ so that the excavation will resemble a semicircle ; this is filled with small stones and a few inches of good pit gravel on the top. This makes a walk dry at all times. We often see very comfortable and neat looking walks, made of spent bark from the tannery; six inches deep of this will last two or three years, and no excavation is neces- sary in any kind of soil. It is not to be supposed that so great expense will be incurred, in any case, in the forma- tion of the walks of a fruit or kitchen garden, -as those of ‘a pleasure ground or flower garden, and, therefore, it is unnecessary to suggest either costly modes or materials. The chief point is to secure dry, comfortable walking, without introducing any material that will produce a decidedly unpleasant contrast with vegetation. This can all be accomplished by the cheap and simple means referred to, and others that may suggest themselves. The main walks alone should be gravelled; the smaller alleys or paths between the different lines of trees or com- partments of the garden are p¥incipally for the use of the workmen. In very small gardens, where it is important to economize the ground, the spaces devoted to the walks may be of plank raised up on pillars or blocks a foot from. the ground; the roots of trees can then penetrate the ground below the walk as well as the border, and scarce any ground will be lost. Water—A supply of water in the garden is a most important consideration in our warm, dry, sunny climate. Good crops of culinary vegetables cannot be secured in many seasons without a liberal application of water, and fruit trees are greatly benefited by frequent showering, especially in dry weather. It refreshes them and drives ‘away insects. A good well or cistern should therefore Sd 188 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. be provided in every garden, and be situated as near the centre as possible, to be convenient to all parts. SELECTION OF TREES. Ist. Their Form.—We start upon the principle that, in all cases, tall standard trees, such as are usually planted in orchards, are totally unfit for the garden. This is the one great and universal defect in American fruit garden- ing. The trees for a fruit garden should be all either dwarf standards, with trunks two to three feet high, pyramids, branched from the ground, or bushes with ay stems six to twelve inches high. Trees in these forms are, in the first place, in keeping with the limited extent of the garden, and convey at first sight the idea of jitness. In the second place, they give a great variety on a small space, for three or four such trees will not occupy more space than one standard. In the third place, they are in a convenient form for management, they are easily pruned or protected, and the fruit is easily gathered and less likely to be blown off than on tall trees. In the fourth . place, they bear several “years sooner than standards, especially pears and apples. Among the forms mentioned, the pyramid is certainly the most beautiful; and in the best fruit gardening regions of Europe, where almost every conceivable form of tree has been tried, it is to-day the most popular, because it has proved the most advantageous and success- ful. The apple for pyramids should be on the Doucain stock. Certain varieties, such as the Hawthorndean, Kes- wick Codlin, Summer Rose, Duchess of Oldenburg, and many other moderate growers and early bearers, will make good pyramids on free stocks, but they will require more summer pruning and careful management to keep their vigor under check than they would on the Doucain. THE FRUIT GARDEN. 189 But apples for the fruit garden, even on the Doucain, should be such as naturally make small trees and are ‘inclined to early bearing. In these respects it is very well known there is a wide difference between varieties. Those mentioned above, and others similar in character, frequently bear, on free stocks in the nursery rows, at the age of three or four years from the bud, whilst others do not bear-until eight or ten years old. This is a point that should always be looked into in selecting garden trees, for it is the natural and proper desire of every one who plants a tree in the garden to obtain fruit from it as early as possible. _ The Apple for Dwarfs—The apple, worked on the paradise, makes a beautiful little dwarf bush. We know of nothing more interesting in the fruit garden than a row, or a little square, of these miniature apple trees (fig. 100), either in blossom or in fruit. Those who have not seen them, may imagine an apple tree, four feet high, and the same in width, of branches covered with blossoms in the springy or loaded with magni- ficent golden and crim- son fruit in the autumn. They begin to bear the third year from the bud, and the same variety is Fig. 109. always larger and finer Dwi rn DE: on them -than on standards. We had Red Astracans on paradise the past season, that measured eleven inches in circumference. The French plant®a square or compart- ment of these in the kitchen or fruit garden, as they do’ 190 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. gooseberries and currants, six feet apart, and call it the ‘* Normandie ; they also alternate them with pyramidai pear trees in rows; and in some of the best mixed kitchen” and fruit gardens, two dwarf apples are planted between two pyramidal pears, thus giving double the number of them as of the pears in a border or row. In small gar dens the apple should not be admitted under any othe form, and even to a limited extent in that, for it is the great fruit of the orchard, and in nearly all parts of this country they are extensively grown, and can be purchased at very moderate rates. Lhe Pear, as & Pyramad (fig. 101).—The pear is emi- nently the tree for the pyramidal form, either on the ‘free stock, or on the quince ; on the latter, however, the trees bear much earlier, are more -prolific, more manageable, and consequently preferable for small gardens. On the pear stock they require constant summer pruning and pinch ing, and in some cases, root pruning, to subdue the natu- ral vigor,and induce early _ fruitfulness. SSS; | Me Certain — varieties, Sorry esr mn however, do not suc- a pear tree, 7 feet high—4 feet wide at the eeed on the quince, base. F ; : THE FRUIT GARDEN. 191 but the majority of melting varieties do, and produce larger and finer fruit on it than on the free stock. The tardiness of bearing of the pear tree, when grown in the ordinary standard form on pear stock, has, more than any othe: cause, retarded its general cultivation. No better proof of this can be adduced than the general partiality now shown for trees on quince stocks, that bear at the age of three or four years. The introduction of these trees, a few years ago, was really the first thing that gave a general _ impulse to pear tree planting. With most people, it is a very important thing to obtain fruit in two or three years, instead of waiting eight or ten. The best management of trees on free stocks, cannot bring them into a bearing state short of six or seven years, unless it be some remarkably - precocious variety. People, therefore, who wish pear trees for pyramids that are easily menaged, and will bear early, will select them on quince stocks, in case the va- _ rieties they wish to cultivate have been proved to succeed well on it. The Pear in the dwarf standard form, ag in the pyramidal, is much easier managed, and bears much earlier on the quince than on the pear; indeed, these trees are as easily managed as a standard apple tree. There are some dwarf standards on the quince in our grounds ’ here, and in gardens in this city, that are now eight years old, and about seven to eight feet high, with trunks from two to three feet, heads four to five feet high, and three or four feet in Tid. that have borne eee ‘and heavy crops for the last four or five years, withott any other care than thinning out superfluous wood. Zhe Cherry is as ’ easily managed in the pyramidal form as the pear, not only the free-growing sorts, Hearts and Bigurreaus, but — the Dukes and Morellos; the latter, however, are less vigorous, and more easily managed. _ All should be ‘worked on the mahaleb stock; this has the same effect on “» nr -radise stock, at. 192 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. the cherry, to a certain extent, as the quince has on the pear. After the second or third year’s growth, ial their vigor, and induces fruitfulness. We have a collec- tion of upwards of thirty varieties, of four to five years old, that are now fine pyramids, from five to eight 4eet high, and they have all borne since the third year, and we find them quite as easily managed as the pear. The Dukes and Morellos should be chosen, where very small] ‘trees are desir- And able, astheycan . be grown in bushes like the apple on the pa- five feet apart. Fig. 102 is G4 the portrait ofa GV dwarf Florence “ / i cherry . treé, | ‘ given by. Mr. Rivers, in his Miniature Fruit Ga den, only o. years old, bearing fruit. Our rae fre- : PRO vie. Toa, % quent A bear the Dwarf cherry, two years from bud, bearing. third year. 7 Rs. The Plum as a Pyramid.—The plum has: rarely beén cultivated as a pyramid, but recent experiments prove that it is quite susceptible of that form under proper ‘management. It should be worked on a stock calculated: to subdue its natural vigor. The native or Canada plum answers a good purpose, the mirobalalan or cherry plum, r “THE FRUIT GARDEN. 193 p ' and the sloe (prunus spinosa) dwarf it, to a still greater extent. Summer pruning and pinching, as well as occa- sional root pruning, are all necessary to check the vigor of most kinds, and keep them in suitable dimensions for small gardens where it is necessary to plant. them close. The Plum as a Dwarf Standard.—Besides the pyra- mid, this is the only form in which the plum should be admitted in the garden. The dwarf standard, with a trunk two or three feet in height, and a ene round head, is a yery pretty and appropriate form, and requires ie skill and care in the management thar the pyramid, and by pr oper management the trees require but little if any more space. The Peach.—The best garden form for the peach is that of the dwarf standard, with a trunk eighteen inches to two feet. With proper management, which will: here- _after be described, this form*is easily conducted, even when the trees are on peach stocks. The plum stock qundla especially the sorts recommended for dwarf plums, gives trees that are less vigorous and more easily kept in a small space. In nearly all. parts of our country the fruit ripens perfectly in the open ground, so that espalier training, as has been remarked, is seldom practised, unless to save ground; or in northern localities, where protection of the buds during winter, or of the blossoms in the spring, is necessary. In such cases alone are espaliers to be recommended, as they require much greater care In pruning and training than in any other form. Espalier trees are of various go ee but the fan, as it is termed, is the best adapted to the ome. It consists of two main branches or divisions of the stem, spread out in the form of a V; each of these bears a certain number, as many as may re necessary to fill the trellis, of second- ary branches, and these furnish the bearing wood. The s* a ad 194 “PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. production and management of this and other espalier forms, will be treated fully under the head of pruning and training. The Apricot and Nectarine—The remarks applied to the peach apply with equal force to both these trees ; they succeed equally well as low standards, or as Scalia. The apricot is more generally grown in this form than - any other tree, because its early blossoms are so easily ‘ protected, and the cureulio does not appear to be so troublesome to ips in the standard form. . 4" The Quince, in the garden, should either be a diart bush, with a stem twelve to eighteen inches high, and a compact, symmetrical head, or a pyramid. In the latter form it is quite. easily conducted, ‘but requires more care, of course, than as a bush, as the upper part of the tree ne be always kept. subordinate to the lower, and this requires a regular and constant attention. - oS The Lilbert.—The remarks on the. ince may me _applied. with equal propriety to the filbert, as regards ‘form. oe. bush branched. from the ground, and’ the low. standar with two feet stems, are the ordinary forms 5. ‘ but in some ‘of the French gardens it is conchae with great success as a pyramid. = These ¢ are. the principal trees of which it is adledary to speak i in regard to form. Other species will be referred to under the head of pruning. Having now pointed out the most eligible forms for earden trees, and their r spec- ‘tive advantages, planters will be able to make a ice adapted to their tastes and circumstances. Those who'¢ do. * not employ a ate sional gardener, and who have but a small portion of sparé time to devote to their garden, should by all means adopt such forms for their trees as require the least skill and labor, provided ‘always that it be. appropriate to the size of the garden, and consistent . : oe good management. | oe ” Ps e Be ~* THE FRUIT GARDEN. 195 The next point to be considered is, The Age of the Trees —This will depend very much on cir- cumstances. For r pyramidal trees it is yet difficult, almost impossible, to obtain i in the nurseries specimens of more than one year’s growth that are suitable. The yearlings are never sufficiently eut back, nor the br anches of the second and third year so managed as to have the requisite proportion of length and yigor to fit them for being mould- ed, with any ordinary treatment, into a perfectly pyramidal form, If suitable trees cannot be found of two or three years from the bud or eraft, vigorous” yearlings, worked at the ground, should be chosen, as they are in a condition ‘to take easily any required form; and though fruit may not be so soon obtained from them, yet. they will in the end be much more satisfactory ; for, unless a right begin- ning be made in the training of a tree in any form more or less artificial, no art can afterwards completely correct the errors. Ifwe take a two or three year old tr ree; man- aged in the nursery, as usual, with a naked trunk two to. two and a half feet from the round, and a branching head, or what is nearly as bady a few Nene side br anches below, overrun with strong ones above, the most severe process. will be necessary, inorder to produce lateral branches in the proper place; and thus, as much time will be lost as would bring forward a yearling, and the tree will not be so perfectly. formed, so healthy, norin any respect so satisfactory. The 2 ee impatience that exists. in regard to the growth and bearing of trees is the great _ cause of this defective char acten,when taken from the nur- sery. The nurseryman is averse to cutting back his trees, as they lose.a year in height, and Pianta or punelaeae are not generally Mecratinating enough to be willing to pay him a proportionate price. He finds tall trees more. attractive. When planters do get these trees, they cannot be persuaded to cut them sown; they tet to obtain ¥ ~~ ~~ —_ 7" L J x > % *, vi e _ 196 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. fruit as soon as possible, and therefore the tree is allowed to proceed in the defective form it assumed at the nur- -sery. | For Dwarfs and Dwairf Standards, it is less difficult to obtain the right sort of trees, for this is the form that nur- sery trees that have not been cut back, ordinarily .assume. Those, therefore, who prefer such trees can always be sup- plied with them well advanced, even ina bearing state if so desired.. As in the pyramid, however, persons who intend to make models of their trees, will do well to pro cure yearlings worked at the surface ef the ground, for on them heads or lateral branches can be formed without any difficulty at, any-desired point between the collar_and ter- minal bud. . Another consideration is worthy of note on this point. There is a much greater risk in removing three or four year old trees than yearlings, and they are more difficult and expensive to pack and transport. The yearling is easily removed and easily transported, and its ‘growth is comparatively unaffected by the change. The gardeners most famous for their handsome, well managed rut trees, Invariably select yearling trees, that is, teees. that have Mad one year’s growth from the bud or eal Selection of Varieties—The selection of varieties of fruits for a fruit garden should be made in view of all the circumstances that ean affect their usefulness. They should be adapted to the soil, and more particularly to the .climate. It is well known that in every section of the country, certain varieties seem to succeed remarkably well, whilst others, of the greatest excellence elsewhere, entirely fail. Our country is so extensive and embraces such a variety of climate that it is impossible that the same varieties should succeed equally well in all parts; and planters should consider this well. Those who have had no experience in cultivation, nor a proper opportunity for acquiring knowledge on this point, should consult oth- «a > * . ~ -” & * ~ & 7 THE FRUIT GARDEN. 197 ers. Any intelligent nurseryman who has a correspond- ence with all parts of the country, and is thoroughly alive to all the branches of his profession, and the results of experience, can aid planters greatly in making appropriate selections. It is true that the amount of knowledge col- lected on this head is yet comparatively small, and quite insufficient for a general guide, but it is every day accu- mulating, and what there may be, is well worthy of atten- tion. The experience of fruit growers, as elicited at recent pomological conventions, has brought to light a multitude of highly important facts, bearing on this very point. These will be more foesiti ila? noted when Wwe come to the description of fruits. Varieties should be adapted in their growth to the form they are to be grown in, and to the extent of the Garden— For pyramidal trees, varieties should be chosen whose habits of growth are regular or slightly spreading, the branches assuming more of the horizontal than the upright, and those disposed to branch low down should be’ preferred to those of an opposite habit. Where the gar- den is small, moderate or slow growers should be pre ferred to rapid and vigorous growers. They should also be well adapted to the stock on which they areworked. This is a very important point, but one on which only a few persons in this country have yet acquired any considera- ble amount of actual experience. Still, many important facts have been gathered, and it becomes every planter to avail himself of them. If he plants pears on quince stocks, _ for instance, it is important to’ know that certain varieties are much better on that stock than they are on the pear; and that others fail, and are worthless on it. The varieties should be adapted to the wants and wishes of the planter.—Those who plant fruit gardens have not all the same objects in view. One man plants his a. for profit, to supply his family with good fruits. This 198 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. his main purpose. He should, therefore, select the very best varieties, considering not the gualzty alone, but their productiveness and other useful properties. Such a per- son has no desire for a large collection, but looks merely for an assortment that will yield a succession of ripe fruits during the season. Another who regards the mere value of the fruit dess than amusement, recreation, and experi- ment, will make his collection as varied as possible. Where any particular class of fruits can be had very cheap in market, it should be planted sparingly in the garden, so that such as may be scarce or dear can be grown in larger quantities. It is only by taking all these into account, that planters can hope to make their fruit garden answer their particular views and purposes. The planting of a fruit garden should be considered as of equal importance, as far as the doing of it well is con- cerned, with the building of a dwelling. This is constructed with a view to the convenience of the family, and is, therefore, in all its parts, supposed to be adapted to their wants and mode of living. The fruit garden is intended, also, to promote the peat and convenience of the family, and should, like the dwelling, in all respects be as nearly as aici adapted to their wants and circum- stances. Having now treated of the soil, enclosures, trellises, walks, arrangement, selection of trees and varie- ties, we proceed to the taking up of the trees and plant- ing. Ti aking up the Trees—This has already been de- scribed under the head of nursery operations, to which the reader is referred. Planting has been described under: the head of plant- ing the orchard ; and the operation being the same in bot? cases, it need not be repeated. The arrangement of the trees, however, is different, and this point requires a special notice. THE FRUIT GARDEN. 199 Ast. Ln regard to position.—Each class of trees, such as pears, apples, cherries, etc., should be planted together in the same rows or division, and if any difference exist on the soil, each should be planed in that best adapted to it. Thus, se should have that most inclined to clay ; pears and apples, the deepest and richest; cherries, peaches, apricots, etc., the dryest and lightest. Where the garden is large, the pyramids should be in one compartment, the dwarf standards in another, and the dwarf bushes in another; but where it is necessary to economize and fill the ground to the best advantage, the dwarf bushes may alternate advantageously with the pyramids or dwarf standards, and this especially along the walk borders. Varieties, too, of the same, or similar habits of growth, should, if possible, be together. The espalier trees should be placed so that the earliest blos- soming kinds, such as the apricots, will be most secure from the influence of spring frosts where these prevail. The trellis facing the north will be the best for this pur- pose; but where it is intended to protect them, the aspect is of little account. In the north aspect, fruits are very much retarded in their ripening; and this circumstance may be turned to a good account to prolong the season of some late cherries, currants, etc. We have seen fine Morellos in perfection on a north wall here, in the month of September. The distance at which trees should be casted m the garden.—This will not be the same in all cases; for in a large garden it is not necessary to plant so lose as in @ very small one, and in a very rich and deep soil, a greater distance will be required than in a dry and light soil. There is also a great difference in the growth of _ varieties. Some might be planted at six feet apart, and have as much space in proportion as others would at eight. This shows that no rule, as regards distance, can ~ 500 © PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. be observed in all cases, and this particularly in small gar- dens, where advantage should be taken of every circum- stance. In large gardens an uniform distance may be adopted, even if some space be sacrificed. The following distances may serve as a general guide, and may be in- creased or diminished according to circumstances ; DISTANCES IN THE OPEN GROUND. Apples.—Pyramids on free stock, ten feet apart; do., on Doucain, eight feet apart; do., dwarf standards on Doucain, eight feet apart; do., dwarf bushes on paradise, five to six feet apart. Pears.—Pyramids on free stocks, ten to twelve feet apart; do., on quince, six feet apart; do., dwarf standards on quince, six to eight feet apart. Pilums.—Dwarf dienaibendt eight to ten feet apart; do., pyramids, eight to ten feet apart. Cherries—Pyramids, hearts, and bigarreaus, eight to ten feet apart; do., dukes and morellos, six to eight feet apart; do., dwarf bushes of morellos, five to six feet apart. Apricots —Dwarf standard on plum, eight to ten feet apart; do., pyramids, six to eight feet apart. Peaches.—Low standards on peach, ten to twelve feet apart; do., on plum, eight to ten feet. Nectarines—Same as peaches. Quinces——Pyramids or bushes, six to eight feet apart. — Fiiberts, do., six to eight feet apart. Gooseberries and Currants, four to five feet apart. Raspberries, two to three feet apart. Mr. Rivers gives the following distances in his “ Minia ture Fruit Garden.” THE FRUIT GARDEN. 201 Pyramidd Pear Trees, on quince stocks, root pruned for small gardens, four feet apart. The same, in larger gardens, not root pruned, six feet apart. Pyramidal Pear Trees, on the pear stock, root pruned, six feet apart. The same roots, not {stein 6a eight to ten feet—the latter if the soil be very rich. Horizontal Espalier Pear Trees, on the quince stock for rails or walls, fifteen feet apart. Upright Espaliers, on the quince stock for rails or walls, four to six feet apart. Horizontal Espatliers, on the pear stock for rails or walls, twenty to twenty-four feet apart. Pyramidal Plum Trees, six feet apart. Espalier Plum Trees, twenty feet apart. a Pyramidal Apple Trees, on the paradise stock, root- - pruned for small gardens, four feet apart. The same roots not pruned, six feet apart. Espalier Apple Trees, on the paradise stock, fifteen feet apart. The same, on the crab stock, twenty to twenty-four feet apart. Peaches and Nectarines for walls, twenty feet apart. Apricots for walls, twenty-four feet apart. Cherries, as bushes on the mahaleb stock, roots pruned for small gardens, four feet apart. The same, roots not. pruned, six feet apart. i Espalier Cherry Trees, on the mahaleb, for rails or walls, twelve to fifteen feet apart. DISTANCE FOR ESPALIER TREES ON WALLS OR TRELLISES. The distances between espalier trees must be regulated not only by the growth of the species and variety, but by, the height of the wall or trellis. If these'be low, a greater length, of course, will be necessary than if high; for every tree must have a certain extent of surface to be spread upon. Hence, if a trellis be only eight feet high, 9* > 202 PERMANENT PLANTATIONS. nearly double the length, and, consequently, double the distance between the trees will be required that would be on a trellis fifteen or sixteen feet high. As a general thing, peaches, apricots, or nectarines, on walls or trellises eight or ten feet high, should be fifteen to twenty feet apart, if on free stocks, and twelve to fifteen if dwarfed on the plum. Cherries, ten to twelve feet. Our native grapes, Isabella, Catawba, etc., at least thirty feet apart, on an eight feet high trellis, as their rapid growth covers a great space in a short time. Foreign varieties will not require half this; indeed, the’ better way is, to keep these trained to simple stakes, and planted in the border, where their out-door culture is attempted. In this way they are easily laid down and protected. Cu AY TE in It. PRUNING APPLIED TO THE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF FRUIT TREES UNDER DIFFERENT FORMS. Section 1.—Prouning tHe APPLE AND THE PRAR. TuxsE two trees belong to the same natural order, po- macew, and to the same genus pyrus; their habits of growth and bearing are similar, and they may therefore be treated as regards their pruning, under the same head. : If we take for example a shoot of last season (fig. 6), we find it in the spring, before vegetation commences, fur- nished on all its length with wood buds; when growth commences, the terminal bud, and probably two or three of the others nearest to it, produce shoots, the others to- wards the middle produce small shoots that are in subse- quent years transformed into fruit branches (like fig. 10). Some do not push at all, but are converted into fruit buds (as in figs. 7 and 8), whilst those at the base gene- rally remain dormant, until excited into growth by close pruning. All the buds on these trees have small incon- spicuous buds at their base, which are capable of produe- ing shoots when the principal bud is destroyed or injured, and these buds render the fruit spurs so enduring. In - young trees the fruit buds are many years in process of formation, and in bearing trees three to four years, accord- ? 204 PRUNING. ing to circumstances. When the trees are not subjected to pruning, the result of the mode of growth described is, that the terminal buds grow and form one section upon another, leaving the lower parts mainly destitute of bear- ing wood, unless it be an occasional spur, the sap always tending to the points. 1st. Standards——The management of this form of trees has been fully treated of in all our works on fruit culture, and in all the agricultural and horticultural journals, so that now it is pretty well understood, and especially by those who give considerable attention to the subject of fruit trees; it will not be necessary therefore to enter upon much details in regard to it. A standard apple or pear tree for the orchard, when taken from the nursery to be finally planted out, we will suppose to have a straight, stout trunk, four to six feet in height, as the case may be, and a head composed of a certain number of shoots or branches, but generally shoots of one year’s growth. At the time ae planting, three or ° four of these shoots should be selected to form the main branches, or frame-work, on which to build the whole head, and the eats cut clean out; those reserved aetitd be cut back full one-half, and fet the shoots pro- duced on these at and below the cut, two of the strongest are selected each on opposite sides, and the others. are rubbed off while they are soft. In selecting these shoots, care must be taken to have them equally distant from one another, and pointing in such directions as not to cross or interfere. . During the first season these cotins shoots must be watched and kept in a regular state of vigor. If any threaten to become too iso teule they must be pinched and checked at once, so that perfect uniformity be pre served. This is the time to secure a well formed and nicely balanced head. A very slight cireumstance some- THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. 905 times throws the growth into one side or one branch of a young tree, and produces a deformity from which it never recovers. The trunk must be kept clear of all shoots, by rubbing off such as appear at the earliest possible moment, when it ean be done without the use of a knife. Suppos- ing we commenced the head with three branches at time of planting, there will be at the end of the first season, six. The attention required after this will be to maintain an uniform growth among these six branches, and their mem- bers and divisions, and to prevent the growth of shoots in the centre. The leading defect in all our orchard trees is ioo much wood, the heads are kept so dense with small shoots that the sun and air are in a great measure ex- cluded, and the fruit on the outside of the tree only is marketable or fit for use. The head should be,kept open, rather in the form of a vase, so that the wood, leaves, blossoms and fruit may all, on every, part, enjoy the full benefit of the sun and air, without which they cannot per- form their functions, or maintain maturity and perfection. Too many people imagine that trees can take care of themselves, as trees in the forest, on the ground that nature preserves a balance inall her works; but | it should be borne in mind that a fruit? tree is not exactly a natural prodiction. It is far removed from the natural state by culture, and the farther it is removed, that is, the more its nature is refined and improved, the more care it requires. Fig. 103 represents a young standard pear tree, stem four feet high, and the head twice cut back, as at the letters a d } A young standard pear an ° tree, trunk 4 feet . high, Pinching.—If this be properly at- head formed on three main branches, twice pruned ag tended to, very little knife pruning will ataanas >. 206 |” PRUNING. be necessary, except to shorten the — shoots, because as soon as a superfluous or misplaced shoot appears, it is - rubbed off, and when one becomes too vigorous, it is pinched and checked; the great advantage of pinching i is, _ gv -thatiilety Tt econornizes the sap of the tree. That which would od expended on superfluous shoots is turned to the benefit of the parts reserved, and thus the growth is greatly promoted. _ 2d. All wounds necessarily inflicted, where knife prun- ing is depended on, are completely avoided. These facts should be EOE ed. Standard apples and pears are not generally pruned with a view to hastening their bear- ing, but are allowed to arrive at that state in their natu- ral way. In the case of tardy bearing sorts, however, it may be desirable to apply artificial means, and these wil: be pointed out in treating of dwarfs. and pyramids hereafter. ei" Dwarf Sandais: —These are similar to standards, except that the trunks are low, not over two or three feet in height, and the head is retained in a smaller space. Their management is always much easier when the stocks are such as to, dwarf or restrain the growth. Thus, apples on the paradise or Doucain, and pears on the quince. The main branches or frame-work of the head, are produced by cutting back the three or four branches that form the head oP the tree as it comes from the nursery, in the same manner as recommended for stand- ards. ia The jirst season, all superfluous productions are rubbed off, and a balance a among the shoots by pinch- inn The second year, in the winter or spring, the shoots of last eeason are shortened, say one half, as a general thing. This induces the devalbgsent of the buds on their whole parts. The cut is made at a good, plump bud, capable é- -. cS - THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. 207 of producing a vigorous shoot; and this is selected to prolong the branch. If one or “two. secondary branches are needed to fill up a space, those next the leader, if properly situated to fill the space, are chosen, and all be- - low them are pinched eri allows Giro on), teaca-auidn’ : ' long, 1 in order to,check the production of wood where it is not wanted, and to convert them into fruit branches or spurs. The growth of all the main and secondary branches is regulated and balanced by pinching; and if the pinched shoots intended for fruit spurs start again into growth, they must »be again pinched. The third Season the shoots of the pr evious year are cut back as before, say to’four, five, or six eyes, according to their strength. One shoot is Steen to continue the pro- longment of the branch, and the others are pinched in season to convert them into fruit spurs. Thus the tree is ‘conducted from year to year, until it has attained the full ze required. In this way the trees commence bearing quite young, and every branch is furnished in all its’ length with fruit spurs. Pyramids.— Under the, head of “the selection of trees,” it has been recommended to obtain thrifty year- ling trees in preference to older ones not properly man- aod We will, therefore, begin with the yearling tree, arid although the management of this the first year after eutting back has been given in the nursery, it may be well to repeat it here, to save the reader the trouble of referring back. Objects of cutting back.—The object in doing this is to produce branches near the stock that will Sate the base of the future pyramid. If left entire, the tendency of the sap to the extremities would produce shoots there only, leaving a naked space entirely inconsistent with the form in view. .We, therefore, reduce the stem to such an extent, that but a small nunttibe of buds is left on it, s 4 208 PRUNING. and the sap acting on. these with great force causes their dovalepmeni, . ' How far to eut back. ve is obvious that this must de- pend on the char acter of the subject. In yearling -plants, both of the pear and apple, there is presented a great difference in different varieties. ‘Some invariably pro- duce lateral branches the first, season. "The buds are so perfectly developed, that when the second erowth takes place in_midsummer, they break and form branches, in some cases as much as a foot long, and in others only a few inches. Then among the varieties which do not thus produce side branches in the second growth, there is a great difference in the plumpness and prominence of the buds. In some they are larger, and stand out boldly from the wood on the whole length of the stem, appa- ently ready to push under the ie excitement. In others they are small, lie flat to the wood, and have every appearance of being difficult to excite into growth, and especially those towar rds the base. It should always be borne in mind that it is better to cut too low than not low enough. The difficulty of cutting too low is, that the shoots produced are nearly all of ae foneten and a eertain number of them require to be pheckod to give each one its proper dimensions. The difficulty of not cutting low enough is, that where we should have s amelae at the base we have none, or, if any, they are . smaller, instead “of larger, than those ne. them. The remedy | in this case is more difficult than the other. The vigorous shoots at the summit must be checked, and - éven the leading shoot, in» order to throw back ine sap into the lower parts to act upon the buds" there. The error which produces such a difficulty, i is very common, as we know by experience, amongst persons not familiar with the growth of young trees or the development of the buds on their stems. It must be laid down as 3 4 THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. - 209 general rule, that the more feeble the plant, and the smaller and the more empenfectly developed the buds, the lower wt is necessary to cut. The condition of the roots, too, must be taken into account ; for where the roots are Weale broken, o: injured, and ioveth edly unfit to yield to the stem any considera- ble amount of nutriment, the buds will break with less force, and a, more severe retrenchment will be necessary. All these circumstances must-be considered. For ere we will take a young pear tree of one year’s growth from the bud, without branches (fig. 104), which we will suppose to be four feet, which is the ordinary average ~ height of yearlings. If the buds are full and prominent on it, we cut to a good bud at twenty inches from the stock ; but if the buds are less prominent, cut to fifteen or eighteen inches, and if very feeble, with small buds, : cut to within twelve inches, or five or sk ——— buds of the stock. If the roots have been Fig. 104. injured much, and the stem somewhat dried “yearling peer tree without bran-. or shrivelled, it should be cut to within three ches. The cross or four nde of the base. These different !° indicates first pruning oF -@ases are mentioned because it frequently cutting back. happens that persons who live at a great distance from nurseries, find their trees frequently, eir arrival, in the condition described, and it is necessary that a course of treatinent for them should be indicated. The bud cut to, should, if possible, be one of the best on the stem, and be on the side of the tree opposite that'in which the bud was inserted, so as to continue the stem in a straight line. It is a great advantage to have a tree well established in the ground, before cutting it back to produce the first branches to form the pyramid ; because, in that condition, it is capable of producing vigorous shoots the first season. 