THE 
 
 AMERICAN ORCHARDIST; 
 
 OR 
 A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT OP 
 
 APPLE AND OTHER FRUIT TREES, 
 
 WITH OBSERVATIONS ON THE DISEASES TO WHICH THEY ARE 
 
 LIABLE, AND THEIR REMEDIES. TO WHICH IS ADDED THE 
 
 MOST APPROVED METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AND 
 
 PRESERVING CIDER, AND ALSO WINE FROM 
 
 APPLE JUICE AND CURRANTS. 
 
 Adapted to the use of 
 
 AND ALL LOVERS AND CULTIVATORS OF 
 
 TTNH FRUIT. 
 
 BY JAMES THACHER, M. D. 
 
 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; 
 
 Honorary Member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, 
 
 and of the New- York Horticultural Society, &c. 
 
 SECOND EDITION, MUCH IMPROVED. 
 
 "Nature in her teaching- speaks in very intelligible language- 
 and that language is conveyed by experience and observation. 5 ' 
 
 PLYMOUTH, MAS3. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY EZRA COLLIER. 
 
 1025. 
 
DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS, TO WIT! 
 
 DISTRICT CLERK'S OFFICE. 
 
 Be it remembered, That on the twenty-fourth day of October, 
 A. D. 1825, in the fiftieth year of the Independence of the Unit- 
 ed States of Amsrica, Ezra Collier, of the said District, has de- 
 posited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof he 
 claims as proprietor, in the words following-, to wit : 
 
 '"The American Orchardist ; or a practical treatise on the cul- 
 ture and management of apple and other fruit trees, with obser- 
 vations on the diseases to which they are liable, and their reme- 
 dies. To which is added the most approved method of manufac- 
 turing 1 and preserving cider, and also wine from apple juice and 
 currants. Adapted to the use of American Farmers, aud all 
 lovers and cultivators of fine fruit. By James Thacher, M. D. 
 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Hono- 
 rary Member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and the 
 New- York Horticultural Society, &c. Second edition, much 
 improved. 'Nature in her teaching speaks in very intelligible 
 language, and that language is conveyed by experience and ob- 
 servation.'" 
 
 In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, 
 entitled, "An act for the encouragement of learning, by secur- 
 ing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the authors and 
 proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned :" 
 and also to an act, entitled "An act supplementary to an act, 
 entitled, An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing 
 the copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the authors and pro- 
 prietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned ; and 
 extending the benefits thereof to the arts of Designing, Engrav- 
 ing and Etching Historical and other Prints." 
 
 JNO. W. DAVIS, 
 Clerk of the District of Massachusetts. 
 
 Allen Danlbrth, Printer. 
 
TO THE 
 
 PRESIDENT AND OTHER OFFICERS OF THE 
 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 P 
 
 resuming upon your acquiesence, I introduce to your no- 
 dice this little practical treatise upon one of the most interesting 
 and pleasing branches pertaining to the science of agriculture. 
 The utility of a cheap publication of this kind, for the informa- 
 tion and encouragement of our farmers, is unquestionable. If 
 this humble attempt should meet your approbation, and be found 
 to possess a degree of merit calculated to co-operate with your 
 zealous efforts to promote agricultural pursuits and improve- 
 ments in our country, a knowledge of your character is an am- 
 ple pledge that you will not withhold your patronage and favour. 
 If, however, it shall appear that 1 have subjected myself to the 
 accusation of having stepped beyond the limits, within which 
 my actual knowledge should be confined, then will a conscious- 
 ness of laudable motives, of assiduity and fidelity in the collec- 
 tion of experimental facts, remain as my only consolation. I 
 am not unapprized of the almost invincible prejudice, which pre- 
 vails among our farmers, against what they term ''book-farm- 
 ing," "book-knowledge," &c. &c. ; and the anecdote is fresh ia 
 my memory, of an honest farmer, who, on being inquired of 
 Why his neighbour's farm was not productive, replied, "because 
 he has booked it to death." These prejudices exist chiefly among 
 those, whose minds are unenlightened, and views unexpanded by 
 that useful knowledge, which is only to be acquired by reading. 
 It must be conceded that almost all improvements are derived 
 from the records of practice and observation ; and when we 
 have reason and experience to support, and plain facts to con- 
 firm, we may become less tenacious of the rules of our fathers, 
 believing that it may be the reserved privilege of the children, 
 to acquire the skill of producing two spires of grass where their 
 fathers produced but one. It is a remarkable fact that the first 
 planters bequeathed to their posterity a greater number of or- 
 
IV DEDICATION. 
 
 chards, in proportion to their population, than are now to be 
 found in the old colony ; and it is no less notorious that the chil- 
 dren have substituted a poisonous liquor for the salutary bever- 
 age, which almost exclusively cheered the hearts of their virtu- 
 ous ancestors. The views of men are often materially affected 
 through mere indolence of temper, no less than through the 
 cloud of prejudice. Averse to the labour of reading and inquiry, 
 they adhere pertinaciously to the routine of their predecessors, 
 and treat with equal contempt the lessons of experience, and all 
 suggestions of improvement. It is not, however, desirable that 
 former modes of practice in husbandry should be abandoned un- 
 til it shall be incontestably proved, that a system more adapted 
 to our circumstances, and in all respects of superiour utility, can 
 be founded on the surest basis. It is not to be required of our 
 farmers to subject themselves to the expense and uncertainty 
 of novel experiments ; but he who possesses capital and leisure, 
 and who, in the spirit of investigation, shall put in execution a 
 hundred new projects, although in ten only shall he be successful 
 in the acquisition of useful khowledge, will be entitled to public 
 praise and respect. These pages contain no speculative or vis- 
 ionary projects, nor recommend any untried experiments. Al- 
 though a portion of information is derived from European au- 
 thors, no inconsiderable part of it has been collected from the 
 practical experiments and observations ot our own countrymen. 
 There is, therefore, no part of this production but what may be 
 adopted as applicable to our climate, and calculated to promote 
 the interests of the cultivators of our soil. The knowledge re- 
 specting the proper management of fruit trees is contained in 
 numerous volumes, and in incidental papers, published in peri- 
 odical works. My object has been to collate and embrace all 
 the principal circumstances relative to the subject, and con- 
 dense the whole into a small compass, that shall be accessible 
 both to the pecuniary means of all, and to the intellectual powers 
 of the most ordinary capacity. The authorities to which 1 am 
 chiefly indebted, are the several Encyclopedias, Forsyth on 
 Fruit Trees, and the valuable periodical publications of your so- 
 ciety, and various other similar productions. If, in a few in- 
 stances, it shall appear that 1 have employed borrowed language 
 without marks of quotation, my apology is, that I have copied 
 from minutes collected at various times, without reference to 
 the source whence derived ; not that I would wittingly pilfer 
 the cultivated fruit of others* and impose it upon my guests as 
 the result of my own industry. 
 
 Nothing can be more irksome to a reflecting mind than a state 
 
DEDICATION. V 
 
 of inactivity and idleness. I have devoted some of my leisure 
 hours to the subject of this treatise, and have derived from the 
 employment both recreation and improvement. Should the 
 book share the fate of many others, aud pass into neglect and 
 oblivion, it will not be a cause of chagrin ; but if it should be so 
 fortunate as to rise into popularity, and arrest the attention of 
 our farmers, who may be assured that a little "book -knowledge" 
 will do them no harm, it will be a source of the highest grati- 
 fication. 
 
 The Massachusetts Agricultural Society, through your agen- 
 cy, gentlemen, has already exerted a happy influence, tending 
 to eradicate former prejudices, and greatly to ameliorate the 
 condition of our husbandry in its various branches. 
 
 With the view of encouraging a familiarity with agricultural 
 books among our farmers, permit me to suggest the expediency 
 of supplying our several county societies with the Massachusetts 
 Agricultural Repository, on the most favourable terms for dis- 
 tribution ; and also of paying, in certain proportions, your annu- 
 al premiums in cheap books on agricultural subjects. 
 
 That you may long continue to enjoy the satisfaction to be 
 derived from your patriotick labours, is the fervent desire of 
 
 Your humble and obedient servant, 
 
 JAMES THACHER. 
 PLYMOUTH, JULY, 182L 
 
RECOMMENDATION. 
 
 THE gentlemen who sign the following- Recommendation are 
 officers of the Massachusetts Agricultural Society, although they 
 do not subscribe as such ; but cheerfully consent, as individuals, 
 to honour the publication with the following- testimony of their 
 approbation. 
 
 Boston, September 10, 1821. 
 WE have perused, at the request of Dr. Thacher, his Trea- 
 tise on the Culture of Fruit Trees, and the Art of Making Ci- 
 der; and, although we cannot hope that our opinions will have 
 any great weight with the publick, yet, as the author is desirous 
 that we should express them, we have no hesitation jn saying, 
 that it appears to us an excellent compendium of all that has 
 been written on the subject — comprising, within a moderate 
 compass, the result of the observations of the experienced cul- 
 tivators of Europe, and of this country — with many original sug- 
 gestions of his own — and we believe that such a work will be of 
 great value to those, who wish to obtain a knowledge of this 
 branch of agriculture, but who cannot have access to the orig- 
 inal sources, from which, with great labour, and, as we believe, 
 good judgment, this compilation has been formed. 
 
 [Names of the gentlemen who, as individuals, si^n the above 
 recommeedation ; with the addition of their titles, as copied from 
 the Massachusetts Agricultural Journal.] 
 
 AARON DEXTER, M. D. President. 
 
 SAMUEL W. POMEROY, Esq. First Vice-President. 
 
 THOMAS L. WINTHROP, Esq. 2d Vice-President. 
 
 JOHN PRINCE, Esq. Treasurer. 
 
 JOHN LOWELL, Esq. Corresponding Secretary. 
 
 Hon. RICHARD SULLIVAN, Recording Secretary. 
 
 Hon. PETER C. BROOKS, ^ 
 
 Hon. JOHN WELLES, 
 
 Hon. JOSIAH QUINCY, 1 Trustees 
 
 S. G. PERKINS, Esq. 
 
 GORHAM PARSONS, Esq. 
 
 E. II ERSE Y DERBY, Esq. 
 
Preface to tlae Seecmd Edition. 
 
 THE American Orchardist having- been honoured by the 
 publick approbation, as evinced by the early disposal of the 
 first edition, the author is encouraged to prepare for the press a 
 new edition, containing- many improvements, and considerable 
 additional matter. This little volume will not be found deficient 
 in auy requisite to gratify the wishes of those who may be de- 
 sirous to select the most advantageous and eligible method of 
 cultivating the finest fruits, and of preparing the valuable liq- 
 uors which they are known to afford. Much attention has been, 
 bestowed also, in forming a correct catalogue of the most ap- 
 proved varieties of fruit, with the peculiar qualities which they 
 possess, that the purchaser may with facility make his selection 
 of such as are in highest repute among our most experienced 
 conroiseurs. It has been a primary object to compress the 
 whole in so small a compass, that the price of the book may not 
 be enhanced, while its contents shall be rendered no less com- 
 pletely adapted to the use of our farmers and cultivators, than 
 any similar work which hae hitherto been offered to the pub- 
 lick. While the author would most respectfully proffer his 
 grateful acknowledgements for publick honours and patronage, 
 he flatters himself with the hope that no one will ever have cause 
 to regret that he contributes to the remuneration of persevering 
 industry by purchasing a copy of the American Orchardist. 
 PLYMOUTH, OCT. 1825. 
 
 N. B. It is from a sense of justice and respect that I em- 
 brace this occasion to acknowledge, that in the first edition of 
 this work, an error was inadvertently committed, as respects 
 the venerable Timothy Pickering, Esq, In the several pages 
 16, 17, 21, 45, language and sentiments are ascribed to him, 
 which I now learn were derived from a different source ; and 
 in the present edition, pages 16, 18, 22, 49, the same errors 
 were reprinted previous to my receiving that gentleman's disa- 
 vowal. The circumstance is to be explained as follows : While 
 compiling the first edition and searching every source for mate- 
 rials, I found in the Massachusetts Agricultural Journal, vol. 3, 
 page 39, an anonymous production "On, the culture of Trees." 
 By some means which I cannot at present recollect, I received 
 the impression that it came from the pen of Col. Pickering, and 
 was induced to avail myself of the supposed authority according- 
 ly. I am now authorised and requested to assert that Col. Pick- 
 ering disclaims all knowledge of whatever is ascribed to him in 
 the several pages above mentioned. 
 
MDEMFDOa 
 
 JOHN LOWELL, ESQ. 
 
 President of the Massachusetts Agricultural 
 
 Society — the generous patron of systematick 
 
 agriculture, to whom the science is indebted for 
 
 indefatigable labours and useful achievements : 
 
 This second edition is, with 
 
 great respect and consideration, 
 dedidcated by his 
 humble servant, 
 
 THE AUTHOR, 
 
THE 
 
 AMERICAN ORCHARDXST. 
 
 "And the Lord took the man and put him in the garden of Eden 
 to dress it and to keep it." Saying-, "In the sweat of thy 
 face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground." 
 
 "What a luxury do the sons of sloth lose." — Harvey. 
 
 Rise early to your orchard and garden. See if your trees and 
 plants flourish — listen to the chirping of the joyous birds — 
 cultivate rural pleasures, and health, vigor and comfort 
 will most assuredly be your portion. 
 
 APPLE TREES. 
 
 AMONG the numerous varieties of fruit-bearing 
 trees, cultivated in our country, the apple is, confess- 
 edly, of superiour importance and utility. Whether 
 considered as an esculent for the dessert, as an article 
 for culinary purposes, or as affording a pleasant and 
 wholesome beverage, this fruit is not to be surpassed 
 in Excellence. If the productions of tropical climates 
 are valued for their grateful and delicious qualities, 
 the apple, more permanent and durable, and possess- 
 ing nutritive and salubrious properties, is incompara- 
 bly of the greatest estimation. From a natural and 
 happy gradation, this fruit attains to full growth, in 
 2 
 
10 CULTURE 
 
 successive order, during summer and autumn ; and, at 
 quiring greater perfection and maturity after gather- 
 ing, it may., by proper care, be preserved for the ta- 
 ble, or for culinary use, until the return of the flower- 
 ing season. The soil and climate of the United States 
 are admirably adapted to the growth of the apple 
 tree, except in certain districts in the south, where 
 the land is level and sandy, and the atmosphere re- 
 plete with humiditjr. Even the colder regions of 
 iuaine annually furnish excellent apples for the Boston 
 market. We have an ample variety of apples, many 
 of which are allowed to be of superiour quality as to 
 size, beauty and flavour. Notwithstanding, however, 
 these advantages, and the immense value of apple or- 
 chards, their cultivation has received but inadequate 
 attention from the farmers of our country. It must 
 be confessed, as a notorious truth, that an orchard, 
 planted and cultivated in the most advantageous man- 
 ner in point of beauty, profit, and convenience, is 
 scarcely to be found in the sphere of our observation. 
 The most palpable neglect prevails in respect of prop- 
 er pruning, cleaning, and manuring round the roots 
 •f trees, and of perpetuating choice fruit, by engraft- 
 ing from it on other stocks. Old orchards are, in 
 general, in a state of rapid decay ; and it is not un- 
 common to see valuable and thrifty trees exposed to 
 the depredations of cattle and sheep, and their foliage 
 annoyed by caterpillars and other destructive insects. 
 In fact, we know of no branch of agriculture so unac- 
 countably and so culpably disregarded. If it be ob- 
 jected, that the profit will not remunerate for the 
 labour and expense of cultivation, the obvious reply 
 is, let the experiment be fairly tried, in a few instan- 
 ces, and the result will soon correct the erroneous 
 impression, and stimulate to greater attention to the 
 subject. It may, with propriety, be affirmed, that a 
 judiciously-cultivated orchard of select fruit, if situated 
 
fKUiT TRE. i 1 
 
 at a convenient distance from a large town or village, 
 would yield an annual profit equal to any production 
 of the industrious husbandman. An instance has been 
 adduced, in the town of Dorchester, a few years since, 
 of one hundred and sixty barrels of apples being pro- 
 duced from less than two acres, the estimated value 
 of which, including the grass mowed under the trees, 
 is three hundred dollars per acre. In what branch of 
 culture can the husbandman realize a more ample and 
 gratifying reward for his labour and attention ? 
 
 It is a circumstance encouraging to the cultivator, 
 that, "in addition to the usual markets, a very consid- 
 erable export has taken place lately to Europe, and 
 that the flavour of our apples is highly estimated 
 there." In every rural establishment, a fruit orchard 
 should be considered an indispensable appendage, as a 
 source of real emolument, and as contributing to health, 
 pleasure, and recreation. It will be conceded, that, in 
 the whole department of rural economy, there is not 
 a more noble, interesting, and beautiful exhibition, 
 than a fruit orchard, systematically arranged, while 
 clothed with nature's foliage, and decorated with vari- 
 egated blossoms perfuming the air, or when bending 
 under a load of ripe fruit of many varieties. It is a^- 
 mongthe excellences of a fruit orchard, that it affords 
 a salubrious beverage, an adequate supply of which 
 would have a happy tendency to diminish, if not su- 
 persede, the consumption of ardent spirits, so destruc- 
 tive to the health and moral character of our citizens. 
 "The palate," says Mr. Knight, an English horticultu- 
 ralist, "which relishes fruit, is seldom pleased with 
 strong fermented liquors; and, as feeble causes, con- 
 tinually acting, ultimately produce extensive effects, 
 the supplying the publick with fruit, at a cheap rate, 
 would have a tendency to operate favourably, both 
 on the phjsical and moral health of the people." Jt 
 *s presumable, that the period is not far distant, when 
 
12 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 the subject of horticulture will receive its merited at- 
 tention, and the value and utility of fruit orchards be 
 duly appreciated by all ranks of our citizens ; and it 
 will be to me a source of pride and satisfaction, should 
 these pages contribute, in any degree, to the promo- 
 tion of the desirable object. The most eligible and 
 approved method of propagating fruit trees, some ac- 
 count of the numerous insects which infest and prey 
 upon their vitals, with the various diseases to which 
 they are liable, and which prove fatal to their exis- 
 tence, and the best adapted remedies, will constitute 
 the principal topicks of this undertaking. While phi- 
 losophers pride themselves upon vain speculation, the 
 practical farmer will be contented with plain facts, 
 from whatever source derived. Leaving to others, 
 therefore, the task of wandering in the perplexing 
 mazes of theory, suffice it here to excite, in the or- 
 chardist and farmer, the spirit of practical activity, 
 and to stimulate by the lessons of attentive and intel- 
 ligent men ; for "nature, in her teaching, speaks in 
 very intelligible language, and that language is con- 
 vej^ed by experience and observation." No apology 
 will be urged for any inelegance of style, as perspicu- 
 ity and brevity are conceived to be more acceptable 
 requisites, in the view of the respectable cultivators 
 of our soil, for whose use this little work is intended. 
 
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF APPLES. 
 
 "In diseases of the breast, says Dr. Willich (Dom. 
 Ency.) such as catarrhs, coughs, consumptions, &c. 
 they are of considerable service. For these beneficial 
 purposes, however, they ought not to be eaten raw, 
 but either roasted, stewed, or boiled. They may also 
 be usefully employed in decoctions, which, if drank 
 plentifully, tend to abate febrile heat, as well as to re- 
 lieve painful strictures in pectoral complaints. With 
 
OP FRUIT TREES. 13 
 
 regard to their sensible properties, apples have been 
 divided into spicy, acidulated, and watery. To the 
 first class belong the various species of rennet, which 
 possess a most delicate flavour, contain the least pro- 
 portion of water, and, on account of their vinous na- 
 ture, are not apt to excite flatulency. Pippins, on the 
 contrary, though affording more nutriment than the 
 former, are more fibrous, and, consequently, require a 
 more vigorous stomach to digest them ; hence they 
 should be ranked under the second class. Lastly, 
 those sweet and tender apples which are very juicy 
 and palatable, are the least fit to be eaten in a raw 
 state, unless with the addition of bread or biscuit. 
 When baked, or dried in the open air, they make an 
 excellent substitute for raisins or plums, in puddings, 
 pies, and other dishes prepared of flour. Sour apples 
 may be much improved, both in taste and quality, by 
 either baking or digesting them in a close vessel, by 
 steam, over a slow fiie. Thus the saccharine princi- 
 ple is disengaged, and they undergo a speedy and com- 
 plete change." The honourable T. Pickering, in his 
 address to the agricultural society, Essex county, ex- 
 presses himself in the following language : "After pro- 
 viding a due proportion of apples for the table and 
 the ordinary purposes of cookery, I do not hesitate to 
 express my opinion, that, for all other uses, sweet ap- 
 ples are entitled to the preference. The best cider I 
 ever tasted, in this country, was made wholly of sweet 
 apples. They afford also a nourishing food to man 
 and all domeslick animals. What furnishes a more 
 delicious repast than a rich sweet apple baked and 
 eaten in milk ? I recollect the observation made to 
 me by an observing farmer, before the American rev- 
 olution, that nothing would fatten cattle faster than 
 sweet apples. Mentioning this, a few years since, to 
 a gentleman of my acquaintance in an adjoining state, 
 he informed me, that he was once advised to give 
 
14 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 sweet apples to a sick horse. Happening then to have 
 them in plenty, the horse was served with them, and 
 he soon got well, and, continuing to be fed with them, 
 he fattened faster than any other horse that he had 
 ever owned that was fed with any other food. Men- 
 tioning to the same gentleman, what 1 had long before 
 heard, that a good molasses might be made of sweet 
 apples, he confirmed the fact by an instance within 
 his own knowledge, &c. &c. The process is very 
 simple. The apples being ground, and the juice ex- 
 pressed at the cider mills, it is immediately boiled ; 
 and the scum being taken off, the boiling is continued 
 until the liquor acquires the consistence of molasses." 
 
 Mr. Knight, an English gentleman, in his treatise 
 on the apple and pear, says that the juice of these 
 fruits might be used with great advantage on long voy- 
 ages. He has frequently reduced it by boiling to the 
 consistence of a weak jelly, and in this state it has re- 
 mained several years without the slightest apparent 
 change, though it has been intentionally exposed to 
 much variation of temperature. A large quantity of 
 the inspissated juice would occupy but a very small 
 space ; and the add ition of a few pounds of it to a hogs- 
 head of water would probably at any time form a good 
 liquor similar to cider or perry. It might also, he 
 thinks, be used to supply the place of rob of lemons 
 and oranges, and might be obtained at a much lower 
 price. 
 
 I avail myself of the following appropriate sentence, 
 in the language of one who has long been eminently 
 distinguished for his numerous patriotick and amiable 
 virtues.* 
 
 "When we consider the various manners in which 
 fruits are beneficial ; when we recollect the pleasure 
 
 * See a letter on fruit trees, by a member of the Kennebeck 
 agricultural society, published in papers on agriculture. Mass. 
 society, 1804. 
 
©F FRUIT TREES. 15 
 
 they afford to the senses, and the chaste and innocent 
 occupation which they give in their cultivation ; when 
 we consider the reputation which they communicate 
 to a country in the eye of strangers, especially as af- 
 fording a test of its climate and industry ; when we 
 remember the importance of improving the beverage 
 which they are intended to supply ; when it is calcu- 
 lated under how many solid forms they may* be ex- 
 ported (as dried, baked, and preserved, as well as in 
 their natural state ;) and lastly, when we reflect upon 
 the utility of giving to our rural labours a thoughtful 
 turn, which is the best substitute now left, after having 
 quitted our primeval state ; 1 say, when we consider 
 these things, it will appear that the subject of fruits, 
 which were the first earthly gift of Providence to man 
 in his more favoured state, mav well continue to mer- 
 it both the publick and individual attention." 
 
 ORIGINAL STOCK. 
 
 It is the opinion of botanists, "that the wilding, or 
 erab-apph of the woods and hedges, is the original kind 
 from the seeds of which the apple now cultivated was 
 first obtained. The varieties of this species are mul- 
 tiplied to some hundreds, in different places, all having 
 been first accidentally procured from the seed or ker- 
 nels of the fruit, and then increased by grafting upon 
 crabs or other kinds of apple stocks*" (Dom. Ency.) 
 The crab is still considered as a proper stock to re- 
 ceive the grafts of the more valuable varieties, and is 
 even preferred by some cultivators as being more 
 hardy, better able to endure cold and coarse land ; and 
 they also take firmer root, are of more rapid growth, 
 and make larger trees. 
 
 This tree may be found in forests, and other uncul- 
 tivated places. Its stems and branches are armed with 
 sharp thorns, and its fruit is small, and so extremely 
 
16 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 acrid and unpleasant, that it is not edible in its natural 
 state. The following description by Mr. William 
 Bartram, is copied from Mease's edition of the domes- 
 ■tick encyclopedia. "The pyrus coronaria, or native 
 crab apple of North America, is not eaten, except when 
 preserved in sugar, and in this state, they are deserv- 
 edly esteemed as a great delicacy. The fruit is flat- 
 tish, above one inch in diameter, yellow when ripe, 
 or of the colour of polished brass, and possesses an 
 agreeable fragrancy. Perhaps no tree presents a more 
 gay appearance in the spring, when dressed in green, 
 and with clusters of flowers of a most pleasing blush. 
 The petals may be compared to flakes of white wax, 
 faintly tinged with the finest carmine ; though some 
 trees have flowers of a damask rose colour." The 
 honourable Timothy Pickering, from long experience, 
 observes, "to bring an orchard as early as possible into 
 profit, plant common wild trees, or what are common- 
 ly called crab apples, four or five years old. They 
 should be cut down as soon as planted, and on their 
 young shoots graft or inoculate such fruit as is desir- 
 ed. From this practice, more fruit will be'obtained in 
 ten years, than in the usual way in twenty years. 
 The wild tree, if grafted on its own stock, will come 
 much earlier to bearing fruit, and it will be improved 
 both in size and flavour." 
 
 CULTIVATED OR SEEDLING STOCKS. 
 
 When the crab stock cannot be procured in suffic- 
 ient quantity for the purpose of propagation, it be- 
 comes necessary to resort to the expedient of culture 
 from the seeds. Seedling stocks, which have a natu- 
 ral tendency to attain the full height of the species to 
 be grafted on them, are generally denominated free 
 stocks. Every planter who is solicitous to keep an or- 
 chard well stocked with fruit trees, should cultivate 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 1? 
 
 in a nursery his own free stocks, and graft for himself, 
 that he may realize all the advantages to be derived 
 from a knowledge of the soil and the peculiar proper- 
 ties of his trees, and thereby avoid many impositions 
 practised by ignorant and artful nursery-men. He 
 will moreover be enabled to select such stocks for 
 grafting, as experience shows to be best adapted to the 
 soil and climate of his plantation, and which meet his 
 own particular views. Trees raised from seed rarely 
 produce the same species of fruit with that from which 
 the kernels were taken, yet they are well adapted as 
 stocks for grafting, and it occasionally happens that a 
 new and valuable variety is thus produced, either for 
 cider, or for the dessert. An accurate observer, Mr. 
 Joseph Cooper, of New-Jersey, asserts, (Dom. Ency. 
 Mease's edit.) that experience, for more than fifty 
 years, has convinced him, that, although seedlings 
 from apples will scarcely ever produce fruit exactly 
 similar to the original, yet many of them will produce 
 excellent fruit : some will even be superiour to the 
 apples from which the seeds are taken. This fact has 
 led him to plant seeds from the largest and best kinds 
 of fruit, and from trees of a strong and rapid growth, 
 and let all the young trees bear fruit before grafting, 
 which produce uncommon strong shoots or a large 
 rich- looking leaf. He has seldom known them fail 
 of bearing fruit having some good quality; at all e- 
 vents they make a stock to receive the grafts of any 
 good kind which may present itself. Those sprouts 
 or suckers which originate from the roots of ungrad- 
 ed trees, if transplanted, will produce the-same kind 
 of fruit with the parent stock, though trees thus prop- 
 agated are very apt to generate suckers, and they do 
 not come to a bearing state so soon by several years 
 as engrafted trees. This was probably the mode of 
 propagating fruit trees before the art of engrafting was 
 discovered. Select fruit may be propagated in the 
 
CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 following manner: — Take a scion from a tree, the 
 growth of the preceding year. Cut this scion into 
 pieces of three or four inches in length, dip the ends 
 in warm rosin or wax so as to prevent the sap issuing 
 out — plant the pieces in a good moist soil. A number 
 of shoots will spring up ; from these, select the most 
 thrifty for growth ; lop down the remaining shoots 
 and cover them well with earth, and in a short time 
 they will become roots to nourish and hasten the 
 growth of the thrifty shoots into trees. By this meth- 
 od, select fruit, either apple or pear, maybe produced 
 at least two years sooner than from ungrafted seedlings. 
 
 BEST ADAPTED SOIL. 
 
 The apple tree will thrive and flourish in many dif- 
 ferent sorts of soil ; but a dry friable loam should prob- 
 ably be preferred, as too much moisture is known to 
 be injurious to the roots. Such soil as produces good 
 crops of corn or grass, will, in general, afford the req- 
 uisite and best adapted nutriment to apple or pear 
 trees. The soil should not only be rich, but have 
 a good depth, not less perhaps than two or three feet. 
 It has been remarked as a fact, that, in each particular 
 place, certain kinds of apples have been observed to 
 succeed better than other kinds ; and, according to 
 the observations of the honourable Timothy Picker- 
 ing, many different sorts will flourish on an acre of 
 ground, when the same number of one sort would 
 starve. When, therefore, the cultivator has discover- 
 ed the varieties most congenial to the soil and situa- 
 tion he occupies, it should be his endeavour to encour- 
 age them, by multiplying the grafts on his unproduc- 
 tive trees, or by forming new additional trees by 
 grafting on other stocks. 
 
OF F'Rl'iT TREES. 
 PRODUCTION OF NEW VARIETIES. 
 
 The apple tree does not enjoy indefinite longevity* 
 Each species has its periods of infancy, youth, matu- 
 rity, and decrepit age ; and, in process of time, it is 
 totally annihilated ; nor is it in the power of art to 
 protract its existence beyond its limited duration. 
 Hence we frequently hear the complaint, that many 
 varieties of apple, formerly held in high estimation, 
 are no longer to be obtained, having entirely run out r 
 as it is termed. The seeds of apples, however, contain 
 the germ of an infinite variety of fruit. New varie- 
 ties, and some of excellent quality, are continually 
 produced from seeds. The famous winter pippin was 
 the spontaneous production from a seed at Newtown, 
 Long Island. But there is no dependence upon ob- 
 taining a particular variety by planting the seeds. 
 "A hundred seeds of the golden pippin will all produce 
 fine large-leaved apple trees, bearing fruit of consider- 
 able size ; but the tastes and colours of the apple from 
 each will be different, and none will be the same in 
 kind with those of the pippin itself. Some will be 
 sweet, some bitter, some sour, some mawkish, some 
 aromatick, some yellow, some green, some red, some 
 streaked." The seeds for planting, should always be 
 selected from the most highly cultivated fruit, and the 
 fairest and ripest specimen of such variety. In some 
 instances, a new and valuable variety may thus be ob- 
 tained, and the seedlings will afford some indication 
 of their future produce, even before they attain to 
 their bearing state. The larger and thicker the leaves 
 of a seedling, and the more expanded its blossoms, the 
 more likely it is to produce a good variety of fruit. 
 Short-leaved trees should never be selected, for these 
 approach nearer to the original standard ; whereas 
 the other qualities indicate the influence of cultivation. 
 Every fruit tree must attain to a certain age before it 
 
20 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 can bear fruit. An apple tree from the seed requires 
 to be twelve or fifteen years old before it will produce 
 fruit in perfection ; but a method will be hereafter de- 
 scribed by which particular branches may be forced 
 to produce blossoms and fruit at an earlier period, and 
 their quality sooner ascertained. 
 
 The following are the sentiments of Mr. Knight, 
 an experienced English horticulturalist, (Edin. Ency. 
 Amer. edit, article horticulture.) All the extensions, 
 he observes, by means of grafts and buds, must natu- 
 rally partake of the qualities of the original. Where 
 the original is old, there must be inherent in the de- 
 rivatives the tendency to decay incident to old age. 
 It is not to be understood, however, that a graft can- 
 not survive the trunk from which it was 'taken : this 
 would be deemed absurd. It may indeed be assumed 
 as a fact, that a variety or kind of fruit, such as the 
 golden pippin or the ribston, is equivalent only to an 
 individual. By careful management the health and 
 life of this individual may be prolonged ; and grafts 
 placed on vigorous stocks and nursed in favourable 
 situations, may long survive the parent plant or orig- 
 inal ungrafted tree. Still there is a progress to ex- 
 tinction, and the only renewal of an individual, the 
 only true reproduction, is by seed. As the production 
 of new varieties of fruit from the seed, is a subject 
 which now very much occupies the attention of hor- 
 ticulturalists, it may be proper here to state the pre- 
 cautions adopted by Mr. Knight and others in con- 
 ducting their trials. It is in the first place a rule to 
 take the seeds of the finest kinds of fruit, and from the^ 
 ripest, largest and best flavoured specimens of that 
 fruit. When Mr. K. wished to procure some of the 
 old apples in a healthy and renovated state, he adopt- 
 ed the following method : He prepared stocks of the 
 best kind of apple that could be propagated by cut- 
 tings, and planted them against a south wall in a wery 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 21 
 
 rich soil. These were next } x ear grafted with the 
 stire, golden pippin, or some other fine old kind. In 
 the course of the following winter the young tree? 
 were dug up, and the roots being retrenched, they 
 were replanted in the same place. By this mode of 
 treatment they were thrown into bearing at two years 
 old. One or two apples were allowed to remain on 
 each tree : these consequently attained a large size, a 
 more perfect maturity. The seeds from these fruits, 
 Mr. K. then sowed, in the hope of procuring seedlings 
 possessed of good or of promising qualities ; and these 
 hopes have not been disappointed. In order to pro- 
 duce a hybrid variety, possessing perhaps a union of 
 the good properties of two kinds, Mr. K. had recourse 
 to the nice operation of dusting the pollen of one va- 
 riety upon the pistils of another. He opened the 
 unexpanded blossom, and cut away, with a pair of fine 
 pointed scissors, all the stamina, taking great care to 
 leave the styles and stigmata uninjured. The fruit 
 which resulted from this artificial impregnation were 
 the most promising of any, and the seeds of these he 
 did not fail to sow. Every seed, though taken from 
 the same individual fruit, furnishes a distinct variety. 
 These varieties, as might be anticipated, prove of very 
 different merits ; but to form a general opinion of 
 their value, it is not necessary to wait till they pro- 
 duce fruit : an estimate may be formed, even during 
 the first summer, by the resemblance the leaves bear 
 to those of the highly cultivated or approved trees, or 
 to those of the wild kinds. The more they approach 
 to the former, the better is the prospect. The leaves 
 of good kinds improve in character, becoming thicker,, 
 rounder, and more downy every season. The plants 
 whose buds in the annual wood are full and prominent, 
 are usually more productive than those whose buds 
 are small and shrunk into the bark. But their future 
 character, as remarked by Mr. K. must depend very 
 
 a 
 
22 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 much on the power the blossoms possess of bearing 
 cold ; and this power is observed to vary in the dif- 
 ferent varieties, and can only be ascertained by expe- 
 rience. Those which produce their leaves and blos- 
 soms early are preferable, because, although more ex- 
 posed to injury by frosts, they are less liable to the 
 attacks of caterpillars. It is also to be observed, that" 
 even after a seedling tree has begun to produce fruit, 
 the quality of this has a tendency to improve as the 
 tree itself becomes stronger and approaches maturity ; 
 so that if a fruit possess any promising qualities at 
 first, great improvement may be expected in succeed- 
 ing years. 
 
 A precaution is suggested, by the honourable T. 
 Pickering, that apple trees, bearing bad or ordinary 
 fruit, should not be suffered to grow with those which 
 bear fruit of a superiour quality. It is a fact, with 
 which gardeners are familiar, that the blossoms of cu- 
 cumbers will greatly injure the flavour of melons that 
 grow near them ; and it is reasonable to suppose that 
 fruits, while forming on the trees, are liable in like 
 manner to suffer deterioration. The result of the 
 following experiment would seem to strengthen the 
 above conjecture. The experiment, it is said, has in 
 numerous instances succeeded, without a single failure. 
 In an orchard, containing a great variety of apple 
 trees 1 bearing sweet, and some very acrid fruit, and 
 others partaking of both these properties, in the ver- 
 nal season, when the trees are in full blossom, the 
 pollen (or impregnating dust) was taken from one 
 tree, (for example, where the fruit is very sweet,) and 
 deposited on the flowers of a particular branch of a- 
 nother tree, whose fruit is extremely acrid. The ap- 
 ples of that particular branch were found to combine 
 these two properties for that season ; and by this sim- 
 ple process, the experimenter asserts, he can easily 
 provide himself with apples, for that season, perfectly 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 23 
 
 to his taste, which he considers much more expedi* 
 tious and equally as certain a process as that of graft- 
 ing. 
 
 An account of a singular apple tree, producing- fruit of opposite 
 qualities ; a part of the same appie being- frequently sour, and 
 the other sweet : in a letter from the Reverend Peter Whit- 
 ney, published in the memoirs of the American academy of 
 arts and sciences, vol. 1. 
 
 "There is now growing, in an orchard lately be- 
 longing to my honoured father, the reverend Aaron 
 Whitney, of Petersham, deceased, an apple tree very 
 singular with respect to its fruit. The apples are fair^ 
 and when fully ripe, of a yellow colour, but evidently 
 of different tastes — sour and sweet. The part which 
 is sour is not very tart, nor the other \ery sweet. 
 Two apples, growing side by side on the same limb, 
 will be often of these different tastes ; the one all sour, 
 and the other all sweet. And, which is more remark- 
 able, the same apple will frequently be sour one side, 
 end, or part, and the other sweet, and that not in any 
 order or uniformity ; nor is there any difference in 
 the appearance of one part from the other. And as 
 to the quantity, some have more of the acid and less 
 of the sweet, and so vice versa. Neither are the ap- 
 ples, so different in their tastes, peculiar to any par- 
 ticular branches, but are found promiscuously, on ev- 
 ery branch of the tree. The tree stands almost in the 
 midst of a large orchard, in a rich and strong soil, and 
 was transplanted there forty years ago. There is no 
 appearance of the trunk, or any of the branches, hav- 
 ing been engrafted or inoculated. It was a number 
 of years after it had borne fruit, before these different 
 tastes were noticed ; but, since they were first discov- 
 ered, which is about twenty years, there has been, 
 constantly, the same variety in the apples. For the 
 truth of what I have asserted, I can appeal to many 
 
24 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 persons of distinction, and of nice tastes, who have 
 travelled a great distance to view the tree, and taste 
 the fruit ; but to investigate the cause of an effect, so 
 much out of the common course of nature, must, I 
 think, be attended with difficulty. The only solu- 
 tion that I can conceive is, that the corcula, or hearts 
 of two seeds, the one from a sour, the other from a 
 .sweet apple, might so incorporate in the ground as to 
 produce but one plant ; or that farina from blossoms 
 of those opposite qualities, might pass into and im- 
 pregnate the same seed. If you should think the ac- 
 count I have given you of this singular apple tree will 
 be acceptable to the American academy, please to 
 communicate it. 
 
 "I am, &c. Peter Whitney." 
 
 ENGRAFTED FRUITS NOT PERMANENT. 
 
 Mr. Bucknal, an ingenious English writer, has fa- 
 voured the publick with some highly valuable and 
 interesting observations on the subject of engrafted 
 fruit trees, of which the following is an abstract, from 
 Dom. Ency. Mease's edit. vol. v. p. 192. 
 
 Engrafted fruits, Mr. Bucknal asserts, are not per- 
 manent. Every one, of the least reflection, must see 
 that there is an essential difference between the pow- 
 er and energy of a seedling plant and the tree which 
 is to be raised from cuttings or elongations. The 
 seedling, is endued with the energies of nature, while 
 the graft, or scion, is nothing more than a regular 
 elongation, carried, perhaps, through the several re- 
 peatings of the same variety ; whereas the seed, from 
 having been placed in the earth, germinates, and be- 
 comes a new plant, whenever nature permits like to 
 produce like in vegetation. Engrafted fruits are 
 doomed by nature to continue for a time, and then 
 gradually decline, till at last the variety is totally lost, 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. c 25 
 
 and soon forgotten, unless recorded by tradition, or in 
 old publications. From the attention lately paid to 
 the culture of engrafted fruits, we are now enabled to 
 continue a supposed happily acquired tree, for a much 
 longer duration, than if such variety had been left in 
 the state of unassisted nature ; perhaps a duration as 
 long again, or something more. But there is no di- 
 rect permanency, because the kernels, within the 
 fruit, which are the seed of the plants for forming the 
 next generation of trees, will not produce their like. 
 They may do so accidentally ; but nothing more can 
 be depended on. For example, suppose we take ten 
 kernels, or pips, of any apple raised on an engrafted 
 stock : sow them, and they will produce ten different 
 varieties, no two of which will be alike, nor will ei- 
 ther of them closely resemble the fruit from which 
 the seeds were collected. The leaves also, of those 
 trees raised from the same primogeneous or parent 
 stock, will not actually be a copy of the leaves of any 
 one of the varieties or family, to which each is con- 
 nected by a vegetable consanguinity. In choosing the 
 seed, that apple is likely to produce the clearest and 
 finest plants, whose kernels are firm, large, and well 
 ripened. The size of the fruit is not to be legarded ; 
 for large apples do not alwaj^s ripen well, or rather, 
 for cider, the small fruits are generally preferred, for 
 making the strongest and highest-flavoured liquor. 
 Should no valuable apples be raised from this process, 
 the seedlings will make excellent stocks to engraft 
 upon. In attempting to acquire new varieties, all the 
 \oung plants, from the bed of apple quick, whose ap- 
 pearance is in the least degree, promising, should be 
 selected and planted together, at such a distance, as 
 to allow each to produce its fruit, which will happen 
 in about from twelve to fifteen years, though Mr. 
 Knight had two plants bearing fruit at six, and one at 
 five years. Mr. Bucknal mentions one variety of ap*- 
 *3 
 
26 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 pie, within his knowledge, which he supposes to be 
 one hundred and forty years old ; and a pear tree, 
 supposed to be two hundred years old. It is an un- 
 doubted fact, and worthy of observation, that all the 
 different trees, of the same variety, have a wonderful 
 tendency to similarity of appearance among them- 
 selves ; and that the parent stock, and all engrafted 
 from it, have a greater resemblance to each other, 
 than can be found in any part of the animal creation ; 
 and this habit does not vary to any extent of age. 
 Whatever is said here respecting the apple, is equally 
 applicable to the pear tree. Some years ago, from 
 due investigation and thorough conviction, Mr. B. 
 propagated the principle, that all the grafts, taker* 
 from the first tree or parent stock, or any of the de- 
 scendants, will for some generations thrive ; but when 
 this first stock shall, by mere dint of old age, fall into 
 actual decay, a nihility of vegetation, the descendants, 
 however young, or in whatever situation they may 
 be, will gradually decline ; and, from that time, it 
 would be imprudent, in point of profit, to attempt 
 propagating that variety from any of them. This is the 
 dogma which must be received as undoubtedly true. 
 From the time the kernel germinates for apple quick, 
 should the plant be disposed to form a valuable varie- 
 ty, there will appear a regular progressive change or 
 improvement in the organization of the leaves, until 
 that variety has stood and grown sufficient to blossom 
 and come to full bearing ; that is, from the state of in- 
 fancy to maturity ; and it is this and other circum- 
 stances, by which the inquisitive eye is enabled to 
 form the selection, among those appearing likely to 
 become valuable fruits. But from that time, the new 
 variety, or select plant, being compared with all the 
 engraftments which may be taken from it, or any of 
 them, these shall show a most undeviating sameness 
 among themselves. The different varieties of fruit 
 
OP FRUIT TREES. 2tf 
 
 are easily distinguished from each other bj many par- 
 ticulars ,• not only their general fertility, and the 
 form, size, shape and iiavour of the fruit, but also the 
 manner of the growth of the tree, the thickness and 
 proportion of the twigs, their shooting from the pa- 
 rent stem, the form, colour, and consistence of the 
 leaf, and many other circumstances by which the va- 
 riety can be identified ; and were it possible to en- 
 graft each variety on the same stock, they would still 
 retain their discriminating qualities with the most 
 undeviating certainty. Further, if twenty different 
 varieties were placed together, so that each could re- 
 ceive its nurture from the same stem, they would 
 gradually die off in actual succession, according to the 
 age or state of health of the respective variety at the 
 time the scions were placed in the stock ; and a dis- 
 criminating eye, used to the business, would nearly be 
 able to foretell the order in which each scion would 
 actual decline. Should it also happen that two or 
 three suckers, from the wilding stock, had been per- 
 mitted to grow among the twenty grafts, such suckers, 
 or wilding shoots, would continue, and make a tree 
 after all the rest are gone. A further consequence 
 would result from the experiment. Among such a 
 number of varieties, each of the free growers would 
 starve the delicate, and drive them out of existence 
 only so much the sooner. It must be observed, that 
 this supposed stem is the foster parent to the twenty 
 scions, and real parent to the suckers ; and those least 
 conversant with engrafted fruits know the advantage 
 acquired by this circumstance. By an experiment, 
 says Mr. B. we have had in hand for five years, it 
 will appear, that the roots and stem of a large tree, 
 after the first set of scions are exhausted or worn out, 
 may carry another set for many years ; and we sus- 
 pect a third set, provided engrafting is properly done, 
 ai*d the engrafter chooses a new variety. To express 
 
23 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 the concluding sentiments of Mr. B. in a few words, 
 he maintains, that the different varieties of the apple 
 will, after a certain time, decline and actually die 
 away, and each variety, or all of the same stem or 
 family, will lose their existence in vegetation ; yet,- 
 after the debility of age has actually taken possession 
 of any variety, and the vital principle is nearly ex- 
 hausted, a superiour care and warmth will still keep 
 the variety in existence some time longer. This, he 
 observes, is an abstruse subject, very little understood, 
 and requiring at first some degree of faith, observa- 
 tion and perseverance. Mr. B. is fully convinced 
 that we have the power of multiplying a single varie- 
 ty, to whatever number we please ; and although 
 these trees may amount to millions, yet, on the death 
 of the primogeneous or parent stock, merely from old 
 age or nihility of growth, each individual shall de- 
 cline, in whatever country they may be, or however 
 endued with j'outh and health. Nothing sublunary, 
 which possesses either animal or vegetable life, is ex- 
 empt from age and death. To exemplify this point 
 more intelligibly, let it be supposed that the Baldwin 
 apple is a new variety produced from the seed. This, 
 as the original stock, may continue to live one hun- 
 dred years. A scion, taken from it when ten years 
 old, may live ninety years ; another, taken ten years 
 after, may enjoy a duration of eighty years ; and so 
 progressively. At the expiration of one hundred or 
 more years, the original stock, and all derivatives from 
 it, will become extinct. 
 