210 PRUNING. It is on this account that a young tree, cut back in the nur- sery, presents a much more perfect form at the end of the second year, than those that have been transplanted. Some of the French cultivators advise to defer the cutting back for the formation of the permanent branches, till the - plant has stood one year after transplanting; but the course is attended with many difficulties, and on the whole it is better to cut back when the tree is planted, even if we obtain but a moderate growth, for the older the buds are ~ on the lower parts of the tree, the more obstinate and unmanageable they are. Pruning the Branched Yearling—Among trees of this kind, some have branches a foot or more in length, while » in otha they resemble short, stiff spurs, two to four inches long. These two et ewer require different modes of treatment. Where there are branches of sufficient force ‘and properly situated to form the first series of main branches, they must be treated in the same manner as though the tree were two years old. The strongest and best situated are selected and pruned to within four to six inches of their base, according to their vigor and position ; the lowest should be not more than sixinches, + from the stock. The small, feeble, superfluous: ¥e ones are entirely removed ; the leading shoot, p which, in such cases, is tases and. provided’ \ with arin buds, does not require-a heavy shortening ; in most cases one half will be == quite sufiicient. Fig. 105 represents a tree ~ __.. Of this kind; the arogadines indicate the cuts. Fig. 105. _ Yearling peartree Where the Piers branches are short and Wie sonich tea SPur-like, they will require very careful treat- bythespaces. - ment; the strongest and best placed are reserved. If the lower ones have good terminal buds, they are left entire; those above ‘bie! are shortened, the “a” a _— and therefore it is essential that the « aA ~ tion to make of such a tree would be to con- _ the cOmmencement of the second year’s THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. vil lower to three, the next above to two, and the uppermost, next the leading shoot, to one bud. This will give their productions a proper relative degree of vigor. The leader is cut back further than in the well branched subject, because it is presumed the buds are less excitable. Asa general thing, within four to six buds of the highest lateral, or one half of its length. | There is another class of trees necessary to be noticed here, because they are very common—two year old nur- sery trees that have not been properly treated. ~ : Fig. 106 represents a tree of this kind. A few inches only of the top were taken off at growth, and after that it was left to itself. Branches, therefore, were produced only at. \ the top, leaving a vacant space of two feet, * the very part that should have produced the first set of main branches. The best disposi- duct it in the form of a dwarfstandard, which . it really is at present ; but it happens that in some cases it is desir ea to convert them into proper means be pointed out. Two yearold Fig. 106. trees, like aie differ materially in the BaF on character of the buds on the lower part of the back far enough stem. Ons some, these are quite prominent, so a pve pie much so as to appear to have made some ad- i ce ecg : - nches below, is vance towards development, while in others indicted by the they are quite flat and dormant. It is obvious ‘ss le. that trees in the first condition will not require that severe retrenchment on the head to produce branches below, as the last. In this case it will generally be sufficient, and especially if the space between the stock and first branches does not exceed two feet, to cut back the leader to three a 912 5 PRUNING. buds, and the lateral branches below it to one bud; but when the buds are small and backward, or when the brauchless space is over two feet in length, the two year old wood must be cut back to within eighteen inches to two feet of the base. We find that in the case of imported trees, or those carried a great distance, and more or less injured, nothing short of this severe cutting can ensure branches low enough to form a pyramidal tree. It seems a great pity to cut back a tree in this manner, and lose a year or two of its growth and bearing, but it is absolutely necessary when the pyramidal form is wanted. There is still another class of trees that we sometimes see sent out, from the nurseries. These are two or three years old; have been cut back, and are pretty well furnished, in all their length, with lateral branches; but from the want of proper care, those on the upper wie have acquired greater vigor than these below, presenting the tree in a situation just the reverse, in this respect, = what it ought to be. In pruning this eee at the time of planting, the lower branches must either be shortened very slightly in order to get a strong bud for a leader, or they must be left entire, while those above will be cut close; where we want. the ae and strongest branches, —_ we leave the most wood. The most important pruning ‘performed upon a tree is the jirst one, for it is this which makes all future manage- ment easy and successful, or difficult, and unsatisfactory. This is the reason why it has appeared necessary to treat of it so minutely. Having encountered all the difficulties that cthers are likely to encounter, and having described them and pointed out the means by which they are to be overcome, it is believed that the matter has been made so plain, that any man of ordinary intelligence, and possess- ing the slightest knowledge of tree culture, can take his knife and prepare his trees in such a manner as to give e - * THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. 218 him a most reasonable hope of attaining his ends. We now proceed to the Summer management of trees thus cut back—We will first consider the case of the yearling without branches. If it has been cut low enoygh, as directed, all the buds below the cut will push. As a space of six inches should be kept clear between the ground and the first or lowest - tier of branches, such shoots as may appear on that part will be rubbed off at once. Of the remaining ones, a certain number, three to six, according to the length of the stem, will be reserved. These must be the strongest, and properly situated on the stem, within eight to ten inches of space between each branch, and that immedi- ately above it, and regularly placed on all sides of the stem. Some recommend leaving on all the shoots that are produced the first season; but in certain cases this would be bad practice, for if me buds be very close, the shoots would be so numerous that: the strength of her all would be impaired, and much pruning would be required the next season. The better way ‘is to select such as are wanted, and rub off the others; the sap which they would have appropriated will be turned to the account. of the permanent branches, and increase their vigor. The leading shoot must be directed in a straight fia in some cases a support may be necessary. If the br anche immediately below it are so vigorous as to inter- fere with its growth, they must be checked by pinching. In some cases it may be necessary to do this when they are an inch or-two in length. It sometimes occurs that the bud cut to is injured by the weather, close cutting, or some other cause, and pushes so feebly that the laterals below it having more vigor take the lead. This must be prevented in time. earing state. and second, already described, until the tree has attained 929 PRUNING. its full size. Fig. 109 represents a dwarf apple tree, four years old, three times pruned—the two last prunings are indicated by the letters a and 0. Management of the Bearing Tree—In most cases the apple on the paradise is disposed to excessive fruitfulness, and unless the fruit branches be occasionally thinned and shortened, in order to reduce the number of bearing buds, and to produce new wood, the trees become enfee- bled. Bad management of this kind has promulgated the belief that the apple on the paradise is exceed- ingiy short-lived ; but the fact that plantations exists in the most perfect vigor at the end of twelve to fifteen years after planting, shows that by proper treatment their exist- ence is not so fleeting. The spurs must be managed in a manner similar to that described in treating of pyramids, to renew them, and the slender fruit branches must be short- ered. This, in addition to the manuring to be hereafter described, constitutes the substance of their management. The Pruning and Management of the Apple and Pear as espaliers.—In the cool, moist climate of England, this is a popular and ndMntatadtle method of training apples and pears. The specimens of this. kind in public and private gardens there, are admirable in their way, and illustrate the skill and handiwork of the English gardener very favorably. But our climate is not suitable as a gen- eral thing for espaliers; the branches are so exposed to the rays of our powerful ‘sun, that the sap is impeded in its circulation, and the fruits fall. It is, therefore, un- necessary to enter into any detail respecting this mode of training ;/but there may be situations where such a sys- tem may succeed, and especially in the north. The best espalier form for the apple and pear, is that of the hord- zontal, that is, an upright central stem, with horizontal arms or branches at equal distances on both sides (fig. 110). The production of this tree depends in the main * ~ THE APPLE AND THE PEAR. 221 4 on the same principles as the pyramid, and does not re- ‘quire illustration. The young tree is cut back to within six inches of the ground. From the shoots produced be- Fie. 110. Pear tree trained horizontally. low that point, three are selected, the upper one to form the upright leader or stem, and two lateral or side ones to form the two first arms. The first season these shoots are allowed to grow upright and are kept in equal vigor. At the commencement of the second season, they are all cut back far enough, say one third to one half their length, or even more in some cases, to ensure the growth of all the buds. The upper shoot on each is selected for a leader, and the others are pinched at two inches or less. After the pruning, the arms are brought down half way to a hori- zontal position, and towards the latter end of the seasog, wholly. An uniformity of growth among all the parts is maintained according to the means and principles already laid down, and year after year the tree is thus treated until the requisite height and number of horizontal arms or branches be obtained. In the case of very vigorous growing sorts the leader may be stopped in June, and thus a second pair of arms be produced in one year, The upright leader and the branches are treated in a similar manner—a difference in vigor always requiring a corres- ponding difference in treatment. For espaliers, the apple should be on the paradise or Doucain, and the pear on 922, PRUNING. the guince, because these stocks all diminish the vigor of wood growth, which is often the chief difficulty in man aging trained trees. The aspect for these-trees should never be due south. A railing to train such trees on, is made of upright posts sunk in the ground, and connected with cress bars, at . eight to twelve inches apart, upon which the arms of the espalier are fastened with willow or bass matting. Mr. Rivers, in his ‘ Miniature Fruit Garden,” exhibits a sys- tem of growing pears in espalier, in the form of pyramids, as adopted by himself. I saw these trees when in Eng- land, in 1849, and although it appeared a very ingenious and economical arrangement, admitting a great number of varieties in a small space, and besides very well adapted to an English climate, yet it did not appear to offer any advantages that would warrant its recommendation in this country, unless under rare circumstances in the most northern sections. Whoever will study attentively the means described for conducting a pyramid, can suc- ceed fully in training the espaliers or wall pyramid. Srection 2.—Prounine AND TRAINING THE QUINCE. «As ordinarily grown, the quince is the most neglected, and consequently, the most unsightly, deformed tree to be found in the orchard or garden, and yet, when well treated, it is really, both when in blossom and in fruit, one of the most beautiful of all our fruit trees. Its fruit is more esteemed, and more generally used in this than in any other country. It is naturally a crooked or spreading bush, and without some attention to pruning and training when young, it assumes an irregular form, branching near the ground, and quite destitute of bearing wood on all its lower and interior parts. It is in this neglected form we most generally find it. To make a regular and handsome Re THE QUINCE. 9935 little tree, we have only, in the first place, to rear a at least two years old. fore they should be straight and stout trunk about two or three feet high. If the plants be weak or crooked when planted, they should be eut low down to obtain a stout and straight stem. The young shoot should be kept tied up to a stake to prevent it from straggling. | The second year, if the growth has been vigorous, and low trees are desired, the head may be commenced. But if a stem three or four feet high be desired, it should be at least one inch in diameter, and another year’s growth may be necessary. | | The head is formed in the same manner as described for standard and dwarf apples and pears. It should be round, symmetrical, and open, and well furnished on all parts with bearing wood. The bearing branches or spurs of the quince are small twigey shoots (B, fig. 111), produced on wood These bear two, three, or more fruit buds. These produce shoots two or three inches long (C, fig. 111), on the point of which the fruit is borne singly. These spurs have al- ways wood buds as well as fruit buds, and there- shortened back as to A, fig. 111, the spring Fig. 111. 4 i f th ince. C, the shoot pro- after they have borne B, fruit branch of the quince f P ? duced from the fruit bud. .4, point at which it in order to produce new should be'cut back after bearing. spurs at the same point. eo Z 7 f 224 : PRUNING. The French conduct it in beautiful pyramids, on pre- cisely the same principle as the pear and apple; but the leading shoot must be kept fastened to an upright sup- port—a small rod attached to the base—on account of its reclining habit. The medlar is but little cultivated. Its x treatment may be exactly similar to that described for the quince, its habits of growth and bearing béing cima , Section 3.—Prouninc THE CHERRY. The cherry is conducted in any desirable form witk as much facility as any of all our hardy fruit trees. The heart and bigarreau classes are very rapid growers, often attaining the height of six feet the first season from the bud or graft, and in two years forming fine standard trees six to seven feet high, with a few top shoots. They have also large, drooping leaves,and, with few exceptions, stiff, erect, or slightly curved branches. The duke class does not grow so rapidly. The branches are stiff and erect, the leaves smaller as a general thing than the preceding classes, more erect, thicker, and of a deeper, darker green color. The moredlos are of a bushy habit, with smaller leaves than any of the preceding classes, and the branches are more slender and closer together. ‘The bark of all is very - tough, being composed of several layers of powerful fibres and tissue. It does not yield readily, like that of most other fruit trees, to the expansion or growth of the wood, and this occasions the bursting and exuding of gum in certain localities, especially in the more rapid growing | ‘classes. The mode of bearing has already been described under the head of fruit branches, in the beginning of the work. The fruit is produced on wood three years old — _ thus: The shoot of last year’s growth, which is furnished now with leaf buds in all its length, will produce at the 7 -@ 4 i » THE CHERRY. ? ~ 925 s point, if not shortened, one or more shoots, and all the ~ buds remaining are, during the season, transformed into clusters of fruit buds, and produce fruit the year follow- ing. In the centre of these clusters of fruit buds there is 3 -always a wood bud, and this grows a little and produces * “new clusters of fart buds, to replace those that have ‘borne., Some of the morellos produce fruit on two-year- old wood, like the peach, the leaf buds being transformed into fruit buds. During the second growth of the first . Season of their cee) the fruit bud is very easily distinguished from the leaf bud by its roundness and plumpness. Pruning the Cherry as a Standard—In Western New York the cherry succeeds so well, and is so totally exempt from the bursting of the bark, that trees can be grown safely with trunks five or six feet high; but in the West, when this malady prevails, the less there be of a naked trunk the better; for itis the trnnk and large branches that are generally so affected. Asa standard, the cherry requires very little pruning. To form around open head—We will take for exam- ple a young tree two years old, having three or four top branches. These at the time of planting should be cut back to within four or five buds of their base, and when growth has commenced, the requisite ee of shoots, say four or five, to form the framework of the head are selected, a distributed on all sides, and all the others hed or rubbed off. i The following season these seat a may again be short- ened to produce secondary branches to fill up spaces, and those arising in the centre should be pinched out, for the head must be kept open and accessible to the sun and . ‘light. In about three years of such treatment, the head of the tree assumes.a permanent form, and iccugces may be left to itself, except to 1 remove occasionally branches 10* | a #. ~~ e 996 wis PRUNING. that may cross or interfere with one another. Our stand- ard trees here are in the best possible condition, and have not hada knife on them, except to cut scions for budding or grafting, inseven years. = & Pyramidal Headed Standards.—Certain varieties, for instance, Sparhawk’s Honey, Downer’s, China Bigarreau, Black Tartarian, Black Heart, and some others, make fine pyramidal shaped heads without pruning, more than to give the leader its due superiority at the beginning, and to remove afterwards crossing and superfluous branches. Such varieties as the Yellow Spanish, Black Eagle, Knight’s Ey. Black, Elton, and all the spreading sorts, should have round open heads built upon three. or four main branches as described. Pruning the Cherry as a Pyramid.—tThe same process recommended for the pyramidal training of the pear and apple, may be applied with complete success to the cherry. We have now in our specimen grounds a collection of all the classes trained, according to the method described, and their condition is in every respect satisfactory ; they have all given fruit the third year. In most cases the trees were taken from the nursery rows at the end of their first season’s growth from the bud. Some had no side branches, and others had. - It is very. common for cherries and especially the Dukes and Morel- los to form a number of lateral branches the first season. Growth becomes slightly suspended, or at least goes on very slowly in July; during this time the buds on the lower part acquire a sort of maturity, and when a new growth commences they push and form shoots. Cherry trees of this kind are in’a good condition for pyramids. We select from these the strongest and best situated to form the lower tier of permanent branches; the lower ones” are shortened to four or five buds, and the upper ones to two or three. The leader or stem is cut back to within ‘at j 7 * tr> * THE CHERRY. wis 997 six, eight, or ten buds of the branches. Those having no pktnelies are cut back to within six or eight buds of the stock. And this is the first pruning. Treatment during the jirst Summer after Pruning. — When the young shoots have grown a couple of inches in length, such as are intended for permanent branches are - chosen, and the others are pinched in the same manner as recommended for pears and apples. Such as acquire more vigor than is consistent with their position, must be checked. It frequently happens that unless the leader has been cut back close, only three or four shoots will be _ produced at the extremity, leaving a vacant space below. This can be remedied in most cases by pinching the shoots around the leader when they have grpwn about af inch. In some cases it may be necessary even to check the leader to force the lower buds into growth. Thisis a point of considerable importance in conducting a pyramid, and should never be lost sight of. The Cherry as an Espalier—Except it be the training of the morello, or some other late varieties, on a north wall to prolong their season of maturity, the cherry is sel- dom grown as an espalier tree in this country, nor is it to be recommended except in some rare instances. The simplest and probably the best form is that suggested for pears and apples, an upright stem with horizontal branches. To produce this the same means are employed as have been previously described. If the tree has no side branches proper for the first arms, it must be cut back to within six inches of: the ground, and from the shoots pro- duced below that, one is selected for the leader, and one | on each side for the first horizontal branches; the other shoots are pinched off. Atthe next pruning, the Jeader is again shortened to produce another pair of side branches eight or ten inches from the first; the leader is continued in an upright direction, and the side brancheware brought i 928 PRUNING. ih % e half way down in midsummer, and at the following spring pruning they are placed in the horizontal position. The leading shoot of rapid growing sorts may be stopped about the end of June, and this will produce side shoots from which another pair of arms may be taken, and thus gain a year in the formation of the tree, or covering the wall - or trellis. 3 For weak growing sorts, the fan form or some modi- fication of it would, perhaps, be more suitable than the horizontal, as it offers less restraint to the circulation of the sap in the branches, The Cherry asa Dwarf or Bush—tThe slow growing sorts, such as the dukes and morellos, when worked on the mahaleb stock, make very pretty and very easily man- aged prolific bushes, and by occasional root pruning they. may be confined to as small a space as a dwarf apple tree. To produce this form, the young tree is cut back to within five or six buds of its base; and from the shoots produced below that, four or five evenly distributed around the tree are selected for the permanent branches or frame-work of the tree.. The others are rubbed off. At the next pruning the branches thus produced are shortened to produce secondary branches; and thus it is treated from year to year until the tree is formed and full grown. The branches must be kept far enough apart to admit the sun and air freely amongst them. When the tree is five or six years old, if it grows too vigorously, requiring _ more space than can be given it, the larger roots may be shortened in July or August, or in the winter. This and the pyramid, and the dwarf standard, with stems two feet high, are the most eligible garden forms for the cherry.* * Mr. Rivers states in his “ Miniature Fruit Garden,” that he has a plant of the late duke cherry ten years old, that never was root-pruned, and yet is a small prolific tree, five feet in height, and the branches the same in s ‘ + ‘eo ! THE PEACH. 229 3 The dwarf standard is treated precisely as the dwarf, and differs from it only in having two feet instead of six or eight inches of stem. In pruning and training the cherry, it should always be borne in mind that when large branches are removed, it is lable to suffer from the gum, and, therefore, the regulation of the shoots should be carefully attended to in summer, that amputations of woody parts may be avoided as far as possible. When it is necessary, however, the cut surface heals more rapidly and surely when made in the summer, during the growing season. ~~ | Section 4.—Pruning AND MANAGEMENT or THE PEACH. The peach is universally regarded as the most delicious fruit of our climate, and ranks in importance for orchard culture next to the apple and the pear. Nowhere in the world is it produced in such quantities, and with so little labor, as in America. An English or French gardener will expend more labor‘on a single tree, than the majority of our orchardists do upon one hundred. Our favorable chmate obviates a multitude of difficulties that have to be contended with in other countries, and renders unneces- sary the minute and laborious systems of management which they find it absolutely necessary to pursue. But this very excellence of our climate has given rise to a most negligent and defective system of cultivation, as is everywhere illustrated in the condition of orchards. The peach, of all other trees, is one that, from its mode of growth and bearing, requires constant pruning to maintain it in a shapely, thrifty, and productive state. The sap tends powerfully to the extremities of the shoots, diameter. We have in our specimen grounds trees of several dukes and morellos, six years old.*on mahaleb stocks, not over four or five feet- high, and pictures of fruitiulness. « ie al &¢ 230 PRUNING. more so than in any other fruit tree. The buds that do not push and form shoots the first season after their for- mation, are lost; they cannot, as in most other trees, be excited into imines ; and hence it is that the lower parts become so rapidly denuded of young wood, and that trees left to. themselves for six or seven years are in a measure worn out and worthless. The fruit is borne only on wood of the preceding year (see fruit branches), and every part destitute of such wood must be worthless; consequently one of the great objects of pruning is to keep all parts of the tree fur- nished with a regular and constant succession of annual bearing shoots. This fact must never be lost sight of. The case of a single shoot will illustrate the influence of pruning and its necessity. By referring to the fruit branch, it will be seen that*it is furnished with a certain number of wood buds and fruit buds. At the base there are always one or two wood buds at least. Now, if that shoot were not pruned, all the fruit buds on it would probably produce fruit—one, two, or three of the wood buds at the top would make new shoots; these would necessarily be very weak in consequence of the number of fruit below them. At the end of the season there would be a long, vacant space, entirely des- titute of a young shoot or a living bud. This is the way that the interior and lower parts of trees become so soon deg arnished. But when that shoot is shortened, we will say one half, the sap is retained in its lower parts, one half of the fruit buds are removed, and the consequence ig that large and sain fruits are obtained from those remaining ; young | Vigorous shoots are produced from the lower buds to bear | next_ year, and ee the place of those which have already ‘borne. In this way regular uniform crops of = o THE PEACH. 231 large and fine fruit are obtained, and a constant succession of young shoots is kept up. Lo form the head of a standard Bcd Tree. ae will suppose it the intention to form a standard tree, with a trunk two feet in height, and a round, open, and sym- metrical head like fig. 112. We take a yearling tree and cut it back to within two feet and a half of the ground in the spring. Below this cut a certain number of shoots will be produced, from which three will be selected to form the main branches or frame-work of the head. All the others are rub- bed off when two or three inches long or sooner. At the end of the season we have a tree with: three | _ branches. Fie 112, The second year these three Form of a low standard peach branches are cut back full one ee: Scenes i half their length, and from each we take a shoot to continue the branch, and one to form a secondary branch. The other shoots produced below these are pinched or checked to prevent them from inter- fering with the growth of the leading branches. In the fall of the year we have a tree with six leading branches, and some bearing shoots below on the older wood. The third year each of these six branches is short ened one half, in order to obtain more secondary branches, and some fruit branches on the lower parts. All young shoots on the old wood, whether fruit branches or not, should be cut back one half, or as far as may be necessary, to cause the woed buds at their base to push, and make shoots to bear next year. ° The formation of the head goes on as described for two or three years more, when it is complete; for peach trees, 2393 PRUNING. properly pruned, do not assume such wide-spreading forms as they do naturally. : The main branches and secondary branches should be at equal distances throughout, and far enough apart te give the bearing | wood on their sides the full benefit of the sun and air, ~~ An equality of vigor should also be preserved amongst them by summer pinching. It is not uncommon to see @ very vigorous shoot start up in a peach tree, and appro- priate so much of the sap as to injure a whole branch; these should be checked the moment their character is observed, unless they may be wanted to fill a vacancy. Every part of the branches should be furnished with bearing shoots, and these should, every spring, be short- © ened in one half or more, to produce others at their base, whilst those that have borne are cut out. Some people imagine that when they have taken a pair of hedge shears, or some such instrument, and shorn off the ends of the shoots on the outside of the tree indis- criminately, they are “shortening in,” and so they are, as they would a hedge! Some of the shoots are cut — away entirely, fruit buds and all, whilst others remain untouched, and the tree becomes ike a brush on the out- side and — within. This is almost as bad as the let- alone system. “Every shoot should be cut separately. The most expeditious instrument for doing this, is a pair of light hand-pruning shears, such as the French secateur (see instruments). A person accustomed to its use can prune ,every shoot on a full-grown tree in an almost in- credibly short space of time, as compared with that re- quired with the knife. Extensive orchardists may be deterred from such a labor, looking to the cost; but if they will engage quick, active, intelligent peer to do the work, and estimate the increased value of the fruit, * THE PRACH. ° — 233 and longevity and beauty of their trees, there can be no doubt but it will be found a paying investment. Root Pruning.—In gardens where the soil is rich, and trees very full of vigor, disposed to grow too much and _ bear too little, root pruning should be practised once in two or three years—the first lightly, removing only the ends of the large feeding roots. The safest time to do it is between the fall of the leaf and the opening of spring. Vegetation in the peach seldom becomes sufficiently inactive during the growing season, to enable cy roots to be pruned with safety. The Peach m the form of a & vase. —Among all the forms in which trees are conducted, this is, when well done, one of the most graceful. It consists of a short stem two to five feet, according to fancy, with a head composed of three or four main branches, and two or three times that number of second- ary branches, all trained by means of light stakes at first, and afterwards wire or wooden hoops in the form of a vase or goblet. The branches are arranged in a circle, with bearing shoots filling up the spaces. No shoots are . permitted either in the interior or in front that is project- ing from the exterior surface of the goblet. The most beautiful trees of this form are to be seen in the gardens of the Luxembourg, at Paris, and elsewhere in France. Mr. Louis Gaudry, who has avery pretty little plan- tation in Paris, and who has published a small work on pruning and training trees, gives the annexed cut as a representation of one of his vase peach trees of eight years’ growth (fig. 113). The following is the substance of his mode of conducting them. First Pruning—vThe stem of the yearling tree is cut back to the point at which it is desired to commence the head to three buds, forming a triangle and as nearly as ' 934 PRUNING. possible of the same height. Three shoots are obtained from these three buds to form the first or main branches Peach tree in the form of a vase, with four main branches, each having several secondary branches. The stem in the figure is five feet, but should not exceed two, THE PEACH. 935 or frame-work of the vase. To favor the growth of these, all the shoots produced below them are rubbed off. In order to give them the proper inclination, three small stakes are inserted in the ground, to which the three branches are fastened; it is supposed that if these stakes be sunk as far from the base of the tree as the roots extend, and in an upright position, there will be a sufficient opening or space in the centre. The branches should be thus brought out about August, so that the for- mation of new layers of wood subsequent to that time may fix them in their places. The side shoots, which are produced on the young branches, towards the latter part of the season, designated by the French bowrgeons.anticipés, are pinched to one or two leaves. 2d. Pruning—tThe spring following, the branches are loosed from the stakes, gnd shortened to six or eight inches of their base, to a leaf bud on the outside or front of the branch, and with a bud below it, either on the right or left side. ‘The front bud continues the main branch, and the side bud forms a secondary branch. The three branches are pruned in this way, taking care that the secondary branch on each is on the same side, so that two of them cannot come in contact. To favor the growth of thesg new shoots, all those situated below them that acquire too much vigor, must be pinched at three or four leaves. A wooden hoop may now be placed in the centre, to which the branches are attached to keep them in their places. In this way the tree progresses; every year one or more secondary branches are produced, the main branches increase in length, and fruit shoots are produced on all the intervals of the branches, on their two sides. All shoots that push either inside or in front of the vase are pinched off, and pinching is practised at all times to maintain equal growth between the different parts, and to check any too great tendency of the sap to the extremities. 236 PRUNING. Third pruning.—tThe fruit branches are pruned to three or four buds, to induce the lower wood buds to push and form new weed for the next season. The main branches are cut back to ten or twelve inches above the previous pruning, to a bud on the-front to con- tinue the branch; the buds selected to produce another series of secondary branches, must all be on the side oppo- site the previous ones. If the position of the buds renders this impossible, then they may all be chosen on the same side as the first. The hoops this year will require to be larger in dia- meter than the preceding, in order to give increased width to the vase as it proceeds upwards. All the other opera- _ tions are conducted in the same manner. The hoops in- side are placed within six to eight inches of one another, and the-circular branches within twelve to fifteen inches. As the tree advances in age, the growth may become too vigorous at the top; and in this case, the main branches, always the most vigorous, must be pruned short, and even pinclied during summer, to turn the sap to the benefit of the weaker Sar ts. These are the main points in the management of these vases. It may be added, that the apple, pear, cherry, and indeed all other trees may be grown in this formgand by the same means, varying it only to suit different —— of growth and bearing tial degrees of vigor. The Peach as an Eyota Ma ieitet training will never be practised in this country to any very great extent, and therefore it may be considered, in comparison with open ground systems, unimportant. Yet there are some dis- tricts not so favorabiy situated as to be able to produce peaches, apricots, and nectarines, in the open ground. For these a proper system of espalier training is impor- tant, because in this form trees are easily protected from & THE PEACH. 237 winter or spring frosts, and they ripen their fruits per- fectly, where open ground or standard trees would not. The Peach as an Espalier trained on a wall or trellis.— There are a multitude of forms for espalier trees where training on walls or trellises is necessarily and extensively practised, as in England and France. The great requi- sites in a wall tree are, first, to have all the wall covered; and, second, to have the different parts of the tree alice Srenlly placed, with reference to its growth. m ext to these are simplicity and naturalness. The most popular form in England is that called the | i } ‘ See ee Fig. 114, Fan-shaped Espalier. fan (fig. 114). In it the branches are spread out so as to resemble a fan; the lower ones are nearly or quite hori- zontal; the next more oblique; and so they proceed until the centre ones are quite upright, and this appears to be the defect of this form; for the horizontal branches cannot maintain such a vigor as those more erect above them. The square espalier, invented by M. Frrrx Mato, of France, and now extensively practised by some of the best peach growers of the celebrated town of Montreuil, seems to possess more advantages, all in all, than any other. The “ Bon Jardinier,” from which the following description of the method of conducting these trees is 238 ; PRUNING. taken, says: “ This generally approved form begins to find initators, and it is probable that one day it will be adopted by all intelligent gardeners.” First year—We will begin with a peach tree one e year ' from the bud, and cut it down to within six or eight inches, or sant or four buds of the stock. From the buds produced below the cut, two of the strongest are chosen, one on each side, to form the two main branchegs—branches mere, all the other shoots are destroyed, and these two are aiewen to grow upright, and in the fall they will be three to four feet high. ‘ Second year (fig. 115).—In the spring, when hard frosts are no longer apprehend- ed, the branches are ex- \ : \ £ B amined to see if they be a 6 ae sound and healthy, free . : from bruises, insects, etc., Fig. 115. Fig. 1°6. and they are cyt back fe Second year. Third year. twelve or fifteen inches of their base, according, to their strength; a weak branch ought always to be cut back in such a case as this further than a strong one. The bud cut to, should, if ee be on the inside, and the next. bud below it on the owts¢de; the first to continue the main branch, and the other to form the first exterior secondary branch. All shoots starting on the front or rear of the main branch should be rubbed off, and those on the sides laid in early to prevent their acquiring too much vigor. The main branches are left till July, when they are brought down to the form of a V, and attached to the wall or trellis in this position. The exterior secondary branch is placed more oblique, and the fruit branches are kept in a uniform and moderate growth by pinching and laying in. The most vigorous should always be laid in first to check them, and favor the others. Third year (fig. 116).—After loosening the tree from / THE PEACH. 239 the trellis, the two main branches are cut back to sixteen or eighteen inches of the previous pruning, and the two lewer or secondary branches to twelve or sixteen inches. The fruit branches are shortened to within two or “thee buds of their base, and all are again fastened back in their places. When ae young shoots have reached the length of three, four, or five inches, such as are badly placed on the front or rear of the hina chides: or In any place inju- rious to the symmetry of the tree, are removed. During the summer the different branches must be laid in from time to time, the most vigorous first. This year two more | secondary branches must be obtained on each side, in the same manner as in the previous year. Their growth is also promoted by the same means. The fruit branches on the sides of the main branches may give a few fruit this year, and those on the second- ary branches may bear next year. The fruit branches that have borne are to be cut away each year and replaced by others, therefore we must com- mence to provide for these branches of replacement. They are produced as follows: First, it may be observed that fruit branches have gen- erally one or more wood buds at their base. Sometimes these will push and form branches of replacement with- out any assistance, more than cutting back. In sucha case there is no difficulty. When the fruit is ripe, or at the next pruning, the fruit branch that has borne is cut away, and the new one takes its place. But nature does not always act thus. It is generally necessary to force the development of these branches of replacement, withou' which the branches in all their lower parts would becoms, entirely denuded. Hence, then, when a branch of replacement fails to appear by the ordinary method of shortening, we have 240 PRUNING. 4 two modes of forcing it: one is to make, after the fruit is set, an incision through the bark two inches above one of the wood buds, and pinch close all the shoots on the fruit branch, pote only rosettes of leaves necessary to ‘the pe ton of the fruit; pinching must be repeated all thetime that the shoots on the fruit branch continue to grow. if Fourth Year (fig. 117)—After having examined if the tree is equally vigorous in all its parts, and having de- cided upon the means of restoring the balance if it has been lost, the tree is detached from the wall or trellis, and pruned, commencing with the fruit branches that have borne. These, it must be remembered, are to be cut back each year to the new branch of replacement produced at its base. The young shoot then becomes the fruit branch, and is pruned within four to fourteen inches, according to their vigor and the situation of the fruit buds. The two main branches are cut back to within about twenty inches of the previous pruning; the first shoot on . the inside is vA vA chosen to conti- a ae3 nue the branch, and the next one below its Fig. 117. Fig. 1I8. on the lower Fourth year Fifth year. and outer side, to produce the third exterior secondary branch. The two secondary branches already formed are cut back to about twelve to fifteen inches of the previous pruning, in order ~ to make all the lateral buds on them push. The terminal bud produces a leader to continue them; all the others are fruit branches. In attaching the tree again to the wall, the angle that exists between the two main bee is gradually widened, the branches a litt!e more spread at every pruning. THE <‘HACH. ' Bat Fifth year (fig. 118)—The tree is now composed of two main branches, both of which have three secondary branches on their exterior lower sides, and fruit branches on all their length on the interior and upper side; and all that is wanted to complete it, is to transform three of the bearing shoots on the upper sides into three secondary branches, corresponding and alternating with the three lower ones. To do this, we select the fruit branch on each, nearest the fork or base of the main branches. The growth of this is favored by training it inan upright posi- tion, and by pinching any vigorous shoots near it. The tree is managed thus, as in preceding years, in regard to laying in the shoots according to their vigor, and pinching to maintain regularity, &c. The sixth year (fig. 119)—The pruning is conducted on the same principles precisely, and another interior secondary branch is produced in the same way as last year. The seventh year (fig. 120).—Another is produced on Ay ; D ins 5 , , we PRK | s J cazkt aT ee Qs i } Mz eee Wie SS Ae Fie. 119. Fic. 120. Sixth year. Seventh year. each, and then the tree e ] ° ° Sy y \i f jf j ral with its two main ~ ta \ \ y J" res f So a «branches, and twelve 42 \\| / is secondary branches, all ch4—+4 it trained in the form of — a parallelogram is com- Fro, 121, plete (fig. 121). , Eighth year. 242 PRUNING. ' Fig. 122 represents the tree complete, bearing shoots and all. : ¢ The main branches should be permanently. , uxed at an an- @ gle of 45°. The 2 lowest exte- erior secondary : branches at 15°. 2Some cultiva- 2 tors recommend g that the inte- erior secondary branches con = verge to the cen- 4 tre at an angle gof 45°. This Lele — 9! = 3, Lan MNO TIMI eS saat diy e i Tay = ry Co - "a gives them an 1s) = oblique direc 2 tion, and places = them upon* a s more equal foot- ing with the other parts. In training such trees, an imaginary cir- ular line is produced on the i wall or trellis, ih and this is di- | ie vided off into parts, corresponding to the degrees of a circle, commenc- ing at the eent¥e above, and numbering both ways to the Square espalier training > THE PEACH. 943 ° base: this enables the persons who conduct the tree, to lay in the branches on both sides at an equal angle with pre- cision, which is quite requisite to maintain uniformity of growth and vigor. It has been considered necessary to treat this subject somewhat minutely, for the purpose of giving to persons .wholly unacquainted with training, some knowledge of the principles on which it depends, and the mode of its execution. | _ The form described above is one of the simplest of all espaliers, except the horizontal, described in treating of the apple and the pear; but whoever can train a tree in © this manner well, can do it in all others, for the principles of growth are the same always; and he who understands these, can mould his trees at pleasure, provided he can bestow the necessary labor. ‘The peach may be grown in any or all the espalier forms. Laying m, and fastening the trees to seals and trel- lases. oN Wien trees are trained to a wall or fence, the branches are fastened in the desired position by means of shreds of cloth or list, half an inch wide, and from two to three inches long, according to the size of the branch to be laid in. Very small nails are necessary to train on boards, but larger ones on a brick and stone wall. Ona trellis, strings of bass matting are used instead of nails and cloth; and in fastening to simple rails, small willows may be used. The principle to be observed, in laying in and fastening the branches and shoots of espaliér trees, is that strong shoots must be laid in sooner than weak ones, and also more inclined from the vertical direction. -A great deal may be done towards maintaining uniformity of growth in the different parts of a trained tree, by laying in the branches in a judicious and discriminating manner. * 944 PRUNING. Section 5.—PrRunNING AND MANAGEMENT OF THE Pium. The pium bears its fruit on spurs produced on wood two years old and upwards, like the ‘cherry (see fruit branches). On young trees these spurs are several years in the process of formation; but when they commence to bear they endure, if well managed, for many years. They are generally furnished with wood buds on their lower parts; and when they begin to grow feeble, they ought to be renewed by cutting back. The plum is almost universally grown as a standard, and the head may bé conducted in the same manner as described for the cherry ‘The branches should be mainly regulated by summer pinching, to obviate the necessity of knife pruning, that frequently gives rise to the gum. Some varieties of very rapid growth produce shoots three or four feet long in one season; and if not shortened back at the spring pruning, the tree presents long naked branches in a short time. The chief difficulty in the way of conducting it as a pyramid, is its great vigor; but this can ina great mea- sure be overcome by the use of dwarfing stocks, by pinky ing and by root pruning. The latter will be found a most efficient mode of keeping the trees small and fruitful. We have had no experience with the plum as a pyramid ; but Mr. Rivers says, that by root pruning annually in October and November, he has succeeded in making handsome pyramidal trees. Stand- ards and dwarf standar ds may also be root pruned to advantage in small gardens, and where it is desirable to get them into early bearing. 4 The plum may be trained in any of the espalier forms already described, and in the same manner. THE APRICOT. - QAB Srurion 6.—Prunine AND MANAGEMENT OF THE APRICOT. The apricot, like the peach, has fruit and wood buds mixed on the shoots of one year’s growth. It has also little fruit branches or spurs like the plum, which are capable of being renewed by shortening. The mode of pruning must therefore have in view the production of young wood, and maintaining the spurs in a vigorous and fruitful state. When neglected, it be- comes, like the peach, denuded of young bearing wood in the interior, and enfeebled by over-fruitfulness. The shoots should therefore be shortened every season accord- ing to their length, as recommended for the peach, to reduce the number of blossom buds, and favor the pro- duction of new bearing wood. It is very liable to the gum, and severe pruning with the knife should be obviated as far as possible by pinch- ing. It may be conducted as astandard, pyramid, dwarf, or espalier, on the same principle as other trees. When trees become enfeebled by neglect or age, they can be renewed by heading down close to the stem. New and _ vigorous shoots are immediately produced that form a new tree. This heading down should be done very early in the spring, and the wounds be carefully covered with grafting wax. It is one of the first of our fruit trees to blossom in the spring, and therefore in some localities the flowers are killed by the frost. Where this is apprehended, it may be well to plant on the north side of a wall, or something that will rather retard the period of aie and auld: it less to freezing and thawing. We have ee trained here on a south aspect, yet in seven years the blossoms have not been killed, though in one or two instances they 0 Ny . 7 ~~. Py 946 PRUNING. | have been slightly injured. The espalier trees offer great facility for protection; and therefore, where spring frosts prevail, the apricot should be so trained. Mats or straw hurdles can be placed against them, both in spring and winter if necessary, with the same ease that a common frame is covered. ~, Section 7.—PrRuntina THE NECTARINE. ; The nectarine is but a smooth skinned peach. The trees are so similar in their mode of growth, buds, etc., that they cannot be distinguished from one another, and, therefore, whatever has been said respecting the pruning and treatment of one, applies with equal force to the other. This fruit is so infested with the curculio, that it is almost impossible to obtain a crop that will pay for culture in any part of the country inthe open ground. Un- less some more effective remedy be discovered than any yet known, it will soon have to retire from the garden, and take up its residence with the foreign grave in glass houses. pate It produces excellent crops trained in espaliers, ona back wall, or a centre trellis of one of those cold graperies now eee so popular. Section 8.—Cou turn, Prunine, anp Tramme Harpy Grape VINEs. The management of our native grapes is exceedingly simple. Immense crops of Catawba and Isabella, and especially the latter, are raised throughout the country in the entire absence of any.systematic mode of training or pruning. A single vine in a neighbor’s garden, carried . to the flat roof of an outbuilding, and allowed to ram- ble there at pleasure, without any care but a very imper- THE GRAPE VINE. 247 fect pruning every spring, produces annually many > bushels of fruit. But the quality is, of course, greatly inferior to that produced on well-pruned, trained, and dressed vines. A grape vine neatly trained on a trellis, with its luxuriant ample foliage, and rich pendulous clusters of fruit, is really one of the most interesting objects in a fruit garden, and, at the same time, one of the most profitable; for the shade and ornament alone that it produces, are a sufficient recompense for its culture. In planting a grape vine the first spon: is to prepare 2 border for the roots. . This must, in the first place, be Nhe dry. If the soil or situation be wet or damp, it must be drained thoroughly, so that no stagnant moisture can exist in it. In the next place it must be deep—three feet is a good depth ; and it must not be less than two where abundant and fine crops are expected. The mode of preparation is, to dig ovt the natural soil to the required depth, and the length and width necessary. For a single vine, the border should be eight or ten feet long and four wide. When the excayation is made, if the soil be stiff or damp, a few inches, or a foot deep, of small stones, brick, rubbish, etc., may be laid on the bottom as a sort of drainage. On the top of this deposit the compost for the border. This may consist of two parts of good, fresh, friable loam, one of old, well-rotted manure, and one of ashes, mele, broken aes ete., all completely mixed with one another. The top of the border, when finished, should be at least a foot higher than the surface of the ground, so that it may still remain higher after settling. Having the border thus prepared, the next point is the trellis. The form of this will depend on the situation it is to occupy, and the mode of-training to be adopted. Fig. 123 represents one intended for a wall. The prin- — 248 . PRUNING. a cipal bars or trame-work are inch and a half boards, three | inches wide, nailed together at the angles. Fic. 123, Trellis for a grape vine. Tt is intended for one vine, and may be the height of the wall that it is intended to occupy. The vertical or upright bars are three feet apart and*the cross ones six - feet; petween them are rods of stout wire. The first or iowest cross bar may be two feet from the ground. It is fastened to the wall by iron hooks or brackets. The best aud simplest mode of training a vine on such a trellis as this, is to produce two main branches or arms to be trained in a horizontal manner on the first cross bar. From these two arms, permanent, upright canes are trained, one to each of the upright bars of the trellis. These upright canes produce on their sides a succession of bearing shoots from year to year, being pruned after what is called the “ spur” system. Planting the Vine——As in planting any other tree, the roots should be carefully spread out, and the fine earth * ; THE GRAPE VINE. 249 worked well in amongst them. Its position should be exactly in the centre of the trellis it is to be trained on. Pruning.—It must first be observed that the grape vine bears its fruit on shoots of the current year, pro- duced from eyes on the previous year’s wood. Fig. 124 represent the old wood, with its bearing shoot. It is im- We we Fie. 124, Fruit branch of the grape. The cross line towards the points shows where it ought to be stopped. portant to understand this, because it shows the necessity of keeping up a supply of young wood wherever we desire fruit to be produced. To illustrate the pruning, we will suppose the plant to be one or two years old, as ordinarily sent out from the nursery. It may have only one shoot, or it may have several. However tlis may be, all are pruned off but® the strongest, and it is cut back to within two eyes of its base. These two eyes will produce shoots, and when they have made a growth of two or three inches, the weaker one is rubbed off and the strong one trained up. It is allowed to grow on till September, when the bud is pinched to mature and strengthen it. Any side shoots that appear during the summer, should be pinched off, as well.as any suckers that may appear about the rogts. Second Year—lf the shoot of last year made a strong growth of ten or twelve feet, it may be now cut back to three eyes, and two canes be trained up; but if ip made only a weak growth, it should again be cut back to two ai* on | La 250 | | nes eyes, and one shoot only trained up. Side shoots and suckers are pinched off during the summer; and in Sep- tember these canes are stopped as before, and no fruit is allowed. Third Year—We have now two strong canes with which we commence the frame-work of the ving Hach of these is cut back at the winter pruning to within two or three feet of its base, and laid in, as in fig. 125, and fasténed to the lower horizontal bar of the trellis. The Cc 4b ai a 4 c Fic. 125. Grape vine at the beginning of the second year. The arms shortened atc, a, b, ete., are buds. bud on the end of each at ¢, will produce a shoot to con- tinue the prolongment in a horizontal direction, and a bud (a) on the upper side of each will prcduce a shoot to be trained to one of the upright bars—the first one on its division, or half of its trellis; all others are rubbed off, or the buds cut out. Thus each of these arms produces two shoots—an upright and a horizontal one. During the © ssummer, these shoots are carefully tied in as required, and side shoots and suckers pinched off when they ap- pear. They are also topped in September, as before. Fourth year—FKach of last year’s shoots is cut back to within three feet of its base. It may be necessary to cut the horizontal ones closer than the upright ones, to obtain another strong upright shoot. The two upright canes already established, wili produce a shoot from their tops, to continue their extension upwards, and the hori- zontal ones, as before, produce a shoot at the point to be carried outwards, and one on the top to be trained up to one of the upright bars. This year, several fruit shoots i art = a Por THE GRAPE VINE. O51 will be produced, on each of which, one or two bunches of grapes may be ripened. In this way the vine goes on adding every season two new upright canes, and two or | three feet in length to the previous ones, until the whole trellis is covered; when the management will consist in pruning the spurs every winter to about three eyes. Each fruit branch should only be allowed to produce two bunches of fruit, and the top should be pinched at the ~ second eye, or joint above the fruit (see cross line, fig. 124), in order to arrest the production of useless wood, and turn the sap to the benefit of the fruit. Fig. 126 - represents the appearance of a vine trained in this way. By such a system | as this the trellis is, | | of oe covered in every part with bearing wood, the fruit and the foliage are all exposed fully to the sun, anuniformity of vigor is maintained between the differ- ae aes : ecyede, and cli) TOES Omelet, 4 2 nner appearance is beau- tiful. A trellis may be covered with a vine by other modes requiring less labor perhaps, and less time, but none will be found more beneficial or satisfactory in the end. In the management of a grape vine, as in the manage- ment of other trees, summer pruning is of great conse- quence. Ifa vine is left to itself all summer, or from one winter pruning to another, it will be found that a vast quantity of useless wood has been produced, and that to the serious detriment of the bearing shoots for the follow- ing year. very two weeks the growing vine should be €52 PRUNING. visited, shoots tied in, strong ones checked, superfluous ones rubbed off, and every part kept in its proper place, and in a proper degree of vigor. In certain cases, where the mode of training above described cannot be conveni- ently adopted, two or three poles, twelve to fifteen feet » high, may be sunk in the ground, with a space of three or four feet between them at the bottom, and fastened toge- ther at the top, forming a cone, around which the perma- nent canes may be trained in a spiral manner. . This produces a very beautiful effect, and occupies com- paratively little space, but the grapes will not all ripen so well, nor will the training be so easy as on the flat surface of a trellis. Very tasteful arbors may also be made over some of the walks, by training the vine over the woodwork, in the same manner as on a trellis. This is a very common practice and offers many advan- tages. Ingenious persons who care well for their garden, as well in its appearance as its productions, will conceive other plans still better adapted to their particular wants and taste than any of these; but the main point must always be kept in view, that is, to provide for the foliage and the fruit, a free open exposure to the sun. Any sys- ~ tem that does not secure this, will fail to a greater or less extent. © ‘ The Isabella grape succeeds well even as far north as Maine, by laying it down in winter and covering it with mats, straw, boughs of evergreens, &c. ; Vineyard culture-—V ineyards are located on dry sunny hill sides; the land is deeply trenched with the spade o1 subsoil plough (generally the former, as it is more tho- rough), and liberally manured. The vines are pianted in rows, six to eight feet apart, and four to six feet apart in the rows, and are trained to oak or cedar posts, six to eight feet high, The young vines are cut back close for the nbs n 4 ‘ ° THE GRAPF VINE. \ 958 first year or two, until they have become well rooted and strong, and only one shoot is allowed to grow. About | the third year, one shoot, six feet long or so, is left to fruit, and a new shoot is carried up that season to bear the next. At the following pruning the cane that bore is eut away, and thus a continual succession is kept up. During the summer suckers and superfluous shoots are kept down, and the ground is kept in good clean condition with a horse cultivator principally. As the vines grow old, two and sometimes three bearing canes are taken from each stool. The vineyards of Cincinnati cover several hundred acres, and from the Catawba grape they make a “sparkling champagne, ” as good as the French. This is destined to be an important branch of culture. os Culture of foreign Grapes in cold vineries—Repeated experiments made during many years in all parts of the country, have convinced people generally that the deli- cious varieties of the foreign grape cannot be produced with any considerable degree of success in the open air. A large number of the hardiest French and German sorts have been tested in our ground, but not one of them has borne satisfactorily. A few good bunches have been obtained the first season or two under very favorable circumstances; but after that the failure is complete. This has rendered glass, heat, and shelter necessary. The building—tThese are constructed of all sizes and at various degrees of expense, from $50 to $500. Some have single lean-to roofs; others have double or span roofs. The walls of some are built of brick or stone; others are of wood, wholly. The cheapest and simplest structure of this kind is the lean-to. The back may be nine or ten feet high, composed of strong cedar posts six feet apart, and boarded up on both sides. The ends are made in the same manner. The front may be two feet Fo _ 254 PRUNING. nigh, or three, made of posts, and boards or planks, same _ as the back. Sills or plates are put on the front and back walls, and then rafters at three and a half to four feet apart. The sashes slip in between the rafters, and rest on a strip of wood on their sides. Unless the grapery-be very small, the sash should be in two parts, the lower one twice as long as-the upper, and fixed. The upper to slide down over the under one on pulleys, to ventilate the house : doors are in each end at the back, and means are provided for admitting air in front by the opening of boards like shutters. The border is made for the vines outside the front wall, or part outside and part in, twelve to sixteen feet wide, also two or three deep. This 3 is done by digging a trench ae pit the length and width; draining it thoroughly, that not a drop = water can (sass about it. Then lay a few inches of small stones, bidken bricks, shells, ete., in the bottom for drainage ; and fill up the roiiaineee six inches above the level of the ground, and sloping outwards, with a good compost, of one-half surface loam (turf from an old pasture), and the other of well rotted stable manure, oi street scrapings, a small portion of night soil, offal, “AN these must_be prepared by feeqadhi reitic ay mixing a few months beforehand. 2 he vines may be one or two years old, and are prefer- able in pots raised from single eyes. They should be planted in the spring. A plant is placed under each rafter outside, and carried through under the wall into the house. The stem is cut back to two or three eyes, and when these break the strongest shoot is selected, and the others pinched off. This shoot i is trained, as it grows, to a light trellis of iron, or thick wire rods altiched to the rafter, and eight or ten inches from the glass. If all goes well, it reaches the top of the house that season. In September the top may be pinched to check the flow of sap to the x Jit $ THE GRAPE VINE. 255 point, and throw it more into the lateral buds to increase their strength. During the summer no other shoot is allowed to grow but this. Pruning—tIn November or December it is taken down, pruned, if according to the spur system, which is the sim- plest, to within three or four feet of its base, laid on the ground, and covered with leaves, evergreen boughs, or mats. There it remains till the buds begin to swell in the spring, when it is again fastened to the trellis. The shoot from the terminal bud continues the cane, and no fruit. is allowed on it. Those below it produce lateral shoots, from each of which a bunch of grapes may be taken, and each of these must be stopped at two eyes above the bunch; and this is repeated as often as neces: sary, to give the fruit the whole benefit of the sap. The leading shoot is again stopped in September by pinching _ off its point, to increase the vigor of its lateral buds. In the fall, when the leaves have dropped, the vine is again taken down. The leader is pruned back to within threo to four feet of the old wood. The laterals that have borne are pruned to three eyes, and it is then covered up. This is the routine of spur training. In long cane pruning, the young shoot, after the first season’s growth, is cut back to three eyes, and the next season two shoots are tr ained | up. The next season the strongest is selected for fruit, and pruned to about three feet; each of the eyes left will produce a fruit shoot, from which one bunch only will be taken. The weaker cane is cut back to one eye, and this produces a shoot for next year’s bearing, and so this goes on. When the vine becomes strong, several bearing canes may be provided for every season. This renewal or long cane is very simple, and requires much less cutting than the spur. It also produces a superior quality of fruit, but in general not so. large a quantity. Thinning the Fruit. —When the fruit attains the raUA5) % 256 PRUNING. of a garden pea, one third of the smaller ones should be cut out carefully with pointed scissors (see implements) that are prepared for this purpose. The object of -this is, to allow the fruits to swell out to their full size. Varie- ties that produce very compact bunches require more severe thinning than those of a loose, open bunch. Cleaning the Vine-—At the time the vines are taken from their winter quarters and trellised, they should be well washed with a solution of soft soap and tobacco water, to kill. all eggs of insects, and remove all loose bark and filth that may have accumulated on them dur. ing the season previous. The house, too, should be cleaned and renovated at the same time. Syringing the Vines and the Fruit—kEvery one who has a grapery must be provided with a good hand syringe, for this is necessary during the whole season. As soon as they begin to grow, they should be occasionally syringed in the morning, except while they are in bloom. After the fruit has set, they should be syringed every evening, and the house kept closed till the next forenoon when the sun is out warm. Regulating the temperature—When the temperafure exceeds ninety to one hundred degrees, air should be ad- mitted at the top, and, if necessary, at the bottom. To prevent mildew.—This may be looked for in July. Syringing freely night and morning, and the admission of air during the warmest hours of the day, are the best — preventives of this disease. Mr. Allen recommends dusting sulphur on the floor, at the rate of one pound for every twenty square feet ; and if it continues to increase, to syringe the vines in the evening, and dust the ole with it. Mr. Buist recommends a solution of five pounds of flour of sulphur in four gallons of water, and after it has set- ? Ry THE FILBERT. ad 937 tled to add one fourth of it to the water used in syring ing. This is but an imperfect outline of the management of a cold grapery. Those who wish full information on all _ points of the subject, should consult Allen’s excellent work, which treats of all kinds of graperies and thei management in complete detail. Secrion 9.—Prounine anp Traming THE FILBERT. The filbert in this country is a neglected fruit. It is seldom found in the garden, and more rarely still ina prolific, well-grown condition. Of all other trees, it re- quires regular and proper pruning to maintain its fruitful- ness. The blossoms are moncecious—that is, the male organs which are in long catkins (fig. 36), are produced from one bud, and the female flowers from another. The blossorm or fruit buds are produced on shoots of one year’s growth, and bear fruit the next. The fruit is borne in a cluster on the end of a small twig produced from the bud bearing the female organs. It is said that in the neighborhood of Maidstone, county of Kxent, England, the filbert orchards occupy several hundred acres, and from these the principal supply of the London market is obtained. One acre has been known to produce £50 sterling, or $250 worth, in one season. The pruning of these Kent growers is supposed to be most perfect of its kind, especially for their soil and climate. It is described as follows in the “ Transactions of the Lon- don Horticultural Society :” | “ The suckers are taken from the parent plant generally in the - autumn, and planted in nursery beds (being first shortened to ten or twelve inches), where they remain three or four years. They are slightly pruned every year, in order to form strong lateral .shoots, the number of wliich varies from four to six. But though 4 258 PRUNING. it is the usual practice to plant the suckers in nursery beds, I “would advise every one to plant them where they are to remain, whether they are intended for a garden or a larger plantation ; and after being suffered to grow without restraint for three or four years, to cut them down within a few inches of the ground. From the remaining part, if the trees are well rooted in the soil, five or six strong shoots will be produced. Whichever method is practised, the subsequent treatment of the trees will be exactly the same. ‘*In the second year after cutting down, these shoots are shortened ; generally one-third is taken off. If very weak, I would advise that the trees be quite cut down a second time, as in the previous spring ; but it would be much better not to cut them down till the trees give evident tokens of their being able to pro- duce shoots of sufficient strength. When they are thus shortened, that they may appear regular, let a small hoop be placed within the branches, to which the shoots are to be fastened at equal dis- tances. By this practice two considerable advantages will be gained—the trees will grow more regular, and the middle will be kept hollow, so as to admit the influence of the sun and air. “Tn the third year a shoot will spring from each bud ; these must be suffered to grow till the following autumn, or fourth year, when they are to be cut off nearly close to the original stem, and * the leading shoot of the last year shortened two-thirds. “Tn the fifth year several small shoots will arise from the bases of the side branches which were cut off the preceding year; these are produced from small buds, and would not have been emitted had not the branch on which they are situated’been shortened, the whole nourishment being carried to the upper part of the. branch. It is from these shoots that fruit is to be expecte These productive shoots will in a few years become very numerous, and many of them must be taken off, particularly the strongest, in order to encourage the production of the smaller ones; for those of the former year become so exhausted that they generally » decay ; but whether decayed or not, fey are always cut out by the pruner, and a fresh supply must therefore be provided to pro-. duce the fruit in the sueceeding year. The leading shoot is every. a « w % , * we THE FILBERT. 259 ~ year to be shortened two-thirds, or more should the tree be weak, and the whole height of the branches must not exceed six feet. “The method of pruning above detailed might, in a few words, be called a method of spurring, by which bearing shoots are pro- duced, which otherwise would have had no existence. Old trees _. are easily induced to bear in this manner, by selecting a sufficient number of the main branches, and then cutting the side shoots off nearly close, excepting any should be so situated as not to interfere with the others, and there should be no main branch di- rected to that particular part. It will, however, be two or three years before the full effect will be produced. By the above method of pruning, thirty hundred per acre have been grown in particular grounds and in particular years, yet twenty hundred is considered a large crop, and rather more than half that quantity may be called a more usual one ;.and even then the crop totally fails three years out of five ; so that the annual average quantity cannot be reckoned at more than five hundred per acre. “When I reflected upon the reason of failure happening so often as three years out of five, it occurred to me that possibly it might arise from the excessive productiveness of the other two. In order to ensure fruit every year, I have usually left a large pro- portion of those shoots which, from their strength, I suspected would not be so productive of blossom-buds as the shorter ones ; leaving them more ina state of nature than is usually done, not pruning them so closely as to weaken the trees by excessive bear- ing, nor leaving them so entirely to their natural growth, as to cause their annual productiveness to be destroyed by a superfluity of woods These shoots, in the spring of the year, I have usually shortened to a blossom-bud.” Such is the management of these celebrated filbert growers, their principal object being to keep the trees small, open in the centre, and covered in every part with fruit spurs. A similar system, but less severe in the cut- ting back, may be pursued here; some such course of | treatment as recommended for the head of the quince as to form and fruitfulness. 260 PRUNING. Instead. of relying on the spring pruning to subdue vigor and induce fruitfulness, pinching should be prac- tised during the summer; for this not only checks the production of wood, but of roots. toot pruning, too, may be safely practised in August, when pruning and pinch- ing of the brancHes prove insufficient. In all cases, suckers must be completely eradicated every season, or as soon as they make their appearance. The want of pruning, and the growth of suckers, make the filbert in nearly all our gardens completely barren; .a - rank production of wood only is obtained year after year. We find that grafting the finer kinds on stocks of the common filbert raised from seed, renders the trees much more prolific naturally,“and also smaller in size. We have trees here now bearing only three years from the graft ; the stems are eighteen inches to two feet high, and they are very pretty. Their natural vigor is Fae sub- dued by the graft. The French conduct them in pyramids with great success, on the same principle as other trees. a Section 10.—Coutture, Pronine, anp Tranvine oF THE Fic. In the Northern States the fig is cultivated with very little success in the open ground, but fine crops are pro- . duced in the vineries recommended for foreign grapes; _and it is in these only that its culture can yield any con- siderable degree of satisfaction, north of Mar — at least. - Propagation.—The surest and best mode is by layé ers. A large branch may be layered in the spring, and will be sie ely rooted in the fall to be planted out. COnttings also strike freely, and make good plants. in one season. All the modes of propagation recommended for the ‘quinct, may be applied to the fig. Cuttings are generailr preferred in the South. | THE FIG. e 261 Soil.—It succeeds in any good rich, warm garden soil, suitable for other fruit trees. In very light or dry soils the fruits fall before maturity, as they require at that season in particular a large amount of moisture; but it is better that it be too dry than too moist, for in the jatter case nothing but soft unripe and unfruitful shoots is obtained, whilst in the former moisture can’ be supplied at the time when it may be required. The wood should be short-jointed, the buds not more than one-fourth of an inch apart. In England dry chalky soils produce the finest crops. Pruning.—tThe fig is somewhat peculiar in its mode of bearing. No blossoms appear, but the figs are produced on the stem, appearing at first like buds. The young shoots of last season bear fruit the next; and the shoots produced during first growth produce fruit the same season, and this is called the “second crop.” These never ripen, and should never be encouraged where the plants require protection. In warm climates, as in some.of our Southern States, these two crops ripen perfectly, thongh the first from the previous season’s wood is larger and = better. " This mode of bearing shows that little pruning is neces: sary, beyond the cutting away of old or worn out branches, and thinning and regulating others. Unfruitful trees, in a moist and rich gr aie eee be pinched in summer to check their ae and concentrate the sap more in the lateral buds. toot Pruning, too, may be applied as on. other trees. Mr. Downing *r Pevmmones this in his Fruit 9 _ and Fruit Trees. oe Training—Wherever the trees are hardy enough to. » withstand the winter without protection, they may be ~ grown in the form of low standards. as recommended for the peach; but when. protecticn is required, where the ‘branches have to be laid down and covered during winter, % i — —. 