 METHOD OF FORCING FRUIT TREES TO BLOSSOM AND 
 BEAR FRUIT. 
 
 With a sharp knife, cut a ring round the limb or 
 small branch which you wish should bear, near the 
 stem or large bough where it is joined ; let this ring 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 29 
 
 or cut penetrate to the wood. A quarter of an inch 
 from this cut, make a second like the first, encircling 
 the branch like a ring a quarter of an inch broad be- 
 tween the two cuts. The bark, between these two 
 cuts, must be removed, clean down to the wood ; even 
 the fine inner bark, which lies immediately upon the 
 wood, must be scraped away, until the bare naked 
 wood appears, white and smooth, so that no connex- 
 ion whatever remains between the two parts of the 
 bark. This barking, or girdling, must be made at the 
 precise time when, in all nature, the buds are strongly 
 swelling, or about breaking out into blossoms. In 
 the same year a callus is formed at the edge of the 
 ring, on both sides, and the connexion of the bark is 
 again restored, without any detriment to the tree or 
 the branch operated upon. By this simple operation, 
 the following advantages will be obtained : 1. Every 
 young tree, of which you do not know the sort, is 
 compelled to show its fruit, and decide sooner wheth- 
 er it may remain in its present state, or requires to be 
 grafted. 2. You may thereby, with certainty, get 
 fruit of a good sort, and reject the more ordinary. 
 The branches so operated upon, are hung full of fruit, 
 while others, that are not ringed, often have none or 
 very little on them. This effect is explained from 
 the theory of the motion of the sap. As this ascends 
 in the wood and descends in the bark, the above ope- 
 ration will not prevent the sap rising into the upper 
 part of the branch, but it will prevent its descending 
 below this cut, by which means it will be retained in 
 and distributed through the upper part of the branch 
 in a greater portion than it could otherwise be, and 
 the branch and fruit will both increase in size much 
 more than those that are not thus treated. The. twist- 
 ing of a wire or tying a strong thread round a branch 
 has been often recommended as a means of making it 
 bear fruit. In this case, as in ringing the bark, the 
 
CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 descent of the sap in the bark must be impeded above 
 the ligature, and more nutritive matter is consequent- 
 ly retained, and appiied to the expanding parts. The 
 wire or ligature may remain in the bark. Mr. Knight's 
 theory, on the motion of sap in trees, is "that the sap 
 is absorbed from the soil by the bark of the roots, and 
 carried upward by the alburnum of the root, trunk 
 and branches ; that it passes through the central ves- 
 sels into the succulent matter of the annual shoots, 
 the leaf-stalk and leaf; and that it is returned to the 
 bark through certain vessels of the leaf-stalk, and de- 
 scending through the bark, contributes to the process 
 of forming the wood. A writer in the American Far- 
 mer says, he tried the experiment of ringing some 
 apple, peach, pear, and quince trees on small limbs, 
 say from an inch to an inch and a quarter in diame- 
 ter. The result was, the apples, peaches and 
 pears were double the size on those branches 
 than on any other part of the trees : in the quinces 
 there was no difference. One peach, the heath, 
 measured, on a ringed limb, in circumference, llj 
 inches round, and llf inches round the ends, and 
 weighed 15 ounces. The limbs above the ring have 
 grown much larger than below it. If the ring be 
 made so wide that the bark cannot unite the same 
 season, the branch will perish. 
 
 NURSERY. 
 
 It has been a received opinion, that the soil for a 
 nursery should not be made rich, as the plants, when 
 removed to a more fertile soil, will flourish more lux- 
 uriantly ; but later observation has decided that the 
 reverse of this will be found correct. There is a 
 close analogy between vegetable and animal life ; and 
 it is a dictate of nature that both require a full supply 
 t>f nutriment from their earliest existence. It would 
 
Or FRUIT TREES. 
 
 be absurd to suppose that the tender roots of young 
 seedlings are capable of drawing sufficient nutriment 
 from a rank, barren, and uncultivated soil, and those 
 that are barely supported, or nearly starved at first, 
 will never afterwards become vigorous, stately and 
 handsome, though surrounded by the richest mould. 
 Repeated experiments have proved that a strong and 
 vigorous plant, that has grown up quickly, and arriv- 
 ed at a considerable magnitude in a short time, never 
 fails to grow better after transplanting, than another 
 of the same size that is older and stinted in its growth. 
 Where the soil is poor and lean, trees in every stage 
 of growth, are observed to be languid, weak, and stint- 
 ed ; while those reared in a good mellow soil always 
 assume a free growth, and advance with strength and 
 vigour. It is evident, therefore, that the ground to 
 be occupied for a fruit nursery, requires to be made 
 rich and fertile. The soil should also be deep, well 
 pulverized, and cleared of all roots and weeds. The 
 seeds may be sown either in autumn or April, and in 
 one year after, the young plants may be taken up and 
 replanted in the nursery. It is important that the 
 situation be such as to admit of a free circulation of 
 air, and open to the sun, that the plants may be pre- 
 served in a healthy condition. Plants reared in a con- 
 fined and shaded situation in a large town, and re- 
 moved to an open exposure in the country, will long 
 continue in a debilitated condition ; like a puny city 
 invalid, their growth will be greatly impeded, and 
 many years will elapse before they attain to a state of 
 vigour, health, and hardihood. 
 
 From the observations in the preceding pages, it is 
 obviously important, that the seed, to be planted in 
 nurseries, should be selected from fruit of a superiour 
 quality. John Kenrick, esquire, of Newton, Massa- 
 chusetts, has, however, adopted the following method. 
 Take the pumice from late-made cider, separate the 
 
32 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 seeds by means of a riddle sieve, mix them with a 
 quantity of rich loam sifted fine ; put this into a box 
 and expose it to the weather during winter. In April, 
 the earth and seeds are put into a basket, and washed 
 until the seeds are separated, when they are planted 
 in a naturally rich soil, thoroughly pulverized, and 
 well prepared with rotten manure and leached ashes. 
 The seeds are planted in straight, parallel rows, three 
 feet apart, and about two inches deep ; the plants, if 
 too thick, may be thinned to about six inches apart, 
 by pulling up the feeblest. The plants should be kept 
 clear of weeds, annually manured, and properly prun- 
 ed. Young trees should be effectually secured from 
 sheep and horned cattle, in every stage of their 
 growth. 
 
 In Marshall's Rural Economy it is directed, that the 
 seedling plants, when taken from the seed bed, be 
 sorted agreeably to the strength of their roots, that 
 they may rise evenly together. The tap, or large bot- 
 tom root, should be taken off, and the longer side root- 
 lets should be shortened. The young plants should 
 then be set in rows, three feet apart, and from fifteen 
 to eighteen inches asunder, in the rows; care being 
 taken not to cramp the roots, but to bed them evenly 
 and horizontally among the mould. In strictness of 
 management, they ought, two years previous to their 
 being transferred to the orchard, to be transplanted 
 into unmanured double dug ground, four feet every 
 way apart, in order that the feeding fibres may be 
 brought so near the stem, that they may be removed 
 with it into the orchard, instead of being, as they gen- 
 erally are, left behind in the nursery. Hence, in this 
 second transplanting, as in the fi^st, the branches of 
 the root should not be left too long, but ought to be 
 shortened in such a manner as to induce them to form 
 a regular globular roof, sufficiently small to be remov- 
 ed with all their plants, yet sufficiently large to 
 
OF FRUIT TREES, 33 
 
 give it firmness and vigour in the plantation. It is 
 reported, that the agricultural society of Nova Scotia 
 has found, by experience, that apple trees, raised from 
 seeds, if transplanted from the seed bed, in time, (hav- 
 ing the tap root cut off,) may be rendered fit for graft- 
 ing one or two seasons earlier than if left in the place 
 where the seeds were sown. While in the nursery 
 bed, the young plants require to be frequently hoed ; 
 the earth should be kept loose, and entirely free from 
 weeds ; and, in a very dry season, they should be oc- 
 casionally watered. When two years old, they will 
 be in a proper condition to receive the scions, or buds, 
 which are intended for them, as the operation is then 
 more easy and certain than when the stocks are older. 
 
 ENGRAFTING. 
 
 The art of engrafting has not, it is believed, been 
 traced to its origin. In a treatise published by Park, 
 inson, in 1 629, both grafting and inoculating are men- 
 tioned, but the period when the practice commenced 
 has not been ascertained. The great utility and ad- 
 vantage of the art is, however, universally understood. 
 According to Mr. Yates, (letter published in Forsyth's 
 treatise.) the art was introduced into America by Mr. 
 Prince, a native of New-York, who established a nur- 
 sery in its neighbourhood about sixty years ago. 
 Fruit trees, which are grafted or inoculated, come in- 
 to a bearing state several years sooner than those 
 produced from seed ; besides, grafted or inoculated 
 trees invariably produce the same kind of fruit as the 
 parent tree from which the scion or bud is taken, 
 while that from seedling trees is liable to sport in 
 endless varieties. In the choice of scions for grafting, 
 the first essential requisite is, that they are of the 
 same genus and natural family with the stock which 
 is to become their foster parent, and which is to afford 
 4 
 
$4 CULTURE AND MANAG&SMEN ¥ 
 
 them future nourishment and support. The apple 
 cannot be advantageously engrafted on a pear stock, 
 nor will a pear succeed well on an apple stock ; for, 
 although it may flourish and bear fruit for a few 
 years, it will never prove a profitable tree, and will 
 decline and decay sooner than others. Scions from 
 a winter apple tree should not be grafted on a summer 
 apple stock, because the sap in the sumi/ier stock 
 is liable to decline and diminish before the winter 
 fruit has become fully ripe. In the memoirs ot the 
 American academy of arts and sciences, volume 1, page 
 388, is a communication from the late honourable B.- 
 Lincoln, relative to the engrafting of fruit trees, &c. 
 in which he says, "I had observed, for a number of 
 years, an apple tree in my orchard, the natural fruit of 
 which was early, having been grafted with a winter 
 scion, producing fruit very like in appearance to the 
 fruit produced by the tree whence the scion was tak- 
 en but destitute of those qualities inherent in that 
 fruit, and necessary to its keeping through the winter. 
 This led me to call in question the propriety of graft- 
 ing winter fruit on a summer stock," &c. A pear is 
 occasionally engrafted on a quince, for the purpose of 
 dwarf trees, but it is of smaller growth, and less vig- 
 orous and durable than if nourished' by its more nat- 
 ural parent. It is next important, that scions be tak- 
 en from trees that have attained to the maturity of 
 full bearing. Perhaps cultivators, in general, are not 
 apprized of the fact, that, if a scion be taken from a 
 seedling tree of one or two years old, it will retain the 
 character and undergo the same annnal change as the 
 seedling tree itself, whatever be the age of the stock 
 into which it is inserted ; and that it will remain un- 
 productive of fruit, until the seedling tree has acquir- 
 ed its proper age and maturity. It is strongly to be 
 suspected, that nursery men, either from ignorance or 
 indifference, have disregarded this circumstance, and 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 35 
 
 imposed upon purchasers trees of this description, b^- 
 which their just expectations have been disappointed. 
 Scions if they are to be transported to a distance may 
 be cut at any time from January to March, before the 
 buds begin to swell ; and in order to preserve them in 
 good condition for grafting, their cut ends should be 
 covered with grafting clay or wax, or the whole scion 
 may be- enveloped in swamp moss. But experience is 
 decidedly in favour of taking the scions immediate^ 
 from the tree at the time they are to be employed, if 
 convenient. Scions should always be taken from the 
 extremities of the most thrifty and best bearing trees, 
 and of the last year's growth, except only just enough 
 of the growth of the year before to fix in the earth, to 
 preserve them moist until they are to be used. In 
 the Edinburgh encyclopedia it is advised to cut the 
 scions several weeks before the season for grafting ar- 
 rives ; the reason is. that experience has shown, that 
 grafting may most successfully be performed, by al- 
 lowing the stock to have some advantage over the 
 graft in forwardness of vegetation. It is desirable, 
 that the sap of the stock should be in brisk motion at 
 the time of grafting ; but by this time, the buds of 
 the scion, if left on the tree, would be equally advanc^ 
 ed ; whereas the scions, being gathered early, the busls 
 are kept back, and ready only to swell out, when the 
 graft is placed on the stock. The selecting proper 
 scions, the writer observes, is a matter of the greatest 
 importance, if we wish to enjoy the full advantage 
 which may be derived from grafting. They should 
 be taken from a healthy tree in full bearing, and from 
 the outer side of the horizontal branches of such a 
 tree, where the wood has freely enjoyed the benefits 
 of sun and air. It should be remarked that a scion 
 taken from a full bearing tree and inserted into a tree 
 having attained to the maturity of bearing, will ma- 
 ture fruit sootner than if the same scion is inserted intd 
 
3S - CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 a seedling stock. It may be be best to take but one 
 scion from the same twig, cutting off its extremity 
 when to be inserted, as the middle part affords the 
 best graft ; leaving only two or three eyes or buds. 
 If the scion be too long, it requires more time for the 
 ascending sap to reach its extreme end, and it will be 
 more liable to fail. The most proper season for graft- 
 ing in our climate, is from about the 20th of March to 
 the 1st of June, though the operation has succeeded 
 well as late as July, when scions may be taken directly 
 from the tree ; and when the first grafting has failed, 
 the operation may be repeated the same season by 
 cutting the stock a little lower. Practical gardeners, 
 it is said, concur, in stating, that the nature of fruit is, 
 to a certain extent, affected by the nature of the stock. 
 Crab stocks, for example, cause apples to be firmer, 
 to keep longer, and to have a sharper flavour. Mr. 
 S. Cooper, of New-Jersey, expresses himself as fol- 
 lows, on this subject : (Dom. Ency. Mease's edit.) "I 
 have, in numerous instances, seen the stock have great 
 influence on the fruit grafted thereon, in respect to 
 bearing, size, and flavour, and also on the durability 
 of the tree, particularly in the instance of a number 
 of Vandevere apple trees ; the fruit of which was so 
 subject to the bitter rot as to be of little use. They 
 were engrafted fifty years ago, and ever since those of 
 them having tops composed of several different kinds, 
 though they continue to be more productive of fruit 
 than any others in my orchard, yet are subject to the 
 bitter rot, the original and well known affection of the 
 fruit of the primitive stock. I have had frequent op- 
 portunities of observing the same circumstance, in 
 consequence of receiving many scions from my friends, 
 which, after bearing, I engrafted, and the succeeding 
 fruit uniformly partook, in some degree, of the quali- 
 ties of the former, even in their disposition to bear an- 
 nually or biennally." Mr. C. has ascertained the 
 
X)F FRUIT TREES. 37 
 
 fact that early and late apples, by being grafted on 
 the same tree, improved in size and flavour more than 
 if but one kind grew on a tree. It should be observ- 
 ed, as a rule, nevei to employ suckers from old trees 
 as stocks for grafts, or buds, as they have a constant 
 tendency to generate suckers, and thereby injure the 
 growth of the tiees. 
 
 MODES OF GRAFTING. 
 
 The mode of performing this operation is varied, 
 according to the size and situation of the stock to be 
 employed. The small stocks in the nursery, if of 
 such kind as produce an erect strong stem, are usually 
 grafted within or near the surface of the earth, in 
 which case, the mould is brought round them in the 
 form of a little hillock, and nothing more is required. 
 When the stock is naturally inclined to branch out 
 horizontally, the preferable mode is to insert the bud 
 or graft high enough to form a handsome head or top. 
 In this mode of operating, it is necessary to employ 
 some kind of composition or covering in order to se- 
 cure from injury by the w r eather, or influence of the 
 sun. The following is commonly used : A quantity 
 of clay or stiff loam is to be worked fine and mixed 
 with coarse horse-dung. It should be prepared a day 
 or two before hand, and be beat up with a little water 
 as needed. This should be applied closely round the 
 parts in the form of a collar, or ball, tapering at both 
 ends, the upper end being applied close!) to the graft, 
 and the under to the stock. The following composi- 
 tions are preferred by some operators: — Three pints 
 of tar, one pound beeswax, melted together, and while 
 cooling stir in one pound of red or yellow ochre. 
 Or another — Four parts rosin, two parts beeswax, and 
 one part tallow, melted together. This may be warm- 
 
 ed and spread on narrow strips of rag or paper, and 
 
 *4 
 
38 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 carefully wound round the stock and scion. A com- 
 mon sod applied with the grass side out is often em- 
 ployed and seldom fails of answering every purpose. 
 In grafting trees of considerable size, care should be 
 taken not to cut off the whole head and branches at 
 once, but leave some of the latteral branches to draw 
 up the sap till another season, and cut them gradually, 
 as occasion may require ; otherwise, in a hot and dry 
 summer, the trees are apt to suffer and die. Care 
 should also be taken to avoid loosening or injuring the 
 bark of the stock, by dividing the bark with a sharp 
 knife before splitting the stock. In shaping the 
 acion for insertion, the slope should be cut full one 
 inch or more in length; and by some we are advised 
 to cut the scion in such manner as to take the bulge 
 formed between the present and the last year's growth, 
 to shape and set in the stock, as in that joint or bulge^ 
 the wood is open and porous to receive more readily 
 the sap from the stock. There are several different 
 methods of performing the operation of grafting, in all 
 which, it should be a general rule to adjust the inner 
 bark of the stock and of the scion in close contact, 
 and to confine them precisely in that situation. If 
 this be accurately effected, all species of grafting will 
 prove successful. In that method which is usually 
 called whip-grafting, or tongue-grafting, the top of the 
 stock and the extremity of the graft should be nearly 
 of equal diameter. They are both to be sloped off a 
 full inch or more, and then tied closely together. 
 This method may be much improved, by performing 
 what gardeners call tongaeing or lipping ; that is, by 
 making an incision in the bare part of the stock, 
 downwards, and a corresponding slit in the scion, up- 
 wards ; after which they are to be carefully joined 
 together, so that the barks of both may meet in every 
 part, when a bandage of bass wood is to be tied round 
 the scion, to prevent it from being displaced ; and 
 
OF FRUIT TREES* 3$ 
 
 the whole is to be covered over with the composition. 
 When the stocks to be grafted upon are from one to 
 two or more inches in diameter, as branches of trees, 
 deft-grafting is generally employed. The head of the 
 stock or branch being carefully cut off in a sloping 
 direction, a perpendicular cleft or slit is to be made, 
 about to two inches deep, with a knife or chisel, to- 
 wards the back of the slope, into which a wedge is to 
 be driven, in order to keep it open for the admission 
 of the scion. The latter must now be cut in a per- 
 pendicular direction, and in the form of a wedge, so 
 as to fit the incision in the stock. As soon as it is 
 prepared, it should be placed in the cleft in such 
 manner that the inner bark of both the stock and scion 
 mav meet exactly together. It is then to be tied 
 ■with a ligature of bass, and clayed over, as is practis- 
 ed in whip-grafting, three or four eyes being left in 
 the scion uncovered. It should be observed, that in 
 making the cleft in the stock, care should be taken 
 not to injure the pith, the scions being inserted in the 
 sap wood of the stock or branch. Old stocks may be 
 grafted in the bark, called crozon-grafting, but this can- 
 not be practised successfully till the sap be in full mo- 
 tion, that the bark may be easily raised from the wood. 
 The head of the stock or thick branch is cut off hori- 
 zontally ; a perpendicular slit is made in the bark, as 
 in budding ; a narrow ivory folder is thrust down be- 
 tween the wood and the bark, in the places where 
 the grafts are to be inserted. The graft is cut, at the 
 distance of an inch and a half from its extremity, cir- 
 cularly through the bark, not deeper than the bark on 
 one side, but fully half way through or beyond the 
 pith on the other. The grafts being pointed, and a 
 shoulder left to rest on the bark of the stock, they are 
 inserted into the openings, and either three or four 
 grafts are employed, according to the size of the 
 crown. Side-grafting is sometimes employed for sup- 
 
4$ CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 plying vacancies on the lower parts of full grown 
 fruit trees. The bark and a little of the wood are 
 sloped oft* for the space of an inch and a half, or two 
 inches ; a siit is then made downwards, and a graft is 
 tut to lit the part, with a tongue for the slit ; the parts, 
 being properly joined, are tied close and clayed over. 
 When stocks cannot readily be procured, root-grafting 
 may be successfully employed. A piece of the root 
 of a tree of the same genus, well furnished with fibres, 
 is selected, and a graft placed on it, tied and clayed 
 in the ordinary way. Thus united, they are set with 
 care in a trench in the ground, the joining being cov- 
 ered, but the top of the graft being left two inches 
 above ground. 
 
 "The following new mode of grafting," says Dr. 
 Mease, (Dom. Ency.) "the late Mr. A. C. Du Plainc 
 informed the editor, was long kept a secret in France. 
 A limb of willow, three or four inches thick, was bu- 
 ried in a trench deep enough to receive it, and at the 
 distance of every four or five inches, holes were bor* 
 ed, into which grafts were inserted, care being taken 
 to make the bark of the graft, and the limb into which 
 it was inserted touch ; the lower part of the graft was 
 pointed and the bark shaved off. The limb and the 
 grafts were then covered with earth and kept moist, 
 and about two inches of the latter left above the sur- 
 face. In process of time the lirnb rotted, and the 
 grafts took root. The different grafts were then dug 
 up and transplanted." In the same valuable publica- 
 tion, Dr. Mease has communicated an account of the 
 mode of Mr. William Fairman, of "exireme-b ranch graft- 
 ing" upon old decayed trees, "which promises to be 
 of a very great acquisition to those who take pleasure 
 in cultivating fruit." The process is as follows : "Cut 
 away all spray wood, and make the tree a perfect skel- 
 eton, leaving all the healthy limbs ; then clean the 
 branches, and cut the top of each off, where it would 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 41 
 
 measure in circumference from the size of a shilling 
 to about that of a crown piece. Some of the branch- 
 es must of course be taken off where thej' are a little 
 larger, and some smaller, to preserve the canopy or 
 head of the tree ; and it will be necessary to take out 
 the branches which cross others, and observe the arms 
 are left to fork off, so that no considerable opening is 
 to be perceived when you stand under the tree,, but 
 that they may represent a uniform head. When pre- 
 paring the tree, leave the bianches sufficiently long to 
 allow of two or three inches to be taken off by the 
 saw, that all the splintered parts may be removed. 
 The tree beinL' thus prepared, put in one or two grafts 
 at the extremity of each branch, and put on the ce- 
 ment or composition, and tie with bass or soft strings. 
 Sever the shoots or suckers from the tree until the 
 succeeding spring. To make good the deficiency in 
 case some grafts do not succeed, additional grafts may 
 be inserted in the sides of the branches, or where they 
 are wanted to form the tree into a handsome shape." 
 It too frequently happens that a considerable propor- 
 tion of the scions inserted fail of taking effect, and we 
 are disappointed in our expectations. There must be 
 a cause for this failure. Too much heat and dryness 
 in the atmosphere, or too much cold and moisture, 
 may interrupt this vegetable process. If the scions 
 are suffered to become dry and withered, their vital 
 principle will be lost; if saturated with moisture, they 
 cannot so readily imbibe the nutritious juice b}' which 
 their union with the stock is cemented. Much de- 
 pends on a proper coaptation of the barks of the stock 
 and the scion, and the nature of the composition ap- 
 plied, is not without its influence. When tar and 
 turpentine are employed, their volatile oil, unless 
 qualified by some admixture, is supposed to penetrate 
 into the vessels of the scion, obstruct the circulation 
 of the sap, and cause mortification. Among our re- 
 
42 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 cent improvements, it has been ascertained that 
 grafting and budding may be successfully performed 
 as late as August and the first part of September, pro- 
 vided the weather should continue warm, taking the 
 scions directly from the tree-; and the operation may 
 be repeated in case of failure, on the same stock, 
 several times in the season. If therefore, the scion 
 should not manifest signs of active vegetation in ten 
 or twelve days after being inserted, the stock may 
 be again sawed down and a new scion introduced. 
 Our chance of success may also be increased by a 
 double process, that is, by introducing one or more 
 buds into the same stock with the engrafted scion ; 
 and these operations being occasionally repeated, we 
 shall seldom fail of complete success. A bud taken 
 from a scion or twig of the last year, if inserted in 
 April, will immediately sprout and have the same ad- 
 vantage as the engrafted scion. 
 
 BUDDING, OR INOCULATING. 
 
 By tlie process of budding, we obtain the same re- 
 sult as in grafting ; with this difference, however, the 
 bud being a shoot in embryo, grafted trees usually 
 produce fruit two seasons earlier than budded trees. 
 Each bud may be considered a distinct being, which 
 will form a plant retaining precisely the peculiarities 
 of the parent stock ; and five or six species of fruit may 
 be budded on one tree, which, when attained to the 
 maturity of bearing fruit, exhibit a singular and beau- 
 tiful spectacle. Buds are formed at the bases of the 
 foot stalks of the leaves, and are of two kinds, those 
 which bear leaves, and those which bear flowers. 
 The leaf buds arc small, long, and pointed ; the flower 
 buds are thick, short, and round. Both leaves and 
 flowers are sometimes produced by the same bud, and 
 they are generally employed, in budding, without dis- 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 4# 
 
 tinction ; but the bud should always be of the same 
 genus with the tree or branch which is to receive it. 
 The blossom buds are formed by the first sap between 
 April and June, and arc filled by the second sap be- 
 tween July and October. The proper season for bud- 
 ding, is from the beginning of July to the end of Sep- 
 tember, at which period the buds for next year 
 are completely formed in the axilla of the leaf of the 
 present year, and they are known to be ready, from 
 their easily parting from the wood. The buds pre* 
 ferred, are the shortest observed on the middle of a 
 young shoot, on the outside of a healthy and fruitful 
 tree; on no account should an immature tree or a 
 bad bearer, be resorted to for buds. For gathering 
 the shoots containing the buds, a cloudy day, or an 
 early or late hour, is chosen, it being thought that 
 shoots, gathered in full sunshine, perspire so much as 
 to drain the moisture from the buds. The buds should 
 be used as soon after being gathered as possible, and 
 the whole operation should be quickly performed. 
 In taking off the bud from the twig, the knife is in- 
 serted about half an inch above it, and a thin slice of 
 the bark, and wood along with it, taken off, bringing 
 out the knife about an inch and a half below the bud. 
 This lower part is afterwards shortened and dressed, 
 and the leaf is cut off, the stalk being left about half 
 an inch long. Perhaps it is better to insert the knife 
 three quarters of an inch below the bud, and to cut up- 
 wards; at least, this mode is practiced in the Scottish 
 nurseries. The portion of wood is then taken out by 
 raising it from the bark, and pulling it downwards or 
 upwards, according as the cut has been made from a- 
 bove or below. If the extraction of the wood occasion 
 a hole at the bud, that bud is spoilt, and another must 
 be prepared in its steady as gardeners speak, the root 
 of the bud has gone with the wood, instead of remain- 
 ing with the bark* For the performance of the ope- 
 
44 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 ration, provide a sharp budding-knife, with a flat thin 
 haft, of ivory, suitable to open the bark of the stock 
 for the admission of the bud, and also with a quantity 
 of bass strings, or shreds of Russian mats, or woollen 
 yarn, to bind round it when inserted. On a smooth 
 part of the bark of the stock a transverse section is 
 made through the bark down to the wood ; from this 
 is made a longitudinal cut downward, about an inch 
 and a half long, so that the incision may somewhat 
 resemble a Roman T ; by means of the flat ivory haft 
 of the budding-knife the bark is raised a little on each 
 side of the longitudinal incision, so as to receive the 
 bud. The prepared bud is placed in the upper part 
 of the incision so made, and drawn downwards ; the 
 upper part is then cut off transversely, and the bud 
 pushed upwards till the bark of the bud and of the 
 stock join together. It is retained in this situation by 
 means of tying with strands of bass, matting, or wool- 
 len yarn, applied in such manner as to defend the 
 whole from the air and sun, but leaving the leafstalk, 
 and the projecting part of the bud, uncovered. In 
 about ten or twelve clays after the operation, the ty- 
 ing is slackened ; buds, that have taken, appear swell- 
 ed, and the foot stalk of the old leaf falis off on being 
 slightly touched. The head of the stock is not re- 
 moved till the following March ; after this, the bud 
 grows vigorously, and, in the course of the summer, 
 makes a considerable shoot. Against the next spring 
 the shoot is headed down in the manner of young 
 grafted trees. 
 
 Mr. Knight, the celebrated English horliculturalist, 
 has adopted the following improved mode of budding, 
 to accelerate the vegetating process in the young bud. 
 In the month of June, when the buds are in a proper 
 state, the operation is performed by employing two 
 distinct ligatures to hold the buds in their places ; 
 ©ne ligature is first placed above the bud inserted, 
 
Of FftUlT TttlXS. 46 
 
 and upon the transverse section through the bark ; 
 the other, the only office of which is to secure the 
 bud, is applied in the usual way ; as soon as the buds 
 have attached themselves, the lower ligatures are tak- 
 en off, but the others are suffered to remain. The 
 passage of the sap upwards, is, in consequence, mucli 
 obstructed, and the inserted buds begin to vegetate 
 strongly in July; when these afford shoots about four 
 inches long, the upper ligatures are taken off to per- 
 mit the excess of sap to pass on ; the wood ripens 
 well, and affords blossoms, sometimes, for the succeed- 
 ing spring. It will be perceived, that instead of the 
 usual mode of budding, after the commencement of 
 the autumnal flow of sap, and keeping the bud with- 
 out shooting until the following spring, when the top 
 of the stock is cutoff; this improved mode gains a 
 season in point of maturity, if not of growth, and has 
 the effect of grafting the preceding spring, in all cases 
 where the bud sprouts in proper time to form a strong 
 shoot, capable of sustaining, without injury, the frost 
 of the ensuing winter. A different method of mak- 
 ing the incision into the stock is preferred by some. 
 Instead of making a perpendicular cut downwards from 
 the transverse incision, it may be reversed, rising up- 
 wards so that the incision to receive the bud, resem- 
 ble the capital reversed, thus, j, ; and the bud pushed 
 upward to the position desired. By this method the 
 bud being placed above the transverse cut, receives a 
 greater abundance of the sap descending in the bark, 
 than if placed below it. The fact is now decided by 
 ample experience, that apple and pear trees, and prob- 
 ably stone fruit also, may be successfully grafted or 
 budded at any time after the sap rises, about the tenth 
 of April to the middle of September; and that the 
 operation, in case of failure, may be several times re- 
 peated on the same stock during the season. For ear- 
 ly budding, take the buds from cuttings, or scions from 
 1 
 
46 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 bearing trees, in February or March, and preserve 
 them in boxes of sand in a cellar, in the same manner 
 as if intended for grafting, These may be preserved 
 in a good condition for use, until June or July, and 
 may be employed either for grafting or budding as 
 may be preferred. The process of budding 1 hold in 
 preference to that of grafting ; it is neater and may be 
 performed with more facility, and more certainty of 
 taking effect, and when the buds are taken from a sci- 
 on of the last year's growth, it will, if the season prove 
 favourable, shoot two or three feet in length before 
 winter, and will produce fruit as soon as if grafted. 
 Not only young stocks, but the branches of large trees 
 maybe budded successfully. In order to render the 
 operation the more certain, we may avail ourselves of 
 a double advantage by inserting in the month of April 
 both scions and buds into the same stock; and if found 
 necessary, the operation may be repeated every ten 
 or twelve days, until the new buds formed in July and 
 August are sufficiently matured to be employed. 
 These buds should be taken from the best grown shoots 
 of the present year, selecting those that are well form* 
 ed, large and plump ;but these will be one year long- 
 er in producing fruit. In about eight or ten days the 
 wrapping strings should be loosened, and if the buds 
 have not effected a union in that time, they will in 
 general entirely fail ; and if the buds, instead of being 
 fresh and plump, then appear of a dark colour, shrunk, 
 and withered, the stocks should be immediately re- 
 budded. Instead of Mr. Knight's method, by a strong 
 ligature above the inserted bud, to force a supply of 
 sap, another advocate for early budding has adopted 
 a mode which will be preferred by some as being more 
 natural and simple. (New Eng. Farmer, vol. 1, p. 
 146.) So soon as it can be ascertained that the bud 
 will live, which he says may be in about a week, if 
 \he stock be small let it be instantly headed down just 
 
©P FRUIT TREES. 4-? 
 
 above the bud to be nourished. If the stock be large* 
 amputate the principal branches ; and the consequence 
 will be an immediate bursting of all the latent buds, 
 together with the inoculated one. As the inoculated 
 branches multiply, diminish the original one till noth- 
 ing remains but the new tree. From this simple treat- 
 ment, the buds will extend, if inserted eaily, many 
 feet with numerous branches the same summer, and be 
 prepared to produce fruit the ensuing year, and in 
 some instances blossoms appear the same season. 
 These buds so early introduced, will acquire strength 
 sufficient to resist the frost and cold of the ensuing 
 winter, equally well with the engrafted scion. It is 
 strongly recommended by Mr. Forsyth, as soon as the 
 incision is made and the bud or graft inserted, to rub 
 on with the finger or brush, some of his composition 
 before the wrapping strings are tied on, then cover 
 the strings all over with the composition as thick as 
 it can be laid on with a brush, and this he thinks, is 
 preferable to the clay composition. It is important to 
 observe as a rule, not to slacken too soon the wrapping 
 strings, and if the bark of the stock is found to spread 
 open, the strings should be reapplied and suffered to 
 remain some weeks longer, that the young bud may be 
 secured from the sun and air, until it obtains a firm 
 support in the stock. 
 
 NURSERY PRUNING. 
 
 Young trees properly pruned in the nursery, will, 
 it is said, come to bearing sooner, and continue in vig- 
 our for nearly double the common time. All super- 
 fluous or rambling branches should be taken off annu- 
 ally, and only three or four leading shoots be left to 
 every head. Thus managed, the trees will not re- 
 quire to be lopped for a considerable time ; and as 
 they will have no wounds open in the year when trans- 
 
48 CULTURE AND" MANAGEMENT 
 
 planted, their growth will be greatly promoted. The 
 more the range of branches shoots circularly, inclin- 
 ing upwards, the more equally will the sap be distrib- 
 uted, and the better the tree bear. Mr. Cooper, a 
 very intelligent cultivator, remarks that the side shoots 
 should not be cut close to the stem, as the whole 
 growth is thereby forced to the top, which becomes 
 so weighty as to bend and spoil the tree. A better 
 method is, to cut the ends of the side shoots so as to 
 keep the tree in a spiral form, which will encourage 
 the growth of the trunk, until it acquires strength to 
 support a good top. The side shoots may then be 
 cut close. In forming the top, Mr. C. has found it 
 necessary to lighten the east and northeast sides, as 
 fruit trees generally incline that way ; and to encour- 
 age the branches on the opposite quarters, to keep 
 the sun from the trunk ; otherwise the rays of that 
 luminary, when striking at nearly right angles, will 
 kill the bark, bring on canker, and ruin the tree. In 
 Marshal's Rural Economy, we have the following di- 
 rections. In pruning the plants, the leading shoot 
 should be particularly attended to. If it shoot double, 
 the weaker of the contending branches should be tak- 
 en off. If the leader be lost and not easily recovera- 
 ble, the plant should be cut down to within a hand's 
 breadth of the soil, and a fresh stem trained. Next 
 to the leader, the stem boughs require attention. 
 The undermost boughs should be taken off by de- 
 grees ; going over the plants every winter ; always 
 cautiously preserving sufficient heads to draw up the 
 sap, thereby giving strength to the stems, anc«S vigour 
 to the roots and branches; not trimming them up to 
 naked stems, as is the common practice, thereby draw- 
 ing them up prematurely tall and feeble in the lower 
 part of the stems. The thickness of the stem ought 
 to be in proportion to its height ; a tall stock there- 
 fore requires to remain longer in the nursery than a 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. Ad 
 
 low one. We have the respectable authority of Mr. 
 T. Pickering, that such trees as are tall should be cut 
 down close to the ground, to prevent their being shak- 
 en by the wind, and to promote their growth. It may 
 seem strange, he observes, to advise the cutting down 
 a tall, well-grown plant, yet it is necessary ; for the 
 roots are always hurt and shortened by the removal ; 
 it is impossible for those that remain, to nourish the 
 same body ; this is the reason we so often find our 
 trees dead at top and hide-bound. Should my direc- 
 tions, he says, be followed, which are from thirty 
 years experience, such vigorous shoots will spring up, 
 as will in ten years become much larger trees than if 
 they had stood uncut for forty years ; and the bark 
 and every appearance of the tree will be like one from 
 the seed, and much trouble will be saved in staking, 
 to prevent their ruin from the wind. This method 
 has not, we believe, been very frequently adopted, al- 
 though recommended byother cultivators beside the 
 venerable author just cited, the result of whose long 
 experience, and the reasons assigned for the practice, 
 must be deemed satisfactory. It has been stated by 
 an English author, that when young trees are planted 
 out from the nursery, as soon as they begin to break 
 in the spring, they are to be cut down to three or four 
 eyes, according to their strength, to furnish them with 
 bearing wood. If this were not done, they would run 
 up in long naked branches, and would not produce one 
 quarter of the fruit which they would when this is 
 properly performed. It is a point of considerable im- 
 portance to observe, that in cutting off a branch, it 
 should always be done just above a bud close to its 
 shoulder, leaving a smooth and sloping surface that 
 the wound may heal the first season. When a small 
 piece is left above the shoulder of the shoot or bud, 
 the sap ceases to nourish it,and of course the piece dies 
 and communicates a fatal disease to the sound wood. 
 *5 
 
SO CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 ORCHARD. PLANTING AND CULTURE, 
 
 It is an object of no inconsiderable importance to 
 select the most eligible soil, situation and aspect for 
 laying out a fruit orchard. With respect to soil, it 
 should be of a rich loamy nature, neither too wet or 
 heavy, nor too light or dry. Those fertile fields or 
 pastures which produce abundant crops of corn, grass, 
 and other vegetables, will in general be found well 
 adapted to the growth of fruit trees. But in all cases, 
 the soil should be suited to the particular kind of 
 fruit. In Herefordshire, a celebrated cider county, 
 in England, it is said to be a fact well ascertained, that 
 scions from the same tree, grafted upon similar stocks, 
 and planted in different soils, will produce cider of 
 different qualities. It is also found that the early 
 fruits obtain the greatest perfection in a sandy soil, 
 and that the late fruits succeed best when planted in a 
 strong clay. The best cider orchards are on a strong 
 clayey soil ; for it seems to be admitted that the cider 
 from trees in clay is stronger, and will keep better, 
 than cider made from trees on a sandy soil. But 
 again, as applicable to our own country. "The choice 
 of a proper soil and exposure," says Dr. Mease, (Dom. 
 Ency.) "is not sufficiently attended to in the United 
 States. Mr. Riley, of Marcus Hook, whose experience 
 in cider is inferiour to none, assures the editor, that 
 apples growing in a good loose soil, produce much 
 more rich and generous liquor than those that grow 
 in a stiff* clayey land." An orchard, says an English 
 writer, should rather be elevated than low, as on a 
 gentle declivity open to the south and southeast, to 
 give free admission to the air and rays of the sun, as 
 well as to dry up the damp, and dissipate fogs, in or- 
 der to render the trees healthy, and give a fine flavour 
 to the fruit. It should likewise be well sheltered 
 from the east, north, and westerly winds. The bios- 
 
GF FRUIT TREES. ol 
 
 soms of apple trees are liable to be injured by spring 
 frosts, when the trees are planted in the lowest parts 
 of a confined valley. In the domestick encyclopedia, 
 Dr. Mease has inserted an excellent paper on the cli- 
 mate of the United States by colonel Tatham, from 
 which I extract as follows. "It is a fact that in those 
 western parts of the United States, which have a high 
 exposure to the winter's blast, the northern sides of a 
 ridge or mountain arrive sooner and more certainly 
 at a state of perfect vegetation, than the south sides, 
 which are laid open to the power of the sun. I ac- 
 count for this phenomenon as follows : I suppose that 
 the southern exposure to the vehement rays of the 
 sun, during the infant stages of vegetation, puts the 
 sap in motion at too early a period of the spring, be- 
 fore the season has become sufficiently steady to af- 
 ford nurture and protection to the vegetating plant, 
 blossom or leaf; and when in this state, the first ef- 
 forts of vegetation are checked by the chilling influ- 
 ence of cold nights, and such changeable weather as 
 the contest between winter and spring is ever ready 
 to produce, in their apparent struggles to govern the 
 season. On the contrary, the northern exposures, 
 which are not so early presented to the vivifying in- 
 fluence of the sun, remain, as it w T ere, in a torpid state 
 until the more advanced period of the spring, when 
 all danger of vegetation being checked, is over." I 
 have long entertained the opinion, says Mr. Yates, 
 that an orchard, exposed to the north, where the 
 ground in the spring of the year continues longer 
 bound by frost, which retards the vegetation, would 
 be preferable to one bearing an easterly or southern 
 aspect, where the sap-juice is sooner in motion, and 
 accelerated by the rays of the sun. The rows of 
 trees in an orchard ought to incline to a point of com- 
 pass towards the east ; because the sun will shine up- 
 on them early in the forenoon, and thus dissipate the 
 
52 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 vapours which arise during the vernal nights, and 
 stint the fruit in the earlier stages of its growth. The 
 trees should be arranged in uniform straight rows, as 
 being most convenient to the husbandman, and at the 
 same time exhibiting the most pleasing view to the 
 tasteful eye. The distance in the rows or squares, 
 will depend on the size and form of the full grown 
 tree, and on various other circumstances connected 
 with the future intentions and views of the proprietor. 
 ]n every instance, however, the distance should be 
 such as to prevent the extreme branches from locking 
 into each other when attained to full maturity of 
 growth. Miller, an experienced English horticultu- 
 ralist, says, when the soil is good, the distance should 
 be fifty or sixty feet, and where the soil is not so good, 
 forty feet may be sufficient. Lawson, who wrote in 
 1626, observes, that in a good soil and under proper 
 management, apple trees will, in forty or fifty years, 
 spread twelve yards on each side ; and the adjoining 
 tree spreading as much, gives twenty-four yards, or 
 seventy-two feet, and the roots will extend still fur- 
 ther. He therefore recommends that apple trees be 
 set at the distance of eighty feet from each other. 
 The advantages of thin planting are said to be : 1. The 
 sun refreshes every tree, the roots, body, and branch- 
 es, with the blossoms and fruit, whereby the trees are 
 more productive, and the fruit largei, fairer and bet- 
 ter flavoured. 2. The trees grow larger, and are more 
 healthy and durable. 3. When trees are planted too 
 near, the lower branches are smothered for want of 
 sun and air, the fruit is never well flavoured, and al- 
 ways small. The object is fruit, and we are not to 
 expect that the quantity will be in proportion to the 
 number of trees in an orchard, for a few trees of a 
 large size will produce more and better fruit, than six 
 or eight times the number of those which grow near 
 and crowd one another. Again, apples are not to be 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 53 
 
 estimated according to their number only, but their 
 size and weight, as well as their superiour flavour. 
 Another advantage is the profit of cultivating the 
 ground under and about the trees. The intervening 
 spaces may be cultivated with various vegetables, or 
 if preferred, they may be filled with some temporary 
 trees of small growth, as dwarfs, which may be remov- 
 ed when the principal standards have attained to a 
 large size. Many apple trees have borne fruit for 
 more than a century ; and when trees show signs of 
 decay at the age of thirty or forty years, it is in gene- 
 ral to be attributed to mismanagement, and probably 
 to close planting. Every cultivator must have ex- 
 perienced the great inconvenience occasioned by nar- 
 row and crowded intervals. When apple trees stand 
 at the distance of twenty-five or thirty feet only, their 
 horizontal branches will, as we frequently see, in 
 fifteen or twenty years interlope each other, and al- 
 most entirely obstruct the intervals between them. 
 Taking into view, therefore, the foregoing particu- 
 lars, the cultivator, in planting a young orchard, will 
 determine for himself the most convenient and suita- 
 ble width (of the intervals between his trees. The 
 most generally approved distance is forty feet in all 
 directions, and this gives twenty seven trees to an 
 acre, while at thirty feet apart, an acre will contain 
 forty-eight trees, and at thirty-five feet distance, thir- 
 ty-five trees occupy an acre. 
 