262 ‘PRUNING. they must be grown in stools or bushes, with a dozen or more stems rising from the socket. These are easily laid down and covered, and easily brought up to their places again, in the way that raspberry canes are managed. To produce this form, the young tree is planted in the bottom of a trench about a third deeper than in ordinary cases, and a basin is left around it. At the end of the first season’s growth, itis cut back to a few inches of the base; there a number of shoots are produced. As these grow up the earth is drawn in around them, to favor the production of other shoots at their base; and in this way it is managed until the requisite number of branches is ob- tained. Protection —Trained in this way, a trench is opened for each branch, or three or four may be put in one trench, if convenient; they are fastened down with hooked pegs as in layering, and covered with a foot of earth, which should be drawn up in the mornd form, to throw off the water. — Liipening the fruit.—In fig growing countries, and to some extent here, there is a practice of applying a drop of olive oil to the eye of the fruit, to hasten its maturity. This is usually done by means of a straw. Me Training in Graperres.—The back wall of a lean-to cold vinery is an excellent place for the fig. It may be e oe. om e _ trained on a trellis in the fan or horizontal manner, but severe pruning must not be practised to produce regu- jarity. Section 11.—Pruntmne THE GoosERERRY. e The gooseberry produces fruit buds and spurs on wood two vears old and upwards. Fig. 127 represents the two- year-old wood, A, with truit buds C, C, and &, the one- THE GOOSEBERRY. . 263 year old wood with wood buds, D,.D. Of these wood buds, the upper one next season would produce a shoot, and the lower ones would probably be transformed into fruit buds. At the base of one of the fruit buds, C,may be seen asmall wood bud d; this during next season will produce a small shoot orspur. The great point to aim at in this country, must always be to maintain a vigorous condition; the moment the plant becomes feeble or stinted, the fruit is so at- tacked with mildew or rust as to be utterly | worthless. Hence it is that young plants usually bear excellent crops for the first or second year, while after that the mildew is in some varieties and situations unconquer- able. The bush should have a stem of three or four inches in height, and a head composed of five or six main branches, placed at equal Pe a a distances and inclined outwards, to prevent gooseberry, A, two denseness and confusion in the centre. 7°?" wetter os These main branches should be furnished fruit buds, D, D: with bearing wood in all their length. The "° De® ® production of such a bush may be accom- the base of fruit plished by the following means: oe Supposing the young plant as it comes from the nursery - to be either a two-year old cutting, or a one-year bedded layer, in either case it will have a stem of two or three inches at least, and a few branches at the top. Before planting, all the buds on the part of the stem to be below the ground are cut out, to prevent them from producing suckers. Among the branches, three of those most favor- ably situated, are selected for the formation of the head, 964 = PRUNING. and the others are cut out entirely. The reserved branches are then cut back to two or three buds; from these one shoot is taken on.each branch, and the others are pinched to favor this. By this method we shall have three stout . shoots in the fall. If the plant had been well rooted, in- stead of being newly transplanted, we might have taken two shoots instead of one from each shortened branch. These three branches are cut back at the next pruning to three or four buds, and from each two new shoots are taken, giving at the end of that season six stout young shoots, situated at equal distanees. At the next or third pruning these branches are cut back about one-half, in order to produce lateral branches and fruit spurs. At the fourth pruning, the leading shoot is shortened one-third to one-half. Any lateral branches not required to fill up spaces, or such as are improperly placed, are eut back to three or four buds, so as to convert them into fruit branches. In this way the pruning is conducted from year to year. When the plants become feeble from overbearing, the fruit branches may be headed down and replaced by new vigorous shoots. The better way, however, to provide for this difficulty, is to raise young plants from layers or cuttings, to be at once substituted for such as fall a victim’ to the mildew. ‘A northern aspect, a cool, damp, substan- tial soil, and abundance of manure, are all necessary, in connection with the pruning described, to produce fine gooseberries. The famous growers of Lancashire, England, outdo all the world besides in the production of large gooseberries. The Encyclopedia of Gardening says—“ To effect this increased size, every stimulant is applied that their inge- nuity can suggest; they not only annually manure the soil richly , but ako surround the plants with trenches of ma- aure for-the extremities of the roots to strike into, and a THE CURRANT. 5 265 form round the stem of each plant a basin, to be mulched, or manured, or watered, as may becomenecessary. When a root has extended too far from the stem it is uncovered, and all the strongest leaders are shortened back nearly one-half of their length, and covered with fresh marly loam, welt manured. The effect of this pruning is to increase *the number of fibres and-spongioles, which form rapidly on the shortened roots, and strike out in all directions among the fresh, newly stirred loam, in search of nutri- ment. ‘They also practise what they term suckling their prize fruit. By preparing a very rich soil, and by watering, and the use of liquid manure, shading and thinning, the large fruit of the prize cultivator is produced. Not con- tent with watering at root, and over the top, the Lanca- shire connoisseur, when he is growing for exhibition, places a small saucer of water immediately under each gooseberry, only three or four of which he leaves on a tree; this he technically calls suckling: He also pinches off a great part of the young wood, so as to throw all the strength he can into the fruit. Section 12.—Prunrmnc’ AND MANAGEMENT OF THE CuRRANT. we » ~~ The red and white currants bear like the gooseberry on wood not less than two years old, and, therefore, the same system of pruning may be applied to them. The most convenient and easily-managed form in which they can be grown, is that of a bush or small tree, with a stem of three to six inches high, and a head composed of a cer- tain number, say six or eight principal branches, situated at equal distances, and not nearer to one another at the extremities than six or eight inches. | These branches are produced by cutting back the 7 266 PRUNING. young shoots found on the nursery plant, as recommended for the gooseberry. They are afterwards annually short- ened to produce lateral branches, when wanted, and fruit spurs. Care must be taken not to prune too close, as this causes the buds on the lower parts to make wood instead of fruit spurs: one third, and in many cases one fourth, will be quite sufficient. . The Currant asa Pyramid.—tThe currant is very easily formed into pretty pyramids.. The mode of conducting © them will be similar to that recommended for other trees. A good strong shoot must first be obtained to com- mence upon; this is cut back, and laterals produced as though it were a yearling cherry tree. Summer pruning and eee must be duly put in practice, under any form, to keep up an equality of growth among the shoots, and to check misplaced and Based ones. This will obviate a great deal of cutting at the winter or spring pruning. Mr. Rivers, in his “ Miniature Fruit Garden,” says: “‘ A near neighbor of mine, an ingenious gardener, attaches much value, and with reason, to his pyramidal — currant trees; for is table is supplied abundantly with their fruit till late in autumn. The leading shoots of his trees are fastened to iron rods; they form at pyramids about five feet high; and by the clever contrivance of slipping a bag made of coarse muslin over them as soon as the fruit is ripe, faster ing it securely at the bottoms wasps, birds, flies, and ali the ills that beset bis currants e are excluded.” The Currant as an Espalier.—It is sometimes desirablel both to economize space and to retard the period of ripen- ing, to train currants on a north wall or trellis; and this is very easily done with success. We have seen the north side of a neighbor’s garden fence completely covered with currants without any system whatever being pur- ¥ THE RASPBERRY. 267 sued in laying in the branches. The plants were about five feet apart, and the branches were fastened to the wall in a sort of fan form. The proper way to treat the currant as an espalier is, to produce two strong branches - on a stem six to twelve inches high. These branches are trained out in a horizontal manner like two arms—one on seach side; and from the shoots which they will produce, as many as are to be had at the distance of six inches from one another are trained in an upright aa as i the grape vine (fig. 121). These upright shoots are managed in the same way as the branches of a bush; they are annually shortened back a little to ensure a good supply of fruit buds. The black currant produces its best fruit on the wood of the preceding year, therein’ differing from the others. In pruning it, the young wood must ‘ie preserved, and branches that ave borne must be cut back to produce a succession of new bearing wood, as in the filbert. Manuring—No other mule tree is so patient under bad treatment as the currant, and yet none yields a more prompt or abundant reward for kindness. In addition to the annual pruning described, the bushes should receive a dressing of old, well-prepared manure, two or three inches deep, spread all around as far as the roots go, and forked lightly in. . It is a great feeder, and, with- out these annual dressings, the soil becomes so poor that the fruit is really not worth gathering. PLANTING, PRUNING, AND TRAINING THE RASPBERRY. Planting—tThe raspberry succeeds well in all good garden soils. The most advantageous and economical position for a raspberry bed in the garden, is generally in the. wall border, facing north. In this situation the fruit ripens sufficiently, and the canes are not so liable to suffer t>. _small shoots, a, a, a, that bear the 268 PRUNING. from alternate freezing and thawing in the winter. The young canes or suckers are shortened full one half, and planted at the distance of two or three feet. Any flowers that make their appearance on them the first season should be removed, in order to turn all the sap to the benefit of the leaves and new roots, and the production «f a young cane for the next season. Pruning—rThe stem is biennial—that is, the canes are produced one season and bear fruit the next, and then die. For example, in fig. 128, A is the old cane that has borne, and is of no further use. JB is | the young cane produced at its base last season. The fruit buds produce frnit. The pruning is very simple; it consists merely in“ cutting away early in the spring the old cane that has borne. Some people do this as soon as the fruit-is gathered, on the ground that the young cane is strengthened by so doing; but this is questionable. It may be, on the a, pacpberry. wf, the whole, safer to leave it to finish its old cane that has borne natural course, and cut it away at the fo voune cane for next spring or winter pr uning. season, to be shortened at The young cane is nehoutegpisa tor , eee acne tliree feet, or three and a half or four, next season. if it be quite stout and vigorous. When the plants navi been a year or two in cain place, several canes will be produced from one stool in the same season; but three- or four only are reserved, and these the strongest. Each one is pruned or shortened as above, in order to concen- trate the sap on the bearing buds on the centre and lower parts. This not only increases the size, but improves ‘he Fic. 128. r quality of the fruit. When the suckers ao € THE RASPBERRY. 269 numerous, they enfeeble the plant, and it soon becomes worthless. The new ever-bearing variety throws up a great profusion. All the weaker superfluous ones should be carefully removed with a trowel early in the season, sav when they have attained five or six inches of growth. In selecting such as are to be reserved, preference should be given to those being nearest in the regular row of plants. Some of the French authors recommend leaving a hole ten or twelve inches deep around each plant at the time of planting, to be filled up gradually, three or four inches a year, 5 fresh earth, to promote the formation of vigorous radical buds, at the collar of the root, as re- commended for the fig. _Manuring —A Wier dressing of well- duesingeell manure should be given them every fall, worked care- fully in among the roots with the digging fork. With this treatment a bed will continue productive for seven years at least. Training—Myr. Dubriel describes a very pretty and simple method of training practised in France, and I had the pleasure of seeing it carried into practice in the Rouen Garden (fig. 129). Fic, 129. French mode of training the raspberry to stakes and ropes. "The railing B, is a narrow strip of board, or a small pole, supported on upright stakes ; it is tee inches ‘ from the row of plants, and three feet fora the ground. When the young bearing canes are pruned in the spring, tm 270 | PRUNING. - they are bent over and fastened to this rail; and’thus the young suckers grow up without mixing with the fruit branches; consequently the fruit ripens better’ and is more easily gathered. During the summer, when the young suckers destined to bear the year following, have reached the height of two feet, they are fastened to a similar rail on the other side of the row, and the same distance from the line of the ground. Y The following is an English mode of training described in the “ London Gardeners’ Chronicle.” In fig. 130, the a2 AX af : Fic. 130. 3 English mode of training the raspberry. © ~~ uprights between every two or three plants are iron, and the horizontal lines to which the canes are attached, are tarred rope. In fig. 131, the plants are supposed to be placed in — rows four feet apart, and about the same distance from one another in the row. The number of shoots on each Wi a, aN f ih \ q \ “vg . i NO So a a 4 k yV Nt: ‘ foal * Ya Des —. e afew AW ~ ir \ 1 = Fie. 131. English mode of training the raspberry to stakes. mS is regulated during the growing season, no more being RENOVATING APPLE AND PEAR TREES. 271 allowed to remain thar the plant is capable of support- ing. In most cases six or eight shoots will be sufficient. Where this method is practised, a row of raspberries in autumn will have something of the appearance repre- sented in fig. 131; the arched portion, tied to the stake in the centre, being the canes which bore fruit last year, and which must be cut down to the bottom, and be re- placed by the upright shoots of last summer. In tlris last arrangement, five or six fruit-bearing canes are tied together to one stake, and it is impossible that the fruit can either ripen well or be gathered easily. The two first are good and simple plans. | Lenovating pyramidal trees of Apples and Pears that hawe become enfeebled or unproductive by age, bad soit, bearing, or bad pruning—tThere are two methods of doing this successfully ; one is, to cut back all parts of the tree— the stem may be cut back half its length, the lateral branches at the base to within twelve or fifteen inches of the stem, and shorter as they advance upwards, so that those at the top will be cut to four.or six inches. This will preserve the pyramidal form. It may appear unnecessary to cut back the stem, but we find when this is not done it is almost impossible to secure an equal growth between the upper and lower parts, because the wood at the top is young, and attracts the sap much more than the wood at the base of the old branches below. For a few years after this renewal the young wood at the top must be kept very closely pruned, to prevent it from absorbing more than its due pro- portion of the sap. When growth commences on trees thus cut back, a large number of shoots will be produced. Amongst those on the stem, a strong and well placed one must be selected for a leader, and its growth favored by checking those around it. Leaders for each of the lateral branches must be selected and encouraged in the same 972 PRUNING. way. The future management will .be similar to that. described for the formation of young trees. We have succeeded well with a large number of trees thus treated. Where the soil is defective, it must be improved and renewed with fresh soil and composts, so that abundant nutriment shall be given to the new growth. | ‘The second method of renewal referred to is, that of cutting back as already described, and grafting each branch. The process of regrafting old orchards of standard apple trees, it is well known, renews their vigor, and replaces old worn out and deformed -branches with young and vigorous ones, giving to the entire head a healthy and youthful appearance. In many cases this grafting will be much more successful than simply cutting back, for the scions being furnished with young and active buds, ‘that develope leaves at once, attract the sap from the roots, place it in contact with the atmosphere, and carry on the formative process in all parts of the tree with less interruption and greater activity than where reliance is placed upon the production of new shoots on the old wood; | for this must be effected by awakening dormant buds, , which In many cases takes place donde! and with more or less difficulty. SUNDRY OPERATIONS CONNECTED WITH THE CULTURE OF FRUIT : TREES. Ast. The annual cultwation of the soil_—The soil around fruit trees should, especially in the garden, be kept ina clean friable condition by the frequent use of the hoe and — the spade; but in all these operations the roots must not be injured. “The forked spade (see implements) is the best for vperating about the roots. 7 9d. Manuring—The very common practice in regard oe WATERING, ETC. 273 to the use of manure, is to apply none for several years, until the trees have begun to show signs of feebleness and exhaustion, when large quantities are applied, thus in- ducing a rank plethoric growth, that can scarcely fail to be seized with diseases. The proper way is to apply a small dressing of well-decomposed material, like some of the composts recommended, every autumn. This should be forked in around the extremities of the roots. There may be rich soils where this will be unnecessary; but most ordinary garden soils require it. 38d. Mulching—tThis should bew universal practice in our dry and warm summer climate, not only with newly- planted trees, but all, and especially dwarfs in the garden whose roots are near the surface. Three or four inches deep of half decayed stable manure or litter makes a good mulching. It should be applied in May, and remain allsummer. After the fall dressing a mulching for the winter will protect the roots and base of the tree from injury; it should be so well decayed as not to attract vermin. | 4th. Waterng.—tIn dry times, and especially in light, dry soils, fruit trees will derive vast benefits from a liberal syringing over head in the evening, with a hand or garden syringe (see implements). A reservoir in the garden is therefore desirable, and at a point, too, easy of access from all the quarters of the garden. This watering refreshes the trees, drives away insects, mildew, etc., and washes off dust and filth that may accumulate on the foliage and fill up the pores. It is more necessary in city and village, than in country gardens. Protecting trees against extremes of temperature— Where the trunk or large branches aré liable to injury from sudden changes of temperature in the winter, or from a powerful sun in summer, they may be covered thinly with long rye straw, fastened on with willows, 274. CULTURE OF FRUIT TREES. iis - The trunk alone is more easily protected by méans of two boards nailed together, forming an angle for the tree. This is placed on the south side, the injury being induced chiefly by the sun at both seasons. Newly-transplanted trees, especially if they have tall trunks, and are somewhat injured before planting, may be saved by wrapping them lightly with straw ;—a straw rope rolled around answers the purpose. A little damp moss is still better; an occasional watering will keep it cool and moist, and enable the sap to flow under the bark. & 4 lige es Mag 6 : Sd SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS—GATHERING AND PRE- SERVING FRUITS—DISEASES—INSECTS—IMPLEMENTS IN COMMON USE. ven = Ps eS 4 VL Geel 4 koe ob oes 3 a EMT AREA, oe: 2 “hy he i: : a ‘ 3 4. 4 i .: ¢ ‘ea Bs \ z es a x : ‘. ’ 7 gen i ; fo egos Se ata By MFC IRY. FO se £1 BT IFS ERA TERE %, * a. bie ow CHAPTER i ABRIDGED DESCRIPTIONS OF SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. Tse accumulation of varieties of fruits within the last ten years has been so great, that anything like a complete description, or account of them all, would in itself exceed the bounds of a moderate sized volume. Taken alto- gether, there are perhaps at this moment no fewer than one thousand different varieties under cultivation. ‘To trace out the history, the peculiar characters and merits of these, must be the work of the pomologist, and forms no part in the design of this treatise. In making the follow- _ ing selections, and in describing them, pomological system and minuteness have not been deemed necessary, nor wowd they be practicable within the necessary limits. The main object aimed at is, to bring to the notice of cultivators the best varieties, those which ample experi- ence has proved to be really valuable, or which upon a partial trial give strong indications of becoming so. Nothing is more embarrassing to the inexperienced culti- vator than long lists; and many will no doubt be inclined to think that a large number of the following varieties might very well be dispensed with. But it must be remembered that our country, even the great fruit grow- ing regions of it, possesses different climates, that there are various qualities of soils, various tastes and circum- stances of individuals to be provided for. A dozen or 278 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. twenty sorts of apples or pears may be as many as one person may require; but it does not follow that these vari- eties only are to be cultivated, for it is very probable that © another individual; residing even in the same State, would make a selection entirely different. New York, Massa- chusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and other States, have all varieties of their own; and by the time each has made a selection, our one hundred and fifty varieties will be appropriated, and a deficiency still exist in all probability. We are not of those who ery out against new varieties. On the contrary, we look upon every one of veal excellence as an additional blessing to the fruit growers and to society, for which they should be duly thankful. The only thing to be observed in regard to them is, that before entering into general cultivation they should be fairly and carefully tested under various circumstances. Some well meaning persons make a great ery out against nurserymen and others, whose business it is to experiment, for extending their lists, or noticing new varieties. If such a spirit had prevailed, how would our fruits have been to-day ? ™ ig by no means presumed that the following lists are perfect, even as far as they go. No individual possesses such a thorough knowledge of the various soils and cli- mates of our country, or of the varieties of fruits best adapted to them, as to enable him to recommend with in- fallible correctness special lists for all localities. In attempting this, reliance must be placed upon the experience and reports of others, and these are always liable to be biased by tastes or prejudices. These things have been kept in view, and wherever recommendations are made beyond our own knowledge and experience, they are based upon the most reliable authority, and it is hoped will not be found wholly unserviceable to those especially who have neither had experience nor access to APPLES. 279 sources of extensive and minute information. Those who are not satisfied with the abridged descriptions, are ‘ referred to works more strictly pomological; such as “Downing’s Fruit and Fruit Trees,”.“ Thomas's Amer- ecan Krust Culturist,” “ Hovey’s Fruits of America ;” besides, Hovey’s Monthly Magazine, The Horticulturist, Genesee Farmer, and other periodicals, where all new and rare fruits are noticed and described. _ FIRST DIVISION.—KERNEL FRUIT—APPLES, PEARS AND QUINCES. Section 1.—Sxrntecr APpizs. CLASS I.—-SUMMER APPLES. 1. American Summer Pearmain.—Medium size, oblong, - skin smooth, red and yellow; tender, juicy and rich. Tree a slow, but erect and handsome grower; bears early and abundantly; one of the best in nearly all parts of the eountry.—September. 2. Astrachan, Red.—Large, roundish, nearly covered with deep crimson, and a thick bloom like a plum; juicy, rich, acid; ene of the most beautiful apples. Thetreeisa oo 0) grower with large foliage, and a good bearer.— Russian.— August. 3. Benonst.—Medium size, round, red: flesh tender, juicy and rich; a good bearer and strong vee grower. —From Mieceaehaioe east, 4, Bough, Large Sweet (Large yellow bough of Down- ing).—Large, pale yellow, sweet, rich flavored. Tree a moderate, compact grower, and abundant bearer—Aug. 5. Bevan’s Favorite —A new Jersey apple, where it is esteemed as one of the best of its season. Medium size, roundish striped, sub-acid and good.—August.. 6. Bohaman.—A. very delicious high-flavord apple 980 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. of Kentucky. Roundish, or inclining to oval, deep yellow. Very tender, sprightly and fine—August to October. 7. Caroline Red June.—A very early and good apple, © cultivated considerably in Michigan, Wisconsin, &c. About as large as the Summer Queen. Have seen good specimens from Kalamazoo. 8. Karly Harvest—Medium to large size, round, pale . yellow, rich sub-acid. ‘Tree a moderate grower, but erect and handsome, and a good bearer—Last of July to Aug. 9. Larly Strawberry—Medinm size, smooth and fair, mostly covered with deep red; tender, almost melting, with a mild, fine flavor. Tree a moderate, erect grower, and a good bearer; a beautiful and excellent variety for both orchard and garden.—Middle to end of August. 10. Early Joe.—A beautiful and delicious, small sized, deep red apple. ‘Tree rather a slow, but upright grower, and a most profuse bearer; originated in Ontario County, N. Y.—Last of August. | 11. Early Chandler—Medium size, roundish, striped, good quality. Originated in Connecticut, but is exten- sively cultivated in some parts of Ohio, where it succeeds well. The tree is vigorous and erect.—August and Sept. 12. Early Pennock.—This variety is quite popular in some districts of Ohio, and very little known elsewhere. ~ . It is described as a magnificent, large, conical, yellow and red apple, ripening there the middle of August. 13. Garretson’s Early —Medium size, greenish yellow tender, juicy and pleasant. Tree vigorous, very produc- tive, and bears young. Noticed firstin Hovey’s Magazine, September, 1848. Supposed to have originated in New Jersey; not much disseminated.—July and August. 14. Golden Sweeting—Large, roundish, pale yellow, a very fair, fine, sweet apple. Tree a strong grower, spread- ing and irregular; a good bearer.—August. 15. Keswick Codlin.—Large, oblong, pale yellow, acid. S| APPLES. 981 Tree erect and very vigorous; bears when quite young and abundantly; excellent for cooking from July to October. 16. Lyman’s Large Summer—tLarge, roundish, pale yellow, rich and excellent. The tree requires shortening like the peach, to keep up a proper supply of young shoots, as they bear only on the ends.— August. 17. Manomet (Horseblock Apple).—This is an excellent late summer, sweet apple, originated near Plymouth, Mas- sachusetts, and named by Mr. John. Washburn of that town. It is described in Hovey’s Magazine, September, 1848, as “ one of the finest early sweet apples,” “ having a deep yellow skin, and a bright vermillion cheek.” The tree is vigorous and a good bearer.— August and Sept. 18. Oslin (Oslin Pippin, Arbroath Pippin).—A famous Scotch apple, succeeds well in Upper Canada. Medium size, roundish, yellow; flesh juicy, rich and fine. Tree productive—August and September. 19. Ornes Eur lyi—Large, yellow, with a dull, red cheek, tender, juicy and fine. Imported from rahe to- enwstinidetts without a name, and afterwards described _ in Hovey’s Magazine under this title. The tree is a strong orower. 20. Summer Bellejleur—This is a very fhe late sum- mer apple, raised by John R. Comstock, of Duchess County, from a seed of the Esopus iiconbarol: it resem- bles the yellow belle-fleur in form and color, and is de- scribed by Mr. Downing, Horticulturist, vol. 3, as “ decid- edly superior to Porter, aire s ee or any summer apple of its season.” ‘Tree strong and upright. 21. Summer Sweet Paradise—A. large fine, sweet apple, from Pennsylvania; round, greenish yellow, juicy, sweet and rich August and September. 22. Sine-qua-non.—Medium size, greenish yellow; flesh tender and fine flavored. Tree a slender, slow grower, , 282 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. but bears well. Gidea on Long Island by tne late William Prince—August. 23. Summer Lose (Woolman’s Early) Bi ee size, roundish, pale yellow, with a red cheek, tender and deli- cious; has a most beautiful waxen appearance. Tree thes a slow grower, but a good bearer.—Middle to oad of August. 24. Mainine> QYueen.—Large, conical, striped and clouded with red; rich and fine flavored. Tree grows rather irre- gular, with a large spreading head.—August. | 25. Sops of Wine.—Medium size, conical, dark crim- son flesh stained with red, tender and delicious. The tree is a fine grower and bearer, and the fruit remains a lorg time in use; known as the “ Pie Apple” about Oswego. —August and September. . 26. Summer Scarlet Pearmain (Bell’s Scarlet) English. —Medium to large, conical, mostly covered with crimson; flesh stained with red; tender and good. Trees grow * freely, and bear young and abundantly.—Aug..and Sept. 27. Welliams’ Favorite—Large, oblong, red, rich and excellent, a moderate grower and good bearer; highly esteemed in Massachusetts, where it originated August. CLASS IIl.—AUTUMN APPLES. 28. Alexander (Emperor Alexander).—A very large and beautiful deep red apple, with a light bloom. -Tree spreading, vigorous, and productive. JRussian.—October and November. 29. Autumn Strawberry (Late Str awberry). —Medium. size, streaked light and dark red; tender, crisp, juicy and fine. Tree ee rather ee. productive; one ef the best of its season—September and October. Cul- tivated most in Western New York; origin unknown. 30. Autumn Swaar—A large, roundish, flattened, yel- APPLES. 283 low apple, generally known as “Sweet Swaar” in the orchards of Western New York. The flesh is yellow, juicy, sweet and rich; tree stout and Spheetay; very good. 31. Beauty of Kent.—A le ot English apple, rivalling the Alexander in size and beauty, skin striped with dark red; flesh tender but coarse, and. indifferent in flavor ; Seale for cooking; tree very vigorous and alae io. 32. Bailey Spice-—A medium-sized, roundish, on apple, with a sub-acid, brisk spzcy flavor, introduced by Jno. W. Bailey, of Plattsburg, N. Y., where it originated; tree of moderate growth, a great bearer,— fruit always fair ; little known yet.—September and October. 83. Cooper—A very large, beautiful, and excellent Ohio apple, roundish,—skin yellow streaked with light red; flesh tender, juicy, and agreeable. (Barrels of them were exhibited at the Ohio State Fair in 1850, and noth- ing in season equalled them. It is said to have been brought originally from New England. )—October to December. 34. Clyde Beauty.—Large, conical, pale yellow, striped and marbled with light red; sub-acid, good; introduced tous by Mr. Matthew Mackie, of Clyde, N. Y., where it originated.—October to December. 35. Duchess of. Oldenburg.—A large beautiful Russian apple, roundish, streaked red and yellow; tender, juicy, and pleasant; tree a vigorous fine grower, and a young and abundant bearer.—September. 36. Drap @ Or, or Cloth of Gold—Large, golden yel- low ; flavor mild and agreeable ; tree spreading—October. 37. Dyer—See Pane Raval. 38. Fall Pippin.—Very large, roundish oblong, val low; flesh tender, rich, and delicious; tree vigorous, 284 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. spreading, and a fine bearer; esteemed everywhere.— October to December. 3 | 39. Fall Harvey—A large, handsome yellow apple, resembling the Fall Pippin, but not so good. Essex county, Mass.—October and November. 40. Lleiner—Medium size, obiong, pale yellow, with ared cheek.; tender and pleasant; has a beautiful, smooth, Waxy appearance; tree erect, and a great bearer; Ger- man.—September and October. 41. Gravenstein—A beautiful, large, striped, roundish apple of the first quality ; tree remarkably vigorous and erect in growth, and very productive. German.—Septem- ber and October. 42. Garden Royal—Small, yellow, striped with red, sub-acid, rich, spicy, and delicious; tree of moderate or slow growth; Massachusetts—September. First noticed by Manning in Hovey’s Magazine. Not adapted for the orchard either in tree or fruit. 43. Haskell Sweet (Sassafras Sweet Cole).—Large, flat, greenish yellow, tender, sweet, and rich; treé vigorous and productive. Massachusetts.—September and October. 44. Hawthornden—A beautiful Scotch apple, medium to large size, pale yellow and red; trees have strong shoots, with low spreading heads; constant and abundant bearer ; excellent for cooking.—September and October. 45. Hawley (Dowse).—A magnificent, large pale yel- low apple, mild acid, tender, rich, and fine; tree is a fair grower, and bears well; originated in Columbia county, N. Y.; has black spots in some seasons.—September and October. . 46. Jewett’s Fine Red—An excellent New England apple, medium size, tender and fine flavored; a good grower and bearer, said to be well adapted to the North. —October and November. 47. Jersey Sweet.—Medium size, striped red and green, APPLES. 285 tendei, juicy, and sweet; a strong fine grower and good bearer; succeeds well, aan is highly esteemed in almost all we of the country, both for table and cooking.— September and October. 48. Kane (Cain)—A very beautiful, smooth crimson apple, of Delaware, resembling the Fameuse ; medium size, roundish, and good quality.—October. 49. Lowell, Orange, Tallow Pippin (Queen Anne in Ohio).—Large, oblong, pale yellow, skin oily, quality excellent; tree a good grower and bearer.—September and fetohics, % 50. Lyman’s Pumpkin Sweet anad Sweet).—A large, round, green apple, fine for baking; tree very vigorous, iia: i and productive; much grown in Western New York.—October to December. 51. Maiden’s Blush.—Medium size, flat, pale yellow, with a red cheek, beautiful, tender and pleasant, but not high flavored ; tree an erect and fine grower, and good bearer.—September and October. 52. Munson Sweet—Medium to large, roundish flat- tened, pale yellow, with a blush on the sunny side; ten- der, sweet, and good; becomes rather dry as it matures ; very fine for baking, and very beautiful; introduced to us by Mr. Jesse Storrs, of Marathon, N.Y. It is said to be a native of Massachusetts ; tree a good, upright grower, and good bearer.—October to December. 53. Worthern Sweet—A. very beautiful and excellent sweet apple, introduced to us by Mr. Jonathan Batty, of Keeseville, N. Y., who presented it at the Pomological Convention at New York, in 1849. It is so much like the Munson that we once thought them identical. It is supposed to have originated in Chittenden county, Vt. The tree is a moderate grower, with drooping branches, and a great bearer. “ 54. Porter—Medium size to large, oblong, yellow a 286 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. flesh, fine, tender, and of excellent flavor; tree a mode- rate grower; very popular in Massachusetts.—September. 55. Pomme Royal, or Dyer.—Large, roundish, yellow- ish white, with a brown tinge next the sun, crisp, juicy, and high flavored; tree a fair grower. and abundant bearer.—September and October. - 56. Pumpkin Sweet, Pumpkin Russet—A very large, round, yellowish russet apple, very sweet and rich; tree a strong, rapid grower, with a spreading head; valuable. —October and November. j : 57. President.—Large and beautiful, yellow, with a red cheek, roundish, flattened, of good quality, bears most abun- dantly. We obtained it from Columbus, Ohio.—October. 58. Lepublican Pippin.—Large, roundish, striped, sub- acid ; described by Dr. Brinkle, in the Horticulturist, as having a peculiar walnut, flavor; “ quality No.1.” The tree is a vigorous grower and regular bearer, “ but does not bear so well on a limestone soil.” September to Octo- ber, and fit for cooking in July. Originated in Lycoming county, Pa. | 59. St. Lawrence-—Large, round, streaked red and greenish yellow; a very beautiful, productive, and popu- lar market apple. Originated in . Montreal, Canada.— October. , 60. Spice Sweet—Large, pale yellow, with a blush on the sunny side, quite waxen and beautiful, tender, sweet, and fine; a great bearer——September. 61. Smoke-House.—This is a fine apple, originated in Lancaster county, Pa. Rather large, flat, striped ; tree is a rapid grower, with spreading branches; flesh crisp, juicy, and fine flavored. October. Not much dissemi- nated yet. 7 62. Sawyer Sweet—Medium size, conical, greenish, with a blush on the exposed side; tender, sweet, and good; the tree is a free upright grower, and a good APPLES. 287 bearer. Octoberand November. Described by Kenrick, from whom we obtained it. 63. Superb Sweet—Large, roundish, yellow and red; flesh tender, juicy, rich flavored; tree is a good oe and bearer; native of Maccaebeaschis. and send well in Maine. Mecaed by Cole, who sent it to us—Sep- tember and October. 64. Summer Sweet Paradise —Large, roundish, flat- tened, pale green, marked with gray dots; flesh tender, sweet, and rich;,the tree is very productive, and bears young. Originated at Columbia, Pa.; one of the best dessert varieties of its season —September and October. 65. Tompkins —A large and beautiful apple, from Tompkins county, N. Y., where it is supposed to have originated. Itis of a selde yellow color at maturity ; flesh sub-acid, tender, and rich ; tree productive. October «© and November. Described in the Horticulturist in 1847. 66. Zowne.—Large, flat, striped; flesh tender, juicy, mild, and pleasant; ripens with the Gravenstein, and is nearly as good with us; obtained from Kenrick. CLASS IV.—APPLES FOR ORNAMENT OR PRESERVING. 67. Red Siberian Crab.—Small, about an inch in diam- eter, yellow, with scarlet cheek; beautiful; tree is vigor- ous and erect; bears when two or three years old.—Sep- tember and October: 68. Large Red Siberian Crab—Nearly twice as large as the above, but similar in appearance and quality ; trees grow large.—September and October. 69. Yellow Siberian Crab.—Nearly as large as the last, and of a beautiful golden yellow. 70. Large Yellow Crab—Larger than any of the pre- ceding, pale yellow, with tint of red in the sun; tree a vigorous and rapid grower. oe 988 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 71. Double Flowering Ohinese-—A beautiful orna- mental tree, producing is clusters of semi-double rose colored blossoms. CLASS III.—WINTER APPLES. 72. Baldwin (Steele’s Red Winter, in Western New York).—A large, fair, bright, red apple, roundish, in- clining to oblong; flesh crisp, juicy, and pleasant; not very fine grained. Tree is a vigorous, rapid grower, with curved erect branches, and fries a babi open head in the orchard ; bears alioadaniiiiea eee in Massachu- setts, where ss is one of the most popular and profitable being fruits for market. It also succeeds well through- out New York, and especially in the Genesee Valley; » variable in the south and west. 78. Baily Sweet (Patterson Sweet)—A magnificent sweet apple of the largest size, originated in Wyoming county, New York; brought to our notice a few years ago, by E. A. McKay, Esq., of Naples, New York; color deep reddish crimson; flesh tender, sweet, juicy, and rich; tree vigorous, erect, and productive.—October to January. 74. Bowrrassa.—Large, conical, reddish russet, rich and high-flavored, but rather dry; supposed to have originated in Lower Canada; a very valuable apple for the high northern latitudes; succeeds well in western New York.—October to March. 75. Blue Pearmaim.—Very large, roundish, purplish . red, clouded, covered with bloom; flesh sub-acid, juicy, and good; tree is a vigorous grower, with large foliage, and a spreading head; bears moderately ; very popular in the markets on account of its size and beauty.—Octo- ber to January. 16. Bellflower, Yellow.—Mr. Downing follows Thomp- » APPLES. ve - 289 son in calling this Bellejlewr, which is, no doubt, correct, this being the French term for handsome flower, while our word means bell-shaped flower; but having been de- scribed as bell-flower by the older authors, and universally known and called so in this country, it cannot be changed. The fruit is large, oblong, slightly conical, yellow, with a blush on the sunny side; flesh crisp, juicy, pretty acid, and rich; tree is a amid grower, with spreading sae drooping Senile very productive ; originated in New Jersey ; succeeds yah throughout a large portion of the country.— November to April. 77. Belmont (Gate)—A beautiful and excellent apple of Ohio; large, roundish, inclining to conical; yellow, with a tinge of red on one side; sub-acid, juicy, and fine; succeeds well in New York and northern Ohio, but is variable at Cincinnati and further southOctober to February. Described by Mr. Downing as “ Waxen,” he supposing it to be identical with that of Coxe. This is yet in doubt. 78. Belle et Bonne.—This is a native of Connecticut; a © tree at East Hartford, forty years old, measures one hun- ' dred and twenty feet in circumference, and bears-forty to fifty bushels a year. Mr. Downing deceribes it as “Sa very large, showy, yellow apple, of the fall pippin class ;” the tree forms a beautiful symmetrical head, and bears aan dantly.—October to January. Keep ewes There is an apple by this name cultivated about Rochester, large, showy, striped, of fair quality, ripens in September. 79. Broadwell—aA fine, new, sweet apple, from Ohio; _ large, greenish yellow, tender, sweet, and excellent ; keeps till spring. 80. Carthouse (Gilpin, Red Romanite) -—Medium size, round, striped, sub-acid, and agreeable; cultivated rather Bettas in some parts of ‘the gout, where it is es- 13 7 4 990 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. teemed for its productiveness and good keeping qualities : It is also grown much for cider—February to May. | 81. Danvers’ Winter Sweet—Medium size, roundish, slightly conical; greenish yellow, with a brown tinge on the sunny side; flesh yellowish, crisp, juicy, and rich, tree. very productive, spreading; one of the best sweet apples ; origin, Danvers, Massachusetts; keeps till April. 82. Doninie-—Medium size, flat, greenish yellow, streaked with red, sub-acid, juicy, and high flavored.— November to April. Cultivated rather extensively in the orchards on the Hudsen ; resembles the Rambo, and like it succeeds well in the west and south. 83. Dutch Mignonne.—A very large, beautiful, and ex cellent apple ; a native of Holland; orange, marked with russet and faint streaks of red; fine flavored; tree erect, and. good bearer.—November to March. 84. FHameuse-—Medium size, deep crimson, flesh snowy white, tender; and delicious; tree vigorous, with dark wood ; a beautiful and fine early winter fruit; succeeds particularly well in the north—November, December, January; September, and October, in Ohio and farther - south. Native of Canada. 85. Fallawater—From Columbia, Pennsylvania; me- dium size, slightly conical, greenish yellow, with a dull blush on the sunny side; flesh juicy, sub-acid, and good; productive. | 86. Hort Miami.—A_ new variety from Ohio. Said to be a rich, high-flavored, good keeper. Yam 87. Green Sweeting.—Medium size, greenish, tender, sweet, and spicy; one of the very best long-keeping sweet apples; tree a moderate grower—November to May. ‘ . . 88. Hubbardson Nonsuch—Large, striped yellow and red, tender, juicy, and fine, strong grower and great bearer ; native of Massachusetts.—November to January. ~ ye . ; APPLES. . 208 89. Hooker —A. large fine apple, introduced to Ro- chester by Judge E. B. Strong, from Connecticut; color greenish yellow, striped, and covered with dark red in the sun; flesh tender, juicy, and fine-flavored; tree very pro- ductive—November to January. 90. Hartford Sweeting (Spencer Sweeting).—A native of Hartford, Connecticut; medium size, flat, striped ; flesh juicy, tender, and rich; keeps till late in spring; tree very productive ; a valuable orchard variety. 91. Jonathan.—Medium size, striped red and yellow; flesh tender, juicy, and rich, with much of the Spitzen- burg character ; shoots light-colored, slender, and epread- ing; very pibdntlive ; a native of Kingston, S ew York. —November to April. 92. King—A large handsome fruit, siitaoad red and yellow, of fair but not first-rate quality ; tree remarkably vigorous and fruitful October to January. 93. Lady Apple, Pomme @Api—A beautiful little dessert fruit, flat, pale yellow, with a brilliant red cheek ; flesh crisp, juicy, and pleasant; the tree forms a dense, erect head, and bears large crops of fruit in clusters; the fruit sells fi the highest price in New York, Lond and Paris.—November to May. There are foraie or five varie- ties of these described by authors, but this is the best. 94. Ladies’ Sweet—Large, roundish, green, and red, nearly quite red in the sun; sweet, sprightly, and per- fumed ; shoots slender but erect; a good bearer ; origin- ated near Newburg, New York; one of the best winter sweet apples—November to May. * 95. Lumber Twig (James River)—A large, dull, red apple; second rate in quality, but keeps till June or July, on account of which chiefly it is cultivated at the south and west; the tree has weak, pendulous branches, but is exceedingly hardy, and bears immense ‘crops. 96. Mother.—Large, red; flesh very tender, rich, and | + 292 : SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. iGroatidl tree a good bearer ; succeeds well in the north; supposed to have originated in Worcester connty, Massa- chusetts. = Kate aidhioel to, January... t+ 97. felon (Norton’s). —Large, pale, whitish yellow and vermillion red; flesh tender, ‘juicy, almost melting, and spicy; a most icapiakl and delicious fruit ; aia in East Bloomfield, New York; the tree is rather a slow grower, but a good bearer; retains its freshness from October to April. 98. McLellan (Martin).—Large, roundish, yellow, strip- ed with red; flesh fine grained, mild, tender, and plea- sant; tree productive ; originated in Woodstock, Connec- ticut, where it’ is highly esteemed. Mr. Downing con- siders it “worthy of a place in every small collection, and valuable for the orchard.” 99. Minister—A large, showy, oblong, striped apple, fine-grained and pleasant, sub-acid. Mr. Manning con- sidered it one of the finest apples Massachusetts pro- duced; with us it is about second-rate; trees exceedingly pr stele .—October to January. 100. Monmouth Pypm (Red Cheeked Pippin).—A large, showy, good apple, of New Jersey, ‘somewhat cul- tivated, and succeeds well in western New York, round- ish, oblong, greenish yellow, with a deep red cheek; flesh rather compact, sub-acid, and agreeable; keeps well till March or April; tree upright, vigorous, and pro- duetive. ... 101. Worthern Spy.—tLarge, striped, and quite covered on the sunny side with dark crimson, and delicately coated with bloom; fiesh juicy, rich, highly aromatic, re- taining its freshness of flavor and appearance till July; the tree is aremarkably rapid, fine, erect” grower, and a great bearer; like all trees of the same habit, it requires good culture, and an occasional thinning out of the branches, to admit the sun and air fully to the fruit. It a, APPLES. — 293 is one of the largest, most beautiful, and excellent long- keeping apples yet known; originated in Ontario county, ‘New York, and introduced a few years ago. Mr. Cole says it is found to be very hardy as far north as Maine. 102. Newtown Pippin.—One of the most celebrated of American apples, on account of its long-keeping and excellent qualities, and the high price it commands abroad ; but its success is confined to certain districts and soils. It attains its greatest perfection on Long Island, and on the Hudson. In western New York and New England, it rarely succeeds well. It requires rich and high culture, and it is said a large supply of lime; treea slow, feeble grower, with rough bark.—November to icles 103. Ortley (Detroit, White Bellflower, Warren Pippin, etce., of the West, Woolman’s Long, etc., etc.)—Large, aduinidiels sligktly oblong, pale yellow ; flesh sub-acid, sprightly and fine; succeeds well in New Jersey, and in the west ; origin, New Jersey. 104. ‘Pals Pleasant.—Large, pale alla with a brown cheek, very smooth and fair; flesh firm and rich, approaching the flavor of a Newtown pippin ; tree erect and a fine bearer.—November to April. 105. Pomme Grise—Small, greyish ‘russet, very rich, and high-flavored; tree a moderate grower, but a good bearer; very valuable in the north ; is frequently shipped from Canada to England.—November to April. 106. Pckman (Pickman Pippin).—Medium to large, roundish, slightly flattened, of a beautiful clear straw color; sub-acid and rich; fine for cooking —November to February. Supposed to be a native of Massachusetts. 107. Pryor’s Red—A very popular and excellent fruit in Ohio and Kentucky ; somewhat similar to the Bourassa in color and flavor; reddish or brownish russet; rather dry, but rich and high-flavored; rather late and shy 994. SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. | bearer.—December to February. Cultivated extensively for the New Orleans market. | 108. Phillip’s Sweeting—A. new Ohio apple, large, conical, yellow and red; flesh tender, juicy, sweet, and good. Early winter. 109. Z2ambo (Romanite, Seek-No-Farther).—Good and popular over a greater extent of country than any other variety ; medium size, round, greenish, yellow, striped with red; flesh exceedingly tender, juicy, and pleasant ; tree vigorous, erect, and very productive; ripens in the autumn at the south and west, but keeps here till Feb- ruary. | 110. Rome Beauty—A large and very beautiful new apple of Ohio; we saw it at Cincinnati in 1850; it is roundish or ‘Si, slightly conical, pale yellow, mostly covered with bright red; flesh not very fine, but tender, juicy, and good; early ariea It will undoubtedly be valuable ca the stheid! 111. Rawle’s Jannet (Rawle’s Janneting, Never-fail, Rockremain, &c.)—The most popular and vabouie orchard fruit of Kentucky. An experienced orchardist of that State, Mr. Sanders, of Carrol county, who has known it for fifty years, says that “ 30 to 40 per cent. of every orchard in Kentucky should be planted with it.” It blos- soms two weeks later than most other varieties, and there- fore always escapes spring frosts. It is medium to small, round, greenish streaked, and clouded with dull red; flesh compact, crisp, juicy and vinous.—Keeps till June or July. 112. Reinette, Canada.—Very large, flattened, ribbed, dull yellow, flesh firm, juicy and rich; tree a strong grower and good bearer. In France it is considered the larrest and hest apple, and proves excellent here; it keeps better for being picked early.—November to Meme 113. Red Canada (Old None-such of Massachusetts) — l APPLES. | 295 Medium size, red, with white dots, flesh fine, rich, sub-acid - and delicious; tree a slender grower; one of the best of apples.—November to May. 114. Rhode Island Greening.—Every where well known and popular; tree spreading and vigorous, always more or less crooked in the nursery; a great and constant bearer in nearly all soils and situations; fruit rather acid, but excellent for dessert or cooking; towards the south it ripens in the fall, but in the north keeps well till March or April. 115. Russet Golden —Medium size, dull russet, with a tinge of red on the exposed side; flesh greenish, crisp, juicy and high flavored; tree a fine grower, spreading with light colored speckled shoots, by which it is easily known; bears well; popular and extensively grown in Western New York.—November to April. 116. Lusset Golden American (Bullock’s Pippin, Sheep’s Nose).—Medium size to small, conical, slightly russeted; flesh remarkably tender, juicy and rich; of the finest quality; origin, New Jersey, and succeeds well in the west and south. Tree an upright, compact, but not rapid grower. 117. Russet English cb uataapeis Russet).— Medium size, slightly conical, greenish yellow, mostly covered ° with russet. Tree is remarkably stout and erect, bears large crops, and the fruit will keep a year; quality good ; very profitable. 118. Ltusset, Roxbury or Boston —Medium size to large, surface rough, greenish, covered with russet, flavor indif- ferent; tree vigorous, spreading, and a great bearer; keeps till June. Its great popularity is owing to its productive- ness and long-keeping. 119. Swaar.—Large, pale lemon yellow, with dark dots, flesh tender, rich and spicy; tree a moderate grower, with dark shoots and large grey buds; with good culture it is one of the very best of apples. Cis Gibbet to May. x 296 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. % =: > ~ “* 120. Seek-no-further' (Westfield)—Medium to larga, striped with dull red, and slightly russeted;" flesh tender, rich and excellent; tree a good grower and bearer, and fruit always fair Mag recalten to February. 121. Spitzenburgh Esopus.—Large, deep red, with grey spots, and delicately coated with bloom, flesh yellow, crisp, rich and excellent; tree rather a feeble, slow, spread- ing grower, and moderate bearer; esteemed in this State as one of the very best.—November to April. Spitzenburgh Newtown.—F rom the little village of New- town, Long Island; a handsome, round, dark red apple, marked with brown dots; flesh yellow, firm, mild and pleasant—November to February. This was exhibited as “* Vandervere” in nearly all the western collections at the Cincinnati Convention. 123. Tallman Sweeting—Medium size, pale whitish yellow, slightly tinged with red; flesh firm, rich and very sweet; excellent for cooking; tree vigorous, upright and very productive-—November to April. 124. Twenty Ounce (Cayuga Red Streak)—A very large, showy, striped apple, of fair quality ; tree an upright, - compact grower, and fine bearer; excellent for baking, and of pleasant flavor, though not rich; one of the best very large apples, and popular in the markets.—Octobe1 to January. ; 125. Tewksbury Winter Blush—Small, yellow, with a - red cheek, flesh firm, juicy, and fine flavored; a remark- ably long keeper; tree a rapid, erect grower; suits the south best, as it requires a long season to manure it; origin, New Jersey.—January to July. 126. Vandevere—Medium size, yellow, striped with red, and becoming deep crimson next the sun, flesh yel- low, rich and fine; tree a fair grower and good bearer; succeeds best on light, warm, dry soils——October to March. 127. Wagener—Medium to large size, deep red in the APPLES. — 297 sun; flesh firm, sub-acid and excellent; tree very produc- , tive. A new and excellent variety, recently introduced from Penn Yan, Yates hae New York.—December to May. *.. 128. Winter Pearmain.—Medium size, dull red stripes, on a yellowish ground, flesh tender, pleasant and aro- matic; a moderate grower and bearer, best on warm soil. —November and March. 129. Wiliow Twig—A western variety, particularly valuable for its productiveness and long keeping; shoots very slender, hence its name. 130. Wells’ Sweeting.—A fine early winter sweet apple, from Newburgh, New York. Medium size, roundish, green, flesh tender, sprightly and rich. Tree a stout, up: right grower and good bearer.—November to January. 131. Wine Sap—Medium size, roundish, slightly coni- eal, deep red; flesh very firm and crisp, with a sub-acid flavor. Tree very productive; fine for cider, for which it has been extensively grown.—November to April. 132. Wine Apple (Hay’s Winter)—Large, roundish, slightly flattened, yellow striped, and clouded with bright red; flesh yellow, juicy, crisp and pleasant. A native of Delaware; succeeds well in many parts of the country. 133. White Winter Calville-—-This is a celebrated French apple, and is one of the finest dessert varieties to be found in their markets at the present day. It is large, flat, ribbed, pale yellow, with a bright red cheek; flavor pietent but not rich. Succeeds well in Canada —No- vember to March. SMALL SELECT LISTS OF APPLES. For Western New York the following are “unimpeach- able :” Nos. 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 23, 29, 38, 41, 44, 45, 47, 298 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. &, * 55, 72, 73, 76, 81, 83, 84, 87, 93, 97, 101, 105, 109, 113, 114, 119, 121, 197. ipa Hh sem Garden Varieties. —2, 9, 10, 15, 23, 29, 388, 41, 47, 50, 55, 84, 93, 97, 101, 105, 113, 119, 121, 197. T ke very PS a been sorts ie FDS ode 4, 23, 31, 35, 38, 27, 28, 41, 44, 45, 51, 59, 72, 73, 83, 101, 400° $97 Tae. Varieties that succeed well in the south and west.— 1,2, 4,5, 6,7, 8, 11, 12,15, 23, 33, 38, 41, 47, 51, 61, 76, 79, 80, 82, 84, 86, 95, 102, 103, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 114, 116, 118, 126, 129, 132. The “ Western Horticultural Review” suggests the fol- lowing for an orchard of one thousand trees at St. Louis. Two hundred Rawle’s Jannet ; two hundred Pryor’s Red ; two hundred Newtown pippin ; fifty golden russet (Ame- rican, no doubt) ; thirty-five Newton Spitzenburgh ; fifteen fall pippin; twenty-five each, yellow and white bell- flower, early strawberry, early harvest, Benoni, Williams’ favorite, Bohanan, and Gravenstein, Ceoper, Rome Beauty, Rambo, Belmont, and Fameuse; one hundred Carthouse or Gilpin, Michael Henry and Smith’s Cider; fifty “any others not rejected.” Samuel Walker, Esq., President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, one of the most experienced and critical judges of fruits in America, gives, in “ Hovey’s Magazine, vol. xv., 1849, the following list as being the best-suited to the meridian of New England, ranked ac- cording to merit thus: Nos. 114, 41, 72, 8 or 9, 113, 54, Me ee oe 84, 1, 3, 2, 39, 27, 94, 91, 104, — a PEARS. 299 Section 2.—Srrect Pars. CLASS I.—SUMMER PEARS. 1. Amire Joannet (St. John’s).—Retained only on ac- count of its earliness, and not recommended for small collections ; the tree is a fine grower on both pear and quince, and a profuse bearer; fruit small, pale yellow, and sweet, soon mealy.—T'wentieth to last of July. For- eign. 2. Beau Present @ Artois——A good, juicy, half melt ing pear, medium size; tree very vigorous and BronHediap on the quince Bae kanal as Foreign. 3. Bloodgood.—An American pear of the first quality ; medium size, buttery, melting, and rich; tree is a fair grower ; succeeds well, and makes a fine pyramid on the quince.— August. 4, Bartlett (William’s Bonchretien). —One of the most popular pears; large, buttery, and melting, with a rich musky flavor; tree a fair, erect grower; bears young and abundantly, both on pear and quince; the fruit ripens _-perfectly.in the house, if gathered even two or three weeks before its time of ripening; this prolongs its sea- son.—Last of September. 5. Canandaigua. —So named by the Congress Fruit Growers, in 1849; previously called “ Catharine.” It is, in appearance, Pees) similar to the Bartlett, nearly as large and as good; melting and fine flavored; tree is an upright, vigorous grower on both pear and quince, and very productive. In season middle of September. 6. Dearborn’s Scedling—Rather below medium size, pale yellow, melting and delicious; tree a rapid, fine grower, both on pear and quince, and bears young and .profusely ; one of the very best early summer pears, ripe ~ 300 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. immediately after the Bloodgood.—About the last. of August. | 7. Doyenne d@’Eté (Summer Doyenne).—A_ beautiful little melting sweet pear; tree a fine grower and bearer, and succeeds well on the quince.—August. 8. Edward’s Henrietta—A medium-sized, greenish pear, melting, juicy, and sprightly tree very productive; originated at New Haven, Conn.—September. Not much disseminated. 9. Jargonelle, English—A good old variety, large size, flesh rather coarse, but juicy and pleasant; should ‘be ripened in the house. The tree is a very strong grower, with purplish spreading shoots, and large foliage and flowers. It makes a fine prolific pyramid on the quince, but is not recommended for small collections.— Beginning of August. 10. Leech’s Kingsessing—A new pear recently intro- duced by Dr. Brinkle, of Philadelphia. It is described as being large, of a “ sea-green” color, and “ rich, buttery, and delicately flavored;” ripe last of August. It proves with us a strong grower, and will make a handsome pyra- mid on the quince. . 11. Madeleine.—This is the earliest good pear we have; size medium, flesh melting, sweet and delicate; tree a fair grower, and good, early bearer on both pear and quince. 12. Striped Madeleine—is a variety, with wood and fruit striped with green, yellow and red, of same quality and season as the preceding. 13. Muscadine.—Medium size, melting, musky flavored and good. The tree has vigorous dark shoots, similar to — Jargonelle; does not appear to succeed well on the quince.—Early in September. | 14. Moyamensing (Smith’s)—Originated in Philadel- phia; large size, buttery, melting, and fine flavored; decays very soon after ripening; tree is a fair grower on PEARS. ) 301 both pear and quince; ripens at Philadelphia from the middle of July till August; north proportionably later. 15.. Muscat Rodert—A small, pale yellow, half-melting fruit, very juicy and sweet; tree hardy, productive, and vigorous, leaves large and ‘flat, shoots quite yellowish ; bears abundant crops on the quince; not so good as Madeleine or Bloodgood. 16. Ott’s Seedling—A small, yellow, delicious, high flavored pear; originated near Philadelphia, and brought to notice by Dr. Brinkle, who considers it nearly as good as the Seckel.—August and September. 17. Osband’s Summer—A. medium sized, excellent fruit, half-melting, mild, and pleasant flavored; tree a fair, erect grower, on. both pear and quince, and very pro- ductive; ripens here early part of August; origin, Wayne county, N. Y.; recently introduced. 18. Lousselet Stuttgart—Medium size or rather small, greenish brown, half-melting, juicy, and fine flavored ; tree a fine grower, and very productive on both pear and quince. German.—August and September. 19. Lostiezer—Medium size, yellowish green, with a brown cheek ; flesh juicy, sweet, and high flavored; the tree is vigorous, with dark-colored shoots; succeeds well on the quince; of German origin, and not long introduced here, but so far has preven, first-rate in its season.—First of September. 20. Sygnmer Franc Real. Meds size, juicy, melting, and rich; tree very hardy, and a stout, fine grower and good na on both pear and quince; aes a beautiful pyramid; foliage and young shoots look mealy, being ~ covered with a light down ; fruit should always be ripened in the house. End of ee and bagtaniae of Sep- — tember. | 21. Skinless.(Sanspeau of the French).—Rather small pyriform, pale yellow, with a tinge of red on the sunny e 309 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. side; melting, juicy, and sweet; tree a rapid, erect grower, and very productive—August. 22. Tyson.—Rather above medium size, melting, juicy, sweet, and fine flavored; tree very vigorous and rapid grower, both on quince and pear ; one of the finest summer varieties ; origin, Jenkintown, Pa.—September. CLASS Il.—AUTUMN PEARS. 23. Andrews (Amory or Gibson).—Rather above me- dium size, pyramidal, yellow, with a dull red cheek ; juicy, melting, and good; tree a fair grower, and a good bearer ; very popular in Boston. ne age in and October. Native of Dorchester, Mass. 24. Bleeker’s Meadow.—Medium size, round, halfmelt- ing; second rate; but the tree is exceeding Mand and vigorous, and Beats enormous crops; fine for stewing, etc. —October. | 25. Buffum—Very similar to the White Doyenne, and nearly as good; buttery, sweet, and fine flavored ; tree a remarkably vigorous, upright grower, with light reddish brown shoots ; succeeds well on the quince.—Last of Sep- tember. _ 26. Beurre, Brown —A very fine old fruit; not well spoken of in New England, but does well in this State ; fruit medium size to large, melting, very juicy, with a sprightly vinous flavor. It is rather a tardy bearer and poor grower on the pear, but on the quince it grows well and makes a fine prolific pyramid. It is inclined to over- bear, and should be pruned close, to maintain its vigor. — 27. Beurre, Bosc.—A large and beautiful pear, melting — - © or nearly so, high flavored and delicious ; a good grower on pear, but does not succeed on the quince, except double worked.—September and October. 28. Beurre d’Amalis Panache.—In quality sinatthie to PEARS. 303 Number 87, but the wood and fruit curiously striped with red and yellow, like the striped Madeleine and Doyenne. 29. Beurre @ Anjou.—A large fine pear, buttery and melting, with sprightly vinous flavor; tree a fine grower on both pear and quince.—October and November. For- eign; first imported by Col. Wilder. 30. Beurre Capiaumont—Medium size, yellow, with a red cheek; melting, sweet, and rich, but somewhat vari- able; a good grower and abundant bearer; makes a beautiful productive pyramid on the quince-—October. 31. Beurre Diel—One of the largest pears, buttery, rich, and fine; sometimes gritty at the core on pear stock 5 invariably first-rate on the quince; growth very strong. and rapid, with large roundish leaves.—October and No- vember; and if picked early and ripened gradually in the house, may be kept to December. 32. Beurre, Golden of Bilboa.—A large and beautiful pear of the first quality, buttery and melting, with a rich sprightly flavor; a strong, upright, handsome grower ; succeeds particularly well on the quince——September and October. , 33. Bergamotte Cadetie (Beurre Beauchamps)—A me-_, dium size, oval, melting rich pear; tree afine grower, and . __ very prolific both on pear and quince; makes a fine pyra- mid.——Ripe in November, and keeps well till December. 34. Bergamot Gansels—Medium to large size, round- ish, skin rough, brown; flesh melting, juicy, rich, and high flavored ; rather a poor grower, with slender spread- ing branches and gray leaves; a tardy bearer, does not succeed on the quince.—October. . 35. Beet de Montigny—A very fair, medium-sized » — fruit, melting and sweet, with a pleasant, musky flavor; very vigorous and productive; makes a fine fruitful pyra- 3804 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. mid on the quince, nearly as good as White Doyenne.— October. ; . 36. Belle Lucrative (Fondante d’Automne).—Medium size, melting and delicious; a fair, upright grower; makes a beautiful pyramid on the quince, and bears early and abundantly ; first quality in all respects—September and October. | 37. Beurre d’Amalis—A large, melting, fine pear, ~ resembling the Brown Beurre, and with the:same high vinous flavor; astrong grower, and most abundant bearer on the quince.—September and October. 38. Comte_de Lamy.—A. medium-sized, melting, fine flavored fruit ; a good grower ; makes a ee pyramid on the quince. ee 39. OCushing.—Medium size, oblong, pale green, brown- ish next the sun; juicy, melting, and delicious; tree very productive ; one of the very best Massachusetts varieties. —September. 40. Duamore (Knight’s). —A large, fine pear, with a sprightly sub-acid flavor like the Brown Beurre ; rather variable; sometimes first-rate—September. 41. Dix.—A large, fine pear, melting, juicy, and rich; a fair grower ; ee yellowish shoots ; succeeds on the . quince double worked, but.not otherwise.—October. Ori-. vin, Boston. 49 Duchesse @ Angouleme.—The largest of all our good pears; it attains its highest perfection on the quince, and is a beautiful, vigorous tree ; profitable for market. aa October and: ee, 43. Duchesse d’ Orleans —A_ new, large, and delicious pear, “with the flavor of Gansell’s Bergamot ;” succeeds well on the quince, and bears quite young; has proved fine at Boston, but not so good with us.—October. 44, Doyenne Boussoch,—A new, large, delicious pear, PEARS. 305 ' like a very large White Doyenne; tree a strong, rapid grower ; succeeds well on the quince.—October. 45. Doyenne White—A well known and universally esteemed variety of the highest excellence; growing and bearing equally well on both pear and quince; young trees on the quince are inclined to bear too much, on this account the fruit requires thinning, and the tree pretty close pruning, to keep up a vigorous growth.—October and November. 46. Doyenne Gray.—Similar in quality to the ee. ing; fruit of a reddish russet color; tree not quite so strong a grower. 47. Doyenne Panache (Striped Doyenne).—Similar in. character to the White; wood and fruit are curiously striped. 48. Hxcellentissima.—A very beautiful and excellent new Belgian variety, as large as the Bartlett; oblong, pyriform, yellow, with a tinge of red in the sun; buttery, melting, and rich.—October. It must become a most popular variety. 49. Forelle or Trout Pear—A beautiful German pear, finely speckled, buttery, melting and rich; succeeds well on the quince; bears early and profusely—November. _ 50. Flemish Beauty.—A large, beautiful, melting, rich _ pear; tree vigorous and “fruitful: has not sueceeded well on the quince with us yet.—September and October. — 51. Frederick of Wurtemberg—A large and beautiful pear, sometimes first-rate, and often insipid; a vigorous grower both on pear.and quince, and an early good bearer. —September. 52. Fulton—A native pear, round and russety, melt- ing, rich and .excellent, hardy and vigorous; succeeds . well in the north where many others are tender.—October and November. 53. Henry IV. (We have sent out some trees of this 306 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. variety, imported as “ Ananas”).—A medium sized, melt- ing, delicious pear, of a dull greenish color; a free stout grower, and a most profuse bearer; succeeds well on the quince; should be ripened in the house.—September. 54. Heathcote—A buttery, melting, fine-flavored pear, about the size of White Doyenne, hardy and productive. —September. Originated in the vicinity of Boston. 55. Howell—A very good and very handsome variety, originated at New Haven, Conn. Large or medium, obo- vate, inclining to pyramidal, lemon yellow tinged, with red in the sun; melting, juicy and vinous, rather coarse. Tree vigorous, branches rather spreading and drooping.— September and October. _ 86. Hanners (Hannas).—A native of Boston or vicinity ; ~ of medium size, resembling the Cushing, with somewhat the flavor of White Doyenne.—September. 57. Henkel—Medium size, roundish obovate, yellow, slightly russeted; buttery, melting and fine. One of the very best Belgian varieties—November and December. 58. Hacon’s Incomparable-—A. very large round pear, buttery, melting and rich.- Trees spreading and very pro- ductive. One ro the finest English varieties, but a little variable in this country.—October. 59. Harvard —A very popular and profitable market fruit around Boston; large, oblong, russety, melting and ‘juicy; should be house ripened. The tree is vigorous and upright; a tardy but very abundant bearer.—September. 60. Johonnot.—Medium size, roundish obovate, green- ish yellow, slightly russeted, rather coarse but melting, rick and musky. The tree is a good grower, succeeds well on the quince. Originated in Salem, Mass. 61. Anight’s Seedling—Originated in Rhode Island. Large, melting, sweet and good ; should be gathered before cipe; tree a good grower.—September to October. 62. Louise Bonne de Jersey—One of the finest of all PEARS. 307 pears, large, beautiful and delicious; it succeeds well both on pear and quince, but on the latter, especially, it is al/ that can be desired.—September and October. Foreign. 63. Long Green (Verte Longue)—Really long and green, juicy, sweet and good; a fine strong grower and good bearer on the quince.—October. Foreign. 64. Long Green, Striped (Verte Longue Panache).—A variety of the Sesenie with striped eal and fruit, but ‘aferior in quality. 65. Las Canas.—A fine Belgian variety, first fruited by Mr.Manning. Medium size, pyriform, yellow and slightly russeted, juicy, melting and fine.-—October. 66. Lodge—Medium size, brownish, russety, juicy, melting, rich; native of Philadelphia; usually first-rate. —September and October. 67. Marie Louise—A large melting pear of thé first quahty; the tree is a straggling, crooked grower, but — hardy, and bears young and abundantly; does not succeed on the quince. 68. Wapoleon.—A large, juicy, melting, fine fruit; tree vigorous, hardy and productive, makes a fine pyramid on the quince; bears young, ripens in November, and may be kept till December. Should be ripened in a warm room. ; 69. Onondaga.—See Swan’s Orange. 70. Oswego Beurre-—An excellent new pear, from Os- wego, New York, medium size, melting, with a rich vinous flavor. Tree very hardy and productive; makes a beauti- ful pyramid on the quince; a most valuable pear; ripens in October to December. 71. Paradise d’ Automne.—A large, fine melting pear, of the first quality; resembles Beurre Bosc in shape and color.—October. 72. Pratt—aA. native of Rhode Island, medium size, _ *- 868 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. melting, buttery, rich and good aiid first rate-—Sep ge anid October. 73. Petre—Native of a casleasies ; medium size, obovate, pale yellow, slightly russeted, buttery, melting and nak generally first rate. —September. 74. Pogass ylvania.—Medium to large size, half melting; highly esteemed at Philadelphia, where it originated; does not prove so good in other places. Tree a good grower, both on pear and quince.—September. 75. Surpass Virgoulouse (or Virgalieu). A very fine fruit, nearly equal in all respects to the White Doyenne, introduced by the late Mr. Parmentier, of Brooklyn.— October. 76. Seckel—The highest flavored pear known; consi- ‘dered as the standard of excellence}; a stout, erect grower, not rapid, a good bearer; grows well on the quince with us.—September and October. ° 77. St. Ghislain.—A medium sized, fine melting pear; tree a rapid and beautiful grower and good bearer ; should be ripened in the house.—September. 78. Stevens’ Genesee.—A large, roundish, buttery, fine- flavored pear, vigorous and highly proditttine succeeds well on both pear and quince; a native of Monroe county, New York.—September and October. 79. Swan’s Orange (Onondaga).—A very large, melting, high-flavored pear, vigorous and extremely productive, one of the best pears of its size and season; succeeds well on the quince.—October and November. 80. Urbaniste (Beurre Picquery of the French).—4A large, melting, buttery pear, a tardy bearer on the pear, but succeeds ‘yell on the quince.—October and November. } 81.. Van Mons Leon Leclere.—A very large pear, four and a half inches in length, and three in diameter, of an orange color at maturity. Tree vigorous and productive, succeeds well on the quince, and bears quite young ;’ * - PEARS. 309 cracks a little in some seasons, and should have a rich, warm soil.—October and November. 82. Washington —A medium sized, beautiful pear, sweet and delicious; a fine grower on the pear, but does not succeed on the quince.—Middle of September. 88. Welkinson.—A very hardy and productive Rhode Island variety of second quality, medium size, obovate, yellow, melting, sweet and rich. Tree upright and vigo- rous.—October to November. 84. Welbur—Medium, obovate, greenish and russety; rather coarse, melting, juicy and good. Native. CLASS III.—WINTER PEARS. 85. Beurve @ Aremberg—One of the finest winter . pears, large, melting, rich, vinous flavored, ripens well without any extra care; tree vigorous and productive ; succeeds well on the quince.—December to January. 86. Beurre, Easter—A very large, fine melting pear ; better on the quince than on the pear; keeps till spring. 87. Beurre Gris @ Hiver Nouveau.—A. large, new, melting, buttery pear, of the highest quality, flavor rich and vinous, like the brown Beurre, but milder; tree suc- ceeds well on the quince, bearing quite young. Neyer ber and December, and may be kept till January. 88. Beurre Rance—A fine, melting, rich pear, keep- ing till spring; tree a poor grower. 89. Chaumontel (English)—A. large, fine, buttery, melting, rich pear; should have a warm soil and situa- tion ; succeeds well on the quince.—December. 90. Columbia.—A. large, handsome, native pear, melt- ing, “buttery and rich ; tree vigorous and remarkably pro- ductive; grows well on the quince with us—November and January. 91. Doyenne d’Hiver Nouveau or @ Alengon.—A large y 310 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. *& and very fine late-keeping variety received from France ; golden yellow, with a brown tinge in the sun, melting, buttery and rich ; tree upright and vigorous, and very pro- ductive on the quince; have had it very fine on the Ist of March, ripened in the cellar; will prove very valu- able. 92. Glout Morceau.—aA. large, melting, buttery, sweet pear; tree vigorous and productive; like the Duchesse Pincorlena,, Louise Bonne, and some others, it is de- cidedly superior on the quince, and makes a beautiful pyramid.—December. 93. Josephine de Malines—A new Flemish winter pear, pronounced both in France and England to be the finest winter variety; medium in size, melting and rich; the tree is a moderate grower, with quite small leaves; it appears to succeed well on the quince; keeps till spring. _ » 94. Lawrence—A fine, large, melting, rich flavored pear, a native of Long Island; tree a fair grower on both pear and quince; a regular and abundant bearer.—No- vember to February. aes well in the cellar. 95. Passe Colmar.—tLarge, buttery, and rich; tree a fine, free grower on both pear and quince; so disposed to over-fruitfulness that thinning is quite necessary to obtain fine fruit.—December. 96. Steulle (Doyenne Sieulle).—A large, roundish, melt- ing pear, that keeps till January; tree vigorous and up- right; succeeds remarkably well on the quince. 