 With respect to the most proper season for plant- 
 ing apple trees in the United States, different opin- 
 ions prevail. According to Dr. Mease, no general 
 rule can be given, owing to the immense variety of 
 climates with which we are favoured. In some states, 
 the autumn may be best, while in others (in Pennsyl- 
 vania) it is probable that early in the spring answers 
 best. Indeed, in a comparative experiment of spring 
 and autumn planting, made near Philadelphia, in 
 
54 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 1802 — 3, the advantage was considerably in favour of 
 those put down in the spring. Some, planted in au- 
 tumn, were from a nursery near the city, and nearly 
 all died ; another parcel, from the excellent nursery 
 of Mr. Prince, of Flushing, Long-Island, arrived late 
 in April, and all survived. There was no reason to 
 suspect any difference in the soil, or the care with 
 which both parcels were planted, E. Preble, esquire, 
 of Boston, is decided in preferring autumn to spring, 
 for planting apple tress, as the ground will settle 
 round the roots before frost, and the trees prepared 
 to shoot in the spring, aided by the rains which pre- 
 vail at that season. If planted in spring, he observes, 
 the drought and heat of summer will injure, if not 
 destroy them, before the roots find their place. He 
 is in the practice of transplanting them as soon as the 
 foliage is off in autumn, and farmers have more leis- 
 ure at that season of the year. 
 
 PREPARATION OF THE LAND, AND PLANTING. 
 
 When the ground is in pasture, it should be plough- 
 ed to a considerable depth, and well summer fallowed, 
 till the grass be killed. But, if trenching should be 
 preferred, the spade must be carried to the full depth 
 of the soil ; and if it be gravelly, a considerable por- 
 tion of this should be removed, and its place supplied 
 by a due quantity of rich mould. The quality of the 
 soil should approach as nearly as possible to that of 
 the nursery, in which the trees were reared. If it be 
 poorer, the trees will certainly be impeded in their 
 growth. The trenches should be well dug, about five 
 or six feet wide, that the holes to receive the roots 
 may be made sufficiently large. Much of the future 
 prosperity of the orchard depends upon a judicious 
 selection of the trees. Mr. Bucknal advises, that they 
 be chosen the year before they are intended to be 
 
 \ 
 
OT FRUIT TRE£S«r 55 
 
 planted, particular care being taken to obtain young, 
 vigorous and healthy trees ; for cankered plants emit 
 a vapour that is very detrimental to such as are sound. 
 In taking up the trees from the nursery, the roots 
 should be preserved of the full length, if possible; the 
 surface earth should be removed, and the running 
 roots carefully traced and raised. If they must be 
 cut, let it be done with a sharp instrument, and not 
 hacked with a dull spade. The tap root, or that which 
 penetrates straight down, may be shortened to the 
 length of about one foot, and all broken or bruised 
 parts should be removed. The small matted fibres 
 should be cut off, as they are apt to mould and decay, 
 and pi event new ones from shooting. The remaining 
 side roots should be spread out to give them a hori- 
 zontal direction under the surface, that they may be 
 more immediately influenced by the sun, and their 
 sap will become richer, and produce the sweetest and 
 most beautiful fruit. Some well-rotted manure, mix- 
 ed with mould, may be advantageously placed round 
 the roots, the earth carefully pressed down, so as to 
 come in contact with the roots in every part, and the 
 trees placed the same side to the sun as they stood be- 
 fore. In transplanting trees, it may be observed, that 
 they should not be replanted deep in the soil, since 
 the most nutritive or salubrious parts of the earth are 
 those within the reach of the sun's warmth, of the de- 
 scending moisture, and of the air. And as the root 
 fibres of trees, like those of seeds, always grow to- 
 ward the purest air and brightest light, it follows, that 
 the root fibres seldom rise higher in the ground than 
 they were originally set, and seldom elongate them- 
 selves perfectly horizontally : so that when a fruit 
 tree is planted too deep in the earth, it seldom grows 
 in healthy vigour, either in respect to its leaf buds or 
 flower buds. For a more particular description of the 
 method of planting fruit trees, I quote the language of 
 
56 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 Mr. Marshal], as follows : "Describe a circle about 
 five or six feet diameter for the hole. If the ground 
 be in grass, remove the sward in shallow spits, plac- 
 ing the sods on one side of the hole j the best of the 
 loose mould placed by itself on another side, and the 
 dead earth, from the bottom of the hole, in another 
 heap. The depth of the holes should be regulated by 
 the nature of the sub-soil. Where this is cold and re- 
 tentive, the holes should not be made much deeper 
 than the cultivated soil. To go lower, is to form a 
 receptacle for the water, which by standing among 
 the roots, is very injurious to the plants. On the 
 contrary, in a dry, light soil, the holes should be made 
 considerably deeper ; as well to obtain a degree of 
 coolness and moisture, as to be able to establish the 
 plants firmly in the soil.* In soils of a middle quality, 
 the hole should be of such depth, that when the sods 
 are thrown to the bottom of it, the plant will stand at 
 the same depth in the orchard as it did in the nurse- 
 ry. Each hole, therefore, should be of a depth adapt- 
 ed to the particular root planted in it. The holes 
 ought, however, for various reasons, to be made prev- 
 ious to the day of planting. If the season of planting 
 be spring, and the ground and the weather be dry, 
 the holes should be watered the evening befoie the 
 day of planting, by throwing two or three pails full 
 of water into each ; a new but eligible practice. In 
 planting, the sods should be thrown to the bottom of 
 
 * Agriculturalists are apprized of the fact that stones have a 
 tendency to keep the contiguous earth moist and cool ; and that 
 when applied to the roots of fruit trees the} 7 produce benefic- 
 ial effects. The honourable A. Wells, Esq. of Dorchester, 
 found by experiment that those trees at the bottom of which 
 he put a horse-cart load of small stones, when planted, great- 
 ly outstripped those which were planted without stones. The 
 growth of the former in six years being from 12 to 14 inch- 
 es in circumference one foot from the ground, while that of 
 the latter was nine inches in the same time. Sec page 63. 
 
nr 
 
 OF FRUIT TREES. Q< 
 
 the hole, cliopt with the spade, and covered with some 
 of the finest of the mould. If thje hole be so deep, 
 that with this advantage the bottom will not be raised 
 high enough for the plant, some of the worst of the 
 mould should be returned before the sod be thrown 
 down. The bottom of the hole being raised to a prop- 
 er height and adjusted, the lowest tier of roots is to 
 be spread out upon it ; drawing them out horizontally 
 and spreading them in different directions, drawing 
 out with the hand the rootlets and fibres which seve- 
 rally belong to them, spreading them out as a feather, 
 pressing them evenly into the soil, and covering them 
 by hand with some of the finest of the mould ; the 
 other tiers of roots are then to be spread out and bed- 
 ded in the same manner. Great care is to be taken 
 to work the mould well in, by hand, that no hollow- 
 ness be left ; to prevent which, the mould is to be 
 trodden hard with the foot. The remainder of the 
 mould should be raised into a hillock, round the stem, 
 for the tripple use of affording coolness, moisture, and 
 stability to the plant. A little dish should be made 
 on the top of the hillock, and from the rim of this the 
 slope should be gentle to the circumference of the hole, 
 where the broken ground should sink some few inches 
 below the level of the orchard. All this detail may 
 be deemed unnecessary ; by those, I mean, who have 
 been accustomed to bury the roots of plants in the 
 grave-digger's manner ; but 1 can recommend every 
 part of it to those who wish to insure success, from my 
 own practice. Plants which have been transplanted 
 in the manner here recommended, whose heads have 
 been judiciously lessened, and which have been plant- 
 ed in the manner here described, seldom require any 
 other stay than their ov/n roots. If, however, the 
 stems be tall, and the roots few and short, they should 
 be supported in the usual manner, with stakes, or rath- 
 er, in the followipg manner, which is at once simple, 
 
 a 
 
58 CULTURE AND MA'NAGtHfletfff 
 
 strong, and most agreeable to the eye. Take a large 
 post, and slit it with a saw, and place the parts flat- 
 way with the faces to the plant, one on each side of 
 if, and two feet apart, and nail your rails upon the edg- 
 es of the posts." 
 
 It seems to be a well-founded opinion that young 
 apple trees will not flourish advantageously if planted 
 on the site of an old orchard, or near the place where 
 old trees have died. William Coxe, esquire, of New- 
 Jersey, the most experienced orchardist in the United 
 States, has experimented with the view of ascertain- 
 ing this fact ; and the result has demonstrated the 
 correctness of it in the clearest manner. He planted 
 young trees in the middle space between the old rows,, 
 and sometimes near the stumps of old treesj which 
 had been for many years cut down and decayed ; he 
 removed the old soil in digging the holes, and replac- 
 ed it with rich earth mixed with manure, and gave to 
 his trees all the advantage of high cultivation, yet 
 they were manifestly inferiour in point of growth and 
 vigour to those which were planted at the same season 
 in his adjoining lots. 
 
 Having progressed thus far, the husbandman is now 
 presented with a valuable orchard, planted and ar- 
 ranged in complete systematick order ; and it may, if 
 he please, be considered as the work of his own hands, 
 from which he may anticipate high expectations of 
 profit and amusement. Thus the value of a farm is 
 greatly augmented, and the proprietor enjoys the sat- 
 isfaction of bequeathing a rich inheritance to future 
 generations. But his labour is not yet at an end ; it 
 will still require his fostering care, and unremitted at- 
 tention. In vain do we plant, labour, and toil, if through 
 neglect in a single point, we suffer our harvest to be 
 wrested from our hands. Nor are we less culpable if 
 we suffer a young orchard to be destroyed by the de- 
 predations of cattle, the annoyance of insects, and the 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 59 
 
 corroding canker, without applying the appropriate 
 remedies. We suppose, then, of course, that the or- 
 chard is properly enclosed by a strong and close fence. 
 We next proceed to cultivate the soil beneath, and be- 
 tween the trees, until they arrive at their complete 
 size, as the quality, excellence, and maturity of the 
 fruit will, in a great measure depend upon its proper 
 culture. This process may be performed either with 
 the plough, if due care be taken not to injure the 
 roots, or with the spade around the trunks, and by 
 these means both the fertility and health of the trees 
 are promoted, and the soil itself improved for the 
 purpose of raising potatoes, turnips, or other vegeta- 
 bles, which do not tend too much to impoverish the 
 land. If, however, it is intended to cultivate clover, 
 or other meadow grass for mowing, still it will be ad- 
 visable to reserve a circuit round each tree, as exten- 
 sive as the roots, to be kept open by tillage, that by 
 frequent hoeing the fertilizing properties of rain, air, 
 and dew, may more easily penetrate into the earth, 
 and produce beneficial effects on the roots. The opin- 
 ion prevails among some farmers, that clover has a 
 tendency to retard the growth of fruit trees. If this 
 be true of clover more than of any other grass, it may 
 probably be explained from its luxuriant foliage se- 
 cluding the influence of warmth, air, and light, from 
 their roots. Mr. Kenrick, of Newton, observes, that 
 he has found herds grass the most injurious to his 
 trees. 
 
 MANURING. 
 
 Tt is well known to every farmer, that young fruit 
 trees will flourish luxuriantly, while the ground is cul- 
 tivated with various vegetable crops, and that the same 
 tillage and manuring, which is required for the latter, 
 will prove highly conducive to the growth and fertili- 
 
60 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 ty of the former. In fact, it has been ascertained by 
 experience and observation, that apples, pears, peach- 
 es, &c. attain to their highest perfection only when 
 the soil about the roots is kept open, and frequently 
 manured. It is by the chemical combination of air, 
 warmth, and moisture, that the growth and vigour of 
 plants and trees are essentially promoted and main- 
 tained. The process of nature is greatly assisted by 
 such substances as cause the greatest degree of fermen- 
 tation, when buried in the earth. Hence, all animal 
 substances, from the great degree of fermentation cre- 
 ated by their dissolution, will be found productive of 
 the greatest utility. Among these, are dead animal 
 bodies, horns, hoofs, bones, when reduced to fragments 
 or powder, leather, shells, &c. To which may be add- 
 ed hair, wool, and woollen rags. These, applied to 
 the roots, and a top dressing of swamp or pond mud, 
 chip or compost manure, annually, or once in two 
 years, will produce surprising effects, and the farmer 
 will realize ample compensation by the increased quan- 
 tity and improved quality of his crop. As an extra- 
 ordinary instance of resuscitating an old worthless ap- 
 ple tree, by the application of manure, I quote from 
 the Dom. Ency. a statement, which appeared in the 
 Salem Register, of May, 1802. u ln my garden is an 
 apple tree, which about the year 1763, sprouted from 
 the root of a former tree : it now girts three feet six 
 inches. From 1784 to 1790, 1 observed it to be bar- 
 ren, and a cumberer of the ground ; year after year, 
 being the prey of caterpillars, and exhibiting the con- 
 stant appearance of innumerable warts within the out- 
 side bark, which at the time, 1 suspected was natural 
 instinct in the insect for the propagation of its kind. 
 In the spring of 1793, I tried an experiment for giv- 
 ing it new life, as follows : very early in the season, I 
 directed my gardener with a hoe to cleanse the out- 
 side bark of such excressences as might bear the ope- 
 
OP FRUIT TREES. 61 
 
 ration with little difficulty. In the next place, I di- 
 rected him to raise a wall of small stones round the 
 tree, at the distance of one foot, and perhaps nine inch- 
 es high, and then to fill the cavity with manure from 
 the resource of compost. The effect in the succeed- 
 ing season was truly worthy of notice. The warts 
 disappeared, the bark clean and thrifty, and the tree 
 so loaded with fruit as that about one third of the 
 boughs broke and came to the ground with the cum- 
 bersome weight. Comparatively no caterpillars since, 
 and, on an average, a very plentiful crop of fruit 
 yearly. I was led to the experiment by taking notice 
 of a pear tree that had been in a very similar situation, 
 and had been resuscitated in a similar manner." 
 
 There is not, perhaps, in nature a more fertilizing 
 application than the liquid substance which is left at 
 the bottom of stercoraries and barn yards, after the 
 more solid substance has been removed. This effer- 
 vescing mixture contains the very essence of the food 
 of plants, and it might be carried out in tight carts or 
 casks, especially in a dry season, and emptied about 
 the trunks and roots, in the cool hours of morning and 
 evening, but on no account during the heat of a sum- 
 mer's day. The planter, however, ought to be ap- 
 prized, that the process of manuring must not be car- 
 ried to excess, as too great a stimulus applied to 
 trees, facilitates the luxuriant growth of wood, and 
 renders the branches less productive of fruit : or the 
 trees may be stimulated to a preternatural exertion 
 for a few years, when their prolifick powers will be 
 exhausted, and a premature decay induced. Fresh 
 stable manure is supposed to be injurious to fruit trees. 
 
 There is another expedient, which is understood to 
 have produced favourable effects in promoting the 
 growth of young fruit trees, especially in grass land. 
 The method was published some years ago by a Ger- 
 man clergyman, and simply consists in spreading flax- 
 *6 
 
&Z CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 shaws, or the refuse of flax after it has been dressed, 
 on the soil contiguous to the trunks of the trees, as far 
 as the roots extend j by which means their size, as 
 well as their fertility, is remarkably increased. In 
 the vicinity of the seacoast, a valuable substitute for 
 refuse flax, may be found in fresh sea weed. I have 
 employed this article with considerable advantage. 
 Being laid thick round the trunk, it prevents the 
 growth of grass and weeds, keeps the earth open and 
 loose, and, I am disposed to believe, prevents field 
 mice from injuring the bark of the trees in winter, as 
 the salt with which this substance is impregnated is 
 supposed to be obnoxious to those vermin. It occurs 
 to me as highly probable, that a quantity of sea weed 
 pressed round the trunks of fruit trees, extending 
 thiee or four feet, would prove a remedy against the 
 canker worm, by forming a compact substance, through 
 which both the canker moth and worm would be un- 
 able to penetrate. It might also serve as a protection 
 against the destructive worm, which bores into the 
 tree near the surface of the earth. 
 
 Engrafted apple trees sometimes put forth blossoms 
 and bear fruit when two or three years old ; but if this 
 premature produce be permitted, the prolifick powers 
 will be greatly impaired, and the trees will suffer irre- 
 parable injury. If, therefore, the blossoms appear 
 abundant, the fruit should be taken off as soon as 
 formed, leaving 4 or 5 apples on each tree, to ascer- 
 tain their size and quality. Even at a more advanc- 
 ed stage of growth, if part of the apples are taken off 
 in season, the remainder will be much improved in all 
 respects, and the trees will not only produce fruit in 
 higher perfection, but the bearing branches will every 
 year become more vigorous and fruitful. It has been 
 observed, that trees, which begin their bearing gradu- 
 ally, are, in general, more disposed to afford an annual 
 crop. 
 
OT FRUIT TREKS. 63 
 
 It is not to be expected, that the systematick plan 
 and particular rules desc ribed in the foregoing pages, 
 will accord with the views and circumstances of every 
 agriculturalist. Jt may, in some instances, interrupt 
 a course of field culture which the farmer has prescrib- 
 ed for himself, or his farm may not afford an eligible 
 situation for a regular plantation of fruit trees. In 
 such dilemma it may be convenient to plant trees in 
 various parts of the farm, not otherwise occupied, as 
 on the borders and corners of fields contiguous to 
 roads, lanes, &c. In some instances, it is deemed a 
 preferable method to set trees on the sides of a square 
 field, the centre of which is left open for pasture or 
 tillage ; and such arrangement is not without its ad- 
 vantages. It has been observed, that apple trees pro- 
 duce a more abundant crop when the ground is trod- 
 den and manured by cattle in the winter ; but they 
 should by no means be suffered to browse on the 
 branches. We are not, indeed, without examples of 
 scattered trees, of spontaneous growth, occupying 
 land which has never been broken by the plough, 
 nor subjected to the hand of culture. From these, 
 tolerable crops of fruit are occasionally obtained, 
 which, although of inferiour quality, are nevertheless 
 capable of being converted to useful purposes. With 
 the view of showing the facility with which many 
 natural disadvantages may be overcome, and an or- 
 chard reared in the most unpromising situation, I shall 
 introduce here an extract from a valuable paper, pub- 
 lished in the Agricultural Repository, No. 1. vol. 6, 
 by the honourable John Wells, esquire, of Dorches- 
 ter, one of the Trustees of the Mass. Agricultural So- 
 ciety. Mr. W. relates two instances of cultivating 
 apple trees successfully in unfavourable situations. 
 In the one, a low piece of strong stony land was tak- 
 en. "As it was rather flat, it was ploughed in strips 
 or dug in spaces about four feet square. As it was 
 
€4 CULTURE ANS MANAGEMENT 
 
 necessary to plough a furrow between each row, the 
 mode of ploughing in strips was found the best, as by 
 turning the furrow towards the tree, the land was bet- 
 ter drained. Besides raising the ground a little from 
 the surrounding soil, half a buck load of loam was add- 
 ed, to raise the ground on which the tree was set. 
 After this was done, the strips or squares, as the case 
 might be, were appropriated to the culture of pota- 
 toes and garden vegetables. In a few places only, the 
 trees failed from the insufficiency of the drain. But 
 by opening the drain, and raising the ground by half 
 a buck load of loam, I found, on setting out a new 
 tree, it flourished equally with the rest. This orchard, 
 now in eight years, is a most valuable one, and most 
 of the trees would give half a barrel of apples. From 
 this and other circumstances which have fallen within 
 my observation, it appears that low land, if strong soil, 
 and well drained, will give a fine orchard, and proba- 
 bly sooner than any other." 
 
 The next effort was made under totally opposite 
 circumstances. "The object was to have an orchard 
 on a particular spot, where the soil was thin and light, 
 upon a plain or flat. The holes were dug four feet 
 over. The two upper strata of black and yellow loam, 
 were placed aside the tree. After this, about ten inch- 
 es in depth of the gravelly, or poorer earth, was taken 
 out and carted off, and a horse cart load of stones up- 
 set into the hole ; upon these, a part of the upper stra- 
 tum, or some dirt from the side of the road was scat- 
 tered so as to fill up the interstices ; since which the 
 spots near the trees have been cultivated by planting 
 four hills of potatoes round each tree. The result has 
 been tolerably favourable with all ; but the trees hav- 
 ing the stones placed at the roots have exceedingly 
 outstripped the others. The dimensions of the trees 
 in the first experiment — a rich, low, black, stony soil, 
 drained^ — were, at the expiration of eight years, fif- 
 
OP FRUlT TREES. 65 
 
 teen to seventeen inches in circumference, one foot 
 from the ground. This may be considered (the tree 
 being small when set out) as a growth of about two 
 inches a year. The growth in the second experi- 
 ment, for six years, was twelve to fourteen inches, in 
 the holes in which the stones were put, one foot from 
 the ground. Where no stones were put, nine inches 
 was the growth. It will thus be perceived, that the 
 vegetation was most powerful under circumstances by 
 nature least favourable. If, then, thus much can be 
 done to counteract such disadvantages, it surely offers 
 much encouragement to our efforts, and leads us to 
 hope, that not only in this, but in other objects, they 
 may be beneficially extended." 
 
 ORCHARD PRUNING, 
 
 It has been remarked, that the management of or- 
 chards is capable of being reduced to a system, under 
 a few general heads, connected in the principle of 
 making all trees in an orchard healthy, round, large 
 and beautiful. There is no part of this management 
 perhaps, so important, and which requires more skill, 
 and at the same time is so little understood, as the 
 process of orchard pruning. The necessity of com- 
 mencing, and annually repeating this operation in the 
 nursery, has already been inculcated. When tiis 
 discipline is properly put in practice, at that early 
 period of growth, there will be less employment for 
 the pruning knife at all future periods ; it will never- 
 theless be found indispensably necessary to retrench 
 redundant or superfluous shoots and branches in every 
 successive year of their existence. "To the neglect 
 of pruning fruit trees in due season," says Mr. Yates, 
 "and the unskilful manner of performing it, may, in a 
 great measure, be ascribed the bad and unfruitful state 
 of some of the orchards in America. This inatten- 
 
 
£6 CtTLTURE AttD MANAGEMENT 
 
 lion and mismanagement, and, especially, the not am= 
 putating dead limbs, and extirpating all infected parts 
 of fruit trees, subjects them to disease, mortification 
 and death. An unpruned tree, lef f in a natural state, 
 will bear fruit sooner than one that is pruned ; for by 
 pruning, the parts below the lopped or amputated 
 branches become viviparious, and produce new leaf 
 buds, which require several years before they will ac- 
 quire sufficient maturity to generate fluzuer buds, to 
 produce an oviparous progeny $ but unpruned trees 
 grow and look irregular and unsight'y ; nor is their 
 fruit to be compared to that of trees properly pruned 
 and managed, in order to afford them a more equal 
 advantage of the sun and air, by means whereof they 
 will produce fruit better in size and quality." 
 
 The two great practical errours which have hith- 
 erto prevailed, and by which fruit trees have suffered 
 irreparable injury, are, 1. The season of the year ; 
 £nd ■?. The awkward and unskilful man*^.* ;- -7^-^ 
 
 the operation has been performed. In general, the 
 months of February and March have been considered 
 as the preferable season for pruning, and not unfre- 
 quently the executioner is sent into the tree with his 
 exterminating axe, where he commences an almost in- 
 discriminate slaughter, leaving long projecting stumps, 
 and disregarding equally the form and beauty of the 
 tree, and the particular branches and spurs upon 
 which the future crop principally depend. In March, 
 the sap is retained in the roots, and the bark adheres 
 closely to the wood ; consequently, the wounds occa- 
 sioned by the amputation of branches being exposed 
 to the cold, penetrating winds and frosts, before the 
 circulation of the sap, become dry, rotten, and can- 
 kered, and often crack open nearly to the main trunk. 
 In old orchards, particularly, if limbs of any consider- 
 able size are lopped off, several inches from the trunk, 
 before the sap is in active motion, the fresh bark 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 67 
 
 round the wood becomes dry, large cavities are form- 
 ed, which rapidly extend towards the trunk and heart, 
 and the tree is soon deprived of its health and vigour. 
 This unskilful procedure has so long been in practice, 
 that it need excite no surprise, that a large proportion 
 ot our old orchards exhibit a mortifying, disgusting 
 spectacle of dead branches, rotten stumps and hollow 
 trunks, verging to total ruin. The greatest cause of 
 surprise is that our intelligent farmers should suffer 
 their valuable land, year after year to be encumbered 
 with such worthless lumber, fit only for the resort of 
 vermin and insects ; for it may be observed that the 
 more delicate feathered tribe disdain to occupy such 
 detestable ruins for the purpose of rearing their brood. 
 The long life of different orchards, soil and situ- 
 ation being equal, will depend, it is said, more on ju- 
 dicious pruning than on any other circumstance. 
 Young trees differ much in their natural form and ten- 
 dency, and the mode of pruning should vary accord- 
 ingly. The peculiarity of growth, which character- 
 izes each kind, is easily discovered when from four to 
 five or six years old ; and this is the most favourable 
 period to complete what was begun in the .nursery, 
 for the purpose of correcting any natural defects in 
 their form, and giving the proper direction in their 
 future growth. The most proper season for pruning 
 fruit trees, unquestionably is when the sap-juice is in 
 active motion toward the extreme branches. In our 
 New England climate, we have the clearest indica- 
 tions that the sap commences its circulation about the 
 10th of April. From this period to about the last of 
 May, whether the buds are just opening, or the blos- 
 soms fully expanded, the pruning should be accom- 
 plished. It would, for certain reasons, however, seem 
 advisable not to delay the operation after the middle 
 of May, as the branches are then so charged with a 
 full flow of sap, that the bark would be apt to peel, 
 
 
68 OOtTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 whereby unseemly wounds might be left, and canker 
 induced : and besides, the undergrowth, whether 
 grass or grain, might be so far advanced as to suffer 
 injury by being trampled upon. For the purpose of 
 performing this operation in a proper manner, a saw, 
 chisel, and pruning knife, must be provided. It will 
 next be requisite to have at hand some suitable com- 
 position to apply to the wounded parts, to defend a- 
 gainst wet, cold air, or the scorching sun. It is im- 
 material whether we employ Forsyth's composition, 
 or the clay as prepared for grafting, or an ointment 
 composed of rosin, beeswax, and turpentine. Some 
 prefer a composition of tar with a little beeswax, sim- 
 mered together, to which some red ochre is added. 
 This composition, or the above mentioned ointment, 
 should be of a proper consistence to be applied to the 
 wound with a knife or smooth stick, and they will ad- 
 here, and last two years without requiring to be re- 
 newed. With respect to the proper method of prun- 
 ing, no particular unexceptionable rules can be pre- 
 scribed ; much must depend on experience and atten- 
 tive observation. It is among the most important 
 rules, however, not to amputate a large limb, close to 
 the main trunk of a full grown tree, nor indeed a 
 branch, which is too large at the place of excision to 
 heal or to close over again, as you may give the tree 
 its death-wound, by opening an avenue to the air and 
 water, which induce rottenness, and, in course of 
 time, the limb or trunk becomes hollow, frequently 
 to the roots. In pruning, some regard must be had 
 to soil and climate. \( the situation be wet and cold, 
 trees should be pruned more open for the benefit of 
 sun and air, which are less essential in a dry san- 
 dy soil, where the fruit ripens better. Winter fruit 
 trees should have their branches left wider asunder 
 than summer fruit, as they require more warmth of 
 the sun than the latter. The general shape of old 
 
©F FRUIT TREES. 69 
 
 trees should be left substantially the same, that the 
 ascending juices may continue, as much as possible, 
 in their established channels. Care must be taken 
 not too cut away too many large limbs at a time, lest 
 too large a portion of the sap should remain inactive, 
 and thus occasion mischief. Always prune at a fork, 
 and remove the lower branch, that the wound may be 
 on the lower side rather than the upper side. All 
 large limbs should be cut first at some distance from 
 the place where they are to be pruned, as the weight 
 may peel the bark, and leave a bad wound ; and in 
 order to prevent the same accident, the bark, on the 
 under side, should be cut through before the limb is 
 amputated. In every instance, after sawing off the 
 branch, let the bark and edges of the stump be pared 
 close and smooth with a sharp knife, and immediately 
 apply the composition so as to cover the whole surface 
 of the wound. This is more especially necessary 
 when the operation is performed in a cold season, be- 
 fore the sap is in circulation. By this procedure the 
 new growth or healing process immediately commen- 
 ces, and instead of an unseemly rotten cavity, as in 
 the old method, the wound will, during the season, if 
 not large, be completely healed over, and the tree re- 
 main sound and flourishing. Jt is to be observed, that 
 the fruit of the apple tree is produced on short, thick, 
 side, or terminal shoots or spurs, from one to two or 
 three inches long. These spurs naturally proceed 
 from branches two, three, or four years old, and as 
 these branches increase in length, the fruit spurs in- 
 crease in number, and they continue to be fruitful for 
 several year*. Mr. Forsyth always leaves the branch- 
 es of three different years on the tree, and thus keeps 
 them in a constant bearing state ; whereas, if left to 
 nature, they would only produce a crop of fruit once 
 in two or three years. All old ragged spurs, and use- 
 less snags and twigs, should be taken off close to the 
 7 
 
70 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 trunk ; no dead limbs should be suffered to remain, nor 
 even thrifty branches that have an irregular tenden- 
 cy, running inwards, and rubbing against each other. 
 Such branches as intersect or cross each other, and 
 thus occasion confusion in the crown of the tree, 
 ought to be removed, and all others cleared of suck- 
 ers to their very extremities; and indeed it will be 
 necessary to prune out a good proportion of the top 
 branches, in order to spread open the crown of the 
 tree, to admit a free circulation of air and the rays of 
 the sun, which are as essentially necessary to mature 
 and ripen the fruit. Those superfluous lateral branch- 
 es which grow irregularly, and all dead wood, should 
 be annually extirpated, to give the proper bearing 
 branches sufficient room without injuring the beauty 
 of the tree, leaving the fruit branches as nearly equi- 
 distant as possible. Such branches as have received 
 any material injury ought to be removed. If the 
 tree in its first or second sap tend to shoot abundance 
 of wood, the young shoots should be pinched off while 
 tender, but never cut while the sap is flowing, because 
 the tree, by cutting at that time, is apt to run into 
 wood, and the blossom buds liable to be injured by be- 
 ing deprived of sap. Never suffer a sucker to remain 
 near the root, from one year to another, nor by any 
 means upon the body or trunk, which is not intended 
 to be permanent. Those vigorous young shoots, 
 which often spring from old arms, near the trunk, and 
 incline to grow up into the head, must be annually 
 extirpated, lest they fill the tree with too much wood. 
 A sufficient portion of fertile wood should be left in 
 every part, but leave no useless branches, to exhaust 
 the nutritive powers, and thereby accelerate the de- 
 cay of the tree. Mr. Marshall, in his Rural Econo- 
 my, observes, that "a redundancy of wood is the cause 
 of numerous evils. The roots, or rather the pastur- 
 age which supports them, is exhausted unprofitably ; 
 
OP PRXJlT TREES. 71 
 
 the bearing wood robbed of part of its sustenance, and 
 the natural life of the tree unnecessarily shortened ; 
 while the superfluous wood, which is the cause ofthis 
 mischief, places the tree in perpetual danger, by giv- 
 ing the winds additional power over it, and is injuri- 
 ous to the bearing wood, by retaining the damps, and 
 preventing a due circulation of air. The underhang- 
 ing boughs weigh down especially when loaded with 
 leaves, the fruit bearing branches they are preying up- 
 on, giving them a drooping habit, or at least prevent- 
 ing their taking, as they ought and otherwise would, 
 an ascending direction ; while those which grow 
 within the head are equally injurious in crossing and 
 chafing the profitable branches. The outer surface 
 only is able to mature fruit properly. Every inward 
 and every underling branch ought therefore to be re- 
 moved. It is no uncommon sight to see two or three 
 tiers of boughs pressing down hard, one upon anoth- 
 er, with their twigs so intimately interwoven that, 
 even when their leaves are off, a small bird can scarce- 
 ly creep in among them. Trees thus neglected ac- 
 quire, through a want of ventilation and exercise, a 
 runty, stinted habit, and the fruit they bear becomes 
 of a crude, inferiour quality. R y some, we are ad- 
 vised never to suffer apple trees to begin to head short 
 of six or eight feet, for the convenience of passing un- 
 der them in ploughing, and to admit the warming and 
 fertilizing influence of the sun and air to tne under- 
 growth. But the horizontal and drooping branches 
 are always the most productive of fruit, and this is 
 less liable to be shaken off by the wind, and is more 
 conveniently gathered b}' hand. Those who cultivate 
 an orchard for the benefit of the fruit, must make the 
 undergrowth a secondary consideration. 
 
72 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 HEADING DOWN OLD DECAYED APPLE TREES. 
 
 According to Mr. Forsyth, when the tops of the 
 branches of apple trees begin to die from old age or 
 other cause, they ought immediately to be regenerat- 
 ed by giving them a new top. This is done by cut- 
 ting off a few feet of their extremities over the whole 
 tree, so as to leave it in a proper form. If the trunk 
 is yet tolerably sound, the new branches will grow 
 thriftily, and bear luxuriantly ; and if you wish to 
 vary your fruit, the sprouts, after one year's growth, 
 and most frequently the same year, will be fit for in- 
 oculating, which succeeds equally well in the old as in 
 the young trees. In heading down old decayed ap- 
 ple trees for the sake of symmetry, it will be necessa- 
 ry to cut at the forked branches as near as can be to 
 the upper side of the fork, cutting them in a sloping 
 manner to carry off the wet, and at the same time 
 rounding the edges ; and if any of the branches should 
 have the canker, all the infected parts must be cut 
 out. The composition must be immediately applied, 
 to prevent the fcun and air from injuring the naked 
 inner bark. This operation should be performed in 
 April or May, and, in the course of the summer, long 
 thrifty roots should be thrown out; these should not 
 be shortened the first year, but in the following spring 
 they may be cut to six or eight inches long, according 
 to their strength. In the next spring, after the first 
 branches are headed, the remaining old branches may 
 be cut out, and these will soon fill the head of the 
 tree with fine bearing wood. In three years, if prop- 
 erly managed, trees so headed will produce more and 
 finer fruit than a maiden tree that has been planted 
 upwards of twenty years. The method above detail- 
 ed should be adopted with some caution, for it has 
 been found, that trees will not survive the loss of all 
 their branches, if lopped off in one season ; it is pref- 
 
OP FRUIT TREES. 73 
 
 erable therefore, to cut and graft them partially every 
 season until the whole is accomplished. It may also 
 be remarked that Mr. Forsyth's mode of heading 
 down old decayed trees, applies chiefly to those trees 
 whose branches are all nailed to walls ; it will be found 
 difficult if not impracticable, to adopt his mode with 
 large apple and pear standard trees. This must be 
 left to the judgment and discretion of the cultivator. 
 
 DIRECTIONS 
 
 For making- a composition for curing- diseases, defects, and in- 
 juries in all kinds of fruit and forest trees, and the method of 
 preparing- the trees, and laying- on the composition, by Wil- 
 liam Forsyth. 
 
 Take one bushel of fresh cow-dung, half a bushel 
 of lime rubbish of old buildings, (that from the ceilings 
 of rooms is preferable) half a bushel of wood-ashes, 
 and a sixteenth part of a bushel of pit or river sand : 
 the three last articles are to be sifted fine before they 
 are mixed : then work them well together with a 
 spade, and afterwards with a wooden beater, until the 
 stuff is very smooth, like fine plaster used for the ceil- 
 ing of rooms. The composition being thus made, 
 care must be taken to prepare the tree properly for 
 its application, by cutting away all the dead, decayed, 
 and injured parts, till you come to the fresh sound 
 wood, leaving the surface of the wood very smooth, 
 and rounding off the edges of the bark, with a draw- 
 knife, or other instrument, perfectly smooth, which 
 must be particularly attended to : then lay on the 
 plaster about one eighth of an inch thick all over the 
 part where the wood or bark has been so cut away, 
 finishing off the edges as thin as possible : then take 
 a quantity of dry powder of wood-ashes, mixed with a 
 sixth part of the same quantity of the ashes of burnt 
 bones : put it into a tin box, with holes in the top, and 
 
74 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 shake the powder on the surface of the plaster till the 
 whole is covered over with it, letting it remain for 
 half an hour to absorb the moisture ; then apply more 
 powder, rubbing it on gently with the hand, and re- 
 peating the application of the powder f ill the whole 
 plaster becomes a dry and smooth surface. Where 
 lime rubbish of old buildings cannot be easily got, 
 take pounded chalk, or common lime, after having 
 been slacked a month at least. 
 
 As the best way of using the composition is found 
 l^y experience to be in a liquid form, it must therefore 
 be reduced to the consistence of pretty thick paint, 
 by mixing it up with a sufficient quantity of urine 
 and soap suds, and laid on with a painter's brush. 
 The powder of wood ashes and burnt bones is to be 
 applied as before directed, patting it down with the 
 hand. 
 
 When trees are become hollow, you must scoop out 
 all the rotten, loose, and dead parts of the trunk till 
 you come to the solid wood, leaving the surface 
 smooth ; then cover the hollow, and every part where 
 the canker has been cut out, or branches lopped off, 
 with the composition, and as the edges grow, take 
 care not to let the new wood come in contact with 
 the dead, part of which may be sometimes necessary 
 to leave ; but cut out the old dead wood as the new 
 advances, keeping a hollow between them, to allow 
 the new wood room to extend itself, and thereby fill 
 up the cavity, which it will do in time so as to make, 
 as it were, a new tree. If the cavity be large, you 
 may cut away as much at one operation as? will be suf- 
 ficient for three years. But in this you are to be 
 guided by the size of the wood and other circumstan- 
 ces. W 7 hen the new wood, advancing from both sides 
 of the wound, has almost met, cut off the bark from 
 both the edges, that the solid wood may join, which, 
 if properly managed, it will do, leaving only a slight 
 
OP FRUIT TREES'. 75 
 
 seam in the bark. If the tree be very much decayed, 
 do not cut away all the dead wood at once, which 
 would weaken the tree too much and endanger its be- 
 ing blown down by the wind. It will, therefore, be 
 necessary to leave part of the dead wood at first to 
 strengthen the tree, and to cut it out by degrees as 
 the new wood is formed. If there be any canker or 
 gum oozing, the infected parts must be pared off or 
 cut with a proper instrument. When the stem is 
 very much decayed and hollow, it will be necessary 
 to open the ground and examine the roots ; then pro- 
 ceed as directed for hollow peach trees. 
 
 By using the composition in a liquid state, more 
 than three fourths of the time and labour is saved ; 
 and I find it is not so liable to be thrown offas the lips 
 grow, as when laid on in the consistence of plaster : 
 it adheres firmly to the naked part of the wound, and 
 yet easily gives way as the new wood and bark ad- 
 vance. 
 
 In his introduction to the American edition of For- 
 syth, Mr. W. Cobbett says, "During the last summer, 
 (1801,) I went with a party of friends to be an eye- 
 witness of the effects (of which I had heard such won- 
 ders related) of this gentleman's mode of cultivating 
 and curing trees ; and though my mind had received 
 a strong prepossession in its favour, what I saw very 
 far surpassed my expectations. Mr. Forsyth, whose 
 book was not then published, did us the favour to show 
 us the manuscript of it, and also the drawings for the 
 plates, which are now to be found at the end of the 
 work. After having read those parts of the manu- 
 script which more immediately referred to the draw- 
 ings, we went into the gardens, and there saw every 
 tree which the drawings were intended to represent, 
 and of which we found them to be a most exact rep- 
 resentation. We examined these trees from the ground 
 to the topmost branches j we counted the joints in the 
 
76 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 wood ; ascertained the time and extent of its growth ; 
 and, in short, verified every fact that the book relat- 
 ed. To raise fine, flourishing wood from an old, can- 
 kered, gummy, decayed stem ; to raise as much wood 
 on that stem in three years as could have been raised 
 on the finest young trees in twelve years ; to take the 
 rotten wood from the trunk ; to replace it with sound 
 wood, actually to fill up the hollow, and of a mere 
 shell to make a full, round, and solid trunk ; all this 
 seems incredible, but of all this we saw indubitable 
 proof." In the work just referred to, we have the 
 valuable observations of Peter W. Yates, esquire, of 
 Albany, respecting Forsyth's treatise, as follow : "Mr. 
 Forsyth's treatise, is well calculated to rouse the care 
 and attention of gentlemen on this side the Atlantick, 
 to the cultivation and management of fruit trees. The 
 perusal of his pamphlet, London edition, 1791, af- 
 forded him both satisfaction and astonishment. To 
 renovate diseased trees fast hastening to decay, and 
 to increase the quantity and meliorate the quality of 
 the fruit, in the way prescribed by him, seemed al- 
 most incredible.'' But Mr. Y. was induced to make 
 the experiment. Accordingly in May, 1796, he a- 
 dopted the mode of process prescribed by Forsyth, on 
 a young bearing (bonecretien) pear tree, the bark of 
 which, as well as the alburnum or sapwood, and the 
 heart wood, were dead from the ground upwards about 
 five feet. He cut away all the dead part, leaving 
 nothing but the bark on the opposite side, and applied 
 the composition. The effects were soon visible : the 
 external part of the wound, which composed about one 
 third part of the trunk, was in a few days surrounded 
 by a callus or lip, which continued to increase until 
 the sap-flow was obstructed and stagnated by the next 
 autumnal frost ; but by the subsequent annual flow of 
 the juices, the callus increased so as to fill the wound- 
 ed part with new wood* The old and new wood 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 7? 
 
 united, and is covered with new bark. In many oth- 
 er instances, he made similar experiments on various 
 kinds of fruit trees with satisfactory success. He is, 
 therefore, of opinion, that Forsyth's remedy affords a 
 radical cure for diseases, defects, aud injuries in all 
 kinds of fruit trees, and that in pruning, especially 
 where large amputations are made, the composition 
 ought always to be appplied, as it prevents the exud- 
 ing of the vegetable juices through the wounded parts, 
 aids and precipitates the healing of the wounds, pro- 
 motes the vigour and health of the trees, and adds to 
 We size and flavour of the fruit. 
 
 The composition of Mr. Forsyth does not, at this 
 day, sustain such high reputation as formerly. It is 
 not supposed to possess great efficacy as a medicament 
 when applied to diseased trees ; and for the purpose 
 of defence against wet and heat, it is not perhaps pref- 
 erable to an ointment composed of rosin, beeswax, and 
 turpentine. It is probable, that a composition consist- 
 ing of clay, tempered with horse dung and urine, 
 would be found of equal utility. We are not unac- 
 quainted with instances of surgeons acquiring great 
 celebrity by the application of certain medicaments to 
 old ulcers, when in verity the cure was effected by 
 the efforts of nature. But as a remedy against in- 
 sects, a strong decoction of tobacco, with the addition 
 of a little quick lime, is, if I mistake not, of superiour 
 efficacy to all other applications. It is therefore 
 strongly recommended, that after scraping off the 
 rough scales of bark, this wash be faithfully applied to 
 ihe trunks of trees, from their roots to the branches, 
 every fall and spring, by which, much may be done to- 
 wards the annihilation of the tribe of destructive in- 
 sects. A weak solution of potash would have a pow- 
 erful effect as a remedy against insects, but both this 
 and quick lime, on account of their caustic quality, 
 should be employed with much caution ; as a too free 
 
 1 
 
78 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 application may produce injurious effects upon fruit 
 trees. 
 
 MEANS OF PRESERVING THE HEALTH AND VIGOUR OF 
 FRUIT TREES. 
 
 To promote the health and vigour of fruit trees, 
 Mr. Forsyth recommends the following method, and 
 it has been practised in our country with the most de- 
 cided advantage. Take any quantity of urine and 
 soap suds, and add fresh cow dung, and a little slacked 
 lime, sufficient to bring it to the consistence of very 
 thick white-wash or paint. After having removed all 
 cankery parts, and scraped off the rough bark or moss 
 from the trees, this mixture is to be applied to the 
 stems and branches with a brush, in the same manner 
 as the ceiling or walls of a room are white-washed. 
 This, if done in March or April annually, will effectu- 
 ally destroy the eggs of insects, and prevent moss 
 from growing on the trunk and branches ; it will also 
 contribute to the nourishment of the tree, and render 
 the bark healthy, so that in the course of the first or 
 second summer, a fine new bark of a fresh and green 
 appeal ance, takes the place of the old one. If this 
 application be repeated in autumn, after the fall of the 
 leaves, it will have a salutary tendency in destroying 
 the eggs of numerous insects that hatch in autumn and 
 winter. For the same purpose of Forsyth's mixture, 
 white-washing with lime has been practised, and found 
 very beneficial in producing similar good effects. The 
 application of strong, undiluted soft soap is employed 
 by Mr. Ogden, of Flushing, Long-Island. The soap 
 applied by means of a brush, destroys the moss and 
 softens the bark, and, when washed offby rain, acts as 
 a manure to the roots. When Mr. O. began this pro- 
 cess, his trees were covered with moss and old scaly 
 bark, and bore bad crops ; but in two years all the old 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 79 
 
 bark dropped off, and the trunks became as smooth as 
 a young poplar. The soaping may be done at any 
 season, and repeated, if necessary. 
 