97. St. Germain, Prince’s—A medium sized, juicy, fine flavored fruit; ripens in the cellar, like an apple through the slauions ; a moderate grower and good bearer. ~‘Ihereb, 98. St. Germain.—An old variety, large, melting, ‘and sweet; succeeds well on the quince; bears young and Keer —December to January. 99. Vicar of Winkfield or Monsieur Le Curé. brus 4 PEARS. S11 large, long pear, fair and handsome, of good, but not first- rate quality; tree a most vigorous grower on both pear and quince, and on the latter makes a beautiful*and pro- ductive pyramid; one of the most valuable of all late pears.—Novemberto January. MRipens well in the cellar. 100. Winter Welis (Bonne de Maline and Beurre de Maline, of some French catalogues).—One of the best of early winter pears, medium size, melting and buttery, with a rich, sprightly flavor ; tree is rather slender, strag- gling growth—November and January. Ps CLASS IV.—SELECT BAKING AND STEWING PEARS. 101. Bonchretien (Flemish)—Medium to large size; free vigorous, spreading, and irregular, and bears great crops; keeps through winter. 102. Bonehretien (Spanish)—Medium to large, pyri form, tapering to the stalk, yellow with a red cheek; ae well._—December and January. 103. Cattillac. Nery large, roundish, bears oe young and abundantly on the quince; keeps all winter. 104. Chaptal—Very large, somewhat resembling Duchesse d’Angouleme ; keeps till spring; cooks finely, and is sometimes tolerable for eating; tree vigorous; bears very young on the quince. 105. Haster Bergamot—Medium size, rough, greenish ; keeps well, and cooks finely ; trees remarkably vigorous, erect, and fruitful ; bears quite young on the quince. 106. Pound nage. Uvedale’s St. Germain).— Mon- strous size; often weigh$ two pounds; stews well; tender, and of a rich crimson color; trees vigorous, and very pro- ductive ; liable to be blown off standard trees; succeeds well on the quince, and bears young; keeps all winter. 312 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. SELECT ASSCRTMENTS OF PEARS. Profitable varieties for market orchards.—Nos. 4, 31, 42, 45, 46, 50, 62, 78, 85, 86, 94, 99, 106. Ten very hundy rola sorts. i 20, 24, 25, 52, 59, 70, 94, 97, 99, 106. The great rit pear of Western New York, is the White Doyenne or Virgalieu. No better can be desired of the season; for summer the Bartlett. The Windsor or Summer Belbe, and the Summer Bonchretien, are both very profitable pears, at present brought into our markets in large quantities. Neither of them is described, be- cause it is not desirable to extend their cultivation whilst we have the Bartlett. _ Lwentyfive fine varieties for the garden, on quince stocks —Nos. 3, 4, 6,19, 22, 31, 32, 33, 36, 37, 49, 45, 46, 53, 62, 68, 76, 78, 9, 85, 86, 7, 92, 99, 106. aoe or all of these may be Bre without running any risk of a failure. First-rate sorts for pear eee or to be double worked on the quince. —Nos. 27, 34, aes, 50, 67, 71. NEW AND RARE PEARS, thn ca INTRODUCED, THAT GIVE PROMISE OF EXCELLENCE. THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN PROVED TO SUCCEED ON THE QUINCE ARE . DESIGNATED BY A (q). 107. Adele de St. Denis—New Belgian, medium size, very handsome, russety, melting, vinous, and perianal — October. 108. Arch Duc Charles. =} Mosher size, melting ; ; treea vigorous, fine grower, both on pear and quince.—October. 109. Alpha (New Belgian)—Medium size, greenish yellow, buttery and fine; highly recommended by Mr. Manning.—October. yy or PEARS. : 313 110. Arbre Courbe or Amiral (Van Mons).—Medium to large, melting and delicious; branches irregular and crooked.—September. 111. Belle et Bonne des Zees or Bonne des Zees.—A new, large, and fine Belpian variety, ripening immediately after the Bartlett; obovate, yellow, red next the sun; melting and perfumed. 112. Brandywine.—Recently introduced by Dr. Brin- kle, of Philadelphia; originated in that vicinity ; ripens same season as the Bartlett ; obovate, yellow, and slightly russeted ; melting, sweet, and perfumed.September. 113. Beurre Benoist.—Large, obovate, yellow with a red cheek; melting, juicy, and sweet.—October. From France recently ; found in a hedge. 114. Beurre Bretonneau (Esperin, Belgium).—Medium to large, oval, slightly pyramidal; half melting; tree vigorous and productive ; keeps till April or May. 115. Beurre Clairgeau.—A new French variety, de- scribed to us as being as large as Duchesse d’Angouleme, and of excellent quality.—October and November. 116. Bezt Sans Paredl—A new winter variety from France ; large, greenish, half melting.—February. 117. Beurre Curtet (Bouvier).—Medium size, melting, and fine (q).—October. French. 118. Beurre Davis.—Large, melting, productive (q).— October. French. | 119. Beurre Duval—tLarge, melting; tree vigorous and productive (q).—October and November. French. 120. Beurre Giffard or Giffart—Medium size, melt- ing; tree has erect, slender branches; productive; one of the best new, aint varieties (q) —August. French. 121. Beurre Goubault—Medium size, roundish, half melting; tree vigorous and very prolific; bears quite young (q); new.—September. Angers, France. 122. Beurre Moire—Medium size, melting ; i tree vigo- 14 ¢.@ 314 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. rous and productive (q).—September and October. French. 123. Beurre Superfine—Medium size, meling, very productive; new (q).—October. French. © 124. rae St. Wicholas.—Large, green, and russet, melting, a little coarse, juicy, and high flavored. Bs tember and October. French. 125. Beurre Hardy—A new variety eae by Jamin, of Paris ; large, melting, and good ; tree a vigorous and beautiful ha on the Ai ed g He es 126. Beurre de Waterloo—Medium, obovate pyriform, greenish yellow, with a blush next the sun; flesh buttery, melting, and high flavored ; received from France in 1843; was the best pear we tasted in 1850; ripe latter end of October. 127. Beurre Langelier—A splendid new variety, intro- duced by Mr. Langelier of the isle of Jersey. Mr. Hovey, who has had it bear, gives it the highest character, and thinks it will prove one of the finest winter varieties from abroad. Large, greenish, with a shade of red in the sun; melting, juicy, and vinous; tree a beautiful grower, with large, shining foliage; succeeds finely on the quince.—Decem- ber and January. 128. Brandes St. Germain (Van Mons).—Medium, pyriform, oblong, green and russet, melting, sugary, and rich; tree vigorous, shoots slender and spreading.—De- cember to March. Will prove a valuable winter variety ; first introduced by Mr. Manning. 129. Broompark (Knight's) English. —Medium, round- ish, of a beautiful cinnamon russet, melting and juicy, oe thee of the flavor of a ee and pine-apple.”— _ January. 130. Burlinghame. —A seedling raised in Marietta, Ohio; medium size, very eh Be melting, and geod. —J a and Augnsl. ~ PEARS. $15 131. Colmar Musqué.—Medium size, turbinate, golden yellow, texture and flavor of Bartlett; ripe in October ; a most delicious variety; bears young and abundantly ; received from France in 1848. 132. Cabot (Massachusetts). Medium size, buttery and sweet, very productive.—September and October. 133. Catunka (Esperin).—Large, melting, and excel- lent ; new; said to be in eating for five or six weeks (q). 134. Colmar Bonnet (Van Mons).—Medium size, melt- ing and sugary (q).—September and October. 135. Colmar d@’ Aremberg.—Very large, of second qua- lity ; tree very vigorous and productive (q).—October and November. 136. Commodore.—Medium size, buttery, ee sweet.— October. 137. Chapman (Penn.).—Large, half melting sre tember and October. 138. Chancellor (Penn.).—Large, melting, and rich; new.—September and October. 139. Delices de Jodoigne (Bouvier).—Large, melting ; tree vigorous and productive ; new (q).—November. 140. De Bavay.—Large, melting, said to be first quality (q).—September. 141. Due de Bordeaux (Epine Dumas).—Medium size, half melting, vigorous, and productive (q).—November. 142. De Lepine—Medium size, half melting, produc- tive (q).—September. 143. Delices @ Hardempont.—Medium size to large, melting, productive (q).—November and December. 144. Dillen or “ Doyenne Dillen.”—Medium size, melt- ing and good (q).—December. 145. Doyenne Goubault—Medium size, melting and good, very productive (q).— Winter. 146. Doyenne fobin—-A new variety from Angers, 316 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. France, said to be very large, beautiful, and excellent; ripens in October. ' 147. Doyenne Ltose—One of the most beautiful of all a resembling the White Doyenne in size and form, ut not so good ; Same season. 148. Duchesse de Mars—Medium, roundish, obovate, pale yellow, fair and smooth, juicy, melting, and very highly perfumed.—October. Received from France in 1848 ; succeeds on the quince ; tree rather delicate. _ 149. Hyewood (Knight, Eng.).—Medium size, melting and rich, high flavored.—November. 150. Ferdinand de Meester, or Rousselet de Meester (Van Mons).—Medium size, melting and good.—Septem- ber and October. 7 151. Fleur de Niege—Medium size, melting and pro- ductive (q).—October. 152. Hortwnee.—Rather small, melting, high flavored 5 succeeds well on the quince ; eens till spring. Epis is pal has proved synonymous with this. 153. Fredrika Bremer.—A. variety recently bidaeht to notice by Mr. John C. Hastings, of Clinton, N. Y. It is large, obovate inclining to pyrifera green, changing .to- yellow as it matures; melting, buttery, and sprightly; may prove to be a fine variety. October and November. The tree is said to be very productive, and some speci- mens to attain the weight of sixteen ounces. 154. Hondante de Maline—A new Belgian winter variety, melting and good; very productive; succeeds well on the quince. Keeps.till February. 155. igue.—A. very distinct, greenish pear ; medium size, pyriform, stem fleshy; melting, juicy, and good. November. Tree vigorous, and exceedingly Bh hs on the quince. : 156. Gratioli of Jersey—Medium size, melting ; very _ . sweet and good; succeeds well on the quince.—October. . \ ? # PEARS. 317 157. Hull (Mase .)—Medium size, melting, fair and good.—September and October. 158. Inconnue Van Mons.—Medium size, melting, a fine-—January to February. 159. Jalousie de Fontenay Vendee—Medium size, melting and rich; new. a an Has proved excel- lent so far. 160. Jones’s Seedling (Phila. )—New, and said to be excellent ; grows well on the quince. 161. ire March Bergamot.—One of Knight’s best seedlings, described as resembling the Autumn Bergamot; buttery ce rich; valuable for its long Heepins: —March. be hardy and Pitective. 62. Kirtland—A. seckel seedling, raised in Ohio by H. es Kirtland, Esq., and introduced by Prof. Kirtland, of Cleveland, ho describes it as medium size, globular ovate, crimson russet, varying to a dull green; melting, juicy, rich, and in the highest degree delicious ; tree has the thrifty habit of White Doyenne.—September. 163. Louise de Boulogne. —Large, breaking, ee through winter ; succeeds on the quince. 164. Lowise @ Orleans (Van Mons). —Medium | size, oblong, brownish green ; melting and sugary.—November. 165. Moccas (Knight’s, Eng.).—Medium size, obovate, brown; melting, juicy, and high flavored; tree very hardy ah productive.—December. 166. Monarch (Knight’s). —Spurious nthe have been disseminated. The true one is large, roundish obovate, brownish, buttery, and slightly musky; tree hardy and productive, but a tardy bearer ; succeeds double worked © on the quince.—J anuary. 167. -Muskingum.—A native of Ohio; rather large, roundish, greenish yellow, russeted, rhetting g, juicy, sweet, and high flavored. September. Tt is said to be hardy, _ productive, and a fine grower; may prove valuable. a « ® ve. 318 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 168. McLaughlin —A native of Maine; medium size, obovate, brownish yellow; a little coarse, “but juicy and rich; very hardy and productive; may be valuable for the North. —November and December. © ~ ‘169, Nouveau Poteau (Van Mons).—A large, neat ing pear; has fruited at Boston, and is pronounced excel- at October and November. Tree vigorous angl pro- ductive. 170. Osborne.—Medium to small, bright yellow, melt- ing, juicy, and sweet; tree vigorous; originated in ndiana, proves good at Cincinnati; may prove a valu- able os variety for the West. hagetcst at Cincinnati.» 171. Passe Tardive.—Large, breaking, productive ; for cooking all through winter. 172. Queen of “the Low Countries—Medium to large, half-melting. —October and November. 178. pated @ Hwer.—Medium, half-melting ; produc- _ | tive. —December to January. é "174. Seigneur @’ Esperin.—Medium size, melting j first quality.—October. ‘ve 175. St. Andre.—Medium size, half-melting, very pro- ductive-—October and November. — 176. Sageret—Medium size, melting, sweet and sugary. —December to March. *. 177. St. Michael Archangel. —Large, melting, very _productive.—October. 178. Suzette de Bavay.—Medium melting, first quality, remarkably productive ; is said to Keep all winter 5 best in March and April. aie “ 179. St. Dorothée.—Large to eto, greenish yellow, russeted; melting, sprightly, and fine. October. This has borne with Mr. Hovey; who gives it a very high character. 180. Treomphe de Jodoigne (Bouvier).—Very large, QUINCES. 319 melting; tree yery vigorous and productive. November and December. Has proved good at Boston. 181. Targuin.-Large, coarse ; for cooking only; tree very vigorous and productive ; is Said to keep two years... 182. Viscomte Spoelberg.—Medium size to small, yellow tinged with red next the sun; buttery and melting ; first- rate under good culture ; -elicceeds well on the pence. — November. en ie 3.—QUINCES. - et . Apple-Shaped or Orange.—Large, roundish, with a short neck; of a bright golden yellow color; tree has rather alee shoots and oval leaves; very ae This is the variety most extensively ead for the fruit.—Ripe in October. av 2. Pear-Shaped—This has generally more of a pyri- _. form shape than the preceding; the fruit is larger and finer, the tree stronger. 8. Portugal. ‘The fruit of this is more oblong than the preceding, of a lighter color and better quality, but not so good a bearer; the shoots are stouter, and the leaves thicker and broader; usually propagated by budding or . grafting on the Apple Quince. A week or two later than the Apple. 4, Angers——A variety of the Portugal, the strongest grower of all the quinces, and the best for pear stocks. The fruit is also said to be larger and rather better than any of the others. We have not seen it yet, but — our trees to bear this season, 1851. 5. Upright—A variety with slender erect branches ; grows more freely from “cuttings. than any other. We have not fruited it, nor found it eae described, but have trees now ashen fruit buds. Received among stocks from France. a” . 320 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 6. Chinese.—Usually cultivated for ornament. Quite different in appearance from the others. The leaves are glossy, sharply and beautifully toothed ; the fruit is large, oblong, bright yellow, and keeps till aoe ; little used. The flowers are large and showy, with the fragrance of the violet ; ae on the other sorts; rather tender, "requiring a iirelteten situation. A very tay bearer. 7. Japan.—tThis is very distinct from dll the others ; very bushy, thorny, and hardy. There are two varieties. The common one has beautiful bright red blossoms, and the other blush; the most beautiful of all our hardy spring flowering shrubs. Fruit about as nat) as a chicken’s egg ; green, and quite unfit for use. SECOND DIVISION.—STONE FRUITS—APRICOTS, CHERRIES, PEACHES, NECTARINES AND PLUMS. -. Section 4.-—-SELECT Avaute. 1. Breda.—Small, round, dull orange, marked with red in the sun, flesh orange colored, juicy, rich and vinous; parts from the stone, kernel sweet, tree hardy, robust and prolific—End of July and beginning of August. - > 2. Harly Golden (Dubois).—Small, pale orange, flesh orange, juicy and sweet; kernel sweet; tree very hardy and productive. The eee tree at "Fishkill 3 is said to have yielded $90 worth of fruit in one season. —Beginning of July. 3. Large Early.—Large, orange, witha a cheek, flesh sweet, rich and excellent, parts from the stone; tree vigo- rous and productive.—Beginning of August. 4. Moorpark.—One of the lar gest and finest apricots, yellow, with ared cheek, flesh orange, sweet, juicy and rich, parts from the stone ; growth rather slow, but stout and ‘Wont jointed ; very productive. _ CHERRIES. cae 821 - 5. Orange.—Medium size, orange, with a ruddy cheek, flesh rather dry, requires ripening in the house; adheres slightly to the stone-——End of July. : 6. Peach.—A very large, handsome and excellent va- riety, quite similar to the Moorpark ; the shoots are not so short jointed, and the fruit a degree larger. 7.— Purple or Black Apricot—This is quite distinct in all respects from others, very much like a plum, small, pale red, purple in the sun, flesh yellow, juicy and plea- sant. The tree has slender dark shoots, and small, oval, glossy foliage. It is as hardy as a plum, and therefore worthy of attentign where the finer sorts are too tender. —August. | Nos. 1 and 2 are the surest and most abundant bearers, but 3, 4 and 6 are the largest and finest. No. 7 is only recommended by its hardiness, for localities where the . others do not succeed. Sxotion 5.—Srrect CHERRIES. CLASS I.— HEART CHERRIES. Fruit heart shaped, with tender sweet flesh. Trees of rapid growth, with large, soft drooping leaves. 1. American Amber—Medium size, amber, shaded and mottled with bright red; tender, juicy, sweet and deli- cious ; hangs very long on the tree without rotting; re- mar “ise vigorous and productive.—End of J une till mid: dle of July. Be 2. Bauman’s May. —Small, dark red; tender, juicy and sweet. Tree a vigorous grower, anda ee abundant bearer. Ripens very aay: ; middle of June here. French. 3. Black Heart.—An excellent old variety ; rather large, black, tender, juicy and rich. Tree : grows large, and is very eine —Beginning of J uly. French. ao 14% 322 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 4. Black Eagle.—Large, black, tender, juicy, rich ‘and high flavored. Tree a rapid, stout grower and productive. Eee beginning of July to the 15th. English. - 5. Black Tartarian—Very large, purplish black, half tender; flavor mild and pleasant. Tree a remarkably cal verect and beautiful grower, and an immense bearer.—Ripe last of June and beginning of July. One of the most popular varieties in all parts of the country. Russian. 6. Burr's Seedling.—Large, pointed ; flesh color in the shade, pale red in the sun; tender, sweet and delicious. In luxuriant foliage and atutelineds of growth it surpasses even the Black Tartarian—Beginning of July. New; origin, Perrinton, Monroe county. New York. 7. Coe’ s Transparent—Mediumy size, pale amber, red and mottled next the sun; tender, sweet and fitte—“rna of June here. Tree ee and erect. Origin, Middle- town, Conn. a 8. Davenport's Early—Very similar in all respects to Black Heart, but a few days earlier. American. < i, See Late Led—Rather large, light red, tender and juicy; slightly bitter until fully ripe, when it is most delicious. Tree is a vigorous erect grower, and pro- ductive.—Tenth to twentieth of July. American, and one of the best ofall. = © } 10. Early White Heart—Medium size, yellowish white, red in the sun; tender and sweet, growth moderately vigorous and erect.—Middle and last of June. 1a. Early Purple Guigne—Small to medium size, pur- ple, tender, juicy and sweet. Growth slender and spread- ing.—Ripe at same time as Bauman’s May. French. 12. Elton.—Large, pointed ; pale yellow, nearly covered with light red; half tender, juicy, rich and delicious. Tree vigorous, ‘eplapaling and irregular. —End of June. poe t <= #. \- oHERRIES. 393 13. Knight’s Harly Black.—Large, black, tender, juicy, rich and excellent. Tree vigorous and very productive; branches spreading.—Ripe a few days before Black Tar- tarian. English. 14. Manning's Mottled —Rather large, amber shaded and mottled distinctly with red; tender, sweet and deli- cious. Tree erect, vigorous and f medarave: —End of June. Massachusetts. 15. Sweet Montmorency. —Small, light red, ecindle Sonid sweet. Tree vigorous, erect ae pr diverine .—Ripens about the same time as Sparhawk’s Honey, or a few days later. American. 16. White Lrench Guigne (probably the “ Merisier a gros fruit blanc,” of the French).—A distinct and beanti- ful cherry, rather large, creamy white, flesh tender and melting; juice colorless, sweet, with a scarcely percepti- ble degree of bitterness; not attacked by the birds, like red and black cherries. Tree is vigorous and very me ductive-—Middle of July. French. 17. W2lkinson—Medium size, black, tender, j juicy and rich. Tree vigorous, erect and productive. Eee ie succeeds Downer’s. Massachusetts. 18. Sparhawk’s Honey. Medium size, roundish, light red, sweet and delicious; stone large. Tree a vigorous, pyle grower and very productive——Ripens with Downer’s late, and hangs long on the tree; a areas favo- rite with most people. Massachusetti. ae CLASS. ae ——-BIGARREAU CHERRIES. - These are filed distinguished from. the preceding class by their firmer flesh. Their growth is vigorous, branches spreading, and foliage luxuriant, soft and droop- ing. Ag. Beara or Yellow Spanish—Large, pale yel- ~ *, « ° ‘ sa 8 824 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 7 “ow, with a bright red cheek in the sun; flesh firm, juicy and delicious; one of the best, most beautiful, and popular of all light oe . Tree vigorous and produc tive-—End of June. Turkish. 20. Buttner’s Yellow. —Medium size, yellow, flesh crisp, juicy and sweet. e vigorous and prbdtietiel Its pe culiar and beautiful eblor’ makes this sort desirable—End of July. di. 21. China Bigarrean. —Medium size, oval, red, beauti fully speckled ; firm, sweet and rich, with a weikcely per ceptible bitterness. "Tree vigorous, erect, and a most pro fuse bearer; a very distinct and pretty variety. —Begin- ning of J ily. Hangs long on the tree. 22. LHlesh- Colored Bigarreau (Bigarrean couleur de chair)—A large and beautiful cherry, resembling the Elton, and ripening about the same time. French. 23. Llorence.—A beautiful cherry, resembling the Bi- garreau; but firmer, and a week later. From Florence. 24. Gridle; y or Apple Cherry—Medium size, dark brown, nearly black; flesh very firm, sprightly sub-acid, high flavored. Tree grows rapidly ate erect, and das immense crops. Its firmness and lateness satel it very valuable for market.—Middle to last of July. Mass. 25. Hildesheim Bigarreau.—Medium size, yellow, red in the sun; flesh firm, sweet and agreeable. Tree isa good grower, but the ends of the young shoots are apt to get winter killed here—Beginning of August. German. 26. Holland Bigarreau.—A very large and beautiful cherry ; pale yellow, covered with bright red in the sun; flesh firm, juicy, sweet and fine eS . ‘Tree vigorous, with spreading, irregular branches——End of June and be- ginning of July. Dutch. 27. Large Heart-shaped Bigarreau (Gros Couret). — Large, dark, shining brown; firm, rich and excellent CHERRIES. 325. Tree vigorous, branches spreading-—Middle of July. French. 28. Madison Bigarreau. mecticdike size, amber, co- vered with red in the sun; flesh half tender, sweet and fine flavored—KEnd of Ii une and beginning of July. American. 29. Merverlle de Sept.—A. new Fibilel cherry, remark- — able only for its lateness—Ripens with us the last of August. Tree a vigorous grower and good bearer. Fruit small, firm, rather dry and sweet, 30. Wapoleon Bigarreaw—A magnificent, large cherry, surpassing in size and beauty all the others; pale yellow, . with a bright red cheek; flesh very firm until fully ripe, when it becomes tender, juicy and sweet. Tree is a vigorous grower, and ews enormous crops. ote aati of July. French. Bi Leockport Bigarreau (Dr. Kirkland). Large, pale amber in the shade, light red in the sun; half tender, sweet and good. Tree vigorous and see Bie same time as Black Tartarian. Ohio. | 32. Tradescant’s Black Heart (Elkhorn).—V ery large, blacx, firm, juicy andgood. ‘Tree vigorous and upright, - with peculiar gray bark. ‘RASPBERRIES. 343 | ing Lion, Shakspeare, si gong Top Pace Wine- berry, Yona? s Wonderful. 2. Wahr%e.—Chorister, Fleur de Lis, Leigh’s en Queen Caroline, Smiling Beauty, Whitesmith, Welling: ton’s Glory, White Muslin, ete. 3. Green.—Berrier’s Grdenwoad. Crtaanaaes s Con- quering Hero, Green Mountain, Green Vale, Green Wil- low, Green Ocean, Independent, Jolly Cutler, Massey’s Heart of Oak, Profit. ' 4, Yellow. ie Ret Hill, Capper’s Early Sulphur, Gol- den Drop, Husbandman, ete. 5. Houghion’s Seedling.—Raised in Massachusetts from the seed of a native variety; it is small and rather indif- ferent in flavor, but is not subject to the mildew, and bears most abundantly, small, oval, dull brownish red. The following sorts were recommended by the Pomo- logical Congress: Houghton’s Seedling, Whitesmith, Crownbob, Red Champagne, Warrington, Laurel, Iron- monger, Early Sulphur, Green Gage, Green Walnut. SECTION 10. —SELECT RASPBERRIES. 1. Antwerp, Led.—This is an excellent anid “— very popular in market; three quarters of an acre of land on the Hudson, Reged with it, have yielded $330; and three acres in the same locality, $1,500 in one season. _ The berry is large} conical, dark red, rich and juicy; canes have a few small, purple spines. 2. Antwerp, ¥ ellow or White-——Fruit large, pale yel- — low, sweet and rich; a beautiful and excellent fruit, but not so firm and so well adapted to marketing as the pre- ceding; canes thickly covered with greenish spines. 8. Fastolf—Fruit larger and rounder than the Red Antwerp, but rather*softer; of a purplish red canes more spiny; very hardy and productive (844 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 4, Franconia.—Fruit very large, of a purplish red, ra ther darker than the Red Antwerp or Fastolff; canes very strong, with a few short purple spines, and thicker, firmer and smoother, or less crimped or wrinkled leaves thar any of the others. 5. Knevett’s Giant.—This is an English variety of the Red Antwerp, from which it differs only in being some- what hardier. The ‘ Col.. Welder” aa “ Cushing” are two seedling varieties produced by Dr. Brinkle, of Philadelphia, that give promise of superiority, the first especially, which is described as a beautiful “ cream-colored” fruit and very hardy. The American Red, White and Black are well known. 6. Large Fruited Monthly (New).—Large red, bears in favorable weather from August to November; canes long, rather slender, purplish in the sun, and pretty thickly covered with dark purple spines; quite different from the © * Ohio Everbearing,” a worthless variety. We saw fruit on cone in January, in Mr. Rivers’ nur- sery, in 1848. Ifthe autumn be dry, the plant should be watered occasionally; and to ensure a good autumn crop, the canes should be pruned in spring to within a foot of the ground. 7 Section 11.—Setect STRAWBERRIES. Those strongly pistillate or deficient in stamens are marked (p). 1. Alpine, Red Monthly.—Small, high-flavored vanety, and highly valuable in all collections, on account of bear- ing a long time. 2. Alaa, White Monthly.—As above, except color. 3. Alpine, Led Bush.—These have no runners, like STRAWBERRIES. 345 other varieties, and are well adapted to edging walks in the kitchen garden. They are small, but of delicious flavor, and continue bearing till autumn. 4, Alpine, White Bush—Same as above, but in color. 5. British Queen (Myatt’s)—The most magnificent in appearance of all strawberries, often measuring six or seven inches in circumference ; but it is a shy bearer and rather tender; plant. very luxuriant. 6. Bishop’s Orange.—Rather large, light orange scarlet, productive and fine flavored (p). 7. Boston Pine.—Large light red, good, hardy Bf eX- ceedingly productive ; with slats = room and good cul- ture the yield is very great. 8. Burr's Seedling—A very prolific medium sized va- riety; hardy and of fair quality; trom Ohio. 9. Burr’s New Pine—Large, light orange, scarlet; of the highest and most delicious flavor uniformly; plant hardy and productive; one of the very best sorts (p) Ohio. y 10. Burr's Rival Hudson—Medium size, dark red, rather acid; valuable for marketing and preserving; hardy and productive (p). Ohio. 11. Burr’s Columbus.—Large, hardy and productive; flavor medium (p). Ohio. 12. Burr's Scarlet Melting.—A very pretty light scar- let fruit, and a most profuse bearer, but very tender; not fit for marketing. 13. Black Prince.—A large and beautiful fruit, of a dark blackish crimson color; variable in quality; some seasons first rate, others aes hardy and productive (p). 14. Climax Scarlet. —Medium size, conical, slightly necked, light scarlet, rather acid; bears immense crops (p). 15. Duke of Kent. —Small, ean a long neck ; very pro- lific and valuable for its anes in a late colleecieen 16. Genesee.—Large, roundish, dark crimson, good; 15* 846 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. . plant very luxuriant ; fruit stalks very stout, supporting the . fruit well; most profuse bearer, rather late. 7 17. Hudson—Medium size, scarlet, firm, acid; very productive, and esteemed for marketing; grown much around Cincinnati (p).- 18. Hovey’s Seedling—A well-known magnificent berry; plant hardy and luxuriant; bears large crops in some places and seasons (p). 19. Jenny's Seedling—Very large, roundish, dark scarlet, flavor medium, plant vigorous, and a moderate beatr (p). 20. Large Larly Scarlet—An excellent standard sort, light scarlet, rather acid; bears uniformly great crops; early. 21. Monroe Scarlet—Large, roundish, light scarlet, good; very prolific; over 100 perfect berries have been gathered at once from a single plant (p). 22. Orange Prolific. leslie ge, orange scarlet; rather acid, but a great bearer and: quite late. 23. Princess Alice Maud.—A very large and handsome English variety ; very productive, but of indifferent flavor. 24. Prolific Hautbois—A large, purplish, conical fruit, with a peculiar musky flavor, very productive; plant grows tall and luxuriant, with peculiar crimped foliage, and has very large, showy blossoms; a distinct species; late. 25. Swainstone’s Seedling. vis very large and beautiful fruit, of the most delicious flavor; color light shining scarlet, ripens gradually ; a poor she English. 26. Scotch Pine Apple, or Crimson Bee One the most beautiful, varieties in appearance; medium size, uni- form, regularly conical, rich dark crimson; seeds deeply imbedded, giving oe oe appenanag rather acid but jes and very productive. Nos. 7,9, 18 and 20 are the best for general cultiyatene for a larger collection, Nos. 5,17 and 25, besides the BLACKBERRIES. | 347 ia may be added; Nos. 14, 16, 21, 22 are new seed- lings produced here that promise oi The wood and alpines should be renewed from seed frequently. Srcrion 12.—BERBERRIES. EPIN.-VINETTE OF THE FRENCH. Common Red.—This is everywhere well known ; grown not only for the fruit, which is used for preserves, jellies and pickles, but for ornament. The bright scarlet oval fruit is borne in rich clusters, and hang on till late in the autumn. ~ Sweet-Hruited (Berberis dulcis)—The fruit of this is much less acid than the common. The plant is not so vigorous. Besides these, there are several species and varieties cultivated Chiefly for ornament: The White- Fruited, The Violet-fruited, The Variegated-leaved, foliage marked with yellow; The Purpleleaved, the most unique and ornamental of all, with beautiful violet-purple foliage. They are all ae propagated by layers or Sood and the rare sorts by gr ey Section 13.-—_BLACKBERRIES. The Improved High Bush.—This Blackberry is begin- ning to receive considerable attention. The Massachu- setts Horticultural Society has offered large premiums to encourage its culture, and the result already has been great improvement. Capt. Lovett, of Beverly, has pre- sent specimens an inch and a half. long. It bids fair to become a valuable and popular fruit. The berry is long, egg-shaped, shining black, juicy, and rich, the plant erect, a a> 348 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. blossoms white, ripens at a most timely season, after the Raspberry. | ~ - Section 14.—MvLperriss. Black.—This is a native of Persia, and is really the only one valuable for its fruit. The berry is an inch and a half long, and nearly an inch in diameter, black, suc- culent, sugary and rich. The tree is highly ornamental, very erect, with a large spreading head. The leaves appear late in spring, are large, heart-shaped, sometimes lobed, deep green, and form a dense shade. - Sxction 15.—GRapxs. SELECT HARDY GRAPES. 1. Catawba.—This is the best flavored of all native grapes that ripen as far north as lat. 43 deg., and is con- sidered the best yet discovered for making wine. Bunches large; berries large, red, becoming a coppery color when ripe; juicy, sweet, and musky; hardy, and very pro- ductive. “ 2. Clinton——A very hardy, native variety, resembling in foliage the common Fox Grape. Bunches small and very compact; berries rather small, black, juicy, inferior in flavor to the preceding. It ripens here two or three weeks before the Isabella or Catawba, and this is its chiefs value; very productive. <-m 3. Diana. —This is a variety that ori iginated near Boston, similar to the Catawba; not quite so large, but earlier and better adapted to the a ‘ 4. Isabella.—This is the most popular variety It ripens well in almost every part of the country, and bears immense crops under the most ordinary management. GRAPES. | 849 Bunches long and large; berries large, oval, black, juicy, sweet, slightly musky. im, SELECT FOREIGN GRAPES. . @ 1. Black Cluster—Small, roundish oval, black, sweet and good; bunches small, very sean one of the har diest and best for open air culture; early. 2. Black Prince.—Large, oval, black: bunches long, rather open; sweet and fine; a fee heater, 3. Black Frontignan.—Berries medium size, round, | black, bunches long; flavor rich and musky ; prolific. 4. Black Hamburg.—A. fine grape, and a general favorite for the vinery; bunches are large, very much shouldered—that .is, branched ; berries large, deep black, ~ gweet and rich. 5. Chasselas de Fontainbleau.—This is esteemed the finest table grape in France, and succeeds admirably here - in vineries, and occasionally in the open air. Bunches large, somewhat shouldered ; berries large, round, greenish white, becoming slightly colored or reddened in the sun ; canes stout, of a yellowish color; leaves large and shining; very productive. The Golden Chasselas is very similar to, if not identical with this. 6. Grizely Frontignan.—tThis is one of the most deli- cious grapes when grown in the vinery, and very beau- tiful too. Bunches long, slightly shouldered; berries ‘medium size, round, colored red and violet- purple 3 in the sun; rich, itidicy Haver, 7. White Frontignan (Muscat Blane of the French). —_ One of the oldest varieties ; bunches pretty large; berries roundish, changing from green to amber as they ripen in . the sun; rich and quite musky ; later than the preceding. 8. White Muscat of Alexandria.—This is a most deli- cious variety, considered the same es the imported t *@ 6 $50. -4 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. a © Malaga.” “Bunches large, branched and 1ethe ; berries sarge, at white, becoming amber; firm and Ae with a high nS flavor; growth ee leaves sidemeae and deeply lobed. » 9. White Sweetwater—This and the Black Chanter are the most common foreign varieties in’ this country. Bunches of good size, open; berries of medium ‘size, round, green, becoming slightly colored in the sun; sweet and watery ; cecasionally produced in tolerable pertection in the open air. . The Pomological Congress. at New York, in 1849, recommend for enlture andet 3 Nos. 2, * 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. ae Q : ae iw atl | | Saori =~ “Fiés. se. a Very little is known here from experience of the par- . ticular qualities of the different kinds of figs. Several varieties have been tested, and are grown suecesstully | in the Boston graperies. The varieties 1 most desirable for out-door culture for their hardiness are: The Brown Turkey.—Large, oblong, pear-shaped ; skin dark, brownish purple; flesh red, leaves large. Fags Black Ischia—Medium size, roundish, dark violet, nearly biack ; flesh deep red, sweet and oe This is one of the most eigen varieties. , Violette de Bordeaux (Figue poire de Bordeaux.— Large, long, pear-sha = brownish red; flesh reddish,. medium eae a aes cultivated oe Paris for its productiveness and hardiness. White Marseilles—Small, roundish, nearly white; flesh white; not quite so hardy as the preceding sorts, but very productive ; one of ms most apart in the ro ~ ‘markets. Gear of forty varieties are dacthea in Pic, ‘cia | CHESTNUTS. 351 Horticultural Society’s catalogue ; fifteen are described in Downing’s Fruit and Fruit Trees. a FOURTH DIVISION.—ALMONDS, CHESTNUTS, FILBERTS, AND WALNUTS. hg . Section 17.—A.tmonps. “1. Sweet Hard Sheil—This is a hardy and productive variety, succeeding well in the climate of Western New York, and still farther né#th. Nut very large, with a hard shell and a large sweet kernel; ripe here about the first of October. ie ; : The tree is very vigorous, has smooth glaucous leaves, and when in bloom in the spring, is more brilliant and showy than any other fruit tree. 2. Soft Sweet Shell, Ladies’ Thin Shell, etc—This is. the almond of the shops, of which such immense quan- tities are annually imported from abroad. It and all its sub-varieties, as far as we know, are too tender for our northern climate, unless carefully grown on a wall or trellis, and protected., South of Virginia, we believe, it succeeds well; and so beautiful a tree, and so estimable a fruit, deserve the attention of all fruit growers. 8. The Bitter Almond.---This is hardy and productive ; nut similar to No. 1 in appearance, but bitter, and only uséfal in confectionery or medicine. Its chief product is ~ the prussic acid of the druggists. Section 18.—Cuestnuts. The Amerwan or Common Chestnut is well known as’ one of our most beautiful forest trees. It is seldom grown a3 a. fruit tree, although the fruit is highly es- teemed. 352 SELECT VARIETIES OF FRUITS. It should have a place in all lar ee collections of stand- ard fruit trees. Tt reproduces itself from seed. The Dwarf Chestnut or Chinquapin, is a small tree eight or ten feet high, and very pr olific, but the nuts are small. It grows spontaneously in Maryland, Virginia, and southward. Lhe Spanish Chestnut or Marron.—This is the large, sweet nut, as large as a horse chestnut, imported from abroad. There are many varieties cultivated in France and England, but that designated by the French as “‘ Marron de Lyon,” is the beg. It is propagated by grafting on the common sorts. It is not reproduced truly from foal but its seedlings produce large and fine fruits. It bears aa ripens well as far north as Rochester. It bears the second year from the graft and the fourth from seed. SECTION 19 .—Fizerts. L Cosford.—This is an improved variety of the bn lish hazel-nut, very prolific, nut large, oblong or oval, shell thin, and kernel fine flavored. 2. Coburg. , and a most abundant bearer. 3. Dwarf Pr. olifie. —One of the most prolific Cotten, nut rather small. We have plants two feet high bear- ing well, kernel good. + 4. etal: 2 Rernaceauaee for its curious frizzled husk, a good bearer, and one of the finest flavored. 5. Led Beis. —One of the old standard sorts of the English growers, distinguished by the bright red or crim- - gon skin of the ane medium size, er shell thick, flavor good. 6. White.—This is also an old standard sort, the kernel is a yellowish white. Both this and the ee have lang husks, . 2 WALNUTS. : "353 » «4 Section 20.—W ALNUTS. The English or Madeira Nut (Jugians Regia).—This is a native of Persia. A lofty spreading tree with pinnated leaves like the butternut, and the fruit nearly as large. Great quantities are annually imported, and soid in the fruit shops. The tree is tender while young, the ends of the young shoots being injured in winter at the north, but as it grows older it becomes hardier. It is Deine from seed or by grafting. There are many varieties of it cul- tivated abroad, few of which have yet been introduced here on account of the little attention given to this class of fruits. ‘ ” § The Dwarf Prolific Walnut (Jugians Preparturiens), is a French variety recently introduced, which wil? pro- | bably become the most desirable for the garden. It bears at the age of three years from the seed, and often at the height of two to three feet. We have now two imported _ trees, four feet high, that give promise of an abundant crop. The kernel is said to'be very good. | Our native sorts, the Black Walnut (Juglans Nigra), the Butternut (Juglans Cinerea), the Hickory Nut (Carya), and its varieties, are all well known trees that deserve much more attention than they receive, considering the value of their timber as well as fruit. - GHAPTER I. \ ' GATHERING, PACKING, TRANSPORTATION AND PRE- * SERVATION OF FRUITS. - Tas i is a branch of the general subject of fruit culture and management that requires the most careful attention ; for it is quite useless to take pains in producing fine fruits without taking equal pains in gathering, preserving, and fal them: to the table or the market in a sound, sightly, and, proper. condition. Very few fruit growers seem to appr eciate this part of their business. Fruit dealers at home and abroad complain of the careless and slovenly manner in which our fruits are gathered, packed, and presented in the market, and would gladly pay a dou- ble price for them # a, belt condition. The first con- sideration is— The period. of maturity at which fruits should. be gathered.—The stone fruits generally are allowed to reach perfect maturity, or within four or five days of it, on » he tree. In moist, cool seasons particularly, they are benefited by being g gathered a few days before maturity, and allow- ed to a in a dry, warm room; they part with the water contained in their juices, ich thus become better elaborated and more sugary and high flavered. Summer Pears, too, on the same principle, require to be gathered, asa general thing, from a week to a fort- night before their maturity. Sweet varieties, and such as % GATHERING FRUITS, ETC. 355 are inclined to become mealy, are entirely worthless when ripened on the tree, and many very excellent varicties are condemned on this account. Such as these should be gathered the moment the skin begins to Se color in least degree. Renner Apples, too, and especially those inclined to mealiness, should be picked early; as soon as the skin begins to change color, otherwise they part with their juices, and become woutlileee. Ripeness is indicated by the seeds turning dark colored, and by the stem»parting © readily from the tree when it is lifted upwards. ~ | Winter Apples and Pears should be allowed to remain on the trees as long as vegetation is active, or until ag : ‘are apprehended. . rapes, Berries, &c., are allowed to attain ‘po maturity before being gathered. ? Chestnuts, Filberts, &c., are not, gathered until Riey _ begin to fall from the tree. Mode of Gathering.—Unless it Be a few specimens wanted for immediate use, which may be taken with some of the contrivances mentioned under the head of imple- ments, all fruits should be. gathered by the hand. The branch to be gathered from should be taken in one hand, and the fruits carefully taken off, one by one, with the other, with their stems attached. (For fruits neither keep so well, nor look so well, without the stems.) They are then inid earefully in siete layers in broad shallow baskets, the bot- toms of which should be covered with paper or moss, to prevent bruises. - Peaches and other soft fruits should be - pressed as lightly as possible, for anything like a squeeze is certainly followed by decay in the form of a brown spot, and this is the reason why it is so exceedingly diffi- cult to find a perfectly sound and at the same time ripe peach in our markets. When more than one layer of fruit i is laid in the same ic O06 GATHERING FRUITS, ETO. basket, some soft paper, dry mosé, hay, or other material, ought to separate them, for it is difficult to place one layer immediately upon another, and especially if the fruits are approaching maturity, without bruising them more or less. Fruit should only be gathered in dry weather, and in the dry time of the day. Disposition of the Fruits after gathering.— W hen they are thus in the baskets, if summer fruits, they are either earried into the fruit room and arranged on shelves or tables in thin layers, or they are carefully transferred one by one into market baskets and carried to market on an easy spring wagon, if not by steamboat or gailroad, by which jarring or jolting will be avoided. ‘Treated in this manner, they will be in a marketable condition, and one basket will sell for as much as four, carelessly picked, thrown into baskets, and tumbled out of them into a barrel or wagon-box. Bip fruits may be kept in good condition for a consi- derable period of time, in an ice-house, or in some of the recently-invented fruit preservers, and .even in very cool dry cellars. The vessels in which they are deposited, should be perfectly clean, that no unpleasant flavor may be imparted to them. Peaches have been sent to the Kast “Indies, by being properly packed in ice; and it may be that methods of packing*and preserving will, before long, be discovered, that will give us access to the markets of other countries, even for our perishable summer fruits. We have seen Seckel pears in a very good state of preser- vation in January, exhibited in the horticultural society’s rooms in Boston. The science of ripening and preserving fruits is but in its infancy, and horticultural societies that have the means will be doing a great public service by offering liberal premiums that will incite to experiment on the subject. Winter Fruits intended for long keeping are transferred @ PACKING FRUITS, ETC. 357 by hand from the baskets in which they are gathered on the tree, into larger ones in which they can be carried into a dry cool room, where they are laid in heaps, which may be three or four deep, where they may remain for a couple of weeks, during which time they will have parted with deaddetabile moisture and be quite dry. ‘They will then be fit for packing. ; Clean, new barrels should be procured, and the fruits should be carefully assorted. For shipping to distant or foreign markets, the best only should be selected; all bruised, wormy, knotty specimens being laid aside for home*consumption. They are then placed in the barrels, by hand, arranged regularly in layers, so that no spaces will exist, by which the fruits may shift, roll, or knock — against one another. The barrels are then tightly headed up, so that the head presses firmly on the fruits; some people recommend placing a layer of clean moss or soft paper, both, on the bottom and top of the barrel; but this is not necessary where the packing and heading are per- . formed ante After packing, the barrels must be sent to market in such a manner as never to be jolted or rolled, any more than they would be on men’s shoulders, or an easy spring wagon or sled, or by a water convey- ance. On shipboard the barrels should be placed in the coolest and dryest place. It is perfectly idle to gather, pack or ship fruits in any other way than this to foreign markets. American apples are frequently sold in Liverpool at auction for half what they would have sold for in New York, on account of their bad condition. I saw this in 1849, wher. Newtown pippins were selling at twelve and a half cents a-piece in the fruit shops. Winter fruits for home consumption should be care fully assorted, keeping the best, the poorest, the sound, the bruised, and the earlier and later ripening varieties - 858 GATHERING FRUITS, ETC. all separate ; when sound-and bruised, edriy and late, are all thrown together promiscuously, they cannot fail to decay speedily and to lose their flavor; for two or three decaying apples in a heap or barrel will taint the flavor of all, and hasten the decay of those around them. This arrangement into grades and classes is, therefore, absolute- ly necessary even for the fruits needed for family use; and when they are so arranged, the sound, long keepers are put into clean, new barrels, carefully by hand, and the barrels headed up tightly and placed in a cool dry cellar or fiuit room. The bruised ones can be laid in a place by them. selves for immediate use. Every barrel, when packed, should be marked. Winter Pears, as a general thing, require to be brought into a warm temperature one or two weeks before they are wanted for table use. All the baking and stewing, and even many of the table varieties, may be treated exactly like apples. Packing Pears for distant markets —The French send away more pears to foreign markets than any other peo- ple. Some small ha ts of their winter sorts have actually been made by some of the New York fruit dealers the present winter, 1850-51. They pack them in small boxes, either round or square, such as a man can lift and earry easily in his hands. They cover the bottum and sides with very dry moss or soft dry paper, well calculated to absorb moisture. They then wrap each fruit in the dry, soft paper, and lay them in layers, the largest and least mature in the bottom, and fill all the interstices with dry moss or paper. I have seen these boxes-opened in London, in the finest con- | dition, after being a month packed. They are so tightly packed that the slightest movement cannot take place among them, and yet no one presses upon another. The PRESERVATION OF FRUITS. — 359° dry moss and paper that separate them, absorb any mois- ture ;- and if one decays it does not affect others. Some of the Paris confectioners and restaurant keepers preserve fruits very successfully in barrels, packed in lay- ers, and the interstices filled up with powdered charcoal. The barrels are kept in a dry, cool place, about forty degrees, where they are not subjected to changes of tem- perature. Apples, pears, grapes, almonds, nuts, and pota- toes, are all preserved in this manner. Fruit Rooms—A fruit room is*a structure set apart exclusively for the preservation of fruit. Its great requi- sites are, perfect security from moisture or dampness, ex- clusion from light, and a uniform temperature. If these points are obtained, no matter where, how, or of what material the fruit room be constructed. It may be built of stone, brick, clay, or wood, above or below ground, as circumstances or taste may dictate. A. good, dry, and cool cellar, is as good a place for keeping fruit in as can be provided; but the great objec- tion to cellars used for other purposes is, that currents of air are frequently admitted, and too much light, by which the temperature is changed, decay promoted, or the fruits dried and shrivelled. There are, also, other objects that unavoidably saturate the air more or less with moisture. Where a fruit room is built on the surface of the ground, it should be on the ice-house principle of double walls and doors, to prevent access of either heat or cold from with- out. A good cellar or cave, built in a dry, sandy, or gravelly bank, or side hill, will answer every purpose. The walls may be of stone, brick, or timber; the roof should be thick, with a slope sufficient to throw off water freely, and the earth about should also ‘be so graded that water will flow away as fast as it falls. Provision may be - made for lighting and ventilating in the roof; and the door or doors should be double. 360 PRESERVATION oF FRUITS. The interior should be fitted up with shelves and binns, with places for barrels or = articles, i in which - ‘fruits are packed. Attention to fruits in the cellar or fruit room—The ~ decay of fruits is caused either by bruises or by a fungus, or species of mildew, that increases rapidly and attacks all the sound fruits within its reach. It is, therefore, necessary to examine fruits frequently, and remove all » that show any symptoms of decay, before they have either affected others or tainted the atmosphere of the room. ) : | | CHa ir rl hk’ TIT. DISEASES AND INSECTS. Section 1 —Diszasss. . ai The Fire Blight of the Bin, Apple, and Quince.— This is one of the most formidable diseases to which fruit trees are liable. Whether it is caused by the sun, the atmosphere, or an insect, remains in doubt, some cases favoring one opinion, some another. It attacks the trees at different periods of the growing season, from June to September, and generally in: the young parts first; the. leaves flag, the sap becomes thick and brown, oozing out in globules through the bark, and emitting a very dis- agreeable odor, and the diseased branch or part turns black, as if it were, burned by fire. When the pear tree is attacked it is difficult to save it, the disease spreads so rapidly. In the apple and quince it is less fatal, rarely killing more than a portion of the tree even if left to its own course. The only remedy is, to cut away instantly the blighted parts, into the sound wood, where there is not the slightest trace of the disease, and burn them up mmediately. . It is thought by some that young trees growing very rapidly are more subject to it than older trees growing ‘slowly ; and that warm sunshine, with a sultry atmosphere # after rain, is apt to be followed by much blight. We have always regarded the cases favoring = an opinion as anieneP 16 re « 362 a DISEASES AND INSECTS. 2. Pear leaf Blight—This disease has already been alluded to in treating of pear seedlings. It is a sort of rust that appears on the leaves in J mie or August, first as small brown spots; these spread rapidly over-the leaves until they are completely dried up and growth stopped. It appears in a certain spot as a centre, from which it spreads. Whether it be an insect, a fungus, or some atmospherical cause that produces this blight, is unknown. Certain cases favor one or other of theséiopinions. More minute investigations are wanted on the subject. To avoid’ its evil effects ‘as far as possible, the great point is, to get a rapid, vigorous growth, before midsum- mer, when it usually appears. Seedlings grown in new ats do not appear to be so much affected as in old. Where stocks are affeeted very early in the season, they become almost worthless, on account of the. feebleness produced in-both stem and roots by such an untimely and unnatural check. Some speczal applications, such as coal cinders, iron filings, copperas, etc., have been suggested, but no evidence has yet been produced of their efficacy. 8. The Gum in stone fruits.—The cherry, plum, apricot, and peach, are all more or less subject to this malady. The cherry is particularly liable to it in the West. It is produced by different causes, such as a wet soil, severe pruning, pruning at an improper time, violet changes of temperature, etc. The gumming of the cherry in the West, is considered by some to be owing in a great mea- sure to the bark not yielding naturally to the growth of the wood, and hence they practise longitudinal incisions on it. . The cherry tree has a very powerful bark, and in some cases it thay not yield naturally to the expansion or * growth of the wood. We have seen about a foot of the trunk of a cherry tree, several inches smaller than the parts both above and below it. The bark was as smooth as glass on it, the first rind being unbroken, DISEASES. 863 whilst on the large parts this was quite rough. This was a case arising from the obstinacy of the bark, and could only be remedied by longitudinal incisions on the small part. <<*% It is most probable that the extent and severity of this dis- ease in the West is owing to violent changes froma hard frost to a bright sun and Hane thaw, by eh the sap becomes eared and accumulates in masses. Trees that are branched near the ground, will be less likely to suffer than those with tall bare trunks. Where it has made some progress in any tree, the only remedy is to pare off the diseased bark, clean off all the gum, and let the sur- face dry up; then apply a plaster of grafting compo- sition, or a solution of gum: shellac in alcohol, put on with a brush, as recommended by Mr. Downing. When the stone fruits are pruned severely in the spring, the sap does not find sufficient vent; it accumulates in masses and bursts the bark. This ie) should always be kept in view in pruning, and a sufficient supply of active buds be left to absorb He sap. 4, The Yellows in the Peach.—This is supposed to arise from negligent cultivation. It exhibits itself in a yellow, sickly foliage, feeble shoots, and small fruits pre- maturely ripened. It is said to be contagious. Trees exhibiting these symptoms should instantly be destroyed. _ To avoid it, care should be taken to propagate from trees in perfect ats and vigor. 5. Mildew on the Peach—The young ‘shoots, leaves, and even the fruit of certain varieties, and especially the glandless ones, such as Larly Anne, Barly Tillotson, etc., are attacked by this. The only remedies are, to give the trees a dry, good soil, that will keep them in a vigorous condition, and to syringe freely twice a day when it begins to appear. The gooseberry suffers seriously from the mil- dew, owing mainly to the heat of our summers. In i DISEASES AND INSECTS. Northern New York, in Maine, Vermont, and Lower Canada, the finest large English varieties are brought to greater perfection than in warmer districts, and with good culture almost come up to the Exglish standard. Ina cold, damp-bottomed soil at Toronto, almost on a level with Lake Ontario, fine crops are =rod cee compara- tively little difficulty from mildew or rust. This would indicate as a remedy, a cool soil and situation, and mulch- ing the roots to keep them cool. The plants should be renewed every three or four years, and they should be kept vigorous by liberal manuring and good culture. 6. The Plum Wart or Black Knot.—The cause of this disease is quite uncertain, but the probability is that it originates in a similar way to the gum, from an imperfect circulation of the sap, induced by violent changes of tem- perature.* Cutting out the diseased branch clean to the sound wood, the moment the knots begin to appear, is an effectual’ remedy, and they should all be burnt up. We have saved trees six inches in diameter, that were affected on the trunk so seriously, that one third of its thickness had to be removed to get below the disease. After it was cut out, we applied a plaster of grafting composition, covered it with a cloth, and in two years it was all healed over and sound. Plum trees are so neglected in the country, that multi- tudes of them are now stands literally loaded with these warts—not even an inch of any branch free from them— the most disgusting objects in the way of fruit trees that van possibly be imagined. 6. The Curl of. the leaf in the Peach.—This disease causes the leaves to assume a reddish color, to become * We have-observed that cold weather, about the blossoming period, in- duces the gum in plum trees as well as in the peach, and when it continues long, as in 1849-50 in Western New York, there is an unusual developmeg* “er at. INSECTS. 365 thik, curled, and deformed, and finally to perish. It is supposed by many to be caused by insects;* but it is really induced by a sudden change of a A number of warm days, that cause the expansion of the young leaves, followed by a cold rainy day, is almost sure to produce it to some extent; and the more severe and protracted the cold, the more ae and fatal it is. The peach trees in actoas New York suffered more from this in 1849-50 than in the ten years previous, owing to a protracted cold time in each season after the young tender leaves had expanded. In both these seasons the check was so severe, as not only to produce this disease in its worst form, but the gum also; for the sap not being absorbed by the leaves, became stagnant, sour, and cor- roded, and burst the bark. Trees in-sheltered gardens suffer less than. those in. exposed orchards. There is no possible way of guarding against this; and the only remedy known to us is, to pick off the ea leaves the moment the weather changes, that new healthy ones may be produced. Section 2.—Tue Principat Insects mnsurious To Frourr TREES. 1. Aphis or Plant-Louse.—There are several kinds of these. The two most troublesome to fruit trees are the green and black, small soft insects that appear suddenly in immense quantities on the young shoots of the trees, suck their juices, and consequently arrest their growth. The apple, pear and cherry, are especially infested with them. They multiply with wonderfulfapidity. It is said that one individual in five generations might be the pro- genitor of six thousand millions. Were it not that they . © * Prof. Harris says in his Treatise on Insects, that it is caused by plant- lice puncturing the under sides of the leaves. — 3866 DISEASES AND INSECTS. a are easily destroyed, they would present an obstacle almost insuperable in the propagation and culture of trees. ’ There are many ways of accomplishing their destruc- tion. Our plan is to prepare a barrel of tobacco Juice, by steeping stems for several days’ until the juice is a dark brown, like strong beer; we then mix this with a solution of soft soap or soap suds, A pail is filled with this, and the ends of the shoots where the insects are assembled are brought down and dipped into the liquid. One dip is enough. Such parts as cannot be dipped are sprinkled liberally. It is applied to the heads of large trees by means of a hand or garden syringe. It should be done in the evening. The liquid may be so strong as to injure the foliage, hence it will be well for persons using it the first time to test it on one or two subjects before applying it extensively. This application must be repeated as often as any of the aphides make their appear- ance. The dry weather of midsummer is generally the time most favorable for their appearance. 2. The Woolly Aphis or American Blight.—This is a small insect, covered with a white woolly substance that conceals its body. They infest the apple tree in particu- lar, both roots and branches, living upon the sap of the bark, and producing small warts or granulations on it by the punctures. They are more particularly troublesome on old rough-barked trees, as they lodge in the crevices, and are difficult to reach. The wind carries them from one place to another by the light down in which they are enveloped, and thus they spread quickly from one end of a plantation to the other. Not a moment should be lost in destroying thefirst one that makes its appearance. Where the bark is rough it should be scraped smooth, if the roots be affected the earth should be removed, ond every part washed, and every crevice filled with fi fol- 1owing preparation, recommended in Harris’s Treatise : INSECTS. | 367 “Two parts of soft soap and eight of water, mixed with lime enough to bring it to the consistency of thick white- wash, to be put on with a brusif” A solution of two Bonses of potash in seven quarts of water will answer the same purpose. Fresh earth should be put upon the roots. 3. The Scaly Aphis or Bark Louse—This is a dark -brown scale insect, that infests the bark of the apple tree. They are of a dark brown color just like the bark, and are not easily seen unless looked for. They attach them- selves closely to the bark, and sometimes are so numerous as to form a complete coating. They seldom appear on thrifty growing trees in good soil; but where the soil is damp and colle and the trees ae feebly, this insect may be looked for. June is the time to destroy them, when they are young. At other times they are hard, and able to resist any ordinary remedy. The same applica- tion recommended for the aphis, applied to them with a hard brush, will effect their destruction. Where they have been left for a long time undisturbed, and have pretty well covered the tree, the quickest and best remedy is to destroy tree and all, unless it possesses some extraor- dinary claim for indulgence. Prof. Harris mentions having found a reddish brown bark louse on his grape- vine, arranged in rows one behind another in the crevices of the bark. 4. The Apple Tree Borer is a very troublesome insect in some sections of the country. In Western New York we have never met with it but in two or three instances, in ver y old, neglected orchards, that had stood for twenty years in grass. The beetle is striped brown and white, and is about three-fourths of an inch long. It deposits its ecgs in June, in the bark of the trees near the ground. fete the larva is hatched, becoming a whitish grub, which saws its way into the tree, perforating it in all 868 DISEASES AND INSECTS. directions, sometimes completely girdling it. The most effectual method to destroy them is, to insert the end of a wire into their burrew,. and killing them. The same means are taken to guard against them as against the © peach tree grub, viz., placing a mound of ashes around _ the base of the trunk in the spring, and allowing it te remain untiLafter the season in which the beetles deposit their eggs. It prevents them from reaching the soft bark at the surface of the ground, the place usually selected. It is stated in Downing’s Fruit and Fruit Trees, that “the beetles may be destroyed in June by building small fires of shavings in different parts of the orchard.” 5. The Apple. Worm.—The apple moth deposits its egos in the eye or calyx of the young fruit; the grub is there hatched, and eats its way into the fruit, leaving be- hind it a brownish powder. Sometimes the apples drop before they are half grown, and.occasionally remain until they acquire a premature ripeness. Early apples are more affected, generally, than late ones, probably because in a more forward state when the eggs are deposited. When the fruit falls the grub immediately leaves, pre: pares itself a place in some crevice of the bark of the tree, and spins a thin paper-like cocoon, in which it spends the winter, to cofne out the following spring and reproduce it self. There are but two ways of destroying them; one is, at pruning time in March, to search carefully for the cocoons aa destroy ee and the other is to pick up promptly all fallen wormy fruits and destroy them. These two means, industriously followed, will greatly diminish the amount of wermy fruit, the increase of which is excit- ing alarm. 6. The Canker Worm.—This insect is Boye chiefly to New England; we have never seen it in New York. They generally emerge from the ground in March. According to Professor Harris, some rise during the late ” . oa 4 INSECTS. 369 autumn and winter months. The female has no wings, but crawls up the tree, and lays her eggs on the branches in- May, in clusters of 60 to 100 in each, glued to each other and to the bark by a greyish varnish impervious to water; the little worms fall upon the leaves, and, when numerous, devour them all, leaving only the mid-ribs. They leave the trees when about four weeks old, and descend into the ground. Their effects are most visible in June, when the trees, divested of their foliage, appear as if scorched by fire. As the female cannot fly, the great point is to prevent her from crawling up; for this purpose various means have been tried and are recommended. One of the most effectual is to tie strips of canvas around the tree and cover it with tar, renewing the tar during their whole season of - rising, or from October till May. Another is, to make a close fitting collar of boards around the base of the tree, and keep them covered with tar. Mr. Jonathan Dennis, of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, obtained a patent for a circular leaden trough filled- with oil, which proves an effectual preventive. | 7. Caterpillars.—Of these there are many kinds that are more or less destructive to the foliage of fruit trees; but the Caterpillar, described by Professor Harris as the American Tent Caterpillar, is the one that commits such general and extensive devastation in our orchards, and especially in certain seasons. The moth deposits its eggs in July, in large rings, on the branches of the trees; these remain in that state until the following season, when they are hatched in the latter end of May or beginning of June. Each ring produces three or four hundred cater- pillars, and these weave a sort of web to live in. Theap- pearance of a tree with three or four of these tents upon it, and the leaves completely devoured, is really frightful. There are two ways of destroying them: one is, to examine Lo oad 3f0 ere DISEASES AND INSECTS. the trees carefully in February or March, at pruning time, and destroy the clusters of eggs by cutting off and burn- ing the branches on which they are found. The next is to destroy the caterpillars in their tents after they are hatched. There are various ways of doing this, according _ to people’s fancy and ingenuity. The quickest and most effectual method is to take a ladder, ascend the trees, and remove every nest with the hands. The early morning should be chosen, when they are in the nests. Some put a round brush on a pole and put it in the nests, and by giving it a few turns web and all are removed. 8. Lhe Cherry and Pear Slug.—tThis is a most destruce- tive insect. They appear in June and July for the first, and a second brood afterwards, small, slimy, dark-brown ‘ slugs on the upper surfaces of the leaves of the cherry and pear. They devour greedily the parenchyma of the leaves, leaving only the bare net-work of veins. Ing short time growth is completely stopped. Stocks for budding require careful watching, fora day ~ or two of these slugs may prevent them from being worked that season. We destroy them by throwing fine earth taken up with the hand among the trees, and by ashes or slaked: lime, when the earth is not sufficiently dry and fine. The caustic properties of lime and ashes render them more certainly destructive to the slug, and they . should always be used in preference to common earth, where only a few trees are to be gone over. A liberal syringing with the tobacco and soap liquid recommended for the aphis, but in a weaker state; is ser- viceable after the ashes and lime. It must be remembered that one application will seldom be sufficient. Some es- cape even to the third or fourth; but-in all cases the war- _ . fare should be sustained whilst one remains. Like the aphis they are Delaeins MBs most troublesome in warm and dry seasons. INSECTS. r 371 9. The Curculro or Plum Weevil—tThis is a small grey- ish brown beetle nearly a quarter of an inch long; the wing covers form two little humps on the back, which give it a roundish appearance, and it has a long crooked snout, well adapted to its destructive propensities. They can® fly, but are not active; and by jarring the part on which they stand, suddenly, they fall to the ground, draw in their legs and appear dead. It deposits its egg in a semicircular incision which it makes in the young fruit ; it there hatches, eats into the fruit, and causes it to fall while yet green. It is the most troublesome of all insects injurious to fruits. In some places it destroys the entire crop of plums, apricots, and nectarines, and attacks even the cherry and the apple. The peach, even, is not wholly exempt, notwithstanding its coat of down. Almost every remedy that ingenuity can devise has been tried. This . whole book would not contain what has been written on - the subject in one year alone. Yet no complete, effectual remedy has been.discovered. The strongest liquid appli- eations of lime, soap, and tobacco—the most powerfal and offensive odors, that repel any other insects, are en- tirely harmless and inoffensive to the curculio. There seem to be really but two means worthy of being re- sorted to. One is, to pave, or in some other way harden, the surface of the ground, so that the grubs cannot enter it to complete their transformations. This is found effi- cient where no other trees are in the immediate vicinity not paved. We have seen many instances where good crops were obtained by this mode. The fact that they are, as a general thing, less troublesome in stiff clay soils than in light porous ones, is alone a proof of the efficacy of a stiff or impenetrable surface soil. Add to this the picking up of -fruit containing the grub as soon as it drops from the tree, and before the worm has a chance to escape. 872 DISEASES AND INSECTS. To accomplish both these ends, some people have planted their plums and apricots in a small enclosure by themselves, adjoining the hog-pen, and as soon as the fruits begin to drop, these animals are admitted, and gather all up, and, at the same time, tread the ground so firmly that it is almost as good as if it were paved. This is probably the easiest and best way to ensure a crop of the fruits attacked by this insect. Another way is, to jar the tree daily three or four times a day, from the moment they begin to appear, which is when the fruit is the size of a pea, until they have disap- peared, or the fruit begins to ripen, when it is no longer attacked. Serious in finde have been inflicted on plum trees, by thoughtlessly striking the bark of the trunk or a large branch with a mallet to jar the trees. The safer way is to strike on the end of a cut branch, or to fix a cushion of some soft:material on the end of a short. stick, and place the cushion on the tree, and strike the other end with the mallet. The insects are much easier jarred off in the cool of the morning while they are comparatively torpid. ' Before commencing to jar them down, a white sheet or cloth, wide enough to cover all the ground under the branches, should be spread to receive the insects as they fall, so that they may be destroyed. This was recom- mended through the “Genesee Farmer,” by David Thomas, twenty years ago. From repeated observations, I am inclined to ‘believe that it is quite sensitive to eid: for it is well known that in the cool of the morning it * always in a comparative state of torpor; and in the cold seasons of 1849-50, when our peach trees and fruit were so greatly da raed the eurculio was driven off, and we had a most abundant crop of plums. A cold day or two may not affect it; but we INSECTS. ; 373 when it continues for two weeks, as in the years referred to, it seems to be rendered powerless for that season. 10. Ants——These are not very destructive, yet they sometimes do considerable injury to beds of seedlings, by making their hillocks among them, and they also infest ripe fruits. Boiling water, oil, or spirits of turpentine, poured on their hillocks, disperses them; and if wide-mouthed bot- tles, half filled with sweetened water or syrup, be hung among the branches of a tree when the fruit is attaining maturity, ants, wasps, flies, and beetles of all sorts that prey greedily upon sweets, will be attracted into them. Mr. Downing, who recommends this as a “ general ex- tirpator suited to all situations,” says, “that an acquaint- ance caught in this way, in one season, more than three bushels of insects of various kinds, and preserved his garden almost entirely against them.” A gentleman in Detroit, who was very careful of hig garden, informed me that he had pursued this method of trapping insects with results that perfectly astonished him. He had to empty the bottles every few days to make room for more. A very good way of trapping and killing ants is, to besmear the inside of flower pots with molasses, and turn them on their mouths near the hillock; the insects will soon assemble inside on- the molasses, when they are easily destroyed by a handful of burning straw. id; T he Peach Tree Borer—This is a most ietme insect when allowed to increase for a few years without molestation. We have seen whole orchards of fine trees ruined by them. They sometimes attack even young trees in the nursery, and commit serious depredations on their collar, rendering them in many cases quite unfit for - planting. Their multiplication should be prevented by all possible means. The eggs are deposited in summer 7, 374 DISEASES AND INSECTS. on the base of the trunk, near the collar, where the bark is soft. There they are hatched, and bore their way under the bark of the tree, either in the stem or root, or both, producing an effusion of gum. Where trees are already affected, the proper course is, to remove the earth - from around the collar of the root, clean away the gum,. destroy any cocoons that may be found, trace the grub through its holes in the tree, and kill it; then fill up around the tree with fresh earth, and place a shovelful or two of ashes around the base. One of the best orchards in the vicinity of Rochester was at one time nearly ruined by the prevalence of this grub, when it changed proprietors, and the present one adopted and followed the plan recommended above, until there is not the trace of one left. The ashes or slaked lime should be applied every spring, and at the end-of summer may be scattered about the tree; both ashes and lime form an excellent dressing for the peach. 12. The Pose Bug—The egos of this insect are laid in the earth, where they are hatched, and from which the bug emerges about the rose season. In some seasons and in some localities they appear like grasshoppers in vast multitudes, and commit extensive ravages, not only on the rose but fruit trees, and all other green things. There is no other way known to combat them, but to crush them with the hand—to spread cloths around the trees, and shake them down on it, and kill them. They are stupid, sluggish things, and fall as though they had no life. ia some cases fruit trees have been protected by cover- ing them with millinet. 13. Leaf Follers—In May and June these insects 1 may be found on the leaves of fruit trees, and especially on the pear; they form themselves a sort of cocoon out of the. leaf. The leaves attacked by them should be removed and “S $., wf ANIMALS INJURIOUS TO FRUIT TREES. 875° destroyed, in order to prevent their increase. The eggs - are deposited on the young leaves by some of the multi- tudes of spring beetles. Srction 3.—Ammats Insurtous to Frurrs AND F'rurr TREES. 1. Birds.