 A correspondent of the Caledonian horticultural so- 
 ciety, (Scotland,) recommends clay paint for the de- 
 struction of insects, and the mildew on fruit trees. 
 The instructions are, that you take a quantity of the 
 most tenacious brown clay that can be obtained ; dif- 
 fuse among it as much soft water as will bring it to the 
 consistence of soft cream or paint ; pass it through a 
 line seive, so that it may be made perfectly smooth 
 and unctuous, and freed from any gritty particles. 
 With a painter's brush dipped in the clay paint, go 
 carefully over the whole tree, not excepting the young 
 shoots. This layer, when it becomes dry, forms a 
 hard crust, which, enveloping the insects closely, 
 completely destroys them without doing the smallest 
 injury either to the bark or buds. 
 
 Whatever promotes a free circulation of the sap, as 
 cleaning the bark from scales, and scraping it to make 
 it tender and yielding ; and whatever helps to perfect 
 the maturation of the sap in the leaves of the tree, by 
 giving them a full exposure to the sun and air, as by 
 cutting out the central branches when the head is too 
 bushy, and giving it an expanded form, promotes the 
 growth, general health, and productiveness of the tree. 
 
 In case the trees are observed to be hide-bound, as 
 it is termed, when the bark cracks by reason of the 
 stem growing faster than the bark, it will be necessa- 
 ry to pass the point of a knife perpendicularly through 
 the outter bark only, from the ground as high as the 
 branches, taking care not to injure the inner bark. 
 It not unfrequently happens, that from the intense 
 rays of the sun of summer, striking nearly at right an- 
 gles, the sap on the south side of the trees becomes so 
 coagulated as to occasion the death of the bark ; can- 
 ker ensues, and finally, the tree itself is entirely de- 
 
30 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 stroyed. As a remedy for this serious evil, a coal of 
 the above mentioned clay paint, or Forsyth's compo- 
 sition, it is presumed will prove effectual. Tanners- 
 bark put round the roots of apple and other fruit trees 
 has been found to be of great utility. It keeps the 
 ground loose, prevents the growth of suckers and 
 grass, and guards against worms and insects. 
 
 DISEASES AND OTHER INCIDENTS WHICH RENDER FRUIT 
 TREES UNPRODUCTIVE. 
 
 All the maxims relative to fruit trees, it is said, 
 centre in the word health. The great object of the 
 fruit farmer, says Marshall, is to produce a crop every 
 year ; and nothing is more likely to obtain it, than 
 keeping the trees in perfect health, and endeavouring 
 to prevent their bearing beyond their strength, in a 
 general fruit year. The enemies of fruit trees, says 
 the author, are a redundancy of wood, moss, spring 
 frosts, blights, insects, an excess of fruit, old age. To 
 these should be added canker. Some of them are be- 
 yond human reach, but most of them are within the 
 control of art. The term blight is of vague significa- 
 tion. Black blighting winds are talked of every 
 where, but no definite idea is any where affixed to 
 the expression. That corn and fruit become unpro- 
 ductive without any visible cause, and that fruit trees 
 are liable to be infected with insects, are certainly 
 facts. But whether insects be the cause or the effect 
 of blights, does not appear to be yet settled. With 
 respect to blights, all the assistance which art can ren- 
 der, is to keep the trees in a state of healthfulness, 
 and prevent, as much as possible, an excess of fruit. 
 As old age cannot be prevented, we have only to con- 
 sider how the productiveness of trees may be pro- 
 tracted. I have seen, says he, healthy bearing apple 
 trees which now wear their second top. The first 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 81 
 
 tops being worn out, were cut off, and the stumps saw- 
 grafted. Sometimes we see trees so far gone in de- 
 cay, that their productiveness no longer repays their 
 incumbrance of the soil. How injudicious, in such 
 case, is the conduct of the proprietor, who permits 
 such trees to remain year after year, imbibing and 
 wasting the substance of his soil ! Moss is chieflj^, 
 perhaps, owing to the nature of the soil, and cannot 
 be altogether prevented ; but it may in most cases, be 
 checked, and its evil effects in a great measure avoid- 
 ed. U I have seen several orchards," observes our au- 
 thor, "in which the trees were almost entirely subdued 
 by this vegetable vermin. Some of the trees with, 
 perhaps, only one bough left alive, aud others entire- 
 ly killed, and yet suffered to remain, an incumbrance 
 to the ground, and a disgrace to the country." It 
 would appear, by the above observations of Mr. M. 
 that the same culpable neglect in the management of 
 fruit trees prevails in England as in our own country. 
 Blight, says another writer, means, the effects of 
 cold winds, or hoar-frosts on the foliage and blossoms 
 of trees. Easterly winds, accompanied with fogs, oft- 
 en produce blights ; the buds are nipped, and the ten- 
 der vessels burst, innumerable insects soon appear, 
 and the branches become withered. "By accident," 
 says Dr. Mease, "Mr. Cooper, of New Jersey, discov- 
 ered some years since, that a tree upon which a num- 
 ber of iron hoops and other articles of iron had been 
 hung, remained free from blight, while all the rest 
 suffered severely. Since that year he has constantly 
 encircled two or three branches of every tree with an 
 iron hoop, and with uniform success. As a proof, he 
 pointed out one tree with a withered limb near the 
 top, and observed that he had neglected to defend it 
 last year. Philosophers may speculate as to the the- 
 ory of the operation of the iron, and cause of the 
 blast, but practical men will be contented with a knowl- 
 8 
 
82 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 edge of the important fact, which comes from a man 
 of judgment and of an observing disposition, who has 
 again and again satisfied himself that no deception or 
 accidental circumstance occurred, by reference to 
 which the preservation of his hooped trees could be 
 accounted for." 
 
 CANKER. 
 
 Apple trees are very liable to be affected with the 
 canker. This disease occasions the bark to grow 
 rough and scabby, and turns the wood affected to a 
 rusty brown colour ; and if no remedy be applied, 
 will in time kill the tree. It is by some described as 
 a sort of gangrene, which usually begins at the ex- 
 tremities of the branches, and proceeds towards the 
 trunk, killing the tree in two or three years. Peter 
 Yates, esquire, of Albany, observes, that his fruit trees 
 became affected with the canker, generally appearing 
 on the southwest side of the body or trunk of the tree. 
 The bark of the infected part at first appeared dark, 
 and at length rough, wrinkled, cracked, and dead. 
 The infection annually increased ; it communicated 
 to the alburnum or sap wood ; the circulation of the 
 sap-juice was obstructed ; it gradually diminished ; 
 it stagnated ; and the tree perished. The general 
 opinion respecting the cause of this disease is, that it 
 proceeds chiefly from the nature of the soil. Mr. 
 Forsyth, however, proves from experience that it 
 originates from the following circumstances, namely: 
 injudicious pruning ; leaving the foot stalks of fruit 
 on trees after it has been gathered ; bruises, arising 
 from the use of ladders in collecting fruit ; and dead 
 shoots, left on trees during the summer. But, says 
 Mr. Yates, " it seems extraordinary, that the fruit 
 frees in this climate are almost invariably affected on 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 83 
 
 the southwest side of the trunk or body of the trees. 
 There it generally commences, and continues to in- 
 crease annually, until the infection is communicated 
 to the limbs. If I might be permitted to hazard an 
 opinion, I would account for it as follows : That it is 
 caused by the hot rays of the meridian sun, which in 
 that direction is most powerful, and strikes the tree 
 nearly at right angles. The south side of trees grows 
 faster, for there the vegetation is more rapid than the 
 north : this m3y be seen by the concentrick rings of 
 a tree when cut or sawed into logs. Fruit trees gen- 
 erally incline to the northeast, which exposes their 
 trunk to the influence of that luminary in the spring, 
 when the sap-juice is subject to alternate freezing and 
 thawing. The motion of the sap (which ascends in 
 the vernal months in all deciduous trees) is accelerat- 
 ed by the hot rays of the sun at southwest. H is re- 
 tarded and stagnated in the cool of the nights, where- 
 by the irritability of the vegetable vessels is decreas- 
 ed for want of a sufficient stimulus of heat; and by 
 this alternate thawing and freezing of the sap-juice, 
 and particularly on the southwest side of the tree, 
 where the sun's rays are most powerful, the vegetation 
 is at last destroyed, and mortification ensues." It 
 frequently happens, that scions for grafting are taken 
 from infected trees ; and the young trees produced in 
 this way are, as might be expected, peculiarly obnox- 
 ious to the disease. From whatever cause the canker 
 may arise, Mr. Forsyth directs all the diseased parts 
 to be cut out with a sharp instrument ; and if the 
 inner white bark be affected, this also must be cut 
 away, until no appearance of infection remains. The 
 composition must then be applied. This method Mr. 
 Yates has found by experience to prove effectual. 
 (See directions for making and laying on the compo- 
 sition, page 73.) Mr. Cooper, of New Jersey, has 
 found the best remedy for canker to be a composition 
 
84 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 of rosin, tallow, and beeswax, of a proper consistence 
 to stick, after taking off all the dead parts. 
 
 MOSS, AND SCALY BARK, AND DECORTICATION. 
 
 Fruit trees, in all soils, and in all situations, are li- 
 able to have their trunks covered with moss, and 
 their bark rough and scaly. Besides the unseemly 
 appearance, fruit trees suffer much injury by these 
 causes, U suffered to continue without a remedy. 
 The moss is easily removed by scraping with the 
 back of a knife, anl rubbing with a cloth, after a rain, 
 or in damp weather; and the scaly bark may wi(h 
 equal facility be scraped off with a hoe or knife. 
 This operation should be performed every spring, 
 and immediately after, the trunks and larger branches 
 should receive a proper coat of some of the composi- 
 tions already mentioned. Either the washing with 
 the liquids, or the application of undiluted soap, (see 
 page 73) will effectually remove any remains of moss, 
 and, if occasionally repeated, the health and vigour 
 of the trees will be restored, and in two years the 
 bark will appear fresh and smooth. In some diseased 
 condition of the bark of apple trees, the experiment 
 of disbarking the whole trunk from the ground to the 
 branches, has been successfully practised. Dr. S. L. 
 Mitchell, of New York, in the summer of 1799, de- 
 prived the whole body of one of his apple trees of the 
 bark, without injury to its leaves or fruit; and in 
 two months an entire new coat of bark was found 
 surrounding the wood on every side. Dr. M. howev- 
 er, observes, that though he has several times been 
 witness of the harmlessness of the practice, it looked 
 to him still like a very violent and hazardous remedy. 
 This sort of decortication is by no means a novelty. 
 Many ancient writers have observed, that in cases 
 where the outer bark has become rough and full of 
 
©F FRUIT TREES. 85 
 
 chinks, so that small insects deposit their eggs and 
 produce their larvee below this bark, it is a good 
 practice entirely to remove it. Of late years, Mr. 
 Knight practised decortication on some old fruit trees, 
 particularly red-streak apples, and found the new 
 growth thus produced quite surprising, so that the 
 growth of some trees, deprived of their bark in 1801, 
 exceeded in the summer of 1802 the increase of the 
 five preceding years taken together. This method 
 has been adopted in various parts of New England, 
 sometimes with complete success, and again, the re- 
 sult has been the entire destruction of the trees. 
 This failure is attributed, by an iugenious writer in 
 the Massachusetts Agricultural Repository, to a want 
 of skill in the operator; observing that he has seen 
 a young apple tree in the town of Hallowell, which, 
 on account of some defect, was stripped of its bark 
 about ten years prior to his writing, the longest day 
 of June, and which still lives and bears fruit. Much 
 of its success, it is said, depends on the proper time 
 and manner of performing the operation. It should 
 be done while the tree is in the full flow of sap, about 
 the middle of June, or on the longest day of that 
 month, and the bark should be peeled off entirely 
 smooth to the Alburnum. Dr. Holyoke, of Salem, 
 some years since made the experiment on an old 
 pear tree in his yard, that ceased bearing, and restor- 
 ed to it its wonted fecundity. 
 
 Fruit trees are liable to have their bark torn off 
 by field mice, sheep, and various accidents ; to rem- 
 edy which, take some strips of bark from a tree of 
 the same species, about two or three inches in width, 
 and place four or five of them, according to the size 
 of the wound, perpendicularly round the naked part. 
 The edges of the torn bark being cut smooth, the 
 sound bark should be a little raised, and the slips in- 
 serted beneath it to promote the circulation of the 
 *8 
 
86 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 sap. The slips are to be bound quite tisjht with 
 rope-yarn, and the composition of Forsyth, or a mixt- 
 ure of loam and cow-dung, must be applied, and this 
 covered with a coarse cloth. This method of treat- 
 ment has been successfully practised; the slips ad- 
 here closely, and, being full of sap, soon become firm 
 and smooth. Instead of bark slips, small twigs may 
 be successfully applied in a similar manner. 
 
 SPRING FROSTS, AND OTHER CAUSES AFFECTING THE 
 
 BLOSSOMS. 
 
 Every cultivator of fruit trees has experienced more 
 or less disappointment in his expected crop of apple, 
 pear, and other fruit trees, after having exhibited the 
 fairest prospect in the vernal season. While in full 
 blossom, and the fruit just beginning to form, the pe- 
 tals are cast off like the dead leaves in autumn. This 
 incident is said to be occasioned by warm and drying 
 winds, by which the vigour of the trees is diminished. 
 In one instance it appears that a remedy has been suc- 
 cessfully applied, and the loss and inconvenience pre- 
 vented. J. Sowerby, esquire, in the spring of 1815, 
 observed that the drying winds generally succeeded 
 the blossoming of his fruit trees ; the whole used to 
 be blown off about the time of the setting of the young 
 fruit. Deeming it probable that a good dose of water 
 at the roots would strengthen the tree, and save the 
 fruit, the experiment was tried, and the good effect 
 was perceived in twenty-four hours ; the young fruit 
 then resisted the attack of the winds, and a large crop 
 was produced. Not only were the trees enabled to 
 produce their fruit in abundance, but also to increase 
 them in size to nearly double. The blossoms of ap- 
 ple trees are liable to be injured or destroyed by va- 
 rious other causes ; as severe cold, a hazy state of the 
 atmosphere, frosts, and insects of various kinds ; and 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 87 
 
 Mr. .Knight has remarked, that they also fail frequent- 
 ly from want of impregnation when the weather is 
 unusually hot and dry, or when cold winds prevail, 
 as he often observed the farina to wither and die on 
 the antheraein such seasons. 
 
 Spring frosts are an enemy, against which perhaps 
 it is most difficult to guard orchard trees. "Dry 
 frosts," says Marshall, "are observed to have no other 
 effects than keeping the blossoms back ; consequent- 
 ly, are frequently serviceable to fruit trees. But wet 
 frosts, namely, frosts after a rain, or a foggy air, and 
 before the trees have had time to dry, are very inju- 
 rious even to the buds. An instance is mentioned, in 
 which a flying hazy shower in the evening was suc- 
 ceeded by a smart frost : that side of the trees, against 
 which the haze drove, was entirely cut off, while the 
 opposite sido, which had escaped the moisture, like- 
 wise escaped the effect of the frost. Much^however, 
 may depend on the strength of the blossomW* When 
 the buds form, and the blossoms break forth with un- 
 usual vigour, they are enabled by their own strength 
 to set common enemies at defiance. But, on the con- 
 trary, when the blossoms sicken in the bud, and those 
 which open are weak and languid, scarcely an apple 
 will be produced. The assistance, therefore, required 
 from art, in this case, is by keeping the trees in a 
 healthy, vigorous state, to enable them to throw out a 
 strength of bud and blossom ; and by keeping them 
 thin of wood, to give them an opportunity of drying 
 quickly before the frost sets in." Apple blossoms are, 
 in some seasons, injured by the devastations of an un- 
 common number of insects produced from a species of 
 black flies, which deposit their eggs in the bud at its 
 first opening, and which, by feeding on the heart of 
 the bud, soon occasion it to contract and drop. To 
 remedy this fatal effect, we are advised to collect 
 heaps of long dung, wet straw, weeds, &c. to dispose 
 
88 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 them in different parts of the orchard, and set fire to 
 the heaps in that quuarter from which the wind blows, 
 so that the smoke may thoroughly fumigate all the 
 trees. Thus the insects, which are supposed to be 
 brought by the wind, will be prevented from deposit- 
 ing their eggs. 
 
 CANKER WORM. PHAL.ENA VERNATA PECKII. 
 
 Of all the numerous tribes of insects which infest 
 fruit trees, and disappoint the hopes of the cultivator, 
 the canker tvorm, during the years of its prevalence, is 
 the most to be dreaded. This destructive insect has, 
 therefore baffled the efforts of man, and in despite of 
 all means of prevention as yet devised, commits its de- 
 predations, and deprives whole orchards of foliage and 
 fruit. The miller, or moth, rises from the earth in 
 the springflConceals itself during the day in holes and 
 crevices under the loose bark of apple trees, ard may 
 be easily found by searching. The male has wings, 
 hut the female appears to have none ; they are ena- 
 bled, however, to ascend the trunk of the tree, and 
 crawl towards the extremities of the twigs, where they 
 deposit their eggs, and as soon as the leaves unfold 
 and sprout forth, the worm bursts from the egg and 
 commences its ravages. The worms soon spin for 
 themselves long threads, similar to those of spiders, by 
 which they are suspended in the air, and wafted by 
 the wind from tree to tree, and from one adjoining or- 
 chard to another, preying voraciously upon the foli- 
 age, and giving the trees the appearance of being 
 burnt. Professor Peck, of Cambridge, has favoured 
 the publick with the most satisfactory history of this 
 insect, which has vet appeared. According to him, 
 the worms descend by the trunks of the trees in June, 
 and immure themselves in the earth near the trunks, 
 and rarely, U ever, more than three to lour feet dis- 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 89 
 
 tant ; in grass land from one to four inches deep, and 
 in ploughed land not more than to the depth of seven 
 or eight inches. He has also ascertained that a part 
 of the canker moths lise in the autumn and deposit 
 their eggs. They are such as were an inch or two 
 below the surface ; those which lie deeper are not af- 
 fected by the transient changes of the atmosphere in 
 November, and do not rise till spring. The chrysalis 
 state comes in twenty-four hours after the larvae has 
 penetrated the earth, and it appears that the insects 
 are soon perfect, since a course of warm weather has 
 been found to raise some of them from the earth in 
 November. Those which rise in November are not 
 very numerous, compared with those which rise in 
 Ihe spring, but being very prolifick are exceedingly 
 injurious, if no means are taken to prevent their as- 
 cending the trees ; as the winter's frost does not kill 
 the eggs. The warmth of the season at the time of 
 the descent into the soil is favourable to the perfect 
 development of the insect in the chrysalis, particular- 
 ly those which are nearest the surface, while those at 
 the depth of six or seven inches are longer in coming 
 to maturity. The first are perfect in September, and 
 require only to be excited to burst from their confine- 
 ment; but they cannot be excited until they have 
 passed through a degree of cold sufficient to make 
 them sensible of the mild temperature of the atmos- 
 phere which occurs in November. The excitability 
 of such as lie deeper, and are not accessible by c&ld till 
 a later period of the season, is not so soon accumulat- 
 ed, nor are they sensible of slight changes of temper- 
 ature, which afl'ect only the surface ; they, therefore, 
 do not leave the earth till the spring, when the warmth 
 of the air is longer continued, and penetrates to the 
 depth at which they lie. To prevent the dreadful 
 ravages of the canker worm, the great object is to 
 keep the female from ascending the trees. For this 
 
90 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 purpose various methods have been proposed. A 
 writer in Carey's American Museum, August, 1792, 
 saj r s, "Canker worms never destroy apple trees which 
 stand on a stiff clay, or in low ground, where water 
 stands long in the spring. The reason for this is ob- 
 vious. The canker worm, about the 10th of June, 
 descends into the earth, there to lie till the next 
 spring, when the miller rises and ascends the trees. 
 This worm is not strong, nor furnished with the nec- 
 essary implements for digging into a hard stiff clay ; 
 of course it cannot bury itself in clay, and is not fond 
 of gravel. The writer therefore proposes to lay a 
 covering of stiff clay round trees which stand on sand 
 or other light earth. This covering or layer may be 
 thrown upon the top of the natural soil, which may 
 be removed to the depth of a few inches. If the clay 
 be laid on in summer, after the descent of the worm, 
 it may prevent the miller from rising in the spring ; 
 if when the worm is upon the tree, it may prevent its 
 finding a lodging ; but as in the latter case, the worm 
 might travel some distance beyond the limits of the 
 layer, it might be better to form the layer round the 
 tree after the descent of the worm in June." 
 
 According to Dr. Dean's New-England Farmer, it 
 is now about eight} 7 years since New-England was 
 first visited by these destructive insects. He observes, 
 if any person could invent some easy, cheap, and ef- 
 fectual method of subduing them, he would merit the 
 thanks of the publick, and more especially of every 
 owner of an orchard. Several methods have been 
 tried with some degree of success. 1. Tarring. A 
 strip of canvass is put round the body of the tree, be- 
 fore the ground is open in the spring, and well smear- 
 ed with tar. The females, in attempting to pass over 
 it, stick fast and perish. But unless the tarring be 
 renewed very frequently, it will become hard, and. 
 permit the insects to pass safely over it. And renew- 
 
Or FRUIT TREES* 91 
 
 ing the tar in season is too apt to be neglected, 
 through hurry of business and forgetful ness. The in- 
 sects are so amazingly prolifick, that if ever so few of 
 them get up, a tree is ruined, at least for the ensuing 
 season. 2. The pasturing of swine in an orchard Dr. 
 Dean supposes to be an excellent method, where it 
 can conveniently be done. With their snouts and 
 their feet they will destroy many of the insects before 
 they come out of the ground ; and he has never 
 known any orchard constantly used as a hog-pasture, 
 wholly destroyed, or even made wholly unfruitful by 
 worms. But this method cannot always be taken ; 
 and if it could he does not suppose it would be quite 
 effectual. He considers tarring as the preferable an- 
 tidote, and gives the following directions for applying 
 the article in the most effectual manner. 
 
 In the first place, it is necessary to begin the ope- 
 ration very early in »the year. Not observing this 
 caution has occasioned the want of success which 
 many have complained of; for it is certain that the 
 bugs will begin to pass up as soon as the ground is so 
 much thawed, that they can extricate themselves ; 
 which is, in some years, as early as February. There- 
 fore, to make sure work, it is best to begin as soon 
 as the ground is bare of snow in that month, that the 
 first thawing of the ground may not happen before 
 the trees are prepared ; for beginning after ever so 
 few of the insects have gone up, the labour will all be 
 lost. Another thing to be observed is, to fill the crev- 
 ices of the bark with clay mortar before the strip of 
 linen or canvass is put on, that the insects may not 
 ifrid any passages for them under it. Having put on 
 the strip, which should be at least three inches wide, 
 drawn it close, and strongly fastened the ends togeth- 
 er, a thumb-rope of tow should be tied round the tree, 
 close to the lower edge of the strip. The design of 
 doing this is, that the tar may not drip, nor run down 
 
92 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 on the bark of the tree, which would injure it. When 
 all the trees of an orchard are thus prepared, let the 
 strips be plentifully smeared with cold tar, put on with 
 a brush. It should be renewed once a day without fail. 
 The best time is soon after sun-set, because the in- 
 sects are wont to pass up in the evening, and the tar 
 will not harden so much in the night as in the day, 
 because of the dampness of the air. The daily task 
 must be renewed, and performed with the greatest 
 care, till the latter end of May, or till the time when 
 the hatching of the worms is commonly over, which 
 will be earlier or later, according to the difference of 
 
 climate. 
 
 Another mode of tarring, and which bids fair to be 
 preferred to the foregoing, is as follows : Take two 
 pretty wide pieces of board ; plane them ; make semi- 
 circular notches in each, fitting them to the stem or 
 body of the tree ,• and fasten them together securely 
 at the ends, so that the most violent winds and storms 
 may not displace nor stir them. The crevices betwixt 
 the boards and the tree may be easily stopped with 
 rags or tow ; then smear the under sides of the boards 
 with tar. The tar being defended from the direct 
 rays of the sun, will hold its tenacity the longer, and, 
 therefore, will not need to be frequently renewed ; 
 and the trees may be secured more in this way from 
 the dripping of the tar, as a margin of two or three 
 inches, next to the tree, maybe left un&meared. 
 
 "The remedy of tarring," says professor Peck, "was 
 probably first suggested by the structure of the female 
 insect, which, happily for man, has no wings. If this 
 remedy were diligently and universally used, it would 
 very likely rid us of this pest ; it must, indeed, be 
 granted, at a considerable expense. But the negli- 
 gence of many will counteract the vigilance of a few, 
 whatever remedy may be proposed or discovered. 
 Mr. P. recommends, 1st. Turning up the ground care- 
 
OF FRUIT TREES* 95 
 
 fully in October, as far as the branches of a tree extend, 
 to half a spade's depth or five inches, so as completely 
 to invert the surface. A great number of chrysalids- 
 would thus be exposed to the air and sun, and of 
 course be destroyed. 2dly. Breaking the clods and 
 smoothing the surface with a rake, and passing a 
 heavy roller over it, so as to make it very hard, and 
 without cracks. By these two operations every vest- 
 ige of their downward path would be completely ob- 
 literated, and if any remained undisturbed below the 
 stratum of earth which has been turned up, they must 
 remain there, as it is utterly impossible for them to 
 force their way in the moth or miller state, through 
 such an obstruction as this layer of earth would op- 
 pose to them. In grass grounds the sods should be 
 turned with the grass side down, and placed side by 
 side, so as to be rolled ; the earth from which they 
 were taken should be loosed and rolled also. It is 
 probable, that with this treatment no moths would rise 
 in the fall. The winter's frosts would heave and crack 
 the smooth surface, but it might be smoothed and har- 
 dened by the roller or other means, in March, with 
 much less trouble, time and expense, than the long 
 course of tarring requires. As lime, when slacked, is 
 reduced to an impalpable powder, and is thus well a- 
 dapted to close the openings in the surface to which 
 it may be washed by rains, Mr. P. is inclined to think 
 its good effects are produced in this way as well as 
 'by itscaustick quality." 
 
 ■ 
 
 Mr. Kenrick's method, of destroying- the Canker Worm. 
 
 John Kenrick, esquire, of Newton, proposes as fol^ 
 lows : From any time in June,, after the worms have 
 • entirely disappeared, until the 20th of October, let 
 the whole of the soil surrounding the trees, to the ex- 
 tent at least of four feet from the trunk, and to a suit- 
 9 
 
94 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 able depth, be dug up and carted away to a distance 
 from any trees the canker worms are in the habit of 
 feeding upon ; and let there be returned an equal 
 quantity of compost, or rich earth intermixed with 
 manure. The earth taken from the trees will make a 
 substantial ingredient in compost. If a few straggling 
 canker worms appear on any of the trees the spring 
 following, let such trees be marked, that the operation 
 may be repeated the succeeding summer. The pro- 
 cess proposed will not only accelerate the growth T 
 and' increase the fruitfulness of the trees, but will 
 prove a considerable guard to them against the depre- 
 dations of moles in the winter following ; advantages 
 which will abundantly outweigh the whole expense. 
 But the pre-eminent advantage obtained, will be to 
 have captured those destructive invaders, broken up 
 and completely destroyed their encampments. An- 
 nual tarring, the only remedy in general use, instead 
 of being beneficial to the trees, is allowed on all hands 
 to be injurious. The seasons being variable, it re- 
 quires considerable care and skill to know when to be- 
 gin ; if one day too late, some of the canker moths 
 will have ascended the trees ; if four days too early, 
 so much labour and tar are lost. The same difficulty 
 occurs in knowing when to cease tarring. The busi- 
 ness must be attended to exactly in the right time, 
 whether it rain or shine, and the operation repeated 
 considerably more than twenty times in every season ; 
 and the average of various estimates of the annual ex- 
 pense of tarring each tr°e amounts to full ten cents. 
 The method I have proposed, says Mr. K. appears to 
 be perfectly adapted to the convenience of the prac- 
 tical farmer. He will avoid the trouble and expense 
 of purchasing and applying tar, lime, or any other ar- 
 ticle; he can perform the operation when most at 
 leisure, and with a certain prospect of ample reward 
 /or his labour, even if no damage were apprehended 
 
I tRVW TRUES. 95 
 
 from the canker worm ; and if the operation is per- 
 formed in June, he can raise a crop of potatoes round 
 the trees the first season* Hence it is obvious, that 
 several very important advantages will be obtained in 
 addition to the prime object ; and the prudent farmer, 
 who adopts this method, will have in view the most, 
 if not the whole, of the following distinct objects : 
 
 1. Extermination of the canker worms. 
 
 2. Growth of the trees. 
 
 3. Fruitfulness of the trees. 
 
 4. Defence against the moles. 
 
 5. Several crops of potatoes, 
 
 6. Manufacture of compost. 
 
 Mr. Kenrick never having had any canker worms 
 on his farm, could not personally prove the efficacy of 
 the method proposed, by actual experiment. But it 
 should be strongly recommended to the attention of 
 cultivators of orchards, and it is hoped the publick 
 may be made acquainted with the result of every trial. 
 
 John LoweH, esquire, (Mass. Agricul. Repos.) ob- 
 serves, that "the expense of tarring an orchard for sev- 
 eral years, together with the injury sustained by the 
 trees in the common mode of doing it, will be nearly 
 equivalent to a total loss. The improvements, intro- 
 duced by Mr. Parsons, and other cultivators, of sur- 
 rounding the trees with canvass and rope-yarn, and 
 stopping the descent of the tar by a bandage of coarse 
 hemp, together with the mixture of the tar with oil, 
 so as to keep it longer in a soft state, have very much 
 diminished the inconvenience of the old practice. 
 Still much remains to be desired. The process is im- 
 perfect, unless performed as faithfully in the fall as in 
 the spring. If your neighbours are inattentive, you 
 may be subjected to this labour for ten or twenty 
 years, and your orchards will scarcely pay the contin- 
 ued and accumulated expense. Something further 
 seems to be desirable ; some mode more simple, less 
 
S6 CtnLTtfftE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 expensive, more effectual. In the southern states, ] 
 perceive, some persons are still ignorant of the natu- 
 ral history of this insect, and regret that it has not 
 been examined and described by scientific!? men. We 
 have nothing left to be desired on this head. The de- 
 scription of the canker worm, by professor Peck, is 
 very satisfactory, and only leaves us to regret that the 
 same ingenuity could not have devised some speedy, 
 simple mode of extirpating or checking them. Until 
 some effectual mode is discovered, I think we should 
 make constant experiments, and communicate fully 
 the results, in the hope that if our trials shall not prove 
 in every case successful, they may stimulate others to 
 more happy ones. 
 
 "I had understood that Mr. Josiah Knapp, of Bos- 
 ton, was induced to try the effect of air-slacked lime. 
 He put it round one of his trees in the spring of 1 8 1 4, 
 and I have been assured, not only by him, but by 
 another respectable friend who examined it, that it 
 was fully successful. The tree was in a small garden 
 in Boston, surrounded with other trees, which were 
 filled with the worms, and this one wholly escaped, 
 except that a few appeared to have attacked its ex- 
 tremities, where they were interlocked with the other 
 trees. 1 mentioned this fact to a Rhode-Island gen- 
 tleman, who informed me that, in that state, they had 
 used the rubbish collected from the breaking of flax, 
 and it had effectually prevented the rise of the insect. 
 I resolved to make the experiment of lime on an ex- 
 tensive scale. As the insects rise in the fall, 1 deter- 
 mined to put the lime on in autumn. For this pur- 
 pose 1 had the turf dug in around sixty apple trees, 
 and the earth laid smooth. I then took three hogs- 
 heads of effete or air-slacked lime, and strewed it an 
 inch thick round my trees, to the extent of about two 
 or three feet from the roots, so that the whole diame- 
 ter of the opening was from four to six feet. I tarred 
 
OP FRUIT TREES, 97 
 
 these trees as well as the others, and although I had 
 worms or grubs on most that were not limed, I did 
 not catch a single grub where the trees were limed, 
 I do not mean to speak with confidence ; I am, how- 
 ever, strongly encouraged to believe the remedy per- 
 fect. It was ascertained by professor Peck, that the 
 insect seldom descended into the ground at a greater 
 distance than three or four feet from the trunk, and 
 to the depth ©f four inches, or that the greater part 
 come within that distance. The lime is known to be 
 destructive to all animal substances, and I have little 
 doubt that it actually decomposes and destroys the in- 
 sect in the chrysalis state ; at least, I hope this is the 
 case. There are many reasons which should encour- 
 age the repetition of this experiment. The digging 
 round the trees is highly useful to them, while tarring 
 is very injurious. The expense is not great ; a man 
 can dig round fifty large trees in one day. The lime 
 is a most salutary manure to the trees. After the spot 
 has been once opened and limed, the labour of keep- 
 ing it open will not be great. Three hogsheads of 
 air-slacked lime, or sweepings ofa lime store, will suf- 
 fice for fifty trees, and will cost three dollars. As it 
 is done but once a year, I think it cannot be half so 
 expensive as tarring. I repeat it, sir, that 1 mention 
 my experiment with great diffidence, as being the 
 first of my own knowledge. It may induce several 
 persons to try it in different, places, and where trees 
 are surrounded with others which are treated differ- 
 ently. All I pray is, that it may prove to be success- 
 ful, and relieve us from this dreadful scourge, which 
 defaces our country, while it impoverishes and disap- 
 points the farmer. If it should succeed, Mr. Knapp 
 will merit the thanks of the publick for his ingenious 
 experiment." 
 
 The foregoing valuable communication from one so 
 highly deserving of confidence, it is hoped will have 
 *9 
 
U8 CULTURE AN© MANAGEMENT 
 
 its proper influence, and encourage every proprietor 
 of an orchard to make the experiment whenever the 
 canker worm shall again menace us with its ravages. 
 The application of lime, appears to be by far the most 
 eligible remedy that has heretofore been proposed. 
 It forms, after being exposed to rain, a hard crust, im- 
 penetrable to moths or worms If it should be gene- 
 Tally adopted, it is very probable that these pernicious 
 insects will be finally exterminated. It might be prof- 
 itable to make the experiment upon a small scale, by 
 confining some of the moths or worms, in their differ- 
 ent states, in a box of earth, and applying the lime, so 
 as to ascertain how far they will be able to progress 
 through it, and whether the lime will have the effect 
 of decomposing them. It has already been intimat- 
 ed, (page 61,) that flax-rubbish and sea-weed, might 
 be laid round orchard trees so as to prove a remedy a- 
 gainst these insects. Those substances, when beaten 
 down by rains, soon become so firm and solid, as to 
 prevent the growth of grass, and I should judge it 
 would be impossible for the insects to penetrate 
 through them. 
 
 It was recommended by Dr. Dean, to endeavour to 
 effect the destruction of canker worms through the a- 
 gency of swine. These animals appear to possess a 
 natural instinct directing to search with their snouts 
 for vermin and insects, which conceal themselves in 
 the earth. They should, when circumstances permit, 
 be suffered to run unrestrained, in orchards, during 
 autumn and spring, for that purpose. A general re- 
 sort to this expedient, might have a happy tendency 
 in preventing the annoyance of these, and other in- 
 sects, in our orchards. 
 
 It is well known, that several species of birds leed 
 voraciously upon the canker worm, and other tribes 
 of insects ; it would be advantageous, therefore, to 
 encourage the increase of the feathered tribe, by all 
 the means in our power* 
 
OP FRUIT TREES. $3 
 
 CATERPILLAR. WEB-WORM. PHAL^ENA NEUSTRIA* 
 
 These vermin are so truly disgusting in their nature 
 and appearance, and so injurious by their devasta- 
 tions, that every farmer should consider it disgraceful 
 to suffer his orchard to be infested by them ; yet it is 
 not uncommon to see numerous branches of valuable 
 fruit trees entwined with nests, filled with these in- 
 dustrious reptiles, by which the foliage and fruit are 
 destroyed. During an excursion this season, 1 have 
 witnessed the disgustful sight of more than twenty 
 large caterpillars' nests on a single tree, and almost ev- 
 ery green leaf devoured. It would consist more with 
 the interest and credit of the proprietor, were such 
 neglected trees no longer permitted to encumber the 
 ground. 
 
 The eggs from which caterpillars are produced, are 
 attached in clusters to the small twigs by a brownish 
 coloured miller, in the month of August, and are se- 
 curely covered with a gummy substance, unsuscepti- 
 ble of injury by the weather during winter. The 
 young brood is hatched by the warmth of the sun, just 
 in time to prey upon the fresh leaves as they appear 
 in the spring. The numerous family from each clus- 
 ter of eggs, immediately unite in the labour of con- 
 structing a nest of strong web, which affords them -a 
 shelter from the inclemency of the weather, and a se- 
 cure retreat from the dews at night. They continue 
 to feed upon the leaves until about the last of June, 
 when they abandon their habitation, and stroll to 
 some dry, secure place, where they envelop themselves 
 in a close covering of an egg-shaped, roundish ball, 
 very similar to the cocoon of the silk worm. In this 
 chrysalis state, they continue a few weeks, and in the 
 month of August they burst forth in the form of a 
 brownish coloured miller, the female of which soon 
 flings her way to the apple trees? and deposits her 
 
100 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 eggs on the twigs, in the same manner as her progeni- 
 tor in the preceding year. Thus is an annual progeny 
 generated, and in this manner is the species perpetu- 
 ated. It will therefore appear evident, that if proper 
 care be taken to d» stroy these vermin annually, and 
 if all proprietors of orchards will act in concert with 
 this view, the species may be entirely annihilated. 
 The clusters of eggs which contain the young brood, 
 very nearly resemble in colour the bark of the tree, 
 but by a vigilant search they may be detected, and at 
 any leisure time after the month of August, the twigs 
 to which they are attached, should be cut off, and 
 burnt, or the eggs otherwise destroyed. But when 
 this is omitted, and the caterpillars are hatched, and 
 have constructed their nests, and are rambling among 
 the branches for food, a different method must be a- 
 dopted. The trees during the spring and first part of 
 summer should be carefully searched every two or 
 three days, in the morning or evening, while the in- 
 sects are enclosed in their tents, when they are easily 
 crushed with the fingers, or some instrument, or the 
 branch may be cut off and destroyed. It is asserted 
 that spirit of turpentine, or common fish oil, applied 
 to the nest, will penetrate through, and kill every 
 caterpillar within it ; and it is also said, that soap suds 
 •will answer the same purpose. The honourable Tim- 
 othy Pickering has communicated to the Mass. Agri- 
 cultural Society, an eligible method of exterminating 
 caterpillars, more especially when their nests are con- 
 structed on the extreme branches of large trees not 
 accessible by ladders. It consists of a brush made of 
 hog's bristles introduced between two stiff wires, close- 
 ly twisted, similar to the common brush for cleaning 
 the inside of bottles. Apiece of wire full one tenth 
 of an inch in diameter, about three feet long, doubled, 
 ^and leaving a small loop in the middle, is closely twist- 
 ed for the length of about eight or ten inches from the 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 101 
 
 loop ; and then the bristles being introduced between 
 the remainder of the two branches of the wire, and 
 these closely twisted, upon them the bristles are im- 
 moveably fixed ; and thus is formed, after being uni- 
 formly sheared, a cylindrical brush, about six inches 
 long and two and a half in diameter. This brush is 
 fastened to the end of a long pole, having a groove a- 
 bout seven or eight inches long at the small end, in 
 which the twisted wire of the brush was laid and 
 bound on with strings. In using the brush, press it on 
 the nest, and turing the pole in the hand the web is 
 entangled with the bristles and removed ; or other- 
 wise, you rub the fork of the limb inside and outside 
 with the brush, when the nest and worms are surely 
 killed or brought down. The pole may be longer or 
 shorter according to the distance which you have to 
 reach. Numerous other methods have been from 
 time to time suggested for the destruction of these 
 vermin, but they may be destroyed with great facility 
 by a little industry, with the hand or the brush, if re- 
 peated two or three times a week during their season. 
 It has recently been ascertained that some of the in- 
 sects or millers which deposit their eggs from which 
 the caterpillar is produced, are left in old nests after 
 the caterpillars have deserted them in the month of 
 June. The destruction of the old nests therefore, and 
 the insects contained in them, before they have time 
 to deposite their eggs in August for the next year, will 
 prove the most effectual method ot destroying these 
 troublesome vermin for all future seasons and eventu- 
 ally of annihilating the whole tribe* 
 
 THE WORM CALLED THE BORER. 
 
 An interesting paper by W. Denning, Esq. on the 
 subject of the alarming decay of apple trees, is insert- 
 ed in the first volume of the transactions of the New 
 
f02 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 York agricultural society ; from which it appears, 
 thai on cutting down some apple tiees, which were 
 far decayed, he discovered two worm holes running 
 perpendicularly, from the tap root, through the heart. 
 These holes were large enough t© admit a pipe stem, 
 and reached about fourteen inches above the surface; 
 and from each hole a worm was taken. In some trees 
 eight or ten holes were found. Mr. Denning proposes 
 no remedy ; but Dr. Mease, editor of the domestick 
 encyclopedia, observes, that the worm must be search- 
 ed for with a wire, and bored out. The publickare 
 particularly indebted to J. Prince, Esq. and to Mr. E. 
 Hersey, of Roxbury, for their mode of destroying 
 this pernicious insect. 
 
 From the Massachusetts Agricultural Repository, volume iv. 
 On a worm which attacks the apple tree. By John Prince, 
 Esq. 
 
 Jamaica Plains, July, 1819. 
 
 Dear Sir, — I have, within a few years past, lost a 
 number of apple trees of from ten to fifteen years old, 
 and was not able to account for it. My young trees 
 also, that were beginning to bear, produced chiefly 
 wormy and knurly fruit. The last year 1 found what 
 I supposed to be the cause, which was a small, white, 
 ringed worm, about three quarters of an inch long, 
 with a dark coloured head, (1 believe the same that 
 attacks the peach tree,) attacking them at and just be- 
 low the surface of the ground. I mentioned the sub- 
 ject to professor Peck, \ourself, and several other 
 gentlemen, who had never heard of this destroyer of 
 the apple tree. 1 feared much the loss of my trees, 
 of which I have near one thousand, and mostly of my 
 own planting. This spring, a man, who was grafting 
 for me some old trees, told me he had trees that had 
 been affected in the same way, and that they were 
 very easily got rid of, by digging round the trees, and 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 10* 
 
 clearing away the earth to the roots, and then, with 
 a sharp pointed knife, a chisel, or gouge, (and a small 
 wire to probe, if they were deep in the tree,) they 
 were easily destroyed. I employed him in June for 
 this purpose. 1 believe there was not an apple tree 
 on my farm but had some worms ; and from some of 
 them twenty-four were taken ; and the trees almost 
 entirely girdled, and would not, probably, have lived 
 through the year. After taking out all that could be 
 found, the wounds were covered over with grafting 
 clay, and a large proportion of dry wood ashes, mix- 
 ed, and the earth then returned to the tree. I shall 
 have them again examined this fall, and looked at ev- 
 ery spring. The trouble is much less than would be 
 imagined, till tried. One capable man will dig round 
 and turn the sods, two or three feet from the tree, 
 (and which is also extremely beneficial to young trees 
 in grass ground,) and examine at least thirty trees in 
 one day ; and in garden, or ploughed ground, one 
 hundred. 
 
 When it is found how little expense is required to 
 extract these destructive little worms, 1 do hope those 
 persons who have young trees particularly, would ex- 
 amine them as soon as possible. They are soon dis- 
 covered by the worm casts, or saw-dust borings, which 
 should be followed, and wholly extracted. 
 
 I have also lost several mountain ash and quince 
 trees by, 1 believe, the same destroyer. 
 
 The borer, says Mr. Hersey, rarely exceeds one 
 inch in length ; it has a reddish head, and its bod}' is 
 white. It is sometimes mistaken for the apple worm, 
 but it differs in its nature from that insect. The egg 
 which produces the borer is deposited very near the 
 surface of the earth, and is seldom found more than 
 three or four inches below or above the surface of the 
 ground : it sometimes however is discovered in the 
 crotch of the tree. The insects enter the trunk of 
 
104 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 the tree at the distance mentioned above, and ascentf 
 from sis to fifteen inches ; in their progress they never 
 interfere with each other, and therefore every borer 
 inflicts a different wound upon the tree. They do 
 not injure the outward bark, and excepting occasional- 
 ly by the worm casts or saw dust thrown out of their 
 holes on the surface of the ground, there are no ex- 
 ternal marks of their being within the tree, until its 
 unfruitfulness and decay prove that its deadliest ene- 
 my has attacked it. The method of discovering ifthe 
 bortrs have commenced their ravages, is to dig round 
 the tree to the depth of three inches, and if after cut- 
 ting the outer bark, the inward bark be decayed, it is 
 certain that the insect is within, and that unless it be 
 taken out, the tree will certainly die. Mr. Hersey 
 was in one season employed to examine upwards of 
 four thousand trees, and in most of them he found 
 from two to thirty borers. He saved many valuable 
 fruit and mountain ash trees from being ruined by this 
 worm. 
 
 Report of a Committe to whom was referred the application of 
 Mr. E. Hersey. 
 
 The committee appointed by the trustees of the 
 Massachusetts agricultural society, to inquire into the 
 facts relative to the destruction of the worm called 
 the borer, whkh has of late years been so injurious 
 to the 3pple trees in this neighbourhood ; and to as- 
 certain whether any thing be due to the exertions 
 and adroitness of Mr. Ebenezer Hersey, of Roxbury, 
 housewright, and generally known as a successful 
 grafter, in destroying this troublesome and voracious 
 insect, beg leave to report :— That they find, although 
 it be uncertain whether Mr. Hersey was the first per- 
 son who discovered the easy mode now practised by 
 him, in taking the insect from the body of the trec r 
 yet they are satisfied that the great advantage which- 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 105 
 
 the publick are like to derive from the extirpation of 
 this worm, is principally owing to the exertions and 
 cleverness of Mr. Hersey in this branch of his pro- 
 fession ; and they recommend that a premium be a- 
 warded him of twenty-five dollars. 
 
 Your committee feel it incumbent on them to state, 
 for your information, that Mr. Hersey has extirpated 
 the insect in at least a thousand apple trees on one 
 farm in Roxbury ; that he has probably saved many 
 thousands in other parts of that town, and its neigh- 
 bourhood, either by his personal attendance and la- 
 bour, or by the information which he has given to 
 others on the subject ; that he has restored to vigour 
 and soundness many valuable peach trees that were 
 gummy, and rapidly declining, from the effects pro- 
 duced by this, or a similar worm ; that he has traced 
 them to the mountain ash, and saved many of those 
 beautiful trees from perishing : and your committee 
 have no doubt, if, from his example, the farmers of 
 this commonwealth will examine their orchards, and 
 cut out those insects from their trees, wherever found, 
 they will, in a short time, feel the benefit of their at- 
 tention, in the increased and improved quality of their 
 fruit. 
 
 Your committee feel it their duty also to add, that 
 from their own experience, they feel assured, that 
 all those who can command the services of Mr. Her- 
 sey, will find it more economical to employ him to 
 perform this work, than to undertake it themselves ; 
 as his experience and original profession of house- 
 wright, acquainted with the use of tools, enables him 
 to do it not only more thoroughly, but very much 
 quicker than any one can who has not been in the 
 practice of the art. 
 
 The seasons when this operation is performed with 
 most effect, are the spring and fall ; and if in the- 
 spring, before the month of June,,as the perfect in - 
 10 
 
106 CULTURE AND MAff'AtfMfitfF 
 
 sects escape before that time. In apple and moun 
 tain ash trees, the existence of the animal in the tree 
 may generally be known, by the mossy appearance 
 on the bark; and it may be traced by removing a 
 little earth from the body of the tree, next above the 
 insertion of the great roots. Although the hole at 
 which the insect enters, is, in many instances, very- 
 small, yet it is easily discovered by an appearance ot 
 powdered wood, or fine saw dust, which is thrown 
 out by the worm ; — here you may introduce your 
 chisel, and follow his track. Cut the bark smooth, 
 and when you have cleansed the tree of all the in- 
 sects, (of which there are sometimes as many as 
 twenty to be found,) plaster the wounds over with 
 a little clajr, and when it is dry, restore the earth to 
 its place. The operation should be renewed the suc- 
 ceeding season, to make the work complete. In peach 
 trees the insect is traced by the gum ; but as this is 
 also produced by bruises, it is not infallible. 
 
 Samuel G. Perkins,) ^ .,. 
 T n ' > Committee. 
 
 John Prince, } 
 
 Note. — If the frost be out of the ground, we recom- 
 mend to farmers to perform the spring cleansing as 
 early as March and April. 
 
 Boston, April 16. 
 
 Having so happily discovered a method of destroy- 
 ing this pernicious reptile, it still remains extremely 
 desirable to devise some means by which its success- 
 ful attack upon the tree may be prevented. We are 
 unacquainted with the natural history of this worm, 
 but it is highly probable that it is the progeny of the 
 fly which deposits its eggs in the bark of the peach 
 tree. Whether this be the fact, or whether it derive 
 its existence from some source in the earth, it is rea- 
 sonable, from its habit, to suppose that the soil or 
 mould is congenial to its nature, and that native in- 
 
<0f fttXjVt TREfeS. 107 
 
 istinct directs it to enter the tree, for its future resi- 
 dence and support. The most obvious mode of pre- 
 vention, therefore, which reflection has suggested, is 
 the following. Early in the spring, let the soil from 
 around the trunk of the tree be removed, down to 
 the roots, and fill up the vacant place with some sub- 
 stance that would prove obnoxious to the fly or worm, 
 or that would infallibly resist its powers to penetrate 
 the bark. Among the substances which appear most 
 likely to prove successful, I will mention the flax 
 rubbish and sea-weed, page 61 of this volume. The 
 next which occur, are ashes, lime, sea-shells, sea-sand, 
 mortar-rubbish from old buildings, clay, tanner's bark, 
 fragments of leather from the tanner's and shoema- 
 ker's shops, &c. Some, or perhaps any of the above- 
 mentioned substances, if pressed closely round the 
 trunk of the tree, must inevitably prevent the fly or 
 worm from having access to the bark, and of course 
 prove an effectual remedy. Should it be the case, 
 that the worm advances from some distant part in 
 search of the tree, it is possible, on meeting foreign 
 substances, to which it has not been habituated, its 
 instinctive faculties may be baffled, or it may die be- 
 fore it can effect its object. Besides the expedient 
 just described, another remains to be mentioned ; it 
 is the application of the clay paint, pa^e 79, or the 
 following composition, which is preferable. Take 
 equal parts of quick lime, cow dung and clay, which 
 by the addition of soap suds and urine, should be re- 
 duced to the consistence of common paint. To make 
 it more adhesive, add a little hair. Let the whole 
 stem, from the roots to the branches, be enveloped 
 with a coating of this composition, and occasionally 
 repeated, and it will scarcely be possible for the fly or 
 worm, or insects, to injure the trunk of the tree ; 
 and it will at the same time prove conducive to its 
 health and vigour. It might even be recommended 
 
108 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 to make this application to all young trees, at the 
 time of transplanting, especially in places where the 
 worm is known to prevail. 
 
 It appears that this destructive worm is rapidly 
 extending its ravages among our orchard trees. In 
 attending to the examination of my own trees since 
 writing the above, (September 4th,) 1 was astonished 
 to find that more than half of them were suffering in- 
 jury by the borer, in considerable numbers, fifteen 
 being taken out of a single tree; I was struck with 
 the remark of the workman, that those trees which 
 were surrounded by a cluster of root suckers, were 
 in particular the greatest sufferers^ and when the tree 
 had suckers on one side only, the worms were found 
 on that side of the tree. It is not improbable that the 
 suckers and leaves facilitate the operation of deposit- 
 ing the eggs by affording a convenient shelter for the 
 fly or moth ; but we are destitute of the natural his- 
 tory of this insect. The suckers and worms all being 
 removed, I directed the wounds made in the trees, 
 and also the whole trunk near the surface of the 
 earth, to be covered with a mixture of clay and cow 
 dung, with a little hair to render it more adhesive ; 
 and afterwards a circuit of about three feet round 
 each tree, to be covered with tanner's bark, or sea- 
 weed. It is now known that the ravages of the bor- 
 er are not confined to the root of fruit trees, but are 
 found in the whole extent of the trunk, and even to 
 the larger branches; and that in some local situations, 
 instead of abandoning the trees in June, they contin- 
 ue to perforate the bark and prey upon the wood 
 the most of the summer. It seems requisite, there- 
 fore, to guard diligently against this insiduous enemy 
 during the whole season. 
 
Ofr FRUIT TREES. 109 
 
 SLUG WORM, OR NAKED SNAIL. 
 
 It is from the accurate observation of professor 
 Peck, that we are enabled to present the reader with 
 the history of the slug worm, by which, of late years, 
 our fruit trees have been infested. These reptiles 
 make their appearance upon the leaves of fruit trees, 
 in the month of July, and our ingenious professor has 
 discovered, that they are the progeny of a small black 
 fly, which deposits its eggs in the leaf in the months 
 of May and June, and in fourteen days after the de- 
 posit, the perfect slug is found adhering and feeding 
 on the leaves. It is of an olive colour, with a slimy 
 coat, and in the course of twenty days, it throws off 
 four skins, at nearly equal periods ; it remains in the 
 fifth, or last viscous skin, six days, and acquires its 
 full growth; it then quits this fifth skin, which is 
 left adhering to the leaf, and appears in a clean yellow 
 one, entirely free from vicidity, and has so different 
 an aspect that it would not be supposed to be the 
 same larvae. After resting some hours, it. proceeds 
 slowly down the tree to the earth, into which it en- 
 ters to the depth of from one to four inches ; and in 
 about eighteen days they again ascend from the 
 earth, in the form of flies, and these again deposit 
 their eggs in the leaf; so that they produce two 
 hatchings in a year. 
 
 It is happy for the fruit planter that a simple 
 method is discovered, by which these destructive in- 
 sects may be effectually destroyed. This is done 
 by means of lime sprinkled over the leaves in the 
 form of powder. For tnis purpose, a wooden box, of 
 convenient size, having its bottom perforated with 
 numerous small holes, is to be filled with lime. This 
 being mounted on a pole, by shaking over the tree, 
 distributes the lime among the ieaves, and the slugs 
 are immediately destroyed. The labour is very triv- 
 
 10* 
 
110 CULTURE ANB MANAGEMENT 
 
 lal ; a man may cover a large tree in three or four 
 minutes; and the desired effect is certain. Fine 
 earth shaken through a basket or perforated box, will 
 answer equally well. 
 
 Another remedy, it is said, will prove equally ef- 
 fectual. It is a strong infusion of tar, made by pour- 
 ing water on tar, and suffering it to stand two or three 
 days, when it becomes strongly impregnated. This, 
 if sprinkled over the leaves bv means of an engine, 
 will kill these vermin instantaneously. A strong de- 
 coction of tobacco will probably produce the desired 
 effect, and tanner's bark put round the tree, it is said, 
 will have a salutary tendency as a preventive. 
 
 The following letter from E. Perley, esquire, is ex- 
 tracted from the Massachusetts Agricultural Reposi- 
 tory, vol. 3, page 144. 
 
 LICE, INFESTING YOUNG ORCHARDS, IN THE D1STICT OF 
 MAINE MODE OF DESTROYING THEM. 
 
 "This insect, called lice, is in form like half a ker- 
 nel of rye, (but not more than one twentieth part so 
 large,) with the flat side sticking to the smooth bark 
 of the tree. They resemble blisters; and are near 
 the colour of the bark of the tree. These blisters 
 contain from ten to thirty nits or eggs each, in form 
 like a snake's egg ; which, in a common season, begin 
 to hatch about the 25th of May, and finish about the 
 10th of June. These nits produce a white animal- 
 cule, resembling a louse, so small they are hardly per- 
 ceptible by the naked eye ; which, immediately after 
 they are hatched, open the passage at the end of the 
 blister, and crawl out on the bark of the tree ; and 
 there remain, with but little motion about ten days ; 
 when they stick themselves fast to the bark of the 
 tree, and die. From tkis little carcass arises a small 
 speck of blue mould, which is most plain to be seen 
 
•F FRUIT TREES. Ill 
 
 between the 10th and 20th of June, and continues 
 about fifteen days ; and then gradually wears off, 
 until the old carcass appears, which by this time is 
 formed into a new blister, and contains the spawns or 
 nits before mentioned. 
 
 "These blisters prevent the circulation of sap, and 
 prove as fatal to the tree as the canker worm. 
 
 "In order to remedy the difficulty, 1 have made 
 many experiments within a few years ; but long to no 
 good effect, not knowing then the particular season 
 when these animalcules could be most easily destroy- 
 ed. This, however, I have lately found to be be- 
 tween the time they hatch, and that when the mould 
 leaves them.* The application that I have found 
 most effectual is, washing the trees with lie or brine. 
 Lime, also, mixed with lie, to the consistence of 
 white wash, may be useful. And although the small 
 branches cannot be cleansed in this manner without 
 much difficulty, still, if the body of the tree, and the 
 branches near the body are kept clean until there 
 comes a rough bark, I think the lice will not kill the 
 tree* 
 
 " Some people have recommended the application 
 of train oil to the tree, which, indeed, is a powerful 
 antidote against lice, but being of a glutinous quality, 
 is very detrimental to the tree. Inoculation has been 
 proposed ; which, I think, will have no effect at all 
 on the lice; for 1 perceive they hatch in May, on 
 branches that were pruned off the tree in March, and 
 the sap entirely extinguished. 
 
 " These lice are natural in the uncultivated forest 
 on what is called moose-wood, and other bushes. 
 
 "Much care should be taken on their first appear- 
 
 *" It appears from this account, by Mr. Perley, that these 
 appearances can, in general, only occur between May 25, and 
 July 5." 
 
112 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 ing in an orchard or nurseiy ; as the cutting down 
 and destroying a few young trees is of no impartance, 
 compared with the difficulty of having an orchard 
 overrun with them. 
 
 "P. S. The brine or pickle, with which the tree 
 is to be washed, should not be such as has had meat 
 salted in it; but let one quart of common salt be dis- 
 solved in two gallons of clean water." 
 
 Asa remedy against these lice, the clay paint, men- 
 tioned, page 79, may be recommended. If this were 
 properly applied to the trunk and branches of the 
 tree after the eggs are hatched, it would so complete- 
 ly envelop the insects as probably to counteract their 
 mischievous effects. A pretty strong solution of pot- 
 ash would perhaps prove a very effectual remedy 
 against lice, but on account of its caustic quality it 
 must not be used too freely. A strong decoction of 
 tobacco would probably prove a remedy. 
 
 CIRCULJO. 
 
 The following is extracted from the Domestic En- 
 cyclopedia, edited by Dr. Mease. 
 
 " The editor is indebted to his excellent friend, 
 Dr. James Tilton, of Wilmington, Delaware, for the 
 following original and very valuable communication, 
 on the subject of the insect, which has been so active- 
 ly engaged in destroying the fruit of Pennsylvania, 
 Delaware, (and, probably, of the other states,) for a 
 few years past. It were to be wished, that other 
 gentlemen among us, who have opportunities, would 
 be equally attentive with Dr. Tilton, in communica- 
 ting their observations upon this subject of rural econ- 
 omy. 
 
 " Curculio, a genus of insects belonging to the 
 cohoptera, or beetle order. The species are said to be 
 Very numerous. The immense damage done, by an 
 
OP FRUIT TREES. 1 13 
 
 insect of this tribe, to the fruits of this country, of 
 which there is no similar account in Europe, has 
 given rise to a conjecture, with some naturalists, that 
 we have a peculiar and very destructive species in 
 America.* 
 
 ;; The manner in which this insect injures and des- 
 troys our fruits, is by its mode of propagation. Ear- 
 ly in the spring, about the time when our fruit tree* 
 are in blossom, the curculiones ascend in swarms from 
 the earth, crawl up the tree?, and as the several fruits 
 advance, they puncture the rind or skin with their 
 pointed rostra, and deposit their embryos in the 
 wounds thus inflicted. The maggot, thus buried in 
 the fruit, preys upon its pulp and juices until, in most 
 instances, the fruit perishes, falls to the ground, and 
 the insect, escaping from so unsafe a residence, makes 
 a sure retreat into the earth ; where, like other bee- 
 tles, it remains in the form of a grub or worm during 
 the winter, ready to be metamorphosed into a bug or 
 beetle as the spring advances. Thus every tree 
 furnishes its own enemy ; for although these bugs 
 have manifestly the capacity of flying, they appear 
 very reluctant in the use of their wings; and perhaps 
 never employ them, but when necessity compels 
 them to migrate. It is a fact, that two trees of the 
 same kind may stand in the nearest possible neigh- 
 bourhood, not to touch each other,, the one have its 
 fruit destroyed by the curculio, and the other be un- 
 injured, merely from contingent circumstances, which 
 prevent the insects from crawling up the one, while 
 they are uninterrupted from climbing the other. 
 
 "The curculio delights most in the smooth skinned 
 stoned fruits, such as nectarines, plums, apricots, &c. 
 
 *This is a 'bug- about the size of that which is found in the 
 pea in its dry state. No fruit should be suffered to rot under 
 trees, as it is by this means that the Curculio is annually prop- 
 agated. 
 
1 1 4 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 when they abound on a farm : they nevertheless at- 
 tack the rough skinned peach, the apple, pear, and 
 quince. The instinctive sagacity of these creatures 
 directs them especially to the fruits most adapted to 
 their purpose. The stone fruits more certainly per- 
 ish by the wounds made by these insects, so as to fall 
 in due time to the ground, and afford an opportunity 
 to the young maggot to hide itself in the earth. Al- 
 though multitudes of such fruits fall, yet many recover 
 from their wounds, which heal up, with deeply in- 
 dented scars. This probably disconcerts the curculio, 
 in its intended course to the earth. Be this as it may, 
 certain it is, that pears are less liable to fall, and are 
 less injured by this insect than apples. Nectarines, 
 plums, &c. in most districts of our country, where 
 the curculio has gained an establishment, are utterly 
 destroyed, unless special means are employed for 
 their preservation. Cherries escape better, on ac- 
 count of their rapid progress to maturity, and their a- 
 bundant crops: the curculio can only puncture a small 
 part of them, during the short time they hang upon 
 the tree. These destructive insects continue their 
 depredations from the first of May, until autumn. 
 Our fruits, collectively estimated, must, therefore, be 
 depreciated more than half their value. 
 
 "It is supposed the curculio is not only injurious a- 
 bove ground, but also in its retreat, below the surface 
 of the earth, by preying on the roots of our fruit trees. 
 We know that beetles have, in some instances, abound- 
 ed in such a manner as to endanger whole forests. 
 Our fruit trees often die from manifest injuries done 
 to the roots by insects, and by no insect more proba- 
 bly than the curculio. In districts where this insect 
 abounds, cherry trees and apple trees, which discon- 
 cert it most above, appear to be the special objects of 
 its vengeance below the surface of the earth. 
 
 "These are serious evils ; to combat which, every 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 11£ 
 
 scientiikk inquirer is loudly called upon to exert his 
 talents; every industrious farmer to double his dili- 
 gence ; and all benevolent characters to contribute 
 their mite. 
 
 "Naturalists have been accustomed to destroy vic- 
 ious insects, by employing their natural enemies to 
 devour them. We are unacquainted with any tribe 
 of insects able to destroy the curculio. All the do- 
 mestick animals, however, if well directed, contribute 
 to this purpose. Hogs, in a special manner, are qual- 
 ified for the work of extermination. This voracious 
 animal, if suffered to go at large in orchards, and a- 
 mong fruit trees, devours all the fruit that falls, and 
 among others, the curculiones, in a maggot state, 
 which may be contained in them. Being thus gene- 
 rally destroyed in the embryo state, there will be few 
 or no bugs to ascend from the earth in the spring, to 
 injure the fruit, Many experienced farmers have not- 
 ed the advantage of hogs running in orchards. Mr. 
 Bordley, in his excellent '"essays on husbandry,' takes 
 particular notice of the great advantage of hogs to or- 
 chards : and although he attributes the benefits de- 
 rived from these animals to the excellence of their ma- 
 nure, and their .occasional rooting about the trees, his 
 mistake in this trivial circumstance does by no means 
 invalidate the general remarks of this acute observer. 
 The fact is, hogs render fruits of all kinds fair and un- 
 blemished, by destroying the curculio. 
 
 "The ordinary fowls of a farm-yard are great de- 
 vourers of beetles. Poultry, in general, are regarded 
 as carnivorous in summer, and therefore cooped some 
 time before they are eaten. Every body knows with 
 what avidity ducks seize on the tumble bug, (scarabmis 
 carnifex,) and it is probable the curculio is regarded by 
 all the fowls as an equally delicious morsel. There- 
 fore it is, that the smooth stone fruits, particularly, 
 succeed much better in lanes and yards, where the 
 
116 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 poultry run without restraint, than in gardens and oth- 
 er enclosures, where the fowls are excluded. 
 
 "Even horned cattle, and all sorts of stock, may be 
 made to contribute to the preservation of our valuable 
 fruits. By running among the trees, they not only 
 trample to death multitudes of these insects, but by 
 hardening the ground, as in lanes, it becomes very un- 
 fit to receive or admit such tender maggots as crawl 
 from the fallen fruits. Besides, the curculio is very 
 timid, and when frightened by the cattle rubbing a- 
 gainst the tree, or otherwise, their manner is to roll 
 themselves up in a little ball, and fall to the ground, 
 where they may be trampled and devoured by the 
 stock, poultry, &x. Colonel T. Forest, of German- 
 town, having a fine plum tree near his pump, tied a 
 rope from the tree to his pump handle, so that the 
 tree was gently agitated every time there was occa- 
 sion to pump water. The consequence was, that the 
 fruit on this tree was preserved in the greatest per- 
 fection." 
 
 To the foregoing valuable communication of Dr. 
 Tilton, I will add a fact of which the Doctor was prob- 
 ably unapprised. Instead of retreating into the earth, 
 a part of the worms at least, abandon the apple before 
 it falls from the tree, and locate themselves under the 
 scales of the bark, and in the crevices of trees. In 
 making search this day, 25th September, I have de- 
 tected a considerable number of apple-worms in that 
 condition, entirely secure from the weather. This 
 circumstance will shew the great utility of proper ap- 
 plications to the trees, both in the fall and spring, for 
 the destruction of insects. All the rough bark should 
 be carefully removed, and the trunk and large branch- 
 es should be thoroughly washed with Forsyth's com- 
 position, page 78, or a strong decoction of tobacco- 
 with the addition of a small quantity of quick lime, 
 which should be applied to every crevice which can. 
 afford shelter for insects or their eggs^ 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 1 1 7 
 
 GATHERING AND PRESERVING APPLES. 
 
 The fruit orchard having attained to that produc- 
 tive state, in which the proprietor is about to remune- 
 rate himself for his labour and attention, it is still re- 
 quisite to exercise due judgment and discretion in the 
 grateful employment of collecting his crop. The in- 
 judicious method commonly practised in gathering ap- 
 ples is more destructive in its consequences than is 
 generally understood. The first requisite is, to ascer- 
 tain precisely when the fruit is fully ripe, as it is said, 
 that the longer winter apples are suffered to remain 
 on the trees, provided they are not overtaken by frost, 
 the longer they may be preserved. In hot climates, 
 and in hot seasons, fruit attains to maturity and ripe- 
 ness earlier than in colder ones, because the sap per- 
 forms its office more rapidly. It may be considered 
 a correct rule, that apples are ripe when those that 
 are sound and fair fall naturally from the trees, or 
 separate very readily on being lifted by the hand. 
 They should be gathered during a clear dry air, after 
 the dew has evaporated. According to the late phi- 
 losophick Dr. Darwin, in order to ascertain when 
 fruits, for instance, apples and pears, are sufficiently 
 ripe forgathering, it is requisite to attend to the col- 
 our of the skin enclosing the seeds. During their in- 
 fant state, there is no cavity round the kernels, but 
 they are in contact with the seed vessels. In a subse- 
 quent period, when the fruit has exhausted the nutric- 
 ious matter, the cells containing the seeds become hol- 
 low, and the latter assume a dark colour. This, Dr. 
 D. observes, is the proper criterion by which to judge 
 when such fruits should be gathered ; as it indicates 
 that they will not continue to increase in size, but 
 waste and become hollow, by absorbing the mucilagi- 
 nous particles from the centre. In gathering apples 
 and pears, it is necessary carefully to avoid injuring 
 11 
 
118 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 the blossom buds, which are already formed for the 
 next year's fruit. These buds are placed at the side 
 of the foot stalk of the fruit, and if the spurs are brok- 
 en, there will be no fruit on that part the next season. 
 The pressing against the trees, therefore, with heavy 
 ladders, and the rash practice of thrashing the limbs 
 with poles, ought to be entirely abandoned ; for by 
 such means, the bark and limbs are bruised, and the 
 blossom buds for the succeeding year are destroyed. 
 Instead of ladders, stepping frames should be employ- 
 ed, and a pole, furnished with a hook at the end, and 
 covered with coarse cloth, may be used to shake the 
 small limbs, without injuring the bark. When per- 
 fectly ripe, apples for cider may be shaken off without 
 injury to the buds, but still they will be bruised, un- 
 less the ground be covered with blankets or straw. 
 Particular care is requisite in gathering winter fruit 
 for keeping : they should be gathered by the band, 
 and without injury, removing them from the gather- 
 ing basket to the casks prepared for them, with great 
 care : if bruised, they soon decay ; and the less those 
 that are sound are moved, the better. When in bar- 
 rels, they should be placed in a dry, cool, shaded situ- 
 ation, above ground, and remain until endangered by 
 frost, and then put into the cellar. 
 
 The following valuable observations, contained in a 
 letter from N. Webster, esquire, have been published 
 in the Massachusetts Agricultural Repository, from 
 the Connecticut Courant. 
 
 PRESERVATION OF APPLES. 
 
 "It is the practice with some persons, to pick them 
 in October, and first spread on them on the floor of 
 an upper room. This practice is said to render ap- 
 ples more durable, by drying them. But I can affirm 
 this to be a mistake. Apples, i( remaining on the 
 
OF FRUiT TREES. 119 
 
 trees as long as safety from the frost will admit, should 
 be taken directly from the trees to close casks, and 
 kept dry and cool as possible. If suffered to lie on a 
 floor for weeks, they wither and lose their ilavour, 
 without acquiring any additional durability. The 
 best mode of preserving apples for spring use, I have 
 found to be, the putting them in dry sand as soon as 
 picked. For this purpose, I dry sand in the heat of 
 summer, and late in October put down the apples in 
 layers, with a covering of sand upon each layer. The 
 singular advantages of this mode of treatment are 
 these: 1st. The sand keeps the apples from the air, 
 which is essential to their preservation. 2dly. The 
 sand checks the evaporation or perspiration of the ap- 
 ples, thus preserving in them their full flavour — at the 
 same time, any moisture yielded by the apples, (and 
 some there will be,) is absorbed by the sand ; so that 
 the apples are kept dry, and ail mustiness is prevent- 
 ed. My pippins, in May and June, are as fresh as 
 when first picked ; even the ends of the stems look 
 as if just separated from the twig." 
 
 An English writer recommends the use of dry pit 
 sand, for the preservation of apples and pears. Glaz- 
 ed earthen jars are to be provided, and the sand is to 
 be thoroughly dried. A layer of sand, an inch thick, 
 is then to be placed in the bottom of the jar; above 
 this, a layer of fruit, to be covered with a layer of 
 sand, an inch thick ; then lay a second stratum of 
 fruit, covering again with an inch of sand. An inch 
 and a half of sand may be placed over the uppermost 
 row of fruit. The jar is now to be closed, and placed 
 in a dry, airy situation, as cool as possible, but entire- 
 ly free from ftost. Wheat bran is sometimes substi- 
 tuted for sand. 
 
 "One of the most easy methods,''' says Dr. Darwin, 
 "of preserving fruit is, that of depositing it in ice-hou- 
 ses, where it may remain in a frozen state for a cor- 
 
120 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 siderable time. And if the fruit be afterwards gradu- 
 ally thawed, by covering it with melted ice, or im- 
 mersing it in cold spring water, it will lose but little 
 of its flavour, provided it be consumed on the same 
 day." 
 
 Mr. Forsyth gives the following directions for pick- 
 ing and preserving fruit. "All apples, pears, &c. 
 ought to be carefully picked by hand, and laid in bas- 
 kets containing dried grass, to prevent them from be- 
 ing bruised ; and if they fall spontaneously, some dry 
 barley straw, or pease haulm should be prepared for 
 their reception on the ground ; in the latter instance, 
 the fruit ought to be separated from, and sent to table 
 before that which is collected by hand ; and such as 
 may be accidentally bruised ought to be reserved for 
 culinary purposes, because it cannot be long kept in a 
 sound state. When all the fruit is collected, it should 
 be conveyed to the store room, laid gently, in small 
 heaps, on dried grass, and their tops be covered with 
 short grass, in order to sweat. Here it may remain 
 for about a fortnight, during which time, each apple, 
 pear, &c. must be occasionally wiped with a dry 
 woollen cloth, and those exposed on the surface should 
 be placed towards the middle of the heap. At the end 
 of this period, all watery ingredients that may have 
 been imbibed during a wet season, will be evaporated ; 
 the heaps should then be uncovered, and each article 
 carefully wiped ; separating those which may be in- 
 jured, or unfit for keeping. During this process of 
 sweating, the windows of the store room, excepting in 
 wet or foggy weather, ought to be continually open, 
 in order to discharge the moisture perspiring from the 
 fruit. Mr. Forsj'th then directs, as the best method 
 of preserving fruit, to pack them in glazed earthen 
 jars, each apple and pear to be wrapped separately in 
 soft papers, &c. Few persons will be disposed to sub- 
 ject themselves to such expense and trouble, by adopt- 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 121 
 
 mg the directions of Mr. F. I should prefer the fol- 
 lowing mode : take a quantity of clay, let it be thor- 
 oughly dried in the sun, and reduced to fine powder ; 
 and while packing apples in dry casks, instead ot sand, 
 let each layer by covered with the clay powder. This 
 will secure them from the air, absorb the moisture that 
 exudes, keep the fruit cool and dry, and preserve their 
 flavour. The fruit thus packed may 7 be removed im- 
 mediately from the tree into the cellar. It is a good 
 practice adopted by some persons, to store their ap- 
 ples on long broad shelves erected against the walls 
 of a cellar secure from frost. These shelves may be 
 constructed one tier above another, and the apples 
 carried directly from the tree and spread so as 
 to lay separately. This method has been found to 
 answer every purpose; the apples may be sorted oc- 
 casionally with little trouble without bruising, and the 
 expense will be less than if barrels are employed. A 
 captain of a whale ship has just informed me that he 
 has found the best method to preserve vegetables (po- 
 tatoes and beets) on a long voyage, is to pack them in 
 lime casks and to sift some air slacked lime over them ; 
 this absorbs the moisture, secures them from the ef- 
 fects of heat, and prevents in a great measure, pota- 
 toes from sprouting. By this method he has preserv- 
 ed potatoes»over a year in a better condition than by 
 any other. He is of opinion that this would be an 
 eligible method for preserving apples and pears, and I 
 have resolved this season to test the experiment ac- 
 cordingly. 
 
 n 
 
122 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 LIST OF APPLES 
 
 HELD IN MOST ESTIMATION IN THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 An accurate technical list of the various sorts of ap- 
 ples known in the United States, would be consider- 
 ed an acquisition of importance ; but their names are 
 derived from such various and capricious causes or in- 
 cidents, that a correct list cannot be easily accomplish- 
 ed ; some have received names descriptive of the 
 fruit, and others are derived from the places where 
 they have been first found, or from the original culti- 
 vator. But a serious misfortune is, in several instan- 
 ces the same fruit bears many different names in dif- 
 ferent places ; which subjects the planter to much in- 
 convenience, as it not unfrequently happens, that 
 grafts of a supposed new variety are obtained from a 
 distance, under a different name, which eventually 
 prove to produce the same kind of fruit, with which 
 his orchard already abounds. It is very desirable 
 that fruit should be known by the same name in all 
 places ; with this view it will be useful when writing 
 or speaking of any fruit, to give an accurate descrip- 
 tion of it and its qualities, with the tree by which it is 
 produced. By such means, ^different varieties may 
 be identified, and in due time a catalogue may be form- 
 ed, much to the convenience and satisfaction of everv 
 cultivator. William Coxe, esquire, of Burlington, 
 New-Jersey, possesses the most extensive orchard and 
 cider establishment, it is presumed, in the United 
 States, consisting of more than four thousand apple 
 trees, besides other fruit. This gentleman has favour- 
 ed the publick with a view of the cultivation of fruit 
 trees, &c. which contains a descriptive list of one hun- 
 dred and thirty-three varieties of apptes, which are 
 
QF FRUIT TREES. 123 
 
 cultivated on his own plantation. To this list may 
 he added others, in various parts of the union, amount- 
 ing, probably, to several hundreds. The following is 
 from Dr. Mease's edition Domestick Encyclopedia : 
 "The family of Prince, at Flushing, Long-Island, have 
 been many years celebrated for their fine fruit, and 
 some of the choicest kinds to be met with, in various 
 parts of the United States, have been brought from 
 their nursery. A very extensive and excellent col- 
 lection of fruits, both imported and native, were orig- 
 inally commenced about ten years since, by William 
 Coxe, esquire, of Burlington, New-Jersey, and is now 
 for sale by I. Smith & Co. at that place. In this grand 
 collection, there are eighty kinds of apples, (now one 
 hundred and thirty three,) ninety kinds of pears, and 
 fifty-one of cherries, nearly all imported, and one 
 hundred varieties of peaches. Mr. Samuel Coles, of 
 Moor's town, New-Jersey, has also an excellent col- 
 lection. Several French gentlemen, who have taken 
 up their residence near Philadelphia, have done much 
 in a few years towards improving our stock of fruits, 
 by importing largely of the finest kinds from France ; 
 and there can be no doubt, if we take pains to propa- 
 gate from the valuable stock in our power, that in a 
 few years, the nighbourhood of Philadelphia may 
 boast of as fine a collection as can be desired. 
 
 "Under the article apple, some important remarks 
 were given on this subject ; the editor has now great 
 pleasure in presenting to the American publick the 
 first attempt ever made to collect, in one view, a list of 
 the finest kinds of apples growing in the United 
 States. For the materials, of which this list was com- 
 posed, he has been indebted to Mr. William Prince, 
 of Long-Island, Mr. R. Riley, of Marcus Hook, Ches- 
 ter county, William Coxe, esquire, of Burlington, and 
 the honourable Judge Boudinet, of Newark, New- Jer- 
 sey i through whom, also^ the valuable facts from Mr» 
 
124 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 John Ogden, of Newark, and from Mr. Asa Hillyes, 
 of Orange, Essex county, New- Jersey, were obtained ; 
 and he, with thanks, expresses his obligations to them 
 for their ready assistance and communication. At- 
 tentive, however, as his friends have been, he cannot 
 suppose that the list comprehends every apple in the 
 United States ; but he is satisfied, that the most valu- 
 able have been described, and he will gladly receive 
 accounts of any others, which may have been unno- 
 ticed, and add them to the list, should another edition 
 of this work be called for." 
 
 John Kenrick, esquire, and sons, of Newton, near 
 Brighton, have for several years been engaged in a 
 nursery establishment consisting of a handsome collec- 
 tion of fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs. From 
 their long experience they are enabled to conduct such 
 an establishment with much advantage ; and by the 
 aid and encouragement of several gentlemen who are 
 in the habit of importing horticultural productions 
 from abroad, their nursery is continually increasing in 
 variety and improving in character. They are par- 
 ticularly desirous to discard all such fruit as are known 
 to have become deteriorated or subject to blast, and to 
 cultivate such only as stand high in the opinion of 
 connoisseurs as possessing superior qualities. 
 
 From the ample catalogues of Dr. Mease and Wil- 
 liam Coxe, esquire, and from other sources, 1 have se- 
 lected a list of those which are held in most estima- 
 tion, and such as are generally in demand at market. 
 
 Those marked c. are cider apples. 
 '1. American pippin, c. u was brought from Maryland 
 to Marcus Hook, thirty years since. Itisofa flatfish 
 form, middle size, firm substance, resembling the van- 
 devere, and will keep till harvest. Mr. Coxe de- 
 scribes it as a long fruit, having a dull red slripe. 
 Fourteen bushels of these apples are required, at Mar- 
 cus Hook, to make one barrel of cider." (Mease.) 
 
OP FRUIT TREES. 125 
 
 2. American nonpariel, or doctor apple, in Pennsyl- 
 vania. "Will keep from November to March. A 
 large red-striped apple, of excellent flavour, and very 
 juicy. It keeps tolerably well during winter. The 
 tree is subject to blast." 
 
 3. Autumn, or Fall pippin, "Ripens in October. 
 A large yellow apple, acid taste, and pleasant flavour. 
 It is also a good kitchen apple. It usually weighs 
 nineteen ounces. Keeps weir." 
 
 4. AunCs apple. "This is a beautiful and large ap- 
 ple, of an oblong make, resembling the Priestly in 
 shape ; the skin smooth, streaked with a lively red, 
 on a yellow ground ; the flesh is yellow, breaking and 
 juicy ; of an agreeable flavour, but not rich. It ripens 
 in November, and, from its handsome appearance, is a 
 valuable market fruit. The tree is small, the growth 
 delicate, and its fruitfulness great. It is extensively 
 cultivated in several of the eastern counties of Penn- 
 sylvania." (Coxe.) 
 
 5. Baldwin apple* or Pecker apple ; is a very valua- 
 ble red apple, targe and beautiful, fine flavoured, and 
 will keep till April. It is in high estimation in Mas- 
 sachusetts, 
 
 6. Baltimore apple* In the transactions of the hor- 
 ticultural society of London, published in 1817, it is 
 stated, that a large apple, raised in the garden of Mr. 
 Smith, near the city of Baltimore, was exhibited ; it 
 had been recently imported by captain George Hob- 
 sou, of Baltimore, who sent it to sir Joseph Banks, by 
 whom it was presented to the society. This apple, 
 of which an engraving accompanies this account, 
 weighed one pouty! seven and a half ounces; it meas- 
 ured in circumference one foot two inches and three 
 quarters, and in height as it stood, was four inches, it 
 proved very good, thoogn over rip** ; it was very 
 close at the core, and, if a good bearer, will deserve 
 general cultivation. The drawing is coloured, and 
 very interesting. 
 
126 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 Note by the editor of the American Farmer* 
 "The apple here spoken of grew on the farm of Rob- 
 ert Smith, where, we are authorized to state, cuttings 
 may be had for grafting-' 7 
 
 7. Black apple, " Ripe in November ; a very deep 
 red. A much-admired fruit near Treuton, New Jer- 
 sey. Mr. Boudinot, of New Jersey, says, u there is 
 an apple lately discovered here, which is called by the 
 owner of the orchard, a black apple* It appears to be 
 a species between the Spitzenburgh and common 
 black apple." (Mease.) 
 
 8. Brownile, In Mr. Riley^s opinion, this is excell- 
 ed by none for the table. It is ripe in September, and 
 keeps well. It was discovered by Rowson, an old 
 Swede, near Marcus Hook. 
 
 9. Bow apple. Ripens in June and July ; — equal 
 to any summer apple. It is juicy, tender, and mild 3 
 of a light yellow colour. 
 
 10. Bell flower, "A long yellow apple, of good 
 flavour, very large, and excellent for the table, and 
 for cooking. When fully ripe, which is in October, 
 the seeds may be heard to rattle, when shaken. 
 This beautiful apple will keep well through the win- 
 ter ; and it is held in great estimation in the Phila- 
 delphia market." 
 
 11. Bullock's pippin, or sheep's snout. This is a na- 
 tive of New Jersey, and is sometimes called the long 
 torn. It is in high repute, in autumn and the first 
 part of winter, for its rich and sprightly juice, and is 
 much admired when baked. 
 
 12. Campfield, or Newark sweeting, c. " Is a large 
 sweet fruit, of a pale red colour; ripens about the be- 
 ginning of October, and keeps well, if carefully pick- 
 ed. Being a rich fruit, it is necessary to mix the 
 Harrison apple with it in order to refine the cider 
 produced from it." 
 
 13. Cat-head, "This is a very large, round apple, 
 
OP FRUIT TREES. 127 
 
 flattened at the ends, and deeply hollowed : the stalk 
 is short and thick, so deeply sunk as to be almost im- 
 perceptible : the colour a greenish yellow, the flesh 
 white : a good apple for cooking and drying, but apt 
 to drop from the tree, from its great weight ; and de- 
 ficient in point of richness and flavour." (Coxe.) 
 
 14. Catline, c. A Delaware autumn cider fruit, 
 and considered a pleasant eating apple, in its season. 
 The tree is very productive, and an early bearer. 
 
 15. Carthouse, or gilpin, c. " This apple is said to 
 have been brought from Virginia. It is highly es- 
 teemed for its excellence as a table apple, late in the 
 spring, and as a good cider fruit. It is a most abun- 
 dant bearer, and hangs on the tree very late in the 
 season. The tree is hardy ; of a handsome, open, 
 spreading, and vigorous growth: the fruit is small; 
 the colour a deep red, and sometimes a little streaked 
 with yellow; the skin of a polished smoothness; the 
 form inclining to oblong. The flesh is very firm, 
 yellow, and rich ; not fit for eating until mid-winter, 
 when it becomes juicy, tender, and finely flavoured." 
 (Coxe.) 
 
 16. Cider apple, c. "The apple propagated under 
 this name is highly esteemed, as a most productive 
 and excellent cider fruit, in the county of Bucks, and 
 the contiguous parts of Pennsylvania. The size is 
 middling ; its appearance resembles the vandevere ; 
 the skin is smooth, a lively streaked red : it is a pleas- 
 ant table fruit, but is chiefly used for cider. The 
 tree is tall ; the limbs shoot upward. It is sometimes 
 loaded with fruit, beyond any other tree in our or- 
 chards ; requiring great care to prevent the branches 
 being destroyed by the weight of fruit. It ripens in 
 October and November." (Coxe.) 
 
 17. Codling, The codling, called also the English 
 codling, is a very fine fruit for pies and stewing, and is 
 also a pleasant table apple. It grows very large and 
 
128 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 fair ; the form is oblong, rather irregular ; the skin to 
 a bright, though pale yellow, with a fine blush, fre- 
 quently, towards the sun ; it is somewhat pointed to- 
 wards the blossom end ; the stalk short ; the flesh 
 white, tender and sprightly. The tree is uncommon- 
 ly handsome, vigorous and fruitful ; bearing very 
 young, and constantly ; the leaves are large ; it makes 
 a fine appearance in an orchard. The fruit is fit for 
 stewing from the first ef August, but does not become 
 fully ripe until the end of that month, and continues 
 in season till late in October. It is one of the profit- 
 able apples for market ; ripening gradually, and be- 
 ing very free from rot." (Coxe.) 
 
 18. Corlles sweet, c. "This is a large, fair apple, 
 rather long in shape, of a bright yellow colour, smooth 
 skin, a faint blush, and a few small grey specks ; the 
 stalk is short, and of a middling thickness ; the flesh 
 is coarsely grained, white and sweet ; it ripens in 
 September and October, but will keep later for cider, 
 for which it is highly esteemed. The tree grows vig- 
 orously, with a deep green foliage, and round head : 
 it is a great bearer. It was brought from East Jer- 
 sey." (Coxe.) 
 
 19. Coopers russeting, c. "Keeps from October to 
 May. A natural fruit, produced on the farm of Jo- 
 seph Cooper, of New Jersey, who believes it to be of 
 Indian origin ; as the tree, from which he (when a 
 } r oung man) preserved a graft, was an old decayed 
 tree, and the place on which it grew was originally the 
 site of an Indian village. It is somewhat dry, but of 
 a pleasant sweetish taste. This apple makes most 
 excellent cider : it is also a good pie apple, and best 
 when not pared. Pears, boiled in russeting cider, 
 with about half sugar, make a good preserve. The 
 trees bear abundantly every second year : the limbs 
 spread horizontally, and are short. This excellent 
 fruit, being justly esteemed, is much propagated by 
 engrafting, in New Jersey." (Mease.) 
 
©F FRUIT TREE-, 129 
 
 20. Flat sweeting, or hornet sweeting, from the' cir- 
 cumstance of its being a favourite of hornets, on ac- 
 count of its rich, sirupy juice. This is a flat apple, 
 thin skin, and of a yellowish colour ; flesh white, and 
 juice saccharine and pleasant. Ripe in September, 
 and will keep several months. It is doubtful whether 
 this fruit is known out of the county of Plymouth- 
 Its origin not ascertained. 
 
 21. Gloucester white, c. "The apple is of a 
 middling size ; of a shape not very uniform, varying 
 from an oblong to a flat form ; the colour, when ripe, 
 is a bright yellow ; rich, breaking and juicy ; of a fine 
 flavour, as a table apple ; and producing cider of an 
 exquisite taste. The stalk is of the ordinary length, 
 inserted in a cavity of medium depth ; the crown is 
 moderately deep ; the time of ripening is about the 
 first of October, after which the fruit soon falls, and 
 is fit for cider : it does not keep long, but while in 
 season, is a delicious table apple. The tree is very 
 thrifty, hardy and vigorous ; of a regular and beauti- 
 ful form, and very productive. It is much cultivated 
 in the lower counties of Virginia ; from whence I 
 procured it, as an apple of high reputation." (Coxe.) 
 
 22. Golden pippin. "Keeps from October to Janua- 
 ry ; slightly acid ; yellow on one side, and red on the 
 other : it is a good apple, according to Mr. Riley, and 
 was brought from England by William Penn. It suc- 
 ceeds best on a sandy soil," 
 
 23. Golden rennet, "A beautiful and excellent ap- 
 ple, of a bright yellow tint, marked on the south side 
 with faint red streaks, and yellow brown dots ; its 
 flesh is remarkably tender, and of a glossy white yi 
 the juice has the taste and flavour peculiar to pine ap 
 pies, and which is also found in the golden pippin : 
 when stored, it ripens in December, but attains to per- 
 lection only in February. The tree has a healthy ap- 
 pearance, and is of a middling size." 
 