—As a general thing, birds are more the friends than the enemies of the garden. Many of them subsist in greater part on insects, and thus perform ser- - vices that are by no means appreciated. The early cher- ries are generally the greatest sufferers by them, and various devices are practised to frighten them away, the roost cruel of which is shooting. Moving objects resem- bling the human figure, bits of looking-glass or tin sus- pended among the branches, etc., are often effectual. Dwarf trees are easily covered = thin netting support- ed on poles and fastened at the base of the tree. 2. veld Mice-—The most effectual preventive is clean culture. Leave no grass, weeds, rubbish, or heaps of stones around the garden or orchard,and the mice will seldom be troublesome. Their operations of girdling are principally carried on beneath the snow, and when this is firmly trodden down as soon as it falls, it obstructs their way. A correspondent of the “ Hareniuser’ states that he has found tin tubes fixed around the base of the tree, an effectual remedy; and Mr. Hooker, of Rochester, has successfully driven them off with poison. He takesa block of wood six inches long and three or four square, and bores it lengthwise with an inch. and half auger nearly through, and places in the lower end some corn meal and arsenic. He places these blocks among the . trees, mouth inclined downwards, “to keep the powder AT 3 Daan Oi ' 876 DISEASES AND INSECTS. 3. Moles——These are easily poisoned and driven off, by putting pills of flour mixed with arsenic into their holes, and shutting them up. We have seen them banished by bits of dried codfish placed in the entrance of coe holes. 4. Cats often commit serious depredations on trees by scratching the bark. Quite recently we saw a large number of beautiful fruit trees nearly ruined by them. A few briers secured around trees in the vicinity of the house, where they frequent most, will be a —— pro- - tection. ¢ | 5. Hogs.—It is not generally supposed that these ani- mals will attack trees; but we have heard of a western farmer who turned in a large number of them to consume the corn that had been grown in his young orchard. When the corn began to grow scarce they attacked the trees, and not one out of several hundred but was complete- ly girdled—the bark gnawed off as far up as the brutes could reach. Where it may be desirable to turn hogs into an orchard, unless the feed be very abundant, the trees should be protected around the base with thorns, briers, or some prickly brush. CHAPiMG “LY. NURSERY, ORCHARD, AND FRUIT GARDEN IMPLE- MENTS. Tue following are the principal implements used in the propagation, pruning, and cultivation of fruit trees: Srcrion 1.—IMPLEMENTS OF THE SoIn. The Subsoil Plough is the great reformer of the day in the preparation of soils of all qualities and textures, for nursery, orchard, or garden trees. It follows the ordinary plough in the same furrow; and the largest size, No. 2, with a powerful team, can loosen the subsoil to the depth of eighteen inches. No. 1 will be sufficient in clear land when the subsoil is not very stiff. The One-Horse Plough»—Similar to fhe common plough used by farmers. It is a labor-saving implement for cul- tivating the ground among nursery trees or orchards closely planted. The horse should be steady, the man careful, and the whiffle-tree as short as possible, that the trees need not be bruised. It should neither.run so deep nor so near the trees as to injure the roots. The Cultwator—tThis with the plough obviates the necessity of spade-work, and, in a great measure, hoeing. If the ground be ploughed in the spring, and the culti- vator passed over it once every week or two during the summer, all the hoeing necessary will be a narrow strip _ ig sufficient for the \ 378 NURSERY AND FRUIT GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. of a few inches on each side of the-row. The double pointed steel-toothed, with a wheel in front, is the best. The One-Horse Cart.—This is an indispensable machine © in the nursery, orchard, or large garden. Four-wheeled wagons are difficult to unload, and require a great deal of space to turnin. The cart can be turned in a circle of twelve or fourteen feet, and the load discharged in a mo- ment, simply by taking out the key that fastens the body to the shafts, throwing it up and moving the horse forward. Our carts are about six feet long and three wide in the body, shafts six feet long, wheels four and.a half feet high, and tire two and a half wide to prevent them from indicia into the ground. The box is about a foot deep, and when large loads are to be carried a spreading board is put on the top with brackets. Cost from $30 to $50. The Wheelbarrow (fig. 182)—Every man who has a rod of ground to cul- ri a _ tivate should pos- ! outa Sain ,sess this machine. , =) | In small gardens it a a f Mi I conveyance of all manures, soils, pro- . ducts, etc., and in larger places it is al- ways needed for use, where a cart cannot go. The handles or levers should be of ash or some tough wood, and the sides and bottom of any light wood. The wheel is soft wood, shod with iron. Fig. 132. Wheelbarrow. Vig. 133. Spade. Lhe Spade (fig. 183) —The best kinds of these in use IMPLEMENTS OF THE SOIL. 379 are Ames’ cast-steel; excellent, strong, light articles. They work clean and bright as silver. There are several sizes. For heavy work, trenching, draining, raising trees, etc., the largest should be used. SSS aaa {iw Pally Fig. 134. Shovel. The Shovel (fig. 134).—This is used in mixing, loading, and spreading composts and short manures. The blade should be of cast-steel. Fig. 135. Digging Fork, or Forked Spade The Forked Spade (fig. 185).—This resembles a fork. It has three stout. cast-steel tines, at least an inch wide, and pointed. It is used instead of a spade to loosen the earth about the roots of trees, to turn in manures, etc., being much less liable to cut and injure them than the spade. Fig. 136. Dung Fork. The Dung Fork (fig. 136).—There are several kinds. : in diameter, attached to tight iron stakes ae j @e a ~~, i . _ a" : 380 = NURSERY AND FRUIT GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. Those of cast-steel, cut out of a solid plate, with three or four tines, are the best, light and durable. It is the only implement proper for loading, mixing, or spreading fresh rough manures with facility and despatch. 7 ots The Pack.—This is a useful, and even indispensable implement in the deepening or trenching of soils with a — hard subsoil that cannot be operated upon with the spade. It consists of an ash handle, and a head composed of two levers of iron pointed with steel, and an’ eye in the centre for the handle. The Garden Line ant feel (fig. 137).— - The line should be a good hemp cord, from one eighth to one fourth of an inch about eighteen inches long. On one of the stakes a reel is attached. This is turned by means of a handle, and the line neatly cclleac. ae and quickly wound up. The Hoe.—This is a universal instrument in this coun- try. In some cases, all the gardening operations are per- formed with it. Its uses in tree culture are to ‘open trenches for seeds, to cover them, to loosen and clean’ the surface of the ground from weeds, &c. There are two kinds, the draw hoe, figs. 138, 139, 140, and the Dutch, . AN — === SSSSSSSSSSSSaQ5Q5S]S]_]_-_---S===]—!S== a = Fic. 138. Fia. 139. Square draw hoe. Triangle draw hoe. or thrust hoe, fig. 141; this we do not use at all: Of the ~ i * e . ” aa IMPLEMENTS OF THE SOIL. 381 - different kinds and forms of the draw hoe. The most generally useful is the square, a cast steel plate, about Fig. 140. ~ Semicircular draw hoe. ‘s i Be | | _ ey ‘\ \ ‘ y \\ i . \ a \ : 4 a\\ \ e\\\, : ; \ MN \\a ee Fre! 4 * Dutch hoe. su. inches long and four wide, with a light smooth handle. The semicircular and triangle hoes may be advantageously used in certain cases. Fie. 142. Garden rake, The Rake, fig. 142, is used to level, smooth, pulverize, and clean the surface of the ground after it has been spaded or hoed, or to prepare it for seeds, &c. They are of different sizes, with from six to twelve teeth. The best are those of which the head and teeth are drawn: out of a solid bar of steel. Those that are welded and riveted soon get out of * order. x Section 2.—ImMPpLEMENTS FOR CUTTING. The Pruning Saw.—This is used for cutting off 882 NURSERY AND FRUIT GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. branches, either too large for the knife, or so situated that the knife cannot operate. It has various sizes and forms. Some are jointed, and fold like a pruning knife; others are like the common carpenter’s handsaw, fig. 148, but smaller and stouter. = MA ————<—<——— Fie. 143,—Pruning saw. Fic. 144.—Bow saw. The Bow Saw (fig. 144)——This is the most generally ‘useful form for the gardener, or nurseryman. The blade is.-very narrow, and stiffened by an arched back. Itis - fastened at both ends by a rivet to the screw on which the back turns, and by which it is adapted to different pur- poses. It is indispensable in making horizontal cuts, close tothe ground, as in heading’ down. Some are set with a double row of teeth on one side, and the edge is much thicker than the back; these work much easier than those toothed in the ordinary way, and it would be an object to have them where much saw prun- ing is to be done. Wherever the saw is used, the cut surfaces should be pared smooth with the knife, to facili- tate its healing. Long handled pruning saws are sometimes recom- metided, but never should be used in pruning fruit trees. The branch to be operated should be reached by means | of a ladder, if need be, within arm’s length, and cut with a common saw. * IMPLEMENTS FOR CUTTING. 883 Hand Pruning Shears (fig. 145).—There is a kind of _ these made now, that gc a moving centre, as in the Mou mom a WK A Mp Fie. 145. figure, make a smooth draw cut almost equal to that of a knife, and it is a very expeditious instrument in the hand of a skilful workman. In pruning out small. dead branches, shortening in peach trees, &c., it will perform four times as much yak as a knife. Pole Pruning Shears.—These resemble the hand shears, but are worked by a string passing over a pulley, and are fixed on a pole of any A length. They are used in cutting scions, diseased shoots, bane from the heads of ey standard trees. = Grape RN lt gino are small sharp pointed a scissors for thinning Fic. 146. 16 F-Grape scissors, : bunches of grapes. The Paes eee oa best for paciem purposes Fre. 147 —1 he prunes knife, ee Fic. 148.—The i dae knife. are those of medium size, with a handle about fur inches long, smooth, , slightly hollowed in the back; the blade about three sha a half inches long, three- anes of an inch wide, and nearly straight. For very heavy work a larger size may be necessary. ‘‘ Saynor’s” (English) knives of this kind are unsurpassed in material and finish. 384. NURSERY. AND FRUIT GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. They are to be had in the seed stores at $1 to $1 25 a-piece. Lhe Budding Knife. —This is much smaller than the pruning knife, with a thin straight blade, the edge some- times rounded at the point. The handle is of bone or ivory, and has a thin wedge-shaped end for raising the bark. Budders have various fancies about shape and size. - sae The Grafting Chisel. —This is used for _ Splitting large stocks; Fie. 149.—Grafting Chisel. . _— the blade is about two inches long, and an inchand a half wide, in the shape of a wedge; the edge curved so as to cut, and not tear the bark; the handle eight or ten inches long, at the end of which is a narrow wedge to keep the split open until the scion is inserted. The whole is of steel. Some are made with the blade in the middle, the wedge at one end, and a hook to hang it by on the other. Foote’s Stock Splitter.—This is an implement invented by A. Foote, Esq., of Williamstown, Mass., to facilitate cleft grafting. It consists of asharp aes.. . and a groove, Fre. 150.—Foote’s stock splitter. a, drained with leather; the handles are of wood, and the whole implement since eighteen inches long. The stock is placed in the groove, and the blade brought down upon it by the lever which acts upon a small wheel, d. It performs splitting both neatly and quickly. LADDERS AND FRUIT GATHERERS. 885. Section 3.—LappERS AND Frurr GATHERERS. Ladders.—Of these there are many kinds. For the fruit garden, where the trees are low, the self-supporting ladder (fig. 151) is the most convenient and best. It should be made of light wood, with flat steps, so that a person can stand upon them and work. The back, or supports, con- sist of one or two light pieces of tim-- ber, fixed at the top with hooks and straps so.as to be contracted or ex- tended at pleasure. A ladder of this ‘kind, six or eight feet high, will an- swer all the demands of a garden. Orchard Ladders are of various kinds. For pruning or gathering the fruit from lofty trees, a great length | of ladder is necessary; it is there- © Fro. 161. fore desirable that the material be as —_Sel-surporting ladder: light as possible consistent with the necessary strength. Sometimes these long ladders are composed of several smaller ones, that fit into one another, all mounted on a frame with a small wheel, by which they are easily moved about. _ The Folding Ladder is a very neat and convenient article for many purposes. The inside of the styles is hollowed out, and the steps are fastened to them by means of iron pins, on which they turn as on hinges, so that the two sides can be brought together, the steps turning into the grooves or hollows in them, the whole appearing like a round pole, B. It is more easily carried and placed where wanted than the ordinary ladder. .A represents it open, and B closed (fig. 152). There are also self-supporting orchard ladders, com- 17 e “. 886 NURSERY AND FRUIT GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. posed of three upright pieces of any required vee and spread widely at the bottom to give them stability.. Two Fie. 152. + Folding ladder. of the sides are fixed, and are furnished with steps all the way up. The thin 4 is longer and moyable, and can be extended or contracted at picasure. A. piece of board wide enough to stand upen ‘can be extended from one side to the other, resting upon the steps at whatever height it is desirable to work. On the movable side a pulley is fixed, by which the baskets of fruit are let. down as they are pathewed: ous persons, or ‘more can ascend and work on a ladder at the same time. Fig. 153 represents one of these; a, b, the two fixed sides; C, the ci eaali one. It is race bly used in France. | The Orchardists’ Hook.—Is a light rod, with a hook on one end, and a movable piece of wood that slides along it. The person gathering “fruit draws the branch towards him - with the hooked end, and re @ ial tains it there by means of the ‘French os orchar@ - sliding piece which is hooked | _ to another branch. This is an indispensable instrument in gathering fruit from large trees. _ ‘ : Lrwit Gatherers—Of these there are many desta by MACHINES FOR WATERING. ~ oon which the fruit may be taken from the tree by a person. standing on the ground. None of them are applicable to the gathering of fruits that are to be kept long, because it is impossible to avoid bruising them more or less, and besides this they operate slowly. They answer very well for gathering a few ripe specimens for immediate consump- tion. The ladder, hook, and hand, are the only safe and expeditious fruit gatherers. Some are made in the form of a vase of wood or tin placed on the end of a pole. The edge of the vase is toothed, and when the stem of the fruit is taken between two of the teeth, and slightly twisted, it drops. Others are composed of a pair of shears on the end of a pole, to which a basket is attached that slides up and down the handle. : The Grape Gatherer resembles a pair of shears com- bining the property of pincers. They cut a bunch of grapes, and hold it firmly until it is brought down. These are very useful for gathering a few bunches of grapes from the top of a house or trellis (fig. 154). Fie. 154, Grape Gatherer. . Ne SECTION 4.—Macuinzs FoR WATERING. Lhe Hand Syringe (fig. 155).—This is a very useful implement for sprinkling and washing the foliage of trees. in dry weather. There are various kinds made of fin, copper, and brass, and sold at various prices. Whatever sort is used should’ have several caps (A) to regulate the % = *) + a : 388 NURSERY AND FRUIT GARDEN IMPLEMENTS. quantity or shower of water discharged ; and they should also have an inverted or “ gooseneck” one (4) to throw Fie. 155. Hand Syringe. the stream, if necessary, on the under side of leaves, or in any oblique direction. ‘ There are, also, hand engines, barrel engines, and bar- ~ row engines, all of which are very useful. In every large garden there should be both the syringe and one of these enginés ; for watering is a most important affai> in gardening under our hot sun and protracted droughts. TT Cia i : = - |= FS Vf te = by) She re | | i ‘ Fia. 156. Ss c————T{ ——_——_— v= ‘Barrow Engine. The Barrow Engine (fig. 156) is the most useful for- general purposes ; it is easily moved from one place to another. The improved kinds are easily worked, and the * -,. > i i il Ss MACHINES FOR WATERING. 389 water-box being provided with a strainer, excludes any- thing likely to derange its operations. The Garden Watering-pot (fig. 157).—This is a tin or copper vessel that may hold from one to four gallons of water, with a spout six or eigltt inches long, by which the water is discharged. There should be a rose or roses, as in cut, to fit on the spout, pierced with large or small holes, by which the water can be discharged in a shower. Every pot may have several roses pierced with holes of various sizes, to adapt them to different purposes. Fig, 157. Garden Watering-pot. Pur) rae etal iy -—_ een Has tiie heii - bis ci INDEX. Ars, importance of, to the germination of seeds, 46. Alluvial soils, nature of, 49. Almonds, select varieties of, 351. Anthers, the, 28. Ants, method of destroying, 373. Aphis, the, how to destroy, 134, 366; the woolly aphis or American blight, 366 ; the scaly aphis or bark foued, 367. Boule: the, principal stocks in use for, 108; time for budding, 133; dwarf apple tree, 189; pruning the, 203; management of the standard apple tree, 204; dwarf standards, 206; pyramids, 207; pruning the branched yearling, 210; treatment of two-year old nursery trees, 211; management of the fruit branches, 217; pruning and management of, as a dwarf on the paradise stock, 218; as an espalier, 220; renovation of pyramidal trees, 271; fire blight of, 361; insects infesting the, 367; apple tree borer, description of, and means of destroying, ib. ; the apple worm, 368. Apples, forms of, 40; abridged descriptions of one hundred and thirty-three select varieties of summer, autumn, winter, and apples for ornament and preserving, 279-297; small select’ lists of, suitable for Western New York, 297. Bomece the, stocks for, 119; as a dwarf standard, 194; pane and mae nagement of, 245. Apricots, abridged descriptions of seven select varieties of, 320, 321. Ash, the mountain, as a stock for the pear, 115. Bark, the outer, 4; the inner, 5. Barrow engine, the, 388. Berberries, method of propagating, 148 ; select varieties of, 347. Birds, manner of protecting fruit aie 3705. Black knot, the, or plum wart, 364, Blackberries, 347. Blossoming, period of, infiuenced by various conditions, 31, 32; in alternate years, 34. e . Cutting back, object of, 207; process of, 208; summer =e of trees . = 392 INDEX. Branches, the, various subdivisions of, 7; pruning, 88 ; removal of large, 89; _ management of fruit, 217. Budding, method of, 70; conditions necessary to the operation of, 71; imple- rents requisite for, 71, 72; cutting, preparing, and preserving the buds, 72; chief difficulty poneanees by beginners in, 74, 75; time for, 133; cece of the bud, 134; ee the buds, 135; erento of the grow- ing Lud, 136. Buds, nature amd functions of, 14; different names and characters of, 15; variations in the size, form, aay prominence of leaf buds, 17; fruit beds, 18; leaf and fruit buds how distinguished, 20. Bushes, dwarf, 142. Calcareous or chalky soils, nature of, 49. Calyx, the, 28. Cambium, nature of, 24. Canada or wild plum, the, 120; time for budding, 133. Canker worm, the, 368. Cart, the one-horse, 378. Caterpillars, methods of destroying, 369. 4 Cats, method of protecting trees from, 376. + Cherries, forms of, 43; abridged descriptions of fifty-five select varieties of heart, bigarreau, duke and morello, and new and rare cherries recently brought to notice, 321-329 ; small select lists of, 329. Cherry, the, principal stocks in use for, 115; time for budding, 133; in the pyramidal form, 191; pruning the, 224; as a standard, 225; to form a round open head, 225; as a pyramid, 226; as anespalier, 227; as a dwarf _ or bush, 228; effects of the disease called gum on, 362. Chestnuts, method of propagating, 148; select varieties off°351, 352. Chinese layering, description of the process so called, 122, 125. Chisel, the grafting, 384: . Clayey soils, nature of, 48. Cleft grafting, 79. Corolla, the, 28. Cotyledons, the, 44 om Cultivator, the, 377. ey Curl of the leaf in the peacn, the, 364. Currant, the, method of propagating, 197; ; pruning and mane of, 265, as a pyramid and espalier, 266. -_ Currants, abridged descriptions of eleven select varieties of, 341, 342. cut back, 213. * Cuttings of fruit trees, how te make, 65; time of making, soil proper for, and time of planting, 66; method of eee 67; treatment of, when transplanted, 127. : i. —— 3a INDEX. 393 Diseases of fruit trees, description of and remedies for, 361. Distance at which standards should be planted in the nursery, 129. Double-working, explanation of, 81. Doucain, the, method of propagating, 110. Draining, process of, 52. Dubreuil, M., his summary of the general principles of pruning, 96. Dung fork, the, 379. Dwarf standards, 131; management of, 140, 206; dwarf. bushés, 142 ; dwarf apple tree, 189; the cherry as a dwarf or bush, 228. Enclosures, various kinds of, for orchards, 163: for fruit gardens, 181. Espaliers, method of forming, 143; proper distances between, 201; the apple and pear as, 220; the cherry as, 227; the peach as, 236; method of laying in, and fastening to walls and trellises, 243; the currant as, 266. Fences, materials for making, for orchards, 163; for garaens, 181. Fibres, the, or rootlets, 2 Fig, the, propagation of, 160; suitable soil for, 261; pruning and training of, 10. Figs, select varieties of, 350, 351. Filbert, the, method of propagating, 148; as a dwarf and pyramid, 194; pruning and training, 257; account of the management of filhert orchards in the county of Kent, England, 7. Filberts, abridged descriptions of six varieties of, 352. Fire blight, the, of the pear, apple, and quince, 361. Flowers, different parts of, 28; sexual distinctions of, 29; method of im- pregnation of, 30; double, 31; different characters of, 92 cage of, 33. Foote’s stock splitter, 384. Fruit rooms, requisites for, 359. - Fruit trees, names, descriptions, and offices of the different parts of, 1; fruit branches and fruit spurs, 10; fruit buds, 20; propagation of, by seed 60; general carelessness in the selection of the sees of, 61; production of new varieties of, 63; propagation of, by cuttings, 65; propagation of, by layer- ing, 67—by suckers and by budding, 70; propagation of, by grafting, 75; pruning of, 83 ; method of regulating the growth of, 92; method of pro- moting the fraivfalnesdtor by pinching, 94; budding, sais and manage- ment of, in the nursery, i132; taking up, from the nursery, 150; method of packing, 151; process of heeling in, 153; permanent plantations of, 157; proper oils for different, 162; points ‘6 be considered in selecting Watietles of, for an orchard, 164; -arrangement of, in an orchard, 167; pruning and preparing, for planting, 174; how to select, for the fruit gar- den, 188, 195; age of, for the fruit aden, 195; arrangement of, in the fruit garden, 199; sundry operations connected with the culture of, 272; diseases peculiar to, 361 ; insects injurious to, 365. oe 304 . INDEX. ae Fruitfulness, method of promoting, by pinching, 94. Fruits, nature and classification of, 34, 35; forms and colors of, 36; different parts of, 7b. ; size of, circumstances influencing the, 37; classification “ot the size of, 39; form of, 40; color and flavor of, 43; abridged descriptions of select varieties of, 277; directions for the gathering, packing, transpor- tation, and preservation of, 354; the best fruit gatherers, 387. Fruit Garden, the, general remarks on, 178; situation for, 179; soil of, 180; enclosures for, 181; manner of laying out, 183; the mixed, or fruit and kitchen, 185; walks in, 186; a supply of water important for, 187; how to select trees for, 188, 195; age of trees for, 195; arrangement of trees in, 199; implements used in, 377; machines for watering, 387. Gages fruits, proper period for, 354; mode of, 355 ; disposition of fruits after gathering, 356 ; implements as in, 386. Germination, process of, 45. Gooseberries, abridged descriptions of five select varieties of, 342, 343. Gooseberry, the method of propagating, 147; pruning, 262; method prac- tised in Lancashire to produce large gooseberries, 264; severely affected by the mildew, 363. Grafting, process and objects of, 75; implements used in, and grafting com- position, 77; whip-grafting on the root, 78; cleft grafting, 79; precau- tions to be taken in, 81; double-working, 75.; implements used in, 384. Grape vine, the, methods of propagating, 145; general observations on the management of, 245; planting, 248; pruning, 249. Grapes, culture of foreign, in cold vineries, 253; abridged descriptions of _ four select varieties of hardy grapes and nine varieties of foreign grapes, 348-350; instrument for gathering, 387. Gravelly pal nature of 49, Growth of trees, method of regulating the, 93. Gum, the, in stone fruits, 362. Heading down, process of, 85. Heart or perfect wood, the, 5. Heat, effect of, on the germination of seeds, 46. Heeling in, process of, 153. Hoe, the, two kinds of, 380. Hogs, method of protecting trees against injuries caused “te 376. Hook, the orchardist’s, 386. Horse plum, the, 119. Hybridization, explanation of the process of, 33. a Implements used in the orchard, nursery, and fruit garden, 377. Insects, the principal, which infest fruit trees, 365. Knife, the pruning, 383; the budding, 384. INDEX. 395 L-vbels for trees in the nursery, 149; manner of labelling, 150. Ludders, orchard, folding, and feel bees 385. Layering, process of, 67, 125; propagation of plums by, 122; treatment of layers when fcaneplented: 127. Leaf rollers, 374 Leaves, structure and functions of, 21; different forms and characters of, 25. Light, exclusion of, necessary for the germination of seeds, 47. Line and reel, the, 380. Loamy soils, nature of, 49. Mahaleb, the, 117. Manures, importance of, 54; preparation of, 55; special, 56; modes of apply- ing, 58; liquid, 7d. cna proper method of, 272. Mazzard seedlings, 115. Medlar, the, treatment of, same as that of the quince, 224. Medullary rays, 7 Mice, method of protecting fruit trees from the ravages of, 375. Mildew, the, in the peach, 363. Moisture, effects of, on the germination of seeds, 45. Moles, method of guarding against the ravages of, 376. Mulberries, method of propagating, 148; varieties of, 348 Mulching, operation of, 176, 273. Nectarine, the, stocks for, 119; as a dwarf standard, 194; pruning the, 246. Nectarines, abridged descriptions of seven select varieties of, 329, 330. s Nursery, the, soil of, 105; method of laying out, 107; situation of, and succession of crops in, 7b.; directions for planting stocks in the nursery rows, 127; budding, grafting, and management of trees in, 132; treatment of the eal in, 144; labels for trees in, 149; taking up trees ‘from, 150; implements used in, 377. Orchard, the, situation of, 158; soil of, 161; how to prepare the soil for, _ 162; selection of varieties of fruit trees for the family, 164; kind of trees to be selected for, 166; arrangement of the trees in, 167; selection of trees for the market, 169 ; planting the, 175; management of trees i, 177; implements used in, 377, 385. Ovary, the, 29. Packing trees, proper method of, 151; mneflted of packing fruits, ae Paradise, the, method of ees ae Lit. Parenchyma, nature of, 22. Parsons, S. B., his orchard of pear trees, 172. Peach, the, principal stocks for, 117; times for budding, 133; as a dwarf standard, 193; pruning and management of, 229; to form the head of a 896 INDEX. standard peach tree, 231; root pruning, 233; conducted in the form of vase, ib.; as an espalier, 236; symptoms of the yellows and mildew ia, 363; insects infesting, 373. Peaches, forms of, 42; abridged descriptions of thirty-eight select varietics of freestone and clingstone, 330-335: select list of, 335. Pear, the, principal stocks in use for, 111; time for budding, 133; as a pyra- mid, 190, 207; in the dwarf standard form, 191, 206; management of the standard pear tree, 204; pruning the branched yearling, 210; treatment of two-year old nursery trees, 211; management of the fruit branches, 217; as an espalier, 220; renovation of pyramidal trees, 271; fire blight of, 361; pear leaf blight, 362. Pears, forms of, 41; varieties of, that succeed well on the quince, 172; abridged descriptions of one hundred and eighty-two select varieties of summer, autumn, winter, pears for baking and stewing, and new and rare varieties, 299-319; select assortments of, 312; method of packing for distant markets, 358. Peaty soil, nature of, 49. Petals, the, 28. Pick, the, 380. Pinching, nature and objects of, 92. Pistil, the, 29. Pith, the, 5. : Plant louse, the, ravages of, and method of destroying, 365, 366. Plantations of fruit trees, different kinds of, 157. Plants, exhalation of moisture and gases by, 22; propagation of, 60. Plough, the subsoil and one-horse, 377. Ploughing, subsoil, 50. . Plum, the, stocks for, 119: the horse, 76.; the Canada, or wild, 120; the cherry plum, id. ; the sloe as a stock for, 121; propagated by layers, 122; time for budding, 133; as a pyramid, 192; as a dwarf standard, 193; pruning and management of, 244; diseases of, 364. Plums, forms of, 42; abridged descriptions of fifty-one select varieties of, 335-340; small select lists of, 341. Plumule, the, 44. Pruning, importance of the operation of, 83; various objects to be attained by, 84; to direct the growth from one part to another, ib. ; heading down, 85; to maintain an equal growth, to renew growth, and to induce fruit- fulness, 86; pruning the roots and pruning at the time of transplanting, 87; mechanically considered, 88; season for, 91; general principles of, as laid down by Dubreuil, 96; directions for the pruning of stocks, 125; pruning the apple and the pear, 203; the quince, 222; the. cherry, 224; the peach, 229; the plum, 244; the apricot, 245; the nectarine, 246; grape vines, ib. ; the filbert, 257; the fig; 260; the gooseberry, 262; the. currant, 265; the raspberry, 267; implements used.in, 381. - ~~ i Si — > INDEX. 397 A, Pyramids, management of, 140, 207; renovation of, 271. Qumcee, tne, as a stock for the pear, 113; erroneous ideas concerning, 114; as a dwarr and pyramid, 194; pruning and training of, 222; fire blight of, 361. Quinces, abridgea descriptions of seven select varieties of, 319, 320. Blea ae 381. Raspberries, forms of, 43 ; method of propagating, 148; abridged descriptions of six select varieties a 343, 344. Raspberry, the; planting « of, 267; pruning, 268; manuring and training, 269; French and English modes of nee 269, 270. Root, the, the several parts of, 2; growth of, 3; whip-grafting on, 78; pruning, 87, 90; metnod of eae root-grafts, 131, Rosebug, the, 374. Sandy soils, nature of, 48. Sap, the, ascent, assimilation, and descent of, 24; tendency ot to the grow- ing points at the top of a tree, 85. ” Sap- wood, the, 5. Saw, the pruning, 381; the bow, 382. Scions, selection and lentretetit of, for grafting, 76. Scissors, grape, 383. . Seed, the, composition of, 44; germination of, 45; propagation by, 60; selection of, 61. Seedling apple, the common or free stock, preparing, saving, and planting the seed of, 108; after management of, 109; the pear seedling, 111. Shears, hand pruning and pole pruning, 383. Shovel, the, 379. Sloe, the, as a stock for the plum, 121. Soils, different kinds of, 48; different modes of i improving, 50; proper, for the orchard, 161; annual eiiieacan of the soil, 272. Spade, the, 378; the forked spade, 379. . Spongioles, the, 3 Staking, process of, 176. Stamens, the, 28. Standards, management of, 137; dwarf, management of, 140. Stem, the, the different parts of, 4; structure and growth of, 6; the branches divisions of, 7; pruning, 88. Stigma, the, 29. Stocks, necessity of a close alliance between, and grafts, 76; description and propagation of, 108; for the apple, i+. ; for the pear, 111; for the cherry, 115; for the baaehe 117; for the danicot, nectarine, and nlf, 119; trans- pian 122; time and manner of taking up, 124; pruning stocks, 125; ° * + 4 “ f 4 ¥ f i.” Ry ‘ 0” ieee oye 4 ee INDEX. "tee “ me : “ — * § , + planting in the nursery rows, it; treatment of, : after’ lanting,. ‘tye ; for budding, 133 ; preparation of, and i sertion of the bud, .134,. ‘ “a Strawberries, forms of, 43 ; * method of pagating, ‘147; abridged descrip» n- tions of éwhnt'y-six select varieties of, 344-346, -. * ‘5 Style, the, 29. — . > eR Foie Subsoil ploughing, 50; the subsoil plough, 377. «* oll | tO ee oa Suckers, propagation of fruit trees by means of, 70: ai), a — Syringe, the hand, 387. — Ngee ae ae - ) Temperature, method of P protecting trees against extremes of, 273. — ee 3 Thorn, the, as a stock for the pear, 115. ~ Transplanting stocks, directions for, 122. Tree, a, general remarks upon the structure of, 1; the root oOo: cat, | the branches, 7; the buds, 14; the leaves, 21: ‘the — 28; the fruit, 34; the seed, 44. i as - # ‘Tella form and construction of 182. ae Trenching, process of, 51. # Varieties of fruits, sondage descriptions of select, 277. ts ie S Vineyards, culture a 252. 2 Walks, manner of << out, in the fruit garden, 186, Walnuts, method of propagating, 149; abridged descriptions of varieties of, 353. | Water, a supply of, important for a fruit garden, 187. > : - = Watering, beneficial effects of, in fruit trees, 273; machines for, 387; the garden watering-pot, 389. _ i Wheelbarrow, the, 378. P Whip-grafting on the root, 78. - Wilder, M. P., compost recommended by, for gardening purposes, 57. i Yellows, the, in the peach, 363. __ 8 j . e “ ' . ; > & fective in plot.—N. Y. Evangelist. “Popular Work ! : Twelfth Thousand Now Ready! LEWIE, OR THE BENDED TWIG. . BY COUSIN CICELY, Author of “Silver Lake Stories,” etc., etc. One Volume 12mo., = =| = = «= Pricé $1.00 ALDEN & BEARDSLEY, Auburn and Rochester ,N. Y a Publishers, “ Mother! thy gentle hand hath mighty power, - eae” For thou alone may’st train, and guide, and mould Plants that shall blossom, with an odor sweet, Or, like the cursed fig-tree, wither, and become Vile cumberers of the ground.” — ‘Brief Extracts from Notices of the Press, * * ® A tale which deserves to rank with “The Wide,WideWorld.” It is written with graphic power, and full of interest—Hartford Repub. * * * Her writings are equal to the best. She is a second Fanny Fern—Palmyra Democrat. ‘ 2 i iy * * * Itis recommended by its excellent moral tone and its whole- some practical inculcations —N. Y. Tribune.» _ * * * Full of grace and charm, its style and vivacity make it a most ‘amusing work. For the intellectual and thinking, it has a deeper lesson, and while it thrills the heart, bids parents beware of that weakness which prepares in infancy the misery of man. “‘ Lewie’’is one of the most pop- “ular books now before the public, and needs no puffing, as it is selling by thousands.—WV. Y. Day Book. 4 . * * * The moral of the book is inestimable, The writer cannot fail to be good, as she so faithfully portrays the evils which owe their ori- gin to the criminal neglect of proper parental discipline—Huni’s Mer- chants’ Magazine. * * * The plot is full of dramatic interest, yet entirely free from extravagance ; the incidents grow out of the main plot easily and natural- ly, while the sentiment is healthy and unaffected. Commend us to more writers like Cousin Cicely—books which we ean see in th€ hands of our young people without uneasiness. Bocks which interest by picturing life as it is, instead of giving us galvanized society.—-National Democrat. * * * A touching and impressive story, unaffected in.style and ef- *y z a” * * * Thestory of the Governess, contained in this volume, is one of rare interest.—Highland Eagle. * * * The story is a charming one—the most affecting we ever read.—Jersey Shore Republican. _* * * “Consin Cicely” is just the person to portray family scenes, * * * ‘This story will be profitable reading —Daily Capital City Fact Columbus, Ohio. x _* * * The contents of the work are of the first order, and unexcep ' tionable-—Hartford Daily Times.s a = a e < le eS a m « : £ ' FS Pe * e 7 * -» * * * Tet every youth peruse i, and we promise them they wil Gnd their hearts and lives improved by it.—Advocate, Batavia. . } Truth is the basis of the work before us. In it the accomplished au- thoress has done an honor to her sex, and w oubt not secured blessings upon many households by the publication of this finished and elegant lit- tle volume. Her former labors have endeared her com _ The present one should secure for her the affection and gratitude of — Geneva Courier. re, Ghe, Seiceaeae= ; ss Rigs ed vee ee = lively without triviality. and replete with interest from theifirst to the last—New York Day Book. e ripe = * Believing this -wor “adapted to lead mothers to rightly trair the little shoots springing Up und the parent tree, and to restrain their wandering inclinations, we commend it to their perusal.— Student. . _ Cousin Cicely is gifted with rare powers. It is of home incidents she writes, and in a manner highly attractive. * * * Traces with graphi¢ force the loved and petted child. The velume is’ full of mstruction té parents, and should have a place in every family library —Providence Daily Post. , , 7 ~~ 1 _ * * * Cousin Cicely is well known, and a-work from her pen will meet with ready welcome.—Providence } 'aily Times. ae * * * Her works are of decided ment, and should be possessed by all._— Rochester Daily American. Be * * * She has got the hearts of parents and children tnrough the Silver Lake Stories and Lewie.—Rochesier 1'aily Democrat. =e * * * The moral of the story is good, end the plot is so touching, that we cannot wonder at the beok’s success —-V. Y. Commercial At * * * Agnes, the sister of spoiled Lewie, ix treated with unmoth injustice ; grows up a character of uncommon oveliness; and, th “only a Governess,” marries splendidly —N. Y Church Journal,» mA * * * Downright interesting story. It is crowded with domestic pictures, true to nature. * * * The short and melancho y career of poor Lewie, shows the importance of properly mawaging children.— Wes- tern Literary Messenger. ~ * * * ‘The description ofan American home is t-ue tothe life. Ma- ny of the incidents are truly affecting. * * * Passoges of remarkable beauty of expression and sentiment. We give the fi lowing as a specj- men of the thought and style which characterizes the woik: *-Itis strange how much a human heart may suffer and beat on and regiin tranquility, and even cheerfulness at last. It is a most merciful prov‘s*on of Provi- dence, that or griefs do not always fall as heavily as they do at first, else how could the burden of this life of change and sorrow be %orne. But the loved ones are not fu-gotton when the tear is dried, and the smile re- turns to the cheek ; they ire remembered, but with less of saless and eteey in the remembrance; and at length, ifwe can think o. trem ag appy, it is Onlv a pleasure to recall them to mind.”—~Patriol, farkson- Michigan. q Aer ee a? # a ~ a —e } TT 0009170765 >