 12 
 
130 CULTURE AND &AfrAGEIu£N' 
 
 \ 
 
 24. Green everlasting, "Light green colour ; skin 
 remarkably smooth and fair. This apple keeps well 
 until late in the summer, and some have kept perfect- 
 ly sound more than a year from the time they were 
 gathered." (Mease.) 
 
 25. Green Newton pippin, c. "It is of a flattish form, 
 and green colour, when first gathered, turning yellow 
 in the spring, and is justly esteemed the best table ap- 
 ple in America. It is supposed to have come origin- 
 ally from Holland, but Mr. Prince says, it originated 
 in the town of Newton, Queen's county, Long Island, 
 state of New-York. In general, apples, kept till the 
 spring, lose their flavour, and become mealy, but the 
 Newton pippin may be kept till June, without losing 
 either its juice or flavour. It is an excellent apple for 
 cider, either alone or mixed with others. Many va- 
 rieties are raised from the seed of it, of a large size, 
 but different in form and colour. Mr. Riley, of Mar- 
 cus Hook, says, there are two varieties raised at New- 
 ton, in Chester county. The flat sort is much the 
 best, and the greatest bearer. It is an excellent apple 
 for house use ; makes a large quantity of cider, though 
 of a thin quality. A large long kind, sometimes call- 
 ed lady-finger, is not so good ; the taste is not so pleas- 
 ant, and they have a thick skin. This apple is of a 
 beautiful golden colour in the spring. The trees of 
 both those varieties grow larger, and are great bear- 
 ers. Forsyth remarks, that the Newton pippin sel- 
 dom ripens in England. Mr. Cooper, of New Jersey, 
 remarks, that the Newton pippin does not thrive in 
 a sandy soil." (Mease.) 
 
 26. Grey house, c. "Mr. Riley, of Marcus Hook, 
 thinks this is not excelled by any for making cider : 
 it is of a middling size, reddish grey colour, ripe in 
 October. Cider is made of it in November. The 
 tree bears but every other year, and then is heavily 
 loaded. It is a very tender fruit, though late in blos= 
 
05 1 FRUIT TREES. 131 
 
 soming. At the time of the formation of this fruit, it 
 is very subject to perish by easterly winds, attended 
 by cold rains, which frequently cause the apples to 
 fall offin abundance, sometimes to the loss of the whole 
 crop ; and, on an average, the tree does not succeed 
 in bearing a good crop above one fourth of the time. 
 It was first discovered by P. Roman, in his township, 
 (Marcus Hook,) by a natural tree, that grew close to 
 his house ; hence called his house tree, and by some, 
 Roman knights. This tree is ot a middling size, in- 
 clines to grow low, and is short lived. Twelve bush- 
 els of these apples are required to make a barrel of cin- 
 der." (Mease,) 
 
 27. Hagloe cra6, c. "According to Mr. Marshall, a 
 gentleman in Herefordshire, England, Mr. Bellamy, 
 produces cider from the Hagloe crab, which, for rich- 
 ness, flavour, and price on the spot, exceeds, perhaps, 
 every other fruit liquor, which nature or art have 
 produced. He has been offered sixty guineas for a 
 hogshead, containing one hundred and ten gallons of 
 this liquor." William Coxe, esquire, of Burlington, 
 New-Jersey, having cultivated this fruit, describes it 
 as follows : "The fruit, when fully ripe, has a yellow 
 ground, streaked with bright red; the size about mid- 
 dling ; the form round, flat at the ends ; the stalk 
 large ; the flesh remarkably soft and woolly, but not 
 dry ; the taste acid, but highly flavoured ; the quanti- 
 ty of juice smaller, in proportion to the fibrous matter, 
 than in most other apples, requiring nearly one third 
 more of the hagloes for a barrel of cider, than of com- 
 mon fruit ; the juice, though uncommonly clear, h 
 singularly rich ; and though the smell of the apple is 
 faint, the flavour of the cider is high, and, when prop- 
 erly manufactured, is very rich. The colour of the 
 flesh is pale, but that of the cider, dark; it ripens in 
 August and September; keeps a long time without rot- 
 ting ; it bears abundantly and early ; the growth ei 
 
132 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 
 the tree is very uncommon ; thick strong shoots ; 
 buds, particularly at the extremity of the branches, 
 very large ; the colour of the wood dark ; the size of 
 the tree is small. The Hagloe is an uncommon fine 
 cooking apple ; and from its great beauty and large 
 feize, added to its abundant bearing, is a valuable mar- 
 ket fruit." 
 
 28. Harrison apple, or long slem,c. "It is of a mod- 
 crate size, and of a rich dry taste, with a tartness, that 
 renders its sweetness agreeable and lively. It ripens 
 about the beginning of November ; keeps a long time, 
 and answers well for culinary purposes. The cider 
 made from this apple is clear, high celoured, rich, and 
 lively. General Washington was presented with a 
 barrel of it, by judge Boudinot, of Newark, New-Jer- 
 sey, and he declared his preference of it to that made 
 from Hughes's Virginia crab. This fruit originated 
 in Essex county, New-Jersey, where it is now very 
 extensively cultivated. The cider from this fruit sells 
 from eight to ten dollars per barrel. Mr. Coxe ob- 
 serves, "as a more vinous, rich, and highly flavoured 
 liquor, I prefer the Harrison to the crab cider." 
 (Mease.) "One tree of this kind, this year, (l 81 7,) in 
 an orchard in Essex county," says Mr. Coxe, "produc- 
 ed upwards of one hundred bushels, eighty-seven of 
 which were gathered, when fully ripe ; the others 
 were fallen fruit, carefully measured, to ascertain the 
 quantity." 
 
 29. Harty meetings c. A small yellow apple ; ri- 
 pens in autumn, and is considered a valuable cider ap- 
 ple^but not very useful for other purposes. 
 
 30. High-lop sweeting. This tree, it is believed, is 
 peculiar to the old Plymouth colony. The first set- 
 tlers, either from choice, or for want of other vane- 
 ties, cultivated it more generally than any other ap- 
 ple. It is now much on the decline. 7 he fruit is 
 under the middle size ; of a yellowish colour, pleas- 
 
u>>F FRUIT TREES, 133 
 
 ant taste ; but chiefly used for baking, and for drying* 
 It is ripe in August, and is not Jong preserved. The 
 tree is remarkable for its Jong upright stem. 
 
 31. Holmes apple, c. Was first planted by J. Holmes, 
 esquire, of Kingston, Plymouth county. He set in 
 the ground a small sprout, without knowing its quali- 
 ties, and in the eleventh year he gathered from it 
 thirty bushels of apples. It is now much admired, 
 and extensively cultivated, in this vicinity. The tree 
 bears young, and every year; th _• more abundantly 
 every second year. The fruit is of a middling size ; 
 the skin white, with a blush on the sun side. Ripe in. 
 November ; keeps through the winter ; has a pleasant 
 flavour, and makes good cider. 
 
 32. Holttn sweeting, c. It is among the excellences 
 of this tree, that it flourishes on a thin soil, and that it 
 bears remarkably early, and very uniformly. Ripe 
 in September, and is an excellent fall apple for family 
 use, and for cider of the first quality. It is desefving 
 of general cultivation. No account of its origin has 
 been obtained. 
 
 33. Hughes's Virginia crab, c. "A small fruit, of a 
 light green colour, striped with red, and of a harsh 
 unpleasant taste. Originated in Virginia ; and is high- 
 ly valued as a cider fruit, as its must is less disposed, 
 from its great acidity, to rise too high in fermentation, 
 than that of any other apple ; and it has, besides, al- 
 most every other property of a cider apple. The 
 trees bear abundantly ; the fruit ripens late, and is 
 free from rot of any kind ; the fruit is small and hard, 
 and, therefore, bears the fall from the tree without 
 bruising. It grinds small, and the pulp is remarkably 
 tough, yet parts with its juice readily ; and the must 
 runs from the press very fine and clear. 
 
 34. Lady apple, Pomme d'Apis. This is of French 
 origin ; of a bright red colour next the sun, and yel- 
 low and green on the other side. A most beautiful 
 
 *12 
 
34 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 \ 
 
 Kttle apple, and of pleasant taste. It keeps well dur- 
 ing the winter, and is a much admired dessert apple. 
 
 35. Lady finger. A long, tapering fruit, of a beau- 
 tiful yellow and red colour. It is well flavoured, and 
 keeps until June. The tree bears abundantly. 
 
 36. Large red and green sweeting. Ripens in Sep- 
 tember. A very large fruit, weighing a pound. Red, 
 streaked on a yellow ground ; the flesh sweet and 
 tender. 
 
 37. Large early harvest. "Ripens in June and Ju- 
 ly. It is usually as large as a middle sized Newton 
 pippin ; of a pale yellow colour, when ripe ; of a pleas- 
 ant acid taste, and answers best for tarts, and may be 
 used for that purpose, when no larger than a nutmeg ; 
 but cutting them in two equal parts, without peeling." 
 (Mease.) 
 
 38. Loring sweeting. The apple, known by this 
 name, was brought from the county of Bristol, by Mr. 
 E. feoring, of Plympton, Plymouth county, and is 
 much cultivated in this vicinity ; its origin, or the 
 name by which it is distinguished in other parts of 
 the country, 1 have not been able to ascertain. The 
 fruit is large and fair ; of a pale yellow colour ; the 
 flesh is sweet, and extremely pleasant ; abounding in 
 a rich sirupy juice ; and, as a baking apple, it is of 
 superiour excellence. It ripens in autumn, and re- 
 tains its good properties till March. This fruit ought 
 to be introduced into every orchard. 
 
 39. Large yellow Newark pippin — Yellow pippin — 
 French pippin of Newark, c. "Abounds near Newark, 
 New Jersey ; an excellent winter apple, of a greenish 
 colour outside, rich saccharine taste, yellow substance, 
 and of a higher flavour than the Newton pippin. It 
 is so abundant in juice, that a barrel of cider has been 
 made from seven bushels ; but the cider is not of the 
 first quality. It is said to have been imported from 
 France." (Mease.) 
 
8F FRUIT TREES. 135 
 
 I 
 
 40. Maiden's blush, "This is an apple of large size, 
 and great beauty ; exhibiting a lively contrast--a yel- 
 low ground, with a bright red cheek ; whence it de- 
 rives its name, given to it by Samuel Allison, esquire, 
 late of Burlington, who first brought it into notice : 
 the form is flat, the skin smooth, the flesh white, ten- 
 der and sprightly ; remarkably light, and fitted for 
 drying, for which it is preferred to any apple of the 
 season ; the stalk is short, and grows in a deep hol- 
 low, as does the eye : the fruit ripens in August, and 
 continues in perfection till the end of September ; 
 and is fit both for pies and the table. The tree is un- 
 commonly handsome, as well as vigorous in its growth ; 
 forming a fine open and spreading head : it bears a- 
 bundantly and constantly, and is a \ery popular ap- 
 ple in the Philadelphia market." (Coxe.) 
 
 41. Michael Henry. "A winter fruit ; a long green 
 apple, much admired for the table, in Monmouth coun- 
 ty, New-Jersey* It is a sweet, juicy, sprightly and 
 well flavoured apple." 
 
 42. Monstrous pippin, or American gloria mundi. "It 
 originated on the farm of Mr. Crooks, near Red Hock, 
 in New-York. It is of a yellow colour, when ripe, 
 and resembles in flavour the fall pippin, or piplin. It 
 will keep from November till March. The fruit of 
 the original tree weighed twenty-seven ounces." 
 (Mease.) 
 
 43. Morgan apple. "Ripe in October. So named 
 by Samuel Coles, of Moorstown, New-Jersey ; as it 
 came from the late I. Morgan. A pleasant eating ap- 
 ple ; will keep till May. A great bearer." (Mease.) 
 
 44. Newark king apple. "It is a very large red 
 fruit ; ripens in October, and when mellow, has a very 
 pleasant taste, and is generally used as a winter apple 
 about Newark, New-Jersey, though it does not keep 
 so well as some others." 
 
 45. Nonsuch. This is a fine red apple, having an 
 
136 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 m 
 
 agreeable flavour ; will keep sound till late in the 
 spring, and is much esteemed in Massachusetts, for 
 its good properties. 
 
 46. Nursery apple. "Is the size of the Harrison 
 apple. When first ripe it is of a greenish colour, but 
 in the latter part of the winter, it turns yellow. It 
 is frequently kept until June and July, and has been 
 kept sound until September. It originated in a nur- 
 sery of Jos. Baldwin, at Cranetown, New-Jersey." 
 (Mease.) 
 
 47. Pearmain, c. The winter pearmain is among 
 the first cultivated apples by the fathers of the old 
 Plymouth colony, and is, undoubtedly, of English de- 
 scent. Many trees of this kind are now supposed to 
 be more than one hundred years old, and grafted 
 trees from them produce the genuine fruit in great 
 perfection. The tree is tall and upright, forming a 
 handsome regular top : it is hardy, and will flourish 
 in a light soil. It is not an early bearer, but when 
 attained to about twelve years, from having been 
 grafted, it produces more abundantly and uniformly 
 than any other kind within our knowledge. The 
 fruit is scarcely excelled as a table apple, or for cook- 
 ery ; and the cider made from it, is said to be inferiour 
 to none. The apple is of a moderate size; fair and 
 smooth ; of a reddish colour, interspersed with green 
 and yellow ; the flesh a rich yellow ; the flavour slight- 
 ly aromatick, and agreeable. There are two or three 
 varieties of this apple, but rather of an inferiour qual- 
 ity. 
 
 48. Pennoclfs red winter. A large, fair, pleasant, 
 spicy, apple ; of an oval, and somewhat flat form ; of a 
 reddish colour, it originally came from Jos. Pennock, 
 of Springfield township, Delaware county. The tree 
 grows large, and is very handsome ; a great bearer, 
 and the fruit is in great repute in the Philadelphia 
 market* 
 
 \ 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 137 
 
 49. Priestly. "Keeps from December to April ; o- 
 riginally cultivated in Buck's county, Pennsylvania. 
 A large, long, juicy fruit, and of a spicy flavour •, col- 
 our red. This tree grows very straight, and is of a 
 handsome shape." (Mease.) 
 
 50. Pove-shon, c. "Is a small red apple ; ripe about 
 the latter end of September ; of a pleasant flavour, and 
 makes good early cider ; for which purpose it is gen- 
 erally used about Newark, New-Jersey ." (Mease.) 
 
 51. Pound apple. "This is a large fair apple, very 
 showy, the form is flat, the stalk short, and planted 
 in an indented cavity : the skin is smooth, a pale yel- 
 low, inclining to a green, streaked with a lively red ; 
 the flesh of a yellowish cast, mixed with a small portion 
 of green ; juicy and sprightly ; well fitted for cooking ; 
 it ripens in October, and keeps for several months : the 
 tree is large, vigorous and spreading." (Coxe.) 
 
 52. Quince apple. "The tree is of large and vig- 
 orous growth, the size of the apple large, the shape 
 flat, the skin when fully ripe is yellow, the flesh rich, 
 yellow and juicy : in appearance, it somewhat resem- 
 bles a large yellow Newton pippin. It came original- 
 ly from the state of New-York. Ripens in Novem- 
 ber." (Coxe.) 
 
 53. Queen apple. (Summer queen.) "The summer 
 queen is an apple of the finest quality, and its appear- 
 ance is uncommonly beautiful. The size is large ; 
 the skin has a fine, rich, yellow ground, mixed with 
 red, handsomely striped and clouded, sometimes in a 
 proportion greater than the yellow 5 the blossom end 
 is much pointed, and full of little furrows and protu- 
 berances ; the stalk is long, and planted in a deep cav- 
 ity, with projections of the flesh around the stalk, like 
 the Roman stem — the flesh is rich, j T ellow, and high- 
 ly scented ; equally suited for eating and stewing. It 
 is not fully ripe until the beginning of August, but 
 can be used for stewing long before that time : the 
 
\ 
 
 138 -CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 tree is of a very luxuriant growth, with large leaves, 
 and hanging boughs : it is a great and constant bearer : 
 it is known by the name of sweets harvest, in many 
 parts of New-Jersey." (Coxe.) 
 
 54. Rariton sweeting, c. "Rich flavour, egg-shap- 
 ed, makes good cider, which keeps well : brought 
 from Rariton, by Mr. Ogden's father. (Mease.) 
 
 55. Red everlasting. "Ripe in November. Its col- 
 our deep red, it is a small sized fruit, of tolerable fla- 
 vour, and keeps well till June or July, but grows 
 mealy and dry." (Mease.) 
 
 56. Redling. "Was brought about sixty years since 
 from Pennsylvania to New-Jersey, by the mother of 
 Mr. Jos. Cooper, who thinks it is the best keeping ap- 
 ple now known. The colour is of a light shining red, 
 and of very pleasant smell and taste. They hang on 
 well, being suspended at the end of a twig. It some- 
 what resembles the Priestly apple." (Mease.) 
 
 57. Red streak, c. "Originally from England — a 
 winter fruit ; keeps well, but shrinks ; of a pleasant 
 flavour, red with spots, and generally has a russet col- 
 oured teat on the lower side. The tree grows straight. 
 When used for pies, they need not be pared. The 
 cider from this apple is much admired." (Mease.) 
 
 58. Rambo. From Delaware — a fine apple of the 
 size of the vandevere ; same shape, and a highly val- 
 ued fruit. 
 
 59. Roane's zohite crab, c. "This apple I procured 
 from colonel John Roane, of Virginia : the original 
 tree was discovered a wilding on bis estate, in the 
 year 1 790. In growth it resembles the Hewes crab ; 
 the leaves being very delicate, the wood hard, and 
 the size of the tree small : it is an early and great 
 bearer every second year: the apple is very small, 
 not larger than the Hewes crab ; the form is round, 
 the stalk thin, the skin yellow, with a small portion 
 ©f russet about the stem, and spots of red scattered 
 
OF FRUIT TREES". 135 
 
 over it : the flesh is rich, dry, and of a musky sweet- 
 ness ; rough to the taste, from its astringent and 
 fibrous properties, and leaving the pomace undissolv- 
 ed, after pressing : the liquor is remarkably strong, 
 of a sirupy consistence when first made, but becoming 
 singularly bright by proper fermentation and racking. 
 It will keep perfectly sweet, in casks well bunged, and 
 placed in a cool cellar through our summer months : 
 the fruit ripens in September and October, and may 
 be kept without rotting, for late cider." (Coxe.) 
 
 60. Rhode-Island greening. This is a fine large fair 
 fruit, of a green colour when first gathered, and turns 
 yellow towards spring. The flesh is rich, juicy, ten- 
 der and very yellow. It is a most excellent apple for 
 the table, in the first part of winter, and will keep 
 and retain its flavour till March, The tree grows rap- 
 idly, spreading its luxuriant branches very extensive- 
 ly, and inclining towards the earth. It is doubtful 
 whether this is the same, or a different variety from 
 the Jersey greening. 
 
 61. Roman Stem. " This apple was first propagat- 
 ed in the neighborhood of Burlington, New Jersey, 
 where the original tree is now standing. It is an ex- 
 cellent early winter fruit, much admired for its ten- 
 der, mild, juicy and agreeable properties: the size is 
 small ; the form round ; the stalk of a singular ap- 
 pearance, from a fleshy protuberance of the neigh- 
 bouring part, resembling an aquiline nose ; whence 
 the apple derives its name : the skin is rough ; the 
 colour yellow, with black clouds and spots : the tree 
 is of handsome and vigorous growth, with long shoots, 
 and great fruitfulness : it is in every respect deserv- 
 ing of extensive cultivation." (Coxe.) 
 
 62. Royal pearmain, c. " Is a fine large apple ; 
 rather flat in its form; of a rich russet colour, blend- 
 ed with red, faintly streaked, and dotted with spots 
 of russet. The skin is rough, the flesh a rich yellow, 
 
140 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 of a very sprightly taste, and firm in its texture : 
 when first gathered, rather tart, but becomes both 
 sweet and tender by keeping : it is a good table ap- 
 ple, and makes excellent cider: the size that of a 
 vandevere : it ripens in October, and will keep till 
 February and March : it is highly esteemed by the 
 planters in Virginia, whence I procured it, from the 
 neighbourhood of Richmond : the tree grows tall and 
 straight, with a luxuriant foliage, and regular form, 
 and is a most abundant and uniform bearer. This 
 apple is known in Pennsylvania, and much cultivated, 
 under the name of the Merrit's pearmain." (Coxe.) 
 
 63. Royal russet, or leather coat, "This is an apple 
 of moderate size, and of a flat form : when ripe, the 
 side next the sun is a rich red, intermixed with russet, 
 with spots of white : the flesh is well flavoured, 
 sprightly and tender ; the stem short and thick, with 
 small swellings in the surrounding parts: it is a fine 
 cooking apple; keeps well; and bears abundantly. 
 It was imported from England, where it is highly es- 
 teemed as a valuable winter apple." (Coxe.) 
 
 64. Roxbury russcting, c. This is one of the best 
 known, and most valuable fruits in Massachusetts. 
 The apple is rather flat, and the colour a yellowish 
 russet : it is not fit to eat till February, and is very 
 easily preserved till June, when its juice and flavour 
 are peculiarly pleasant. The trees are the most con- 
 stant to bear, and seldom bear so full as to break the 
 limbs ; and the fruit is excellent for cider ; and for 
 the table, late in the spring. But the trees require a 
 moist situation, and are less likely to thrive well in a 
 dry soil, than any other kind of apple. They require 
 also more manuring and care than most others, or 
 the fruit will be very ordinary. 
 
 65. RuckmarCs pearmain, or golden pearmain, c. 
 " Called in New York and East Jersey, the Ruckman's 
 or Dutch pearmain ; and in other places, the red rus- 
 
 \ 
 
GF FRUIT TREES. 141 
 
 set; is a most valuable apple for cider, and for family 
 use: the size is middling; the form rather flat ; the 
 skin rough, with a large portion of bright russet, 
 mingled with red, towards the sun, when fully ripe : 
 the flesh is rich, tender, and rather dry : it is a great 
 and uniform bearer : the tree grows luxuriantly, with 
 strong shoots, and a close, compact head : the fruit 
 ripens in November, and keeps well through the win- 
 ter." (Coxe.) 
 
 66, Seek no further, "This apple is a native of one 
 of the eastern states : it is a large fruit ; of round, but 
 oblong form; the skin smooth, of a yellowish green 
 colour; the flesh yellow, juicy, rich and tender; an- 
 agreeable early winter apple. The tree bears well ; 
 the trunk straight and tall, shooting into branches up- 
 wards, in a handsome and regular form." (Coxe.) 
 The seek no further, or by some called sigriifinger, is 
 much cultivated at Raynham, county of Bristol, where 
 it probably originated. From its high reputation, it 
 is now extending, by engraftments, into various parts 
 of Massachusetts. 
 
 67. Spitszenburgh, "Keeps from November to 
 March. There are three sorts: theEsopus; Flush- 
 ing ; and the Newton. The first, of a light red col- 
 our, round form, pleasant flavour, and slightly acid. 
 The second is generally larger, and of a deeper red 
 colour, covered with small white specks; its form is 
 flatter, and is of a more acid taste than the first. The 
 third species resembles the second in taste and colour, 
 but in form is much flatter. According to Mr. S. De 
 Witt, surveyor general of New York, the Spitszen- 
 burgh was discovered as an accidental production, in 
 the neighbourhood of the city of Albany, and in his 
 opinion, may challenge the world to match it. The 
 flavour he thinks superior to the Newton pippin. 
 Mr. Cooper and Mr. Coles, of Moorstown, New Jer- 
 sey, mentioned another kind, called the Cane Spits* 
 
 13 
 
142 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 
 
 zenburgh, from a family of that name near Gloucester 
 Point, New Jersey, and which they thought superi- 
 our to the kinds mentioned above." (Mease.) 
 
 68. Spice apple. "Is a large autumn apple, of an 
 aromatick flavour, very tender, and good for house 
 use, bat will not keep long. It appears to be peculiar 
 to New Jersey." 
 
 69. Styre, c. This is the most celebrated and ex- 
 tensively cultivated cider apple in England; and is 
 also a good eating apple. The size is above midling ; 
 the colour of a pale yellowish white; the flesh is 
 firm, and when fully ripe, of a fine flavour : the cider, 
 when produced from a light, rich soil, is rich, highly 
 flavoured, and of a good body; its price in England is 
 frequently fourfold of that of common sale cider: the 
 fruit is pale-rinded, but produces a high-coloured li- 
 quor. The tree is of a singularly beautiful growth, 
 remarkably besom-headed, throwing out numerous 
 straight luxuriant shoots, growing upwards from the 
 crown, in the form of a willow pollard, running much 
 to wood, and, in deep soils, growing to a great size 
 before it becomes fruitful. It suits sandy ground. 
 By the end of September it is ripe in England ; gen- 
 erally the middle of October, in common years, the 
 time of gathering. By Mr, Knight's experiment, 
 they must outweigh all others, except that of a new 
 variety produced by mixing the Lalham green and 
 Siberian crab. Marshall states, that nearly one third 
 more of Sty re apples is required to produce a barrel 
 ©f cider, compared with common apples." (Coxe.) 
 
 70. Summer pearmain. "This is one of the finest 
 fruits of the season — frequently preferred to a fine 
 pear. The size is middling, the form oblong, uniform- 
 ly regular — the ends both deeply indented, the colour 
 in the shade is dull red, somewhat streaked, and faint- 
 ly spotted — in the sun it is frequently of a lively red, 
 blended with a rich yellow : the juice is abundant, un- 
 
OF FRUIT TREES. 143 
 
 til too ripe— the flesh is singularly tender, U frequent- 
 ly cracks open on the tree, and bursts from its own 
 weight in falling : it is equally adapted to the table 
 and stewing, and is probably the most popular apple 
 of the season, which commences with the first of Au- 
 gust, and (it being very free from rotting) continues 
 through that and the following month. The tree is 
 of a moderate size, the head very round and close: it 
 grows remarkably well on light and sandy soils.*' 
 (Coxe.) 
 
 71. Swaar apple. Keeps from November to March. 
 A large, yellow, and greenish apple, of good flavour : 
 much admired as being a winter table fruit, of supe- 
 riour excellence. The trees bear largely. 
 
 72. Sweet greening. A large, handsome apple, re- 
 sembling in size and form, the Rhode Island greening. 
 Ripens in autumn, and possesses the valuable proper- 
 ty of retaining its soundness and flavour till the mid- 
 dle of June. It is an excellent apple for baking, and 
 deserves to be more extensively cultivated. Its ori- 
 gin is uncertain, and it is doubtful whether this fruit is 
 known out of the old Plymouth colony. 
 
 73. Tolman sweeting. I have not been able to trace 
 to its origin this justly admired apple. In Dartmouth, 
 county of Bristol, where it is best known, it is held in 
 much estimation for family use during the autumn, 
 and through the winter. *The fruit is above the mid- 
 dle size, yellow, with a small bluish stripe on one side : 
 it is juicy, and the flavour pleasant. 
 
 74. Vandevere, c. "Formerly called stalcubs. A 
 well known and most excellent eating fruit; pleasant, 
 and sprightly acid, joined with a sweetish taste, and 
 much preferred for pies and sauces. Unfortunately 
 the trees have greatly failed of late. On a rich heavy 
 soil, they are subject to the bitter rot : on a lhght soil, 
 not so much so. Mr. Riley, of Marcus Hook, says, 
 this apple originally came from Wilmington Dela- 
 
1 44 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT, &C. 
 
 ware, and was called after a farmer who raised it.*' 
 (Mease,) 
 
 75. Vanioinkh, or granniwinhle, c. "Is a large, red, 
 and very sweet apple ; rich taste, and fine flavour : 
 ripe about the middle of October, when the fruit falls 
 and decays so rapidly that it is difficult to preserve 
 the apple till the proper time for making first rate ci- 
 der. These apples answer best, when mixed with 
 half of their quantity of the Harrison apple. Cider 
 made from this apple alone, resembles unfermented 
 metheglin, and must remain in the barrel until the 
 next summer, when it will fine. The tree originated 
 in the orchard of Thomas Williams, deceased, accord- 
 ing to Mr. Hillyes, of Orange ; but Mr. John Ogden, 
 of Newark, says, he was told the first graft was taken 
 from a tree belonging to an old lady, Mrs. Van Win- 
 kle Poveshon." (Mease.) 
 
 76. Wine apple, c. "An uncommonly large, fair, 
 handsome, red apple. The form is round ; flat at the 
 ends : the skin is a lively red, streaked and spotted 
 with a small portion of yellow ; the stalk end frequent- 
 ly of a russet colour; both ends deeply indented; 
 the stall: very short : the taste is rich and pleasant ; 
 an admired table fruit, and excellent for cooking, as 
 well as for cider : it ripens in October, and keeps well 
 through the fall and winter. The tree is uncommon- 
 ly large and handsome ; the leaves small ; it bears a- 
 bundantly ; from its spreading form it does not require 
 much trimming : it is probably as saleable an apple as 
 any sold in the Philadelphia market. In the state 
 and county of Delaware, it is called the Hays winter ! 
 and in one place in New-Jersey, the fine winter, and 
 large winter red. f have been informed, that the o- 
 riginal cultivator of this apple made admirable cider, 
 by throwing about one shovel full of sandy loam into 
 a pressing, which had an effect in lessening the acidi- 
 ty, and made a clear, sweet liquor, by this novel mode 
 of fining." (Coxe.) 
 
 \ 
 
fciDER. 145 
 
 77. Wine sap, c. "An autumn fruit, of a deep red 
 colour, and sweet but not sprightly taste ; makes ex- 
 cellent cider, which is preferred by some tothat of 
 the red streak, cultivated by Samuel Coles, of Moors- 
 town, New Jersey/' 
 
 78. Yellow szoeeting, c. "A large, yellow, sweet ap- 
 ple, will keep till harvest, makes good cider, and an- 
 swers for family use. Mr. J. Ogden's father took the 
 scion from an old tree of J. Johnston's, at Connecti- 
 cut farms, fifty years ago." (Mease.) 
 
 Scions of the following new varieties have been re- 
 ceived by John Lowell, esquire, from that eminent 
 English horticulturalist, Mr. Knight : 
 
 Gilliflower apple. Form angular, flesh perfumed and 
 remarkably yellow. It is in perfection in winter and 
 spring. It would afford a most excellent cider. 
 
 Sweeney nopareil apple. A very large variety of the 
 nonpareil, very excellent when well ripened in a 
 warm season. It is entirely new. 
 
 €IDER. 
 
 I have now the satisfaction of presenting the most 
 ample and approved rules and directions relative to 
 the important art of manufacturing and preserving 
 that valuable and salubrious beverage, the produce of 
 our orchards. The importance of the subject will jus- 
 tify the extent and minuteness of detail which occupy 
 the following pages, and it is hoped the reader will 
 find them, in the perusal, interesting and profitable. 
 
 "The value of fruits, for the manufacture of cider, 
 may be judged of from the specifick gravity of their 
 expressed juices. The best cider and perry are made 
 *1S 
 
146 CIDER. 
 
 from those apples and pears that afford the densest 
 juices; and a comparison between different truits may 
 be made with tolerable accuracy, by plunging them 
 together into a saturated solution of salt, or a strong 
 solution of sugar : those that sink deepest, will afford 
 the richest juice." 
 
 The first authority of which I avail myself, is to be 
 found in papers on agriculture, by the Massachusetts 
 society for promoting agriculture, vol. i. 
 
 "of making and managing cider. 
 
 "From the apple, in our country, we obtain a bev- 
 erage highly useful. The wines of other countries 
 do not differ more in quality, than the cider of ours. 
 And much of this difference arises from improper 
 management, either in grinding the apples, or, what 
 is more common, putting the must or juice into foul 
 casks, and neglecting or mismanaging it while fer- 
 menting. Mr. Marshall asserts, that a gentleman in 
 Herefordshire, (England,) Mr. Bellamy, produces ci- 
 der from an apple called the Hagloe crab, which, for 
 richness, flavour, and price on the spot, exceeds per- 
 haps every other fruit liquor, which nature or art 
 have produced. He has been offered sixty guineas 
 for a hogshead of one hundred and ten gallons of this 
 liquor. Thus we see how capable the fruit from the 
 apple tree is of improvement. We are favoured with 
 the observations of a gentleman residing near Phila- 
 delphia, on the making and fermenting cider, and his 
 directions to preserve the casks that have been used 
 for cider. He begins thus : "It would be to little 
 purpose, at present, to say much on the kinds of fruit 
 capable of yielding the best cider, yet itmay be prop- 
 er to mention those most common here, and give them 
 a place according to their respective merits. The 
 sweet russet, called the pair apple, is unquestionably 
 
 m 
 
CIDER. 14% 
 
 the richest fruit we have : the house. apple stands sec- 
 ond : they both yield xery sweet must, and conse- 
 quently, specifically heavier than that of any other 
 apple. The Newton pippin yields its must free from 
 the finer pomace, and, although not so rich, from that 
 circumstance, ferments more moderately, and is soon- 
 est fine in the cask. The Spitszenburgh and pearmain 
 I do not rank among the cider apples, because they 
 seldom afford a must that will bear fermentation,exccpt 
 the season be uncommonly dry, or the trees very old. 
 The largest and finest fruit grows on young trees, and 
 in moist seasons, and these yield the greatest quantity 
 of cider. Old trees and dry seasons afford a smaller 
 fruit, highly flavoured, and less juicy. The vandevere 
 is little better than good water cider. If it be fer- 
 mented, it very soon becomes acid, and if not ferment- 
 ed, becomes ropy. The red streak, the cockagee, and 
 the royal wilding, so famous in England and Ireland, 
 are not known here, but the Virginia crab well enough 
 supplies the place of them all. This apple deserves 
 every possible attention, and its must is less disposed, 
 from its great acidity, to rise too high in fermention 
 than that of any apple known here. Were there no 
 other advantages, this simple one would render it ex- 
 ceedingly valuable to the common farmer, who will 
 be hardly brought to pay attention to the nice opera- 
 tion of fermenting the sweeter fruits ; but it has al- 
 most every other good property of a cider apple. The 
 trees bear abundantly, the fruit ripens late, and is free 
 from rot of any kind ; the fruit is small and hard, and 
 therefore bears the fall from the tree without bruising. 
 It grinds small, and the pulp is remarkably tough, yet 
 parts with its juice readily; hence the must runs from 
 the press^very fine. It would be going beyond my 
 present onject, to say much more of this apple ; yet I 
 cannot forbear observing, that being acid, it will bear 
 to stand in the pomace longer than any sweeter apple* 
 
14B OlDER. 
 
 This fact deserves more attention than is commonly 
 given to it ; and if the time and occasion would admit, 
 I should indulge myself in speaking largely on it." 
 
 "As the inquiry is how to make the best cider, there 
 need not any thing be said of imperfect fruit, or that 
 which falls from. the tree early in the season, as they 
 cannot be applied to this purpose ; the September gale 
 beating down such great quantities of apples, tempts 
 the farmer to use them with those that continued long- 
 er on the tree. But where this gale happens early, 
 the effects are fatal to thecider : for, if they are made 
 up immediately, the fermentation rises too high, in 
 consequence of the too great degree of heat in the 
 air ; and this evil is increased by the imperfect and 
 great quantity of juice contained in the fruit ; if they 
 remain unground, they become insipid, especially 
 those which lay on the ground under the trees ; and if 
 gathered in heaps, they are disposed to rot. To make 
 the best cider, you must have sound fruit, s gathered 
 late in the season, in dry weather, after the middle of 
 October, if possible. They should lay in large heaps, 
 covered with the dews and rain, about fourteen days; 
 in which they heat, and throw off a great proportion 
 of their indigested and insipid water, and ripen more 
 uniformly than while on the tree, They must not be 
 ground while they are wet, either from the rain, the 
 dew, or from the moisture thrown out by the heat pro- 
 duced by their laying together. The finer the apple 
 is ground, the more it will yield. If the mill is well 
 fitted, it crushes the seed, and gives a peculiar aromat- 
 ick bitter to the must, which becomes more and more 
 distinguishable as the cider is longer kept. Some pre- 
 fer this flavour, and others dislike it, not distinguish- 
 ing it from the bitter of the rotten apples, although 
 very different from that pungent bitter, both in taste 
 on the palate, and effects in the stomach. If straw is 
 used in forming the cheese for the press (cloth made of 
 
CIDER. 149 
 
 hair is best, but very expensive) it must be clean from 
 ?iisf;'f6r there is no liquor which more readily imbibes 
 and betrays offensive taste than cider. Too bard 
 pressing on the cheese, before it is sufficiently closed, 
 presses out the pulp with the must, and it is in all cases 
 necessary to return the first running on to the cheese, 
 until you you perceive it free from pulp. If you 
 choose a pale cider, the pomace must be. pressed as 
 soon as possible from the mill : the colour is raised by 
 exposing it longer, and in greater surfaces to the air. 
 The aptness in cider to imbibe foreign tastes, renders 
 an exact attention to your vessels of great importance. 
 New vessels, made of seasoned oak, do very well ; 
 but those that have been used are better, provided 
 they be kept sweet and clean. The must, or juice of 
 the apple being obtained, the first object is to clear it 
 of pumice : the second, to produce a fermentation to 
 your palate and purpose. 
 
 "The most expeditious mode of doing the first in 
 the great way, is by putting the must in large open 
 vessels, there to stand until the first appearance of 
 fermentation.* This comes on sooner or later, from 
 circumstances too various for our present considera- 
 tion at large. It may serve the purpose to consider 
 the operation, as dependent on the degree of heat in 
 the air at the time: perhaps sixty hours is long 
 enough to be wished for. During that time the heav- 
 iest of the pulp sinks to the bottom y the larger and 
 lighter parts rise to the surface, where it remains 
 until the fermentation begins ,• but the fermentation 
 would involve a great part of the pulp, both from 
 above and below, into the body of the liquor, and in- 
 
 ♦Hogshcads, or even barrels, answer very well with a head 
 out, where there are plenty of casks ; but it is as well done in 
 the casks you intend to ferment in, provided you attend to the 
 first appearance of fermentation at the bung-hole, and remove 
 the pulp entirely out of the cask. 
 
150 CiDER. 
 
 crease the fermentation beyond our control. It must 
 therefore be removed before this eifect be produced. 
 Soon after the fermention begins, the covering on the 
 top of the must cracks and separates, when there is 
 not a moment to be lost before you draw it into your 
 casks, leaving the pulp behind. In this cask it under- 
 goes the first of the fermentation for eight or ten 
 days ; but before this most difficult pari o» the art of 
 making the best cider can be well understood, there 
 are so many points to be considered of, that 1 have 
 always hesitated to give my opinion of it, from a cer- 
 tainty that the subject would become tedious beyond 
 sufferance. There are, however, a few obvious prin- 
 ciples of great importance, which maybe borne with. 
 " Cider requires a very gentle fermentation, and 
 ought to be confined between forty-four and forty- 
 eight degrees of heat (by Fahrenheit's thermometer.) 
 Musts, of all kinds, increase their heat by fermenta- 
 tion. Liquors, of all kinds, will not be colder than 
 the air in which they stand. It is easy to compre- 
 hend, if these are facts; the impossibility of making 
 good cider, when the medium heat of the day exceeds 
 forty-eight degrees. I say the medium heat of the day s 
 because our best cellars being fifty degrees of heat in 
 the latter end of October, renders them, generally, 
 unfit for fermenting cider, and involves a necessity of 
 having your first fermentation above ground, where 
 the heat of the day will have its effect. Hence the 
 known fact that cider ferments most kindly in the 
 shade, on the north side of your buildings, wherever 
 the cool nights of the fall reduce the medium heat of 
 the day below forty-eight degrees. During the first 
 fermentation abovementioned, attention must be giv- 
 en to it, that, in case of rising above forty-eight "de- 
 grees, it should be racked off early in the morning, 
 (before sunrise, if the weather be warm for the sea- 
 son ;) this racking checks the increase of heat occa- 
 
CIDER. 151 
 
 sioned by the fermentation : nut in late made cider 
 there is seldom a necessity of racking in less than 
 eight or ten days ; at which time there will be a con- 
 siderable quantity of lees fallen to the bottom of the 
 cask, from which the cider should now be removed. 
 
 " ff the air in the cellar be fallen to forty-six de- 
 grees, or below, you may place the cider in it, leav- 
 ing, however, the windows and doors open in the 
 night, until the air becomes as low as forty degrees, 
 (the heat, in my judgment, best for cider during the 
 winter, provided it could be had without artificial 
 heat, which is too difficult to manage, to be applied 
 in cellars.) 
 
 " The earlier made cider, checked in its fermenta- 
 tion by water from time to time, becomes soon fine, 
 and is a very pleasant drink. That made later, and 
 checked in the same manner, with the proportion of 
 one fourth water, is soonest fine, and, during the win- 
 ter, is not inferiour to the best cider unmixed. 
 
 " During the whole time of fermentation the casks 
 must be kept full, so that the yeast, pulp gas, or what- 
 ever you please to call that matter which rises in 
 fermentation, may be thrown out of the cask, and 
 not return into the liquor: for if it does, it operates 
 as yeast, renews the fermentation, and will destroy 
 the cider. 
 
 "In about five weeks after the first racking, it 
 should be again racked, taking care to draw off none 
 of the lees. The bung may be left out a month longer 
 without any ill consequence, or at most laid lightly 
 on the bung-hole, when it may be proper, if the fer- 
 mentation is ended, to bung it down ; in a few weeks 
 it will be fine spontaneously, provided the fermenta* 
 tion has been well conducted. If any part of the 
 process has been injudicious, or unavoidably wrong, 
 and the cider be not €ne by the 20th or 25th of Feb- 
 ruary it should be forced with isinglass. But let me 
 
152 CIDER. 
 
 
 warn you not to attempt fining it after the 20th of 
 March, unless your cellar be uncommonly secured 
 from air. For the spring will as certainly produce a 
 motion in your cider, as blossoms on the trees ; at 
 which time glutinous finings, retaining the air produc- 
 ed or separated by this new fermentation, will be ei- 
 ther retained from falling down in the cask, or borne 
 to the surface of the liquor. Three staples of isin- 
 glass, dissolved in cider, is sufficient for a hogshead. 
 It should be pulled into small pieces, and covered with 
 cider in an earthern vessel, adding a quart of cider 
 to it every six hours, till it is dissolved ; stirring it 
 frequently. When dissolved, which will be in two 
 or three days, strain it through a coarse cloth ; add a 
 gallon or two of cider,and pour it into the cask,stirring 
 the whole together with a stick. Leave the bung 
 out ; it will generally fine in four or five days. It 
 must not remain above ten or twelve days at most on 
 the finings; if you do not bottle it, it must be racked 
 again into other casks. 
 
 If cider is to be kept in casks after May, early in 
 the spring cover the bungs with rosin, or cement of 
 some kind : to do this, open a spile hole while the 
 cement is laid on ; otherwise no art can cover the 
 bung effectually : the air from within will force up 
 the cement through the smallest passage, and disap- 
 point a thousand attempts to fill it up : when cover- 
 ed, and the cement cooled, make the cask tight by 
 driving an oaken spile into the hole. Iriferiour 
 cider, for the harvest field, is kept by adding a gallon 
 of cider brandy to a barrel. The method 1 have di- 
 rected above, produces a fine sweet cider, retaining 
 the taste of the apple. More frequent racking weak- 
 ens the body and preserves the sweetness ; fewer 
 rackings, and laying long on the lees, renders it 
 harsher and more heady. If cider be well fermented 
 in due time, you may freeze it down to any strength;. 
 
CIDER. 1 53 
 
 taking care to draw it oft' before a thaw comes on* 
 If cider be imperfectly fermented, the spring produces 
 fermentation anew, and it will destroy itself, unless 
 preserved by distilled spirits, or by brimstone, which 
 last is too offensive to be used." Mr. Cooper, of New 
 Jersey, says, that he finds advantage from burning a 
 match of sulphur, suspended in the cask by a wire, 
 after putting in two or three buckets of cider. To 
 prevent a succeeding fermentation, put in a handful 
 of powdered clay ; and to preserve it, add one quart 
 of apple brandy to each barrel. It is said, that if ci- 
 der become somewhat tart, about half a peck of good 
 wheat, boiled and hulled in a manner similar to rice ? 
 may be put into each hogshead (or one quart to a 
 barrel,) which will effectually restore it ; and also 
 contribute to preserve it when drawn out of one 
 cask into another." Dom. Eney. 
 
 The following method is recommended for trial. 
 "On the evening of the day your cider is made, place 
 it in your cellar. Take one quarter of a pound of 
 isinglass for a hogshead, or two ounces for a barrel, 
 and put it into two quarts of cider: let it simmer and 
 dissolve over the fire. Then put it into your cider, 
 well secured from air except a small vent hole, and 
 your cider will be perfectly clear, and remain sueet and 
 good for years" This process from the New England 
 Farmer (vol. 2, page 121) merits consideration, and 
 the following facts may serve to assist in the expla- 
 nation of the nature of the process. It is ascertained 
 hy chemists, that gluten or jelly in must is essential 
 to fermentation, ; and the gluten from the isinglass 
 in this process, uniting with the acid from the fruit, 
 produces the desired effect in promoting the vinous 
 I fermentation, and rendering the liquor perfectly clea? 
 and pure. 
 
 14 
 
154 CIDER* 
 
 
 HOW TO CLEAN CIDER CASKS* 
 
 Casks made of good seasoned oak, iron bound, and 
 well painted, may be used for many years ; but no part 
 of the management of cider is more essential than to 
 keep the casks perfectly sweet and clean ; without 
 which, it is impossible to have good cider. When a 
 cask having contained cider, is emptied, it must be 
 thoroughly rinsed with cold water immediately, or oth- 
 erwise, the lees will sour, and fix an acid that can hard- 
 ly be removed ; and if long continued, dries on the 
 staves so hard as to require much labour in scrubbing 
 it off: in this case, it should be white-washed with 
 lime — put about one pint of unslacked lime into a bar- 
 rel, to which pour three or four gallons of boiling wa- 
 ter, shake it well, giving it vent ; let it stand till cool, 
 and rinse with cold water ; if it still retains the sour 
 smell, let the operation be repeated. When it is rinsed 
 perfectly clean with cold water, pour into a hogshead at 
 least six gallons of boiling water, roll and shake the 
 water to every part of the cask, so as to heat it on all 
 sides ; then pour out the water and lay your cask ex- 
 actly bung hole downwards, the water running clear 
 and entirely off, the heat in the cask will dry it perfectly. 
 In this state, bung it up as carefully as if filled with 
 your choicest liquors, and return it to the cellar and 
 it will remain perfectly sweet and fit for use in the 
 following season. It is best however, to inspect each cask 
 before you Jill it. This is done by fixing a candle to a 
 wire, three feet long, and letting down the candle 
 through the bung hole into the cask, you can then see 
 every part of the inside distinctly. If it is clean and 
 tight, it is not best to rinse it again with water. 
 
 STUMMING CIDER CASKS. 
 
 Take strips of canvass, or linen, or cotton rags, a- 
 fcout two inches wide, and twelve inches long, dip the 
 
cider; 155 
 
 end of each, in melted sulphur to the extent of one 
 inch : prepare a long tapering bung, so that between 
 the two ends, it wili fit any hole ; to the small end of 
 this bung, drive in a wire with a hooked end, to hold 
 the match. The match being lighted, let it be sus- 
 pended from the bung of a cask in which there are a 
 few gallons of cider, until il is burnt out ; and, if nec- 
 essary, a second match may be burnt. The cask must 
 remain stopped for an hour or more, and then roiled 
 to and fro, to incorporate the fumes with the cider, 
 after which, the cask may be filled up with cider for 
 use. 
 
 From the Farmers' and Gardeners' Remembrancer. 
 
 1st. The first step towards making good cider, is 
 to procure good fruit. This fruit should be all of one 
 kind, or the juice of each kind should be pressed and 
 preserved by itself. The complete Farmer's Diction- 
 ary, says, "The worse the apple is for the table, the 
 better it is in general for cider. The more red the 
 apple is in its rind, the fitter it is for cider, that is to 
 say, if it is at all fit : for 1 have seen an apple of a 
 very deep red, which was worth nothing for thatpur- 
 pose. A sweet apple, with a tough rind, will always 
 yield a good vinous liquor. The more yellow the 
 flesh of the fruit, the better and finer coloured the ci- 
 der will be. 
 
 2d. The apples which are intended to make cider 
 of the best quality, should be perfectly sound, ripe, 
 and clean. None should be ground together, but such 
 as are of about an equal degree of ripeness. They 
 should not be allowed to remain in a heap till the life 
 or spirit of their juices is lost, and they become insip- 
 id and mealy ; and as a general rule, they may be said 
 to be in the best state for making into cider, when 
 they are of that degree of ripeness which makes them 
 
most pleasing to the palate; or as the complete Farmers' 
 Dictionary says, the fruit should be ground when it is 
 in the greatest perfection for eating." 
 
 3d. The apples should be spread on a floor, under 
 cover, and protected from the weather for the purpose 
 of sweating. When the weather is dry and warm, 
 they should be permitted to remain in this situation 
 four or five days ; but if the weather is wet and cool, 
 they should lie a day or two longer.* They should 
 then be picked over, wiped, and dried in the sun, and 
 those which are rotten, or otherwise detective thrown 
 away. 
 
 4th. Apples which drop early, commonly called 
 wind falls, or those which are not ripe, or of inferiour 
 quality, may be made into an inferiour kind of cider, 
 which is sometimes submitted to the still, by which, 
 cider spirit is obtained for mixing with store cider and 
 other purposes. 
 
 5th. The cooler the weather in which your cider 
 is made, provided it does not freeze your fingers nor 
 your pumice, the better ; and it is recommended to 
 choose a time when the wind is from the west or 
 north. Cider, intended for spring and summer use, 
 should be made the Matter part of October, or still later, 
 if the season will permit. 
 
 6th. The cider-mills, press, grinding mill, trough, 
 and other implements should be perfectly sweet and 
 clean. Some farmers tell us that cider will work it- 
 self clear, and therefore, a little want of cleanliness in 
 making it, does no harm. But the truth is, that cider 
 receives offensive, unpleasant, or unhealthy taint, and 
 
 *Willich , s Domestick Encyclopedia says, "The duration of 
 the time of sweating- may be determined by the flavour of the 
 fruit, as different kinds require various lengths of time — from 8 
 or 10 days to six weeks. The harsher and more crude the ap- 
 ples are, the longer it is necessary that they should remain in a 
 sweating" state." 
 
 
CIDER. 15? 
 
 communicates it as soon as any liquor. The pomace 
 should be laid on the press in clean straw, without us- 
 ing any water. 
 
 7th. The riner apples are ground, the more cider 
 they will yield. If the mjjl is well fitted, it crushes 
 the seed, and gives- a peculiar and pleasant aromatick 
 bitter to the must, which becomes the more percepti- 
 ble as 'the cider acquires age. 
 
 8th. The trough to hold the pomace should be 
 large enough to contain a whole cheese at once. The 
 pomace may stand from six to twenty-four hours, ac- 
 cording as you wish to give a higher or paler color to 
 your cider. But it should be stirred frequently, if 
 the weather is warm, to prevent fermentation. Jo- 
 seph Cooper, Esq. of New-Jersey, says, the longer a 
 cheese lies after having been ground, before pressing, 
 the better for the cider, provided it escapes fermenta- 
 tion before the pressing is completed. 
 
 9th. The first running from the press, if you would 
 have your cider of the first quality, should be put by 
 itself. Some have gone so far, as to keep separate 
 that which is obtained without pressing. An English 
 farmer says, "as fast as the fruit is ground (1 need not 
 say 1 use the ripest first) the pulp is put into the 
 cheese ; at the bottom of the vat is a tap, through which 
 a considerable quantity of vinous juice will run without 
 pressing. This is the best cider, and 1 barrel it sepa- 
 rately." The Farmers' Assistant, however, says, "the 
 first and last running of a cheese should be put by it- 
 self, as it is not so good as the rest." 
 
 10th. When the pressing of the apples is finished, 
 the most careful makers of cider strain it through a 
 hair sieve or coarse cloth, or sand, to separate it from 
 the coarsest dregs. It must then be left to itself, till 
 it has gone through the necessary fermentation ; for 
 this purpose some put it into hogsheads, and others 
 into great tubs or vats, wide at top and narrow at bot- 
 *14 
 
15S CIDER. 
 
 torn, containing from five to twenty hogsheads. In 
 these vessels the heaviest lees subside, and the lighter 
 lees form a crust on the surface, which, when it be- 
 gins to crack and sink, gives notice of the time to 
 draw off and barrel the cider. This is the English 
 practice in general, but our farmers most usually dis- 
 pense with vats or vessels, merely for the purpose of 
 containing the must while fermenting. They put it 
 directly into the barrels or casks in which it is intend- 
 ed to remain, at least till racked off some time in the 
 winter or spring. It is then deposited in a cool cel- 
 lar, and the bungs are usually left out of the barrels 
 till the fermentation begins to subside. The bungs 
 are then driven in tight, leaving a small spiggot vent 
 a while longer if necessary, when at length the spig- 
 got hole is closed, and the vessel made perfectly air 
 tight. 
 
 1 1th. There are three fermentations of which ci- 
 der is capable, viz. the vinous, which produces the al- 
 cohol that gives the liquor its stimulating and exhili- 
 rating qualities ; the acid, which turns the cider to 
 vinegar, and the putrid, which totally destroys its spir- 
 it and texture, and reduces it to a nauseous and poi- 
 sonous liquid. The principal object in making good 
 cider is to stop the ivorking of the cider as soon as the 
 vinous fermentation is completed. There are several 
 modes by which this may be effected. The first mode 
 is, to have the vinous fermentation conducted in ves- 
 sels air tight, or as nearly so as possible ; thus pre- 
 venting the escape of carbonic acid or fixed air, which 
 gives it life, and causes its briskness. Cider cannot 
 become vinegar unless it can give out carbonic acid 
 gas, (fixed air) and receive oxygene gas, (vital air) 
 which is the principle of acidity, from the atmosphere. 
 If the fermentation proceeds slowly, especially in air 
 tight vessels, the liquor is impregnated with carbonic 
 acid which under different circumstances would make 
 
 \ 
 
CJBER. 159 
 
 its way into the open air. It has been a practice to 
 pour a tumbler of oil into the bung hole of every ci- 
 der cask. This entirely excludes the oxygene of the 
 atmosphere from access to the liquor to turn it sour, 
 and in part confines the carbonic acid which gives it 
 life and makes it brisk and sparkling. Another prac- 
 tice is, to confine by main force, the carbonic acid to 
 the fermenting cider. Dr. Darwin, says he was told 
 by a gentleman who makes a considerable quantity of 
 cider on his estate, that he procured vessels of strong- 
 er construction than usual, and directed the apple 
 juice, as soon as it was settled, to be bunged up close, 
 and that though he had a vessel or two burst by the 
 expansion of the fermenting liquor, yet this rarely oc- 
 curred, and that hiscider never failed to be of the 
 most excellent qualitiy, and was sold at the highest 
 price. New cider may likewise be stopped in vessels 
 of no more than common strength, and buried pretty 
 deeply in the ground, or immersed in spring water, in 
 which situation we are told that it may be kept for 
 y^ears, and be very fine when taken up. 
 
 12th. It is likewise said, that a handful of powder- 
 ed clay, or a quarter of a pound of salt petre, or the 
 same quantity of alum, put into a barrel of cider when 
 fresh from the press, or before the fermentation has 
 begun., will so check and regulate that process, that 
 the barrel may be stopped tight immediately, and then 
 will retain all its fixed air. 
 
 13th. It is often the case that those who under- 
 take to be very philosophical in the process of manu- 
 facturing cider, make a troublesome and expensive job 
 of it, and after all, spoil their liquor. They cause it 
 to undergo so many fermentations, while exposed to 
 the open air, that it loses all its carbonic acid gas, or 
 fixed air, and perhaps, a part of its alcohol or vinous 
 spirit, if the whole fermentation, which is necessary 
 to change the raw apple juice into sound and rich ci- 
 
160 CIDER. 
 
 
 der, could be conducted in closed vessels, according 
 to Dr. Darwin's theory, as given in paragraph 1 1, the 
 products of such fermentation, which are alcohol and 
 carbonic acid gas, would be preserved, become incor- 
 porated with the liquor, and cause it to be rich and 
 lively, without being harsh and heady. By exposing 
 new cider in open vessels till the acetous fermentation 
 has produced its results, the carbonic acid gas is ex- 
 pelled, but a part of the alcohol is retained. Hence, 
 vinegar will intoxicate, if drank in sufficient quantity. 
 But the carbonic acid gas retained in cider, properly 
 manufactured, exhilirates, without inebriating ; stimu- 
 lates and enlivens, instead of operating like an opiate, 
 and causing those who drink it to become at once 
 wild and stupid. It is the want of understanding these 
 principles which lead so many would-be philosophical 
 geniuses to doctor off their cider, and punish them- 
 selves by drinking the dead liquor. They rack and 
 rack, fine and superfine their cider, till it becomes as 
 vapid as dish-water and as sour as lemon juice, or a 
 something which tastes like a compound of both those 
 articles. It is much better to proceed according to a 
 common practice of New-England cider making, viz. 
 Take the must or new cider directly from the press. 
 Strain it through straw or a coarse sieve into clean 
 and sweet casks ; give it no more vent during fermen- 
 tation than is necessary to prevent the bursting of the 
 vessels, and not draw off till it is drawn for use. It is 
 necessary, however, during the fermentation, to keep 
 the casks full, that the matter which rises may be 
 thrown out of the vessel. 
 
 14th. It was well observed bv Mr. Winkley, in his 
 communication respecting the mode of making cider, 
 adopted by the religious society called Shakers, that 
 "the slower cider is in fermenting, the better it will 
 be." The reasons are these — if cider ferments slow- 
 ly, it generally stops working at the end of the vinous 
 
CIDER, 161 
 
 fermentation, and does not pass to the acetous fermen- 
 tation, which would convert it into vinegar. And if 
 the fermentation proceeds slowly, the fixed air has 
 time to combine, and become incorporated with the 
 liquor, instead of escaping into the atmosphere. By 
 mixing a proper quantity of alcohol (spirit of any 
 kind) with cider fresh from the press, you may stop 
 the acetous, and of course prevent the putrid fermen- 
 tation. But the spirit so mixed, hastens the vinous 
 fermentation, which, as before observed, is the only 
 fermentation which can be suffered in making good 
 cider. The alcohol will check the turbulence of the 
 fermenting liquor, by combining with the carbonic ac- 
 id gas, which causes the fretting and fuming as well 
 as gives the life of the liquor. Thus Nicholson's Four- 
 croy says, "alcohol dissolves the carbonic acid gas, which 
 it condenses and liquifies more than in (he proportion of a 
 volume equal to its own." 
 
 1 5th. We learn that the religious society mention- 
 ed above, make use of cider-spirit, distilled from the 
 lees of cider, to regulate the fermentation of their 
 new cider and fit it for the table. They do not, how- 
 ever, make use oi their cider-spirit till they have rack- 
 ed off their cider about the first of January. They 
 then add from one to three gallons of the spirit, to 
 one barrel of cider, and "bung it down air tight, and 
 let it stand till it becomes of mature age." This ap- 
 pears to have been the principal improvement, which 
 has rendered the cider manufactured by the society 
 so famous, and caused it to command an extraordinary 
 price in market. A friend of ours, however, has a 
 mode of using the cider-spirit in refining his cider, 
 still less troublesome, and we believe at least equally 
 efficacious. This gentleman mixes from one to two 
 gallons of cider brandy with his cider, when fresh 
 from the press, and immediately closes the barrel per- 
 fectly air tight* In about a month's time, in the or- 
 
162 CIDER. 
 
 dinary temperature of a common cellar in the latter 
 part of autumn, his cider is perfectly fermented, and 
 purified, so as to be in its best state for the table, with- 
 out the trouble of stumming his casks with brimstone, 
 and hazard of their bursting., oran^ necessity of rack- 
 ing off his liquor. 
 
 16th. The quantity of spirit to be thus mixed with 
 cider, we conclude should be in some proportion to 
 the strength of the must. If that contains a good deal 
 of spirit, it will ferment quietly and quickly ; other- 
 wise, it will be turbulent, and must have vent, or it 
 will endanger the vessel which contains it, and soon 
 become flat and sour. The same thing will take 
 place with malt liquor. Ale, or strong beer, which 
 contains considerable alcohol, can be bottled without 
 difficulty ; but small beer, which has but little alco- 
 hol, is apt to burst the bottles. And in bottling ci- 
 der, a spoonful or two of brandy or other spirits mixed 
 with the cider in the bottles, will prevent that violent 
 effervesence, which might otherwise burst the bottles. 
 Some writers say, that sugar, honey, molasses, or oth- 
 er sweet substances, mixed with new cider, will 
 strengthen it, and prevent its fermenting to excess. 
 This is probable, for any sweet substance mixed tfith 
 a due quantity of water, or other mild liquid, will gen- 
 erate alcohol, and the latter will combine with the 
 fixed air, and thus put a stop to its turbulence. But, 
 doubtless, to fine cider with saccharine matter, would 
 require a longer time than with alcohol ; and we 
 doubt whether it would be so safe or so effectual to 
 use the former as the latter, in close vessels. 
 
 17th. An English writer says, that an infusion of 
 hops is useful in cider, to give it a flavour, and an a- 
 greeable bitter. Another recommends grinding elder 
 berries with the fruit, which gives the cider a fine 
 colour as well as flavour. Rye whiskey is likewise 
 recommended as a good substitute for cider-spirit to 
 
CIDER* 163 
 
 mix with new cider. Ginger, cinnamon, spices, raisins, 
 &c. have their advocates, who assure us that they are 
 very good ingredients in cider. But we believe gen- 
 uine cider-drinkers prefer the clear apple juice. Some 
 advise to make use of bullock's blood, calf's feet jelly, 
 isinglass, &c* which may be well if the cider needs 
 doctoring, but we believe it best to make vinegar of ci- 
 der which requires to be medicated with such mate- 
 rials, to render it palatable and wholesome. 
 
 18th. The complete Farmers' Dictionary, says, 
 that "the best shaped vessels for keeping cider in, are 
 those in which the barrel boards are straight, the ves- 
 sel broader at one end than the other, and standing 
 on the lesser end with the bung hole in the top. The 
 advantages of this form is, that in drawing off the ci- 
 der, though but slowly, the skin or cream, contracted 
 by its fermentation, descends and covers the liquor 
 by means of the tapering of the vessel, and thereby 
 preserves the spirit of the cider, which would other- 
 wise evaporate and waste." A sensible writer, whose 
 essay was republished from the' 1 Farmers Weekly Mes- 
 senger," in our vol. i, p. 155, has made it apparent that 
 white oak iron bound hogsheads, made of heart stuff, 
 well painted, and of a size to hold about three barrels 
 and a half, and smeared over with some kind of refuse 
 oil, with a little Spanish brown and lamp black, once 
 in three years, will prove more convenient and eco- 
 nomical than such barrels as are commonly used. Be- 
 sides, cider ferments more kindly, and keeps better in 
 large than in small vessels. Beer vessels are said to 
 
 * Mr. Cooper fines with isinglass or calf's feet jelly, but in case 
 the liquor should not fine in ten days, he directs to rack it again, 
 and repeat the fining as before, but says it is best to rack, wheth- 
 er fine or not, in ten or twelve days, lest the sediment should rise 
 which often happens. The foregbing operation shou!<'> be per- 
 formed previously to th apples being in bloom in the spriug ; it 
 succeeds best in winter, during steady cold weather. 
 
164 CIDER- 
 
 be bad for cider. They spoil cider and cider spoils 
 beer. New vessels made of seasoned oak do well ; 
 but those which have been used do better. The re- 
 ligious society mentioned above, clean casks by taking 
 them from the cellar as soon as convenient after the 
 cider is out, (reserving the lees for stilling,) and rinse 
 each clean first with a pailful of scalding water, then 
 with cold, leaving the casks with the bungs down for 
 a day or two. They are then bunged tight and re- 
 turned to the cellar, or some convenient place proper 
 for their reception. Previous to filling the casks for 
 the season, they are scalded and rinsed as above men- 
 tioned." The society of shakers, whose cider has ob- 
 tained such celebrity that it commands in the market 
 ten dollars per barrel, practice the following method: 
 The grinding trough being large t enough to contain a 
 whole cheese, the pomace is allowed to remain over 
 night before pressing ; which contributes much, both 
 to the colour and quantity of the cider. In the morn- 
 ing it is pressed out gradually and put into casks 
 through straw or rather a coarse sieve placed within 
 the tunnel ; it is convej'ed immediately to a cool cel- 
 lar, leaving out the bungs till the fermentation chiefly 
 subsides, when the bung is driven in tight, leaving a 
 small spiggot vent a while longer to check the press- 
 ure, which is finally closed air tight. About the first 
 of January, they will rack it off free from the lees in- 
 to clean casks. Having put in three or four pails full 
 of cider, a match of brimstone is burnt in the cask un- 
 til the cider is well impregnated with the fume, and 
 the cask is then filled. After this process they add 
 from one to three gallons of spirit distilled from the 
 cider lees, to one hogshead ; fill up the cask with ci- 
 der, and bung it down airtight, and let it remain till 
 it becomes of mature age. Cider managed in this 
 way, says Mr. Winkley, one of their members, will 
 keep pleasant for years. He would not, however, be 
 
understood to suggest that good cider cannot be ob- 
 tained without the addition of spirit, especially for 
 immediate use, or the first years drinking ; but the 
 spirit will give it a new and vigorous body, and in- 
 sure its preservation. 
 
 A USEFUL METHOD TO PRESERVE CIDER. 
 
 "Take your first made cider, which is fit only for 
 the still, and convert it into brandy ; put nine gallons 
 of this brandy into a new barrel ; then fill the barrel 
 with late made cider well strained, and bung it tight. 
 This gives you the strength of near four barrels of ci- 
 der in one. The strength given to it by brandy, will 
 preserve its sweetness entire for many years. The 
 barrels should be new and clean. In this manner, any 
 farmer who has the fruit, may put up in six barrels, 
 the essence of twenty barrels of good cider, and keep 
 it until a time of need. It will fine itself and grow bet- 
 ter with an increase of age. Beside, if it is not want- 
 ed as cider, it is a very pleasant cordial when undilu- 
 ted : and with the addition of a bushel of wild grapes, 
 bruised, and put into each barrel, it imbibes the pe- 
 culiar flavour of the grapes, and becomes a very pleas- 
 ant wine." (New Eng. Farmer.) 
 
 BOTTLING CIDER. 
 
 The most proper time for bottling cider is in the 
 month of March or April, before the blossom fermen- 
 tation takes place, or in cider spontaneously clear, it 
 may be delayed till after this period of fermentation, 
 even late in May, but never during the season of blos= 
 soming ; for the finest ciders are then somewhat af- 
 fected in cleanness, and will have a tendency more or 
 less to break the bottles. The liquor should be per- 
 fectly clear and transparent, and the bottling should 
 15 
 
t$6 CIDER- 
 
 be in clear weather. Great care should be observed 
 in making the bottles perfectly dry and clean, the 
 remnants of corks or any kind of matter incrusted on 
 the sides, will always impart a bad taste to the cider. 
 A few drops of water will destroy a bottle of cider af- 
 ter it has been well fermented, more effectually than 
 a pint before it has undergone that process. The 
 best of corks should be used, but they should not be 
 immersed in hot water, but dipped in cider, they will 
 drive the easier for this ; in driving with a wooden 
 bat, turn the nose of the bottle downward, so that the 
 cider shall come in contact with the cork, otherwise 
 there will be danger of breaking the bottles. Cider 
 should remain 24 hours in the bottles before they are 
 corked, this improves the liquor, and renders it less 
 dangerous to the bottles. A teaspoonful of brandy 
 added to each bottle, is said to have a good effect in 
 lessening the fermentation, and thereby preventing 
 the bottles bursting. About an inch of vacant space 
 should be left in the neck of the bottles below the 
 cork, when placed on its bottom, which should be al- 
 ways during the first season ; the bottles may then be 
 placed on their sides with safety r When cider of a 
 superior quality and great vinous flavour, is intended 
 to be preserved for some j^ears, it will be useful to 
 wire down the corks with brass or copper wire. Bot- 
 tled cider should be kept in a cool cellar, if the light 
 #an be excluded, it will be a great additional protec- 
 tion against the heat of our summers. The bottles 
 should never touch, for the concussion which usually 
 attends severe strokes of thunder frequently will crack 
 them when in contact with each other. The best sit- 
 uation for them is a brick cellar floor, with clean dry 
 sand up to their necks, to exclude the air and prevent 
 their jarring, and still more effectually to prevent 
 their bursting during the heat of summer ; take a 
 quantity of moss obtained from low, cold, and wet 
 
CIDER. 16 7 
 
 swamps, cover the bottles while set on the ground in 
 the cellar, and with a watering pot drench the moss 
 once a week or fortnight. This moss retains moist- 
 ure a long time, and will keep them constantly cool. 
 
 "In the transactions of the Mass. Agricultural So- 
 ciety, vol. 2, p. 66, there is an account of an improved 
 method of pressing cider, communicated by Mr. Paul 
 Dodge, of New Castle, State of Maine. Instead of 
 making the pomace into a cheese, the apples after be- 
 ing ground, aie put into a curb or vat, and levelled 
 with a shovel; then covered with a plank and blocked 
 up as usual. It may be pressed with a long beam or 
 short cider screw, but hay screws are best. The ci- 
 der may be pressed in two hours. Two men and a 
 boy may make 20 barrels in one day. As no straw 
 is used, it may be made in cold weather if the pomace 
 does not freeze." (See a description of this implement 
 in the New-England Farmer, vol. 3, p. 65.) 
 
 In the New -England Farmer, vol. 3, p. 86, may be 
 found some account of an improved cider mill and 
 press invented by Hay, Esq. of Milton, New- 
 Hampshire, who says, that with his mill and press, he 
 could make 100 barrels of cider in 24 hours, and ob- 
 tain more juice than could be gained by the mill and 
 press in common use. 
 
 MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF CIDER. 
 
 This excellent liquor contains a small proportion of 
 spirit, but so diluted and blunted, by being combined 
 with a large quantity of saccharine matter and water, 
 as to be perfectly wholesome. When of a proper age, 
 and well refined, pure cider may be considered as a 
 pleasant and salutary beverage, and calculated to ob- 
 viate a putrid tendency in the humours. 
 
 Strong, astringent cider, well impregnated with fix- 
 ed air in bottlea, has been found of great utility in va- 
 
168 CIDER. 
 
 rious diseases. In low fevers of the putrid kind, it is 
 not merely a good substitute, but is equally efficacious 
 with port, or other foreign wines. 
 
 "Excellent brandy is made from apples in the United 
 States, notwithstanding what Chaptal has said on the 
 subject. If carefully distilled from sound apples, and 
 kept a few years in a warm situation, it is very agree- 
 able, when diluted with water. One wine glass full, 
 added to a half gallon bowl of punch, highly improves 
 the flavour of that drink." 
 
 POMONA WINE. 
 
 "It is said that several of the agricultural societies 
 have adopted regulations for the encouragement of A- 
 merican beverage, at their annual jubilees. Currant 
 wine is to be substituted for claret ; and the great sta- 
 ple of New England, cider, is to be substituted for Ma- 
 deira. The following is a receipt to make it : 
 
 "Take cider, made of sound apples, sweet from the 
 press, and leach it through a barrel filled with clean 
 dry sand. After it has passed through, carefully drain 
 it off into a brass or copper kettle, in which it must 
 be boiled one hour over a slow fire, and skimmed clean. 
 After it has been taken offand cooled, strain it through 
 a fine cloth, and put it into a cask that is perfectly 
 clean. Set it in a cool part of the cellar, and let it re- 
 main five or six weeks, when one quart of the best 
 French brandy, and one pound of raisins, must be add- 
 ed to eight gallons. 
 
 "It ought to be made a year, at least, before it is 
 used. Jt is needless to state that the quality of the 
 liquor will be improved by age." 
 
 "This American process has, of late years, been im- 
 itated in the cider counties, and particularly in the 
 west of England, where several hundred hogsheads of 
 eider wine are annually prepared ; and being suppos- 
 
CIDER. 1 £9 
 
 ed to contain no particles of copper, from the vessels 
 in which it is boiled, the country people consider it 
 as perfectly wholesome, and accordingly drink it 
 without apprehension. In order to ascertain the 
 truth, various experiments were instituted by the late 
 Dr. Fothergill; from the result of which, he proved 
 that cider wine does contain a minute portion of cop- 
 per, which, though not very considerable, is sufficient 
 to caution the publick against a liquor that comes in 
 so questionable a shape. Independently, however, 
 of the danger arising from any metallick impregnation, 
 we doubt whether the process of preparing boiled 
 wines be useful, or reconcileable to economy. The 
 evaporation of the apple juice by long boiling, not on- 
 ly occasions an unnecessary consumption of fuel, but 
 also volatilizes the most essential particles, without 
 which the liquor cannot undergo a complete fermen- 
 tation, so that there can be no perfect wine. Hence 
 this liquor is, like all other boiled wines, crude, heavy, 
 and flat : it generally causes indigestion, flatulency, 
 and diarrhoea. Those amateurs, however, who are 
 determined to prepare it, ought at least to banish all 
 brass and copper vessels from this as well as from ev- 
 ery other culinary process." (Mease.) 
 
 The most valuable liquor to be obtained from ap* 
 pies unquestionably, is the cider wine made according 
 to the following process. 
 
 APPROVED METHOD OF MAKING WINE FROM CIDER. 
 
 To one barrel of cider, when just from the press, 
 add half a pound of sugar to each gallon, and two gal- 
 lons of brandy, West India spirit, or cider brandy. 
 The cask must be lightly stopped, and filled up every 
 day, while fermenting, for four or five days, and then 
 stopped tight and put into a cool cellar. In three or 
 four months rack it off, and add two gollons more of 
 *15 
 
170 CIDER. 
 
 brandy to each barrel. Take one quarter of a pound 
 of burnt alum, six whites of eggs, and one pint of clean 
 sand, mixed together, and put them into the barrel 
 when racked, to clarify. When racking, the liquor 
 must be kept from foaming, by letting it run down on 
 a thin board ; and when the cask is about half full, 
 while racking, a match of sulphur must be burned in 
 it, and then the cask stopped close and shook, so that 
 the smoke may incorporate with the liquor. In one 
 year this will be equal to sherry wine, and in two, 
 equal to the best Madeira* Having made one cask of 
 this a few years since, it so far exceeded my expecta- 
 tions, that I can with confidence and pleasure recom- 
 mend it to general notice, as a liquor possessing the 
 qualities of a sprightly, cordial wine, the cheap pro- 
 duce of our own farms, and free from any deleterious 
 metallick impregnation. 
 
 APPLE JELLY. 
 
 It is not known perhaps, so generally as it ought to 
 be, that apples make an excellent jelly. The process 
 is as follows : They are pared, quartered, the core 
 completely removed, and put in a pot without water, 
 closely covered, and placed in an oven or over a fire. 
 When pretty well stewed, the juice is to be squeezed 
 out through a cloth, to which a little white of an egg 
 is added, and then the sugar. Skim it previous to 
 boiling, then reduce it to a proper consistency, and 
 an excellent jelly will be the product. 
 
 OF DISTILLERIES OF SPIRIT FROM CIDER. 
 
 It may be gratifying to our farmers, to be made ac- 
 quainted with an establishment by which their fruit 
 and cider may be advantageously disposed of when 
 their orchards are abundantly productive. 
 
ClfcER. 1 71 
 
 Of Distilleries of Spirit from Cider, copied from a view of the 
 cultivation of Fruit Trees, &c. By William Coxe, Esq. of 
 New-Jersey, 
 
 "As these establishments have lately assumed con- 
 siderable importance to the nation as a great and in- 
 creasing source of revenue, and are not liable to many 
 of the objections which exist against the distillation 
 of spirit from grain — it may not be amiss to state some 
 facts, founded on incontrovertible authority, to prove 
 that the farmers of our country may calculate on a 
 certain demand from these distilleries for the pro- 
 ducts of their orchards, however abundant they may 
 be, without apprehension from the jealousy of rival 
 commercial interests, or the narrow principles of col- 
 onial policy, which in fruitful years, reduce the 
 price of fruit liquor in the cider counties of Eng- 
 land so low, as to be insufficient to pay the costs of 
 manufacturing the inferiour quality. 
 
 "Of the quantity of cider spirit distilled in the Uni- 
 ted States, we have no positive evidence, it is never- 
 theless certain that the quantity is great, and rapidly 
 increasing in all the older States north of James 
 River. ^ 
 
 "In 1810, from the Marshalls returns it appears, 
 that 1103272 gallons were distilled from domestick 
 materials in the small state of New-Jersey ; while in 
 Connecticut, in the same year, there were distilled 
 1374404 gallons — of both these quantities we may 
 safely calculate, that 3-4th parts were the product 
 of cider. In Essex county, N. J. in the year 1310, 
 there were made 1 98000 barrels of cider, and 307310 
 gallons of cider spirits were distilled — one citizen of 
 the same countj^, iii 1812, made 200 barrels of cider 
 daily, through great part of the season, from six mills 
 and twenty three presses. In the .present season, 
 1816, 25000 barrels of cider were made within the 
 limits of a single religious society, as it is called, in 
 
\1$ 
 
 CIDER. 
 
 Orange township, Essex county, New-Jersey ; com* 
 prising about three fourths of the township. Such 
 has been the abundance of apples in many of our east- 
 ern counties, that hogs and horses have been kept fat 
 on them till late in December: in the great scarcity 
 of provender produced by the severe drought of the 
 last summer, cattle have been fed on the pomace tak- 
 en into the fields, and spread on grass grounds, and 
 have been kept in good condition until the end of De- 
 cember. It is the opinion of some judicious men, 
 that as food for animals, the extraordinary abundance 
 of apples, has nearly compensated for the short crop 
 of corn in our great cider districts. These facts might 
 be supported by many others equally strong, to prove 
 the importance of this department of agriculture ; al- 
 though strictly considered, they do not come within 
 the limits I had originally prescribed ^for this volume, 
 they appeared to me too important in their nature, 
 and too closely connected with the subjects I have 
 discussed, to suffer me to pass them over without no- 
 tice. 
 
 "A neighbour of mine, of great experience as a dis- 
 tiller of cider spirit, once in the month of August dis- 
 tilled at the rate of 16 quarts and 7 eighths from a 
 barrel of 30 gallons ; i. e. about one 7th of proof spir- 
 it. The usual quantity of spirit distilled from early- 
 cider on an average, is 8 quarts from a barrel — it has 
 been satisfactorily ascertained, that 14 quarts per bar- 
 rel is the usual quantity obtained, from the four most 
 celebrated Newark ciders, viz. the Harrison, Granni- 
 wiukle, Campfield, and Poveshonv" 
 
VINEGAR. "I^S 
 
 VINEGAR. 
 
 VARIOUS METHODS OF MAKING VINEGAR FROM THE APPLE 
 
 JUICE. 
 
 "The superiority of vinegar made from strong, well 
 flavoured cider," says Mr. Coxe, "over the ordinary 
 wine vinegar imported from Europe, is generally ac- 
 knowledged. The manufacture of vinegar has be- 
 come an important branch of rural economy among 
 our respectable farmers who are from principle oppos- 
 ed to the practice of distillation of ardent spirits : in- 
 dividual dealers in our large seaport towns are enga- 
 ged in large establishments of this nature— in one in- 
 stance, in a single parish in New-Jersey, 1200 hogs- 
 heads of cider have been converted into vinegar in a 
 single season. The demand for cider for this purpose 
 must be great and permanent, and there always will 
 be a great demand for vinegar in our country. In one 
 season, cider at five dollars per hogshead will be con- 
 verted into vinegar at 14 or 15 dollars, an advance 
 which will repay the expense and trouble of the man- 
 ufacture." Every liquor which has completely un- 
 dergone the spirituous fermentation, is spontaneously 
 and necessarily disposed to the acid fermentation. 
 Accordingly, every vinous liquor does continually 
 tend to become vinegar, and is actually changed into 
 it sooner or later, according to circumstances, unless 
 carefully prevented by art. There are numerous 
 methods by which good vinegar may be produced 
 from the apple juice by fermentation. The essential 
 requisites are, exposure to the atmospherical air of a 
 warm temperature, and the addition of some extra- 
 neous vegetable matter to promote the acetous fer- 
 mentation. When vinegar is weak and vapid, a small 
 
174 VINEGAtt. 
 
 quantity of alcohol, either cider spirit or that from 
 rye, will increase its strength and improve its qual- 
 ities. 
 
 Cider vinegar maybe made by fermenting new cider 
 with must of apples, in a warm room or in the open 
 air, where it should be exposed to the sun, the bung 
 of the cask being left open for the discharge of the 
 pomace and filth, and for the admission of air ; but the 
 bung hole should be secured from rain, as water proves 
 injurious. In the course of a week or nine days, the 
 vinegar may be drawn off for use. If new cider be 
 put on vinegar, or upon the lees or mother, after rack- 
 ing off the vinegar, it will hasten the operation. When 
 a liquor already fermented is used, it is ol importance 
 that yeast or some other ferment be added in order to 
 hasten the fermentation. The following method is 
 recommended by a writer in the New-England Far- 
 mer : "Take raw beets, cut them into disks about half 
 an inch thick, and suspend them through the bung 
 hole in a cask of pure cider. Renew them three or 
 four times, at the intervals of three weeks. Fifteen 
 or twenty pieces at a time are sufficient for a barrel 
 containing 33 gallons of cider. Place your cask in a 
 dry, warm situation, and put on the bung as tightly 
 as the twine on which the pieces of beet are suspend- 
 ed, will admit." It is probable that the saccharine 
 matter in the beet has a tendency to promote the ace- 
 tous fermentation. 
 
 The following is a very cheap, easy, and speedy 
 method of making the very first rate vinegar — Take 
 any quantity you please of the first ripe apples that 
 fall, and which are always worth the least for cider, 
 which should either be ground very coarse in a mill, 
 or what is equally good, bruised in a barrel with a 
 common pounder. Then of the coarse ground or 
 bruised apples, put a layer of about two inches deep 
 into the bottom of a clean cask, then a layer of clean 
 
 \ 
 
PEAR3. 1 75 
 
 straw of about the same thickness, and so on till the 
 cask is full, observing to press the straw and apples 
 well together with the hand, while filling the cask. 
 Then take one fourth part as much water as the same 
 apples would make of cider, if ground and pressed, 
 and pour a little at a time into the cask of apples and 
 straw. Let it stand two or three hours and then drain 
 it off very slowly, just as you would water through 
 ashes for making lye. And being thus drained off, the 
 same liquor is then to be run through three or four 
 times a day for two days successively. It is then to 
 be put into a clean cask, where it may work standing 
 in the sun. In a short time it will become very fine 
 sharp vinegar. At the last drawing off, it will be nec- 
 essary to apply some heavy weight to press out the 
 liquor. If one pound of honey be added to each gal- 
 lon of cider, it will greatly increase the strength of 
 vinegar. 
 
 OF PEARS. 
 
 It is no longer questionable that the pear tree is 
 well adapted to the climate and soil of New-England. 
 Although much neglected by our farmers generally, 
 numerous varieties are cultivated in different parts of 
 Massachusetts, in great perfection. All the varieties 
 of the pear are hardy and long lived, and will flourish 
 in a clay or loamy soil, but wet situations are unfa- 
 vourable. Most of the directions already detailed, 
 relative to the cultivation of the apple tree, may be 
 applied to that of the pear tree. The production of 
 particular varieties from the seed is equally capricious, 
 and the annihilation of certain kinds from long dura- 
 
i 76 PEARS. 
 
 tion, is supposed to be no less remarkable than in the 
 apple. The propagation of particular species is ef- 
 fected by grafting or budding, and by this method any 
 desired variety may be obtained and perpetuated. 
 "Considerable attention is necessary in the choice of 
 stocks for grafting. Suckers from other trees should 
 never be employed, as they will have a constant ten- 
 dency to generate suckers, to the injury of the tree. 
 It should be observed, to graft or bud summer pears 
 upon summer pear stocks ; autumn pears upon stocks 
 of the same kind ; but never graft a winter pear upon 
 a summer pear stock, for the sap of the summer pear 
 will decline or diminish, before the winter fruit has 
 sufficient time to mature and ripen. Every planter 
 should keep a nursery of free stocks, by planting the 
 seeds of the different varieties, and these should be 
 taken from fair and choice fruit, and in their ripe state. 
 The season for grafting or budding, and the manner 
 of performing the operation, are the same as already 
 described for the apple. The pear tree will succeed 
 very well, when grafted on a quince ; in which case, 
 it is preferable to graft under ground in the root, as 
 the tree will be more strong and vigorous ; whereas, 
 if grafted above the surface, the produce will be a 
 dwarf tree. "The stock should be from what is call- 
 ed the Portugal quince, which grows as fast as the nat- 
 ural or free stock ; and the pears put on them should 
 always be of the soft flesh or butter kind ; the break- 
 ing pears do not answer so well on this, as on the free 
 stock. In France, all their finest pears of the buttery 
 kind are raised ©n the Portugal quince stocks." In 
 transplanting pear trees, we are advised, when the 
 land is dry and sandy, to perform the business in au- 
 tumn, and they will gain root fibres enough to sup- 
 port them, before winter, and will shoot in the spring 
 better than those which are planted in April But in 
 moist places, it is best to dig the holes in autumn, and 
 
PEARS. J 77 
 
 plant in April, as the cold of winter might greatly in- 
 jure them. The soil for pear trees ought to be two 
 or three feet deep, and they should be planted shal- 
 low, that the roots may spread near the surface, and 
 enjoy the benefit of the sun and air ; and by some it 
 is accounted useful to expose the same side to the sun 
 as when in the nursery. Pear trees require but little 
 pruning, comparatively with the apple, and if carried 
 to excess, it proves very injurious. All dead branch- 
 es, however, and even thrifty ones, which interfere 
 and chafe each other, and every sucker proceeding 
 from the trunk or roots, should be carefully removed. 
 Every large wound should be covered with the com- 
 position or cement, as a security against the effects of 
 the sun and weather. If affected with diseases, or in- 
 fested with insects, the appropriate remedies, recom- 
 mended for apple trees, must be applied. In the Ag- 
 ricultural Repository, vol. iv. is a communication from 
 Mr. Hammon, of Talbot county, Maryland, to the fol- 
 lowing purport. "Pear trees, and other fruit trees, 
 are frequently affected, and sometimes suddenly de- 
 cay, without discovering the causes of their decline. 
 A gentleman of this neighbourhood, some years ago, 
 observing the situation of his trees, and having unsuc- 
 cessfully used many applications, at length dir ected 
 their trunks or bodies to be washed with soft soap ; 
 and it is not easy to imagine the early change which 
 appeared in the bark and foliage : the bark became 
 smooth and glossy, and seemed sound and beautiful ; 
 and he thought the tree was greatly improved in ev- 
 ery respect. I have tried the same experiment, and 
 with equal advantage to apple trees; and am persuad- 
 ed they have been greatly benefited by this process. 
 It is used in the spring, and may be repeated in the 
 following years, as frequently as the trees appear to 
 require it. Mr. Peters declares, that he used soap 
 suds without beneficial effects ; but it is probable that 
 16 
 
178 PEARS. 
 
 the soft soap in substance is more powerful, and that 
 having more strength and virtue than the suds, as 
 commonly made, it may more effectually destroy the 
 worms, bugs, and other insects, which so materially in- 
 jure the trees ; and it is believed to be in consequence 
 of their destruction, that the bark and branches are 
 enabled to derive so much improvement from the ap- 
 plication of this substance." 
 
 Mr. Forsyth's treatise contains his method of man- 
 aging diseased pear trees, and such as were unfruitful 
 from deeay, and has clearly demonstrated, that the 
 quantity of fruit was thereby remarkably increased, 
 and the quality greatly improved. When old trees 
 are affected with canker, or otherwise diseased, by 
 which they are rendered unproductive, his practice is, 
 to head them down in May or June, as near as possi- 
 ble to where they were engrafted. By this method 
 the j'oung shoots soon sprout forth, and grow so rap- 
 idly, that in two or three years they bear fruit most 
 abundantly. Mr. F. illustrates his practical princi- 
 ples bv two or three striking examples, and by plates 
 representing the trees and fruiw One of the first 
 four which he headed down, was a Saint Germain, 
 which produced nineteen fine, large, well flavoured 
 pears the next year, and in the third, bore more fruit 
 than it did in its former state, when it was four times 
 the size. Another bore four hundred pears the second 
 year ; and he finally found, that the trees headed down 
 bore upwards of five times the quantity of fruit that 
 the others did ; and it keeps increasing, in proportion 
 to the progrees of the trees. "On the 20th of June," 
 says Mr. F. "I headed several standards that were al- 
 most destroyed by the canker ; some of them were 
 so loaded with fruit the following } 7 ear, that 1 v^as o- 
 bliged to prop the branches, to prevent their being 
 broken down by the weight of it. Jn the fourth year 
 afterwards, one of them bore two thousand eight hun- 
 
 \ 
 
dred and forty pears, while another tree, not headed 
 down, growing by its side, being twenty years old, 
 bore five hundred pears, which was a good crop for 
 its size : so that there were on the old tree, which 
 had been headed down not quite four years, two thou- 
 sand three hundred and forty more than on the tree 
 of twenty years growth." 
 
 The following is Mr. Forsyth's method of training 
 the trees, that are cut near the place where they 
 were grafted. Every } r ear, in the month of March, 
 (April or May for our climate,) he shortens the lead- 
 ing shoot to a foot or eighteen inches, according to its 
 strength. This shoot will, if the tree be strong, grow 
 from five to seven feet long in one season ; and, if left 
 to nature, would run up without throwing out side 
 shoots. The reason for thus shortening the leading 
 shoot is, to make it throw out side shoots ; and if it 
 be done close to a bud, it will frequently cover the 
 cut in one season. When the shoots are strong, he cuts 
 the leading shoot twice in one season : by this meth- 
 od he gets two sets of side shoots in one year, which 
 enables him the sooner to fill the tree. The first cut- 
 ting is performed any time during the spring, and the 
 second about the middle of June. When you prune 
 the trees, and cut the fore-right shoots in April, al- 
 ways cut close to an eye or bud, observing where you 
 see the greatest number of leaves at the lower bud. 
 and cut at them ; for, at the foot-stalk of every one of 
 these, will be produced a flower bud. You will have 
 in some sorts of pears, in a favourable season, from 
 five to nine pears in a cluster. This cutting should 
 not be later than April, on account of the leading 
 shoot beginning to grow ; the next topping, when the 
 leading shoot grows quick enough to admit of it, should 
 be about the latter end of June ; and the length of the 
 shoots should be according to their strength, having 
 from three eyes or buds to six on a side. Mr. For- 
 
180 PEARS. 
 
 syth has been successful in renovating old trees when 
 in such an advanced state of decay, that very little, 
 except the bark, remained. He always applies the 
 composition to the wounds, and when, on examination, 
 the root is found to be decayed and rotten, he cuts a- 
 way all the dead part, to the sound wood, and covers 
 the wound. If the above directions be followed, he 
 says, you will get more pears in three or four years, 
 than you can tn twenty-five years by planting young 
 trees, and pruning and managing them in the common 
 way. If it be desired to change the kind of fruit, it 
 will be easy to graft or bud upon the j T oung shoots. 
 
 The method recommended by Mr. Knight, for re- 
 claiming old unproductive pear trees is, to cut away 
 all the central branches, retaining those only that are 
 nearly horizontal, and all the spurs of these must be 
 taken oft' closely with the saw and chisel. Into the ex- 
 tremities of the branches thus retained, grafts are to 
 be inserted at proper distances, so ay to form a new 
 crown. It was on an old Saint Germain pear tree, 
 that had been trained to the wall in a fan form, that 
 he adopted this mode. As soon in the succeeding 
 summer, as the young shoots had attained sulficient 
 length, they were trained almost perpendicularly down- 
 wards between the larger branches and the u-o//, to which 
 they were nailed. In the second year, and subse- 
 quently, the tree yielded abundant crops, the fruit be- 
 ing equally dispersed over every part. Grafts of no 
 fewer than eight different kinds of pears had been in- 
 serted, and all afforded fruit, and nearly in equal plen- 
 ty. The same mode is applicable to common stand- 
 ard trees. By this mode, Mr. K. remarks, the bearing 
 branches, being small and short, may be changed ev- 
 ery three or four years, till the tree be a century old, 
 without the loss of a single crop, and the central part, 
 which is almost necessarily unproductive in the fan 
 mode of training, and is apt to become s© in the h®r- 
 
PEARS. 181 
 
 lzontal, is rendered in this way the most fruitful. 
 Where it is not desired to change the kind of fruit, 
 nothing more of course is necessary than to take off 
 entirely the spurs and supernumerary large branches, 
 leaving all blossom buds which occur, near the ex- 
 tremities of the remaining branches. 
 
 DISEASE OF PEAR TREES. 
 
 Fire Blight. — Pear trees have of late years been 
 subject to a malady commonly called Jire blight or bru~ 
 hre. During the months of June and July, the ex- 
 treme branches turn black as if burned and suddenly 
 perish. From the extreme branches, the disease ex- 
 tends downwards to the larger limbs, and continues 
 to increase until in some instances the tree is entirely 
 destroyed ; and what is very singular, trees while in 
 a healthy and highly luxuriant condition, and loaded 
 with fruit, are so suddenly seized, that they put on 
 this deadly appearance in one night; or in 24 hours, 
 without any apparent cause. Various are the causes 
 assigned by different writers. A writer in the New- 
 England Farmer, vol. 2, p. 42, says, on the first ap- 
 pearance of the disease on bis trees, being convinced 
 that it was the effect of some internal enemy, he in- 
 stantly sawed off all the limbs affected. He found 
 the enemy not at the point where death ensued, but 
 some inches below it. The insect was very small, 
 but had eaten a complete circle of the alburnum or 
 sap wood, not exceeding the size of a knitting needle, 
 so as completely to intercept the passage of the sap. 
 Having produced the affected limbs and the insects, 
 to the inspection of the late Professor Peck, he was 
 led to investigate the subject, and ascertained that the 
 insect is the scotylus piri, and in the Massachusetts Ag- 
 ricultural Journal, he has given a particular descrip- 
 tion of the insect with a plate. It deposits its eggs 
 *16 
 
182 PEARS. 
 
 between the bud and stem before the month of Au- 
 gust is passed. After the egg is hatched the grub 
 eats its way through the tup into the hardest part of 
 the wood and passes through its chrysalis state before 
 the next summer. The late Professor Peck observes 
 that the mischievious effects of this minute insect, are 
 observed in June and July, and that the dead part of 
 the branches should be cut off and burnt without de- 
 lay, as the insects have not then left them. The 
 writer above referred to, says, that by steadily pur- 
 suing the system of cutting off the limbs many inches 
 below the apparent injury and burning them, the in- 
 sects have been extirpated from his estate. William 
 Prince, Esq. proprietor of Linnaean Botanick Garden, 
 on Long Island, says, the disease is caused by a stroke 
 of the sun, which extracts the sap from the uppermost 
 branches of the trees, or from such as are most expos- 
 ed to its influence with more rapidity than it can be 
 replaced ; or from powerful rays of the sun, heating 
 the bark to such a degree as to nullify the progress of 
 the sap. The only remedy, he says, is to immediate- 
 ly saw off the affected branches one or two feet be- 
 low where the blight extends, in which case, the tree 
 generally revives. A writer in the American Farm- 
 er, published at Baltimore, January 1st, 1821, advan- 
 ces the opinion with full confidence, that it is a warm 
 winter, especially a warm February, followed by a 
 cold March, that destroys our pear trees. It is the 
 order of nature, he observes, that a tree in severe cold 
 weather cannot exist but by a union of the bark with 
 the alburnum or sap wood. That if the latter part of 
 winter is warm, especially if the ground on which the 
 tree stands is rich and cultivated, the sap juice is set 
 afloat and in a short time, winter returns upon the 
 tree in the cold month of March ; the sap vessels are 
 instantly contracted, the juices are stagnated, and the 
 limb or tree sickens, and as heat is further applied, 
 
P^EARS. 1 85 
 
 the injury increases till it dies because heat evapo- 
 rates the juices iaster than it can force them into con- 
 tracted vessels. This rational theory we are disposed 
 to receive as correct, and a probable remedy may be 
 found in the application of cold water to the roots of 
 the trees in the month of February, provided the 
 weather should be so warm as to put the sap in mo- 
 tion. Another writer in the American Farmer ascribes 
 the disease to worms in the root, having discovered 
 in the roots of his trees numerous worms, similar 
 in description to the borer in apple trees. Wherever 
 this cause is found to exist, the mode of treatment 
 should be the same as already detailed when treating 
 of the apple tree borer, 
 
 A pear tree brought fronj Holland, and planted in 
 the year 1647, is now in full bloom, standing in the 
 third avenue at the insersection of Thirteenth street, 
 (New-York.) This is probably the oldest fruit tree 
 in America. About seventy years ago the branches 
 of the tree decayed and fell off ; and at that time it 
 was supposed the tree was dying ; but, without any 
 artificial means being resorted to, new shoots ger- 
 minated and gradually supplied the roots of their pre- 
 decessors. The tree now is in full health and vigour, 
 and appears to be not more than thirty years old ; 
 the fruit ripens the latter part of August, has a rich 
 succulent flavour, and has been known by the name 
 of the spice pear. (New York Evening Post, May 4, 
 1820.) 
 
 Old Endicot Tree, — This tree was brought from 
 England and planted by Governor Endicot, nearly 
 200 years ago, is now living at Salem, and bears the 
 present season. A scion from this tree produced four 
 bushels the last year. 
 
 From the pear is prepared a pleasant liquor, known 
 under the name of perry, which is made in the same 
 manner as cider from apples. In England, particu- 
 
184 FfcARS. 
 
 lar kinds of pears are cultivated for this purpose, and 
 the liquor is held in high estimation. 
 
 The subjoined list contains a selection, from various 
 sources, of such as are much esteemed as table fruit 3 
 or will meet a ready sale at market. 
 
 1. Amory. — A very superiour pear. Resembles 
 the Saint Michael in size and appearance, but ripens 
 a little earlier ; a great bearer and not subject to blast. 
 
 2. BenselPs Winter. — It is a large, full, round pear, 
 skin yellow, the flesh line and juicy. It is a fine 
 keeping fruit and a great bearer. 
 
 3. Brocas bergamot. — A delicious pear, ripe early 
 in October. 
 
 4. Brown beurre — Is a large and long fruit, of 
 brownish red colour next the sun, melting, and full of 
 sharp rich juice, slightly perfumed. Indeed, it is 
 one of the best autumn pears we have. Ripens in 
 October. 
 
 5. Catharine pear. — Of this there are several vari- 
 eties, the earliest of which ripens in July, and anoth- 
 er kind in August. They are considered well deserv- 
 ing of cultivation, as an excellent summer fruit for the 
 dessert and for baking. The tree grows large, and 
 is very fruitful. 
 
 6. Chaumontelle, or winter beurre. — "It is a large, 
 rich flavoured, melting pear ; the skin a. little rough ; 
 often of a pale green colour, but becoming purplish 
 next the sun, sometimes with a good deal of red. The 
 fruit is left on the tree till the close approach of win- 
 ter. It is fit for eating in the end of November, and 
 continues till January." 
 
 - 7. Colmart, or manna pear — "Is large and excel- 
 lent ; the flesh is very tender and melting, and the 
 juice greatly sugared. Both in shape and quality, it 
 considerably resembles the autumn, or English berga- 
 mot. 1 1 keeps through the winter, till the end of 
 February." 
 
 \ 
 
PEARS. 1 85 
 
 8. Crassane, or bergamot crassane — Is a pear of a 
 large size and round shape, with a long stalk : the 
 skin is roughish ; of a greenish yellow, when ripe, 
 with a russety coating : the flesh is very tender and 
 melting, and full of a rich sugary juice. It is fit for 
 use from the middle to the end of .November, and is 
 one of the very best pears of the season. 
 
 9. Easter bergamot, or "winter bergamot — Is a large 
 roundish fruit, of a grayish green colour, with a lit- 
 tle red : the flesh between breaking and melting. The 
 fruit is fit for the table in February, and keeps till A- 
 pril." 
 
 10. Early summer bergamot. — One of the finest 
 pears of the summer. It is a highly flavoured delic- 
 ious fruit, if eaten before it is too ripe. — The skin is 
 green covered with russet spots, turns 3*ellow when 
 fully ripe in July, it is of a round form, not large. 
 The tree is of moderate size, hard v, and free from 
 blight, 
 
 11. Epargne. — A delicious and much esteemed 
 fruit. Resembles in shape and size the St. Germain. 
 Colour of a greenish cast, with rusty spots. The flesh 
 is melting and the juice sprightly. Ripe in August. 
 
 1 2. Fine Gold of summer. — A pear of superior ex- 
 cellence. The size is small, the stem long, growing a 
 little on one side. The skin a rich yellow on one 
 side, on the other a brilliant red, dotted with yellow. 
 The flesh rich and juicy and highly flavoured, ripe the 
 last of July. The tree is vigorous with long hanging 
 limbs. 
 
 13. Garden pear. — This ripens in November. It 
 is large and rather long ; the skin yellow, and the 
 flesh yellow, rich, and juicy. It is cultivated in Mas- 
 sachusetts, and is highly esteemed. 
 
 14. German muscadel pear, or muscat allemand. "A 
 noble, large, pyramidal fruit, with a small blossom on 
 a shallow excavation, and rather a long stalk. When 
 
1 86 PEARS. 
 
 ripening on the floor, it acquires a red and yellow 
 tint. Its flesh is melting and delicate, full of a spicy, 
 delicious juice, similar to that of Muscadel grapes. — 
 Eatable from March till May. The tree forms a fine 
 crown, and is exceedingly productive." 
 
 1 5. Green Catharine, or Rousselet. — This is by some 
 called spice Catharine. The tree grows in form like 
 the early Catharine, is very hardy, and a great bearer. 
 The fruit fair and fine, excellent in a raw state or bak- 
 ed. The size is rather small, the colour of the skin a 
 greenish yellow russet and spotted. Ripe in August 
 and September. 
 
 1 6. Green summer sugar pear, or sucre vert — Has a 
 very smooth green skin ; flesh melting and the juice 
 sugary, with an agreeable flavour : the tree is a free 
 bearer. Its period of ripening is in August, and it 
 can be preserved only a few weeks. The tree bears 
 fruit every year, and its blossoms resist the most un- 
 favourable weather. 
 
 17. Grey butter pear — > Are well known to ama- 
 
 18. White butter pear — ) teurs, and deserve to stand 
 in every orchard, being excellent autumnal fruits. 
 The white butter pear is also very excellent for culi- 
 nary purposes, even before it attains to maturity by 
 lying on the floor. In a good soil, it often forms a 
 very large tree ; but the grey butter pear is of a low- 
 er growth, though with more expanded branches. 
 
 19. Holland table pear. — This is rather a large 
 pear, of very irregular form, the skin is green with 
 small russet clouds. The flesh is remarkably juicy, 
 melting and sprightly. The stem loi «^. Few pears 
 are more admired at a season when fine pears are 
 common. Ripens in September and October. The 
 tree is of strong and vigorous growth, the foliage lux- 
 uriant. It is a great and uniform bearer. 
 
 20. Jargonelle. — This is a well known, fine sum- 
 mer pear, ripening in August. The flesh is breaking, 
 
 
PEARS. 1 87 
 
 sweet, and has a slightly musky flavour. It is best 
 when picked before fully ripe, and matured in the 
 house. The tree is a general bearer. 
 
 21. Little muscat — Is of an oblong shape, of a yel- 
 low colour, except next the sun, where it is red. Ripe 
 in August. 
 
 22. Mons Jean — Is a valuable pear. It is ripe a- 
 bout the first of November, and will last till the mid- 
 dle of December. 
 
 23. Mogul summer. — A very large, fair and sweet 
 pear, and a full bearer. Ripe in August. 
 
 24. Orange pear. — This has been long cultivated 
 in Massachusetts, and is still a favourite fruit among 
 those who are unacquainted with the superiour kinds 
 more recently introduced. The fruit is roundish j 
 the skin of a greenish colour, becoming yellow when 
 ripe ; the flesh is melting, and the juice sugary ; the 
 flavour pleasantly perfumed. It ripens in August, 
 and, like all summer pears, is of short duration. 
 
 26. Pound pear — "Is an extraordinary large, thick, 
 oblong fruit, of a greenish gray colour : it is often 
 reared in the vicinity of buildings, to shelter its pon- 
 derous fruit from boisterous winds, before it has at- 
 tained to maturity. Though its pulp be somewhat 
 tough, it is a very useful pear in domestick economy, 
 especially for drying. The tree rises to a considera- 
 ble height, and spreads its branches ; is very produc- 
 tive, and its blossoms are not liable to be injured in 
 the spring." The fruit should be suffered to remain 
 on the tree till frost, and then preserved in the com- 
 mon manner, for baking and other culinary uses. — 
 There is a variety generally called the small pound 
 pear, which acquires only half the size of the former, 
 but possesses all its valuable properties. 
 
 26. Nonpareil bergamot — "Is a considerably large 
 pear, with a green peel, containing a mellow pulp of 
 an incomparable aromatick taste. It becomes eatable 
 
188 PEARS. 
 
 in October and November. The tree is one of the 
 largest among the bergamots." 
 
 27. Prince's pear — "Is a small roundish fruit, of a 
 yellow colour, but red next the sun : flesh interme- 
 diate between breaking and melting : juice high fla- 
 voured. The tree is generally a great bearer, and 
 the fruit will keep for a fortnight." 
 
 28. Radish pear, — " A very superiour summer 
 fruit, the juice of which is so rich, refreshing and 
 agreeably acidulated, that it excels in its kind the gray 
 butter pear. But as it easily becomes mealy, though 
 of a muscadel flavour, when left' to ripen on the 
 tree, it ought to be removed, and deposited on 
 the floor. The tree is remarkably fertile, and pro- 
 duces fruit in seasons when almost every other pear 
 kind has failed : hence it deserves to be reared, even 
 in climates and situations not very favourable to or- 
 chards ; as it is of vigourous growth, and attains to 
 tolerable size." 
 
 29. Rousseline — " Is of a deep red colour, with 
 spots of gray ; the flesh is very tender and delicate, 
 and the juice very sweet, with an agreeable perfume. 
 It ripens about the latter end of October, but will not 
 keep." 
 
 30. Sarasin. — A valuable winter pear, which 
 ought to decorate every orchard, as it may be pre- 
 served a whole year. In shape and size it resembles 
 the brown Louise, but generally becomes much larger. • 
 Its red colour rises on the south side : when it turns 
 yellow in July, acquires a buttery consistence, and is 
 then eatable. This likewise affords an excellent fruit 
 for boiling, drying, and other domestic uses. The 
 tree is tall and vigourous." 
 
 31. Seckle pear. — In a letter from professor Ho- 
 sack, of New York, dated October, 1818, to the Lon- 
 don Horticultural Society, and published in their 
 work, we are favoured with the following account of 
 this most estimable fruit : 
 
PEARS. 189 
 
 " The Seckle pear is so named from Mr. Seckle, of 
 Philadelphia, who has the credit of having first culti- 
 vated it in the vicinity of that city. It is generally 
 considered to be a native fruit of this country, acci- 
 dentally produced from seed sown by Mr. Seckle, and 
 the original tree is said to be still standing on the es- 
 tate of that gentleman. An account, however, essen- 
 tially different from this, has been lately communica- 
 ted to me by my friend judge Wallace, of Burlington, 
 to whom I recently paid a visit. He stated to me, 
 on the authority of a correspondent in Philadelphia, 
 that the pear was grown in that neighbourhood, sixty 
 years ago, by a person named Jacob Weiss, who ob- 
 tained the tree, with many others, at a settlement of 
 Swedes, which was early established near Philadel- 
 phia, where Mr. Weiss had built a house. The judge 
 suggested the probability of Mr. Weiss and the father 
 or grandfather of Mr. Seckle having been intimate, as 
 both families were German, and of that rank in socie- 
 ty, which might be likely to lead to such an acquaint- 
 ance. The conjecture therefore, is, that under such 
 circumstances, Mr. Seckle's family obtained grafts 
 from tMr. Weiss's tree. 
 
 " Mr. Coxe, in his view of the cultivation of fruit 
 trees in America, an interesting volume, which I have 
 forwarded to the society, after assigning the same ori- 
 gin as I have stated in the beginning of the letter, 
 describes the fruit thus: 4 The form and appearance 
 vary with aspect, age and cultivation : the size gen- 
 erally is small ; the form regular, round at the blos- 
 som end, diminishing with a gentle oval towards the 
 stem, which is rather short and thick : the skin is 
 sometimes yellow, with a bright red cheek, and 
 smooth ; at other times, a perfect russet, without any 
 blush : the flesh is melting, spicy, and most exquisite- 
 ly and delicately flavoured. The time of ripening is 
 from the end of August to the middle of October. 
 17 
 
1 90 PEARS. 
 
 The tree is singularly vigorous and beautiful, of 
 great regularity of growth and richness of foliage, 
 very hardy, possessing all the characteristicks of a 
 new variety. Neither Rosier or De La Quintinge 
 among the French, nor Miller or Forsyth among the 
 English writers, describe such a pear as the Seckle ; 
 nor have 1 found one among the intelligent French 
 gentlemen in our country, who has any knowledge of 
 it in his own." 
 
 " I may add to the above, that the fruit is admitted 
 by all to be one of the most exquisitely and highly 
 flavoured we possess. Its flavour is very peculiar, 
 having a factitious aromatick perfume, rather than 
 the natural odour or taste of fruits. The late general 
 Moreau informed me that he had never tasted this 
 fruit in France, the country in which, of all others, 
 the finest pears are cultivated." 
 
 32. Skinless pear, or early ruselet. — This is a long 
 shaped, reddish coloured fruit, with a very thin skin; 
 the flesh melting, and full of a rich sugary juice. It 
 ripens in August. 
 
 33. Squash pear. — This pear is cultivated in Mas- 
 sachusetts, and Mr. Coxe thus describes it. The 
 fruit of highest estimation for perry in England ; it 
 is an early pear, remarkable for the tenderness of its 
 flesh; if it drops ripe from the tree, it bursts from 
 the fall ; whence probably its name. The liquor 
 made from it is pale, sweet, remarkably clear, and of 
 strong body; it bears a price fourfold of other perry. 
 
 34. Saint Germain — Is a large, long pear, of a jel- 
 lowish colour when ripe ; flesh melting, and very full 
 of juice, with considerable flavour. If the tree be 
 planled on a dry soil, in a warm situation, and trained 
 against a wall, it bears pretty freely. There are two 
 varieties, a spurious and the true ; and it is believed, 
 the former is by much the more generally dissemina- 
 ted. The true is of French origin, and often is very 
 
PEARS. 1 9 1 
 
 large, of a pyramidal form, having a thick and dotted 
 green skin, but which, while ripening on the floor, 
 becomes yellow. The spurious fruit ripens in De- 
 cember, remaining green whan ripe, and generally 
 decays by the end of January : unieSs the soil and 
 season be favourable, it is insipid and watery $ it is 
 shorter, and its form is subject to more variations 
 than that of the true variety. The true St. Germain 
 keeps in perfection till the end of March, and for 
 sweetness and flavour, ranks among the very best of 
 the winter pears. Mr. Coxe complains that this tree, 
 in our climate, is very subject to the fire blight, so 
 destructive of the finest and most delicate pears in this 
 country ; and observes thai it would be highly useful 
 to the cultivators of fruit cculd the cause or cure of 
 this evil be discovered. 
 
 35. St. MichaeVs or yellozo butter pear, — The same 
 as the Doyenne, or Dean pear. For the richness of its 
 flesh, and excellence of- flavour, it is said to be infe- 
 riour to none except the Seckle ; and (ew pears are 
 more admired and extensively cultivated in the Unit- 
 ed States. The fruit is large, round, inclining to ob- 
 long in shape, fair and handsome ; its skin glossy and 
 smooth, resembling unpolished gold ; occasionally 
 streaked and marked with bright yellow spots. It 
 displays either a blush or bright russet on the south 
 side. The flesh of this luscious fruit is white, and the 
 juice so remarkably cold that it sometimes offends a 
 weak stomach, and occasions eructations, it should 
 be gathered before it is quite ripe, and matured in the 
 house, in order to have it in true perfection ; and it 
 may be in use from the beginning of September to 
 the first part of November. The tree does not grow 
 -to a large size, but is an early and never failing bearer. 
 
 3G. Summer Beurre, or butter pear of summer. — The 
 fruit is of the common size, of a bright yellow when 
 fully ripe. The flesh is sprightly rich and juicy, if 
 
192 PEARS. 
 
 gathered before quite ripe and kept a few days in the 
 house. The tree is of a singular growth, the branches 
 long and bending, with large knobs at the extremities. 
 It bears young and very abundantly. In perfection 
 all the month of August. 
 
 37. Summer good Christian — Is a large, oblong fruit, 
 with a smooth and thin skin, of a whitish green col- 
 our, but red next the sun ; full of juice, and of a rich 
 perfumed flavour. It ripens in August. The tree is 
 large, and generally fruitful. 
 
 38. Virgouleuse. — "A delicious pear, of a pyramid- 
 al form, with a deep bloom, and short fleshy stalk. Its 
 peel is whitish green, and, if ripening on a floor, (from 
 December to March,) generally acquires a fine yellow 
 tint : its pulp melts in the mouth, yielding a copious 
 aromatick juice. The tree grows to a moderate 
 height." 
 
 39. Winter baking pear. — This fruit abounds in 
 Massachusetts, and is much valued as a baking pear. 
 It is not eatable in a raw state, not being juicy or well 
 flavoured. It keeps well through the winter, and the 
 flesh, on being baked, turns to a fine red colour The 
 tree is not large, but seldom fails of affording an annu- 
 al crop of fruit. 
 
 40. Winter good Christian. — The fruit is very large ; 
 the flesh is tender and breaking, and is very full of a 
 rich sugared juice. The fruit is in eating from March 
 to June. 
 
 41. Winter thorn — (Epine d'hiver) — "In size and 
 shape is similar to many kinds of egg-pears. Its peel 
 is at first whitish grey, and turns yellow when ripen- 
 ing on the floor. The pulp is mellow, sweet, and of a 
 delicious aromatick taste. This pear is fit to be eaten 
 in November, and remains sound till the end of Janu- 
 ary. The tree vegetates with great luxuriance. 1 ' 
 
 42. Red bergamot. — This pear is of moderate size, 
 and roundish form, flattened at the ends. The skin is 
 
PEARS. 193 
 
 yellow,lhe side next the sun of a lively red, dotted 
 with small russet spots. The fruit is very full of juice, 
 of a fine flavour, rich and sprightly. Ripens in Au- 
 gust. When the tree is considerably advanced, it is a 
 great bearer. 
 
 The celebrated horticulturalist Mr. Knight, has 
 generously furnished John Lowell, Esq. President of 
 the Massachusetts Agricultural Society, with trees and 
 grafts of the following new varieties, the produce of 
 his own ingenious improvement. 
 
 Cassiomont — A large pear, yellow upon one side, 
 and red upon the other. Ripens in October. 
 
 Tillington. — It is perfectly melting or rather per- 
 fectly beurre, and very rich, sprang from a seed of 
 the'autumn bergamot, and the pollen of the Jargonelle, 
 and its form is precisely such as you would expect 
 from snch a mixture. It is ripe in November. (This 
 example, observes Mr. Lowell, will shew our cultiva- 
 tors the process of Mr. Knight, and the great changes 
 produced by it* He removed from the flowers of 
 the autumn bergamot all the anthers. He< impregna- 
 ted the germ with the pollen of the Jargonelle. He 
 took the seeds of the fruit, thus obtained, sowed them, 
 and produced a new pear, having a mixed form, between 
 that of the Jargonelle which is long and eminently 
 pear shaped, and that ef the autumn bergamot, which 
 is flattened, and rather apple shaped : and it ripens 
 nearly two months later than either of its parents.) 
 
 Urbaniste. — A large and nearly globular pear ; col- 
 our yellowish green ; the flavour of rose water. Sea- 
 son November. 
 
 Buerre Knox. — Large, pear shaped, yellow; season, 
 November and December ; an excellent pear. 
 
 Marie Louise. — Middle sized ; colour, pale yellow. 
 Season, November and December ; a most excellent 
 variety. 
 
 Napoleon. — Somewhat smaller than the Marie Lou- 
 *17 
 
194 QUINCE. 
 
 ise ; exceedingly melting and juicy. Season, Novem- 
 ber and December. 
 
 Florelle. — Middle size, and pear shaped ; colour, 
 bright red, nearly scarlet, with minute dark points ; 
 a most beautiful and excellent variety. Season, No- 
 rember. 
 
 Colmar <PHyver. — Shape, va^ing from nearly glob- 
 ular to pear shaped ; colour, yellowish green. Sea- 
 son, January — a melting pear of rirst rate excellence, 
 and very productive. 
 
 Passe Colmar, — Large, and pear shaped, but very 
 broad towards the eye, An exceeding fine melting 
 pear, which by being kept in different temperatures, 
 may be brought to table in perfection, from the be- 
 ginning of January to the middle or end of April. 
 The variety is so productive as to make it necessary, 
 generally, to take off9-10ths of the fruit. 
 
 Hardenpont de Printems, — A large, pale, green pear, 
 with rather a rough skin. It ripens in England in the 
 end of April or beginning of May, and its flesh at that 
 period nearly resembles that of the brown Beurre in 
 autumn. It is a very productive variety, and in our 
 climate, Mr. Knight, thinks will prove the most valu- 
 able variety of all. 
 
 QUINCE TREE. 
 
 The quince may be propagated by layers, or young 
 sprouts, which must be covered in the earth, or by 
 cuttings taken from the tree in April, and set into the 
 ground at proper distances, where they will take root 
 the first season, and they may be transplanted at pleas- 
 ure to the place of their ultimate destination. This 
 
PEACHES. 196 
 
 tree may also be propagated by budding or grafting ; 
 and, according to Mr. Forsyth, trees thus obtained 
 will bear sooner and be more fruitful than those rear- 
 ed by any other method. Quince trees flourish best, 
 and are more productive in a moist soil, though the 
 fruit from those set in dry situations, is said to possess 
 a finer flavour. The quince tree requires but very 
 little pruning ; the most important part of their man- 
 agement consists in clearing their stems from suckers, 
 and in cutting off such branches as interfere with each 
 other. All luxuriant shoots that strike up from the 
 middle of the tree, must be lopped off, to prevent the 
 head from being too much crowded with wood, which 
 might impede the growth of the fruit. If the tree be- 
 comes diseased or rotten, the dead parts should be cut 
 away, and the composition applied, as in apple trees. 
 We are advised to plant quince trees at a good dis- 
 tance from apple and pear trees, lest the farina be- 
 come mixed, and the fruits dengenerate. The quince 
 tree is liable to the attack of the worm borer, the 
 same as the apple and pear tree; and the same rem- 
 edies are to be recommended. 
 
 OF PEACHES. 
 
 The soil and climate of our southern and middle 
 States are considered as peculiarly congenial to the 
 growth of the peach tree, and accordingly, it. has long 
 been more generally and extensively cultivated there 
 than in any other section of the union. It is reared 
 on every plantation, and not unfrequently peach or- 
 chards, covering many acres, and consisting of several 
 thousand trees, are presented to the view of the trar- 
 
196 PEACHES. 
 
 * 
 
 eller. It is, however, more for the purpose of distill- 
 ery than the luxury ot the table, that this species of 
 fruit receives so much attention from our southern I 
 brethren ; an excellent and highly-flavoured brandy 
 being obtained from it by distillation. It is exceed- 
 ingly to be regretted, that the peach tree of late 
 years has become liable to premature decay, and the 
 period of its duration is greatly diminished, inso- 
 much, that its continuance in a healthy bearing state 
 seldom exceeds three or four years. This mistortunc 
 is increased by the circumstance, that a peach orchard 
 cannot be roared a second time on the same spot, un- 
 less the soil be renovated by several years' interme- 
 diate culture of other crops. The soil best adapted to 
 the peach tree is a mellow, sandy loam. Situations 
 naturally wet, or inclining to clay, are unfavourable. 
 Water should never be suffered to stand round the 
 roots of tender trees, especially in strong land, as it is 
 apt to produce the mildew, and destroy them. 
 
 In England, peach trees are planted against a wall, 
 to which their branches are trained, and nailed either 
 in the fan form, or nearly horizontally, and being the 
 subjects of particular care and culture, it is not un- 
 common for peach trees to continue to produce annu- 
 al crops during forty years. 
 
 The propagation of peach trees is accomplished ei- 
 ther by planting the stones or kernels, or by budding 
 on proper stocks. By the first method there is con- 
 stantly a great tendency to deviate from the nature of 
 the variety from which the seed was taken, and the 
 variety maybe almost indefinitely increased. Jn Ma- 
 ryland and Virginia, this last mode is adopted without 
 budding, by which numerous varieties are obtained, 
 and among them are found some of superiour quality. 
 It, indeed, on some occasions happens, that the same 
 fruit is produced with that of the seed planted. The 
 stones are planted in beds or drills, in October or No- 
 
REACHES. 197 
 
 vember, or they may be preserved in sand, and plant- 
 ed in March : in this ease the stones must be broken 
 open without injuring the kernel, which is the part to 
 be planted. In one year the seedlings may be trans- 
 planted in rows into the nursery, which may be done 
 either in autumn or spring. It is to be recollected, 
 that neither the stoYies nor seedling trees should be 
 planted on ground lately occupied by peach trees, un- 
 less the whole of the old roots be removed, and fresh 
 mould be put in to supply the place of the old. But 
 the most certain method of preserving a particular va- 
 riety is by budding; peach trees thus obtained, al- 
 ways afford fruit in size, colour, and taste, exactly sim- 
 ilar to that of the tree from which the bud was taken, 
 and come sooner into a bearing state. Stocks, on which 
 peaches may be budded, besides those of their own 
 kind, are the almond, the apricot, and the plum. The 
 proper season for budding are the months of Augnst 
 and September, and the operation is to be performed 
 in the manner directed for apples and pears. In two 
 or three years after budding, they bear fruit. In 
 taking up the young trees, care must be taken to pre- 
 serve the roots as much as possible. Such parts as 
 are bruised should be removed, and the small roots 
 may be shortened. It is important that the trees be 
 equally filled with side shoots from top to bottom ; 
 for when suffered to run up in single branches, the 
 trees in general are so weak and spongy, that they 
 are unable to bear good fruit. Accordingly when the 
 seedlings are about one year old, Mr. Forsyth recom- 
 mends to head them down to five or six buds, or oth* 
 erwise to cut off the extremities of the leading shoots, 
 which will make them send out side shoots, and form 
 a handsome, fruitful tree. None of the shoots should 
 be suffered to grow too long during the first and sec- 
 ond years, which is easily prevented by pinching off 
 the tops of them with the fingers during the month 
 
198 PEACHES. 
 
 \ 
 
 of June. Peach trees when left to their natural course 
 are apt to run up to a long naked stem, with a few 
 naked limbs and small weak boughs at the tops, the 
 tree inclining to one side in an uncomely form, and 
 not capable of bearing much fruit. Peach trees, says 
 Mr. Cobbett, should be so pruned as to give them a 
 good broad form. The tree should in the first place 
 be budded very near the ground. After planting it 
 where it is to stand, cut it down to witnin 1 1-2 feet 
 of the ground, and always cut sloping, close to a bud. 
 In this foot and a half there will be many buds, and 
 they will the first summer, send out many shoots. 
 Now when shoots begin 'to appear, rub them all off 
 but three ; leave the top one, and one on each side, at 
 suitable distance lower down. These will in time be- 
 come limbs. The next year, tap the upright shoot 
 that came out of the top bud again so as to bring out 
 other horizontal limbs, pointing in a different direction 
 from those that came out the last year. Thus the tree 
 will get a spread : after this keep down the aspiring 
 shoots ; and every winter cut out some of the weak 
 wood, that the tree may not be over burdened with 
 wood. The lowest limb of the tree should come out 
 of the trunk not more than 9 or 10 inches from the 
 ground. " When peach trees come into a bearing 
 state, they produce two sorts of buds : where three 
 stand close together, the two on each side are called 
 flower or blossom buds, and the central one is called 
 a wood bud. The former rise immediately from the 
 eyes of the shoots, and are round, short, and promi- 
 nent, while the wood, or shoot buds are oblong, nar- 
 row, and rlattish. Sometimes whole fcreea, or a large 
 proportion of the branches, produce nothing but sin- 
 gle flower buds, and in pruning, ifa shoot be cut off. at 
 a single flower bud, the remains of it, as far down as 
 the next wood bud, it is said, will surely die ; it must, 
 therefore^ be observed, as a rule, to cut just above the 
 
PEACHES. 1 99 
 
 cluster of three buds, and the wood bud will shoot 
 forth and become the leader, and be prepared to pro- 
 duce fruit the next year. 
 
 It is the practice of Mr. Forsyth, when old peach 
 trees run up too high and thin, to cut them down as 
 far back as he can find any shoots or buds, alwaj^s 
 leaving some young shoots or buds, otherwise there 
 will be great risk of killing the tree. If there area 
 few young shoots, the top may with safety be cut off 
 just above them, as they will lead the sap up, and 
 produce strong branches, which should be topped, the 
 same as a young tree. The operation should be per- 
 formed in the month of .April, and the young shoots 
 will bear fruit the next season. The composition 
 must be applied to the wounds, where the old branch- 
 es are amputated, and the canker should be carefully 
 cut out, and any part where the gum is seen to ooze, 
 or the new wood will be affected as it begins to grow. 
 When young trees are overloaded with fruit, it is ab- 
 solutely necessary to thin them out while small, ac- 
 cording to the strength of the tree. 
 
 "The premature decay of peach trees has been as- 
 cribed to various causes ; by some, to the degeneracy 
 of the soil, and neglecting to manure thfem regularly ; 
 by others, to the supposed alteration of the climate, 
 the changes from heat to cold being more sudden and 
 violent now than formerly, when the country was 
 more in forest. But the true causes, as detailed by 
 Dr. Mease, (Dom. Ency.) seem to be the following." 
 
 "Peach trees are liable to three casualties : 
 
 "1. The fly, that deposits eggs near the root, and 
 there forms a worm. 
 
 "2. The bursting of the bark by severe frosts in 
 w*3t winters. 
 
 "3. The splitting of the limbs at the fork of the 
 tree. 
 
 "The fly, which is blue, (but not a wasp.) begins its 
 
200 PEACHE5. 
 
 attacks about the middle of July, and continues its 
 depredations until the middle of September. It 
 wounds the tender part of the bark, and generally at 
 the surface of the ground, there depositing its eggs, 
 which hatch into worms, that prey upon the muci- 
 lage and tender part of the bark, until the communi- 
 cation between the root and the branches is cut off, 
 causing the death of the tree. To guard against this, 
 raise a little hillock in the month of June, round the 
 tree, about a foot high, so as completely to cover that 
 part of the bark kept moist and tender at the surface 
 of the ground. This hillock will not stand so long at 
 one height, as to tender the bark above, as the rain 
 will gradually wash it down level with the surface, and 
 must be raised again every summer." 
 
 "To take out the worm, the roots must be uncover- 
 ed, and the spot looked for where the gum oozes out, 
 following the cavity round with the point of a knife, 
 until you come to the solid wood, and lay the whole 
 open : the worm will be found with a white body and 
 black head ; which must be destroyed, and the holes 
 carefully filled up with cow manure, rendered adhe- 
 sive by sand or lime core and ashes, as directed by 
 Mr. Forsyth. 
 
 "Soap suds, heated after a family wash, and poured 
 on the roots of trees, about the middle of August, have 
 been used with success in destroying the eggs, or the 
 young worm. 
 
 "According to Mr. John Ellis, of New-Jersey, the 
 injury arising from the worm may be prevented in the 
 following way : 
 
 "In the spring, when the blossoms are out, clear a- 
 way the dirt so as to expose the root of the tree, to 
 the depth of three inches ; surround the tree with 
 straw about three feet long, applied lengthwise, so 
 that it may have a covering, one inch thick, which 
 extends to the bottom of the hole, the butt ends of 
 
PEACHES. 201 
 
 the straw resting upon the ground at the bottom ; 
 bind this straw round the tree with three bands, one 
 near the top, one at the middle, and the third at the 
 surface of the earth ; then fill up the hole at the root 
 with earth, and press it closely round the straw. 
 When the white frosts appear, the straw should be re- 
 moved, and the tree remain uncovered till the blos- 
 soms put out in the spring. 
 
 "By this process, the fly is prevented from deposit- 
 ing its egg within three feet of the root, and although 
 it may place the egg above that distance, the worm 
 travels so slow that it cannot reach the ground before 
 frost, and therefore it is killed before it is able to in- 
 jure the tree. 
 
 "The truth of the principle is proved by the fol- 
 lowing fact, 1 practised this method with a large 
 number of peach trees, and they flourished remarka- 
 bly well, without any appearance of injury from the 
 worm, for several years, when I was induced to dis- 
 continue the straw with about twenty of them. All 
 those which are without the straw have declined, while the 
 others, which have had the straw, continue as vigorous as 
 evir." * 
 
 "To guard against frost, plant the trees where the 
 water will run off, and procure the sweetest and rich- 
 est fruit, as the inferiour qualities are more injured by 
 cold. 
 
 "The splitting of the tree at the forks is guarded a- 
 gainst by preserving as many upright branches as can 
 be spared, by breaking off, in bearing years, more than; 
 half the quantity of fruit while small, and by pruning 
 almost the whole of every branch beyond where the 
 fruit is set, leaving only a few buds on each, of the 
 succeeding year's fruit. The size of the fruit is by 
 
 * A band of matting", Extending about six inches above, and 
 the same beneath the surface of the earth, may be found prefer- 
 able to straw, as it is easier applied, 
 18 
 
302 FSACHfcSv 
 
 these means rendered larger, more beautiful, atid of & 
 higher flavour, and the growth of the tree is rendered 
 more vigorous." 
 
 "Mr. Thomas Coulter, of Bedford county, Penn 
 sylvania, gives the following directions for cultivating 
 peach trees, which he has successfully pursued in 
 Pennsylvania and Delaware, for forty-five years. See 
 Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. vol. v. 
 
 "The principal causes of peach trees dying while 
 young, are the planting, transplanting, and pruning 
 the same stock ; which causes the stock to be open and 
 tender, and the bark of the tree very rough : this 
 roughness of the bark gives opportunities to insects 
 to lodge and breed in it ; and birds search after these 
 insects, for their support, and with their sharp bills, 
 wound the stock in many places ; from which wound 
 the sap of the tree is drawn out, which congeals, and 
 never fails to kill, or to render the tree useless, in a 
 few years. To prevent which, transplant your peach 
 trees, as young as possible, where you mean them to 
 stand ; if in the kernel, so much the better ; because 
 in that case there will be no check of growth, which 
 always injures peach trees. Plant peach trees six- 
 teen feet apart, both ways, except you would wish to 
 take your wagon through the orchard to carry the 
 peaches away ; in that case, give twenty-four feet dis- 
 tance to every fifth row, one way, after transplanting. 
 You may plough and harrow amongst your peaches 
 for two years, paying no regard to wounding or tear- 
 ing them, so that you do not take them up by the 
 roots. In the month of March or April, in the third 
 year after transplanting, cut them all off by the ground ; 
 plough and harrow amongst them as before, taking 
 special care not to wound or tear them in the smallest 
 degree, letting all the sprouts or scions grow, that will 
 grow ; cut none away, supposing six or more should 
 come up from the old stump ; the young scions will 
 
M£A%K£8. 203 
 
 grow up to bearing trees on account of the roots be- 
 ing strong. Let no kind of beasts into peach or- 
 chards, hogs excepted, for fear of wounding the trees ; 
 as the least wound will greatly injure the tree, by 
 draining away that substance which is the life there- 
 of ; although the tree may live many years, the pro- 
 duce is not so great, neither is the fruit so good. Af- 
 ter the old stock is cut away, the third year after 
 transplanting, the sprouts or scions will grow up all 
 round the old stump, from four to six in number : no 
 more will come to maturity than the old stump can 
 support and nourish ; the remainder will die before 
 ever they bear fruit. These may be cut away, tak- 
 ing care not to wound any part of any stock, or the 
 bark. The sprouts growing all round the old stump, 
 when loaded with fruit, will bend, and rest on the 
 ground in every direction, without injuring any of 
 them, for many years, all of them being rooted in the 
 ground as though they had been planted. The stocks 
 will remain tough, and the bark smooth, for twenty 
 years and upwards ; if any of the sprouts or trees from 
 the old stump should happen to split off or die, cut 
 them away ; they will be supplied from the ground by 
 young trees, so that you will have trees from the same 
 stump for one hundred years, as I believe. I now 
 have trees thirty-six, twenty, ten, five, and down to 
 one year old, all from the same stump. The young 
 trees coming up, after any of the old trees split off or 
 die, and are cut away, will bear fruit the second year : 
 but this fruit will not ripen so easily as the fruit on 
 the old trees from the same stem. Three years after 
 the trees are cut off by the ground, they will be suf- 
 ficiently large and bushy to shade the ground, so as 
 to prevent grass of any kind from matting or binding 
 the surface, so as to injure the trees ; therefore, 
 ploughing is useless, as well as injurious ; useless, be* 
 cause nothing can be raised in the orchard, by rea» 
 
204 PEACHES. 
 
 son the trees will shade all the ground, or nearly so *, 
 'injurious, because either the roots, stock, or branch- 
 es will be wounded ; neither is it necessary ever to 
 manure peach trees, as manured trees will always pro- 
 duce less and worse fruit than trees that are not ma- 
 nured ; although by manuring your peach trees, they 
 will grow larger, and look greener and thicker in the 
 boughs, and cause a thicker shade, yet on them will 
 grow very little fruit, and that little will be of a very 
 bad kind — generally looking as green as the leaves, 
 even when ripe, and later than those that have never 
 been manured.* 
 
 "Peach trees never require a rich soil ; the poorer 
 the soil, the better the fruit — a middling soil produ- 
 ces a more bountiful crop. 
 
 "The highest ground, and the north side of hills is 
 best for peach trees ; they keep back vegetation, by 
 which means the fruit is often preserved from being 
 killed by late frosts in the month of April, in the 
 Pennsylvania latitude. I have made these observa- 
 tions from actual experience, 
 
 "A gentleman from Monongahela county, in Vir- 
 ginia, called at my house, and asked me who instruct- 
 ed me to cultivate peach trees : I told him that ob- 
 servation and experience were my teachers. The 
 gentleman observed, that colonel Luther Martin, in 
 the lower parts of Maryland, and another gentleman 
 near the same place, whose name he could not recol- 
 lect, were pursuing the same plan advantageously." 
 
 "The practice of Mr. Coulter, in cutting down the 
 
 * "This assertion is directly contrary to the experience of a 
 gentleman in New Jersey, who has remarkably line peaches, 
 regularly manures his trees every year, and asserts that the 
 speedy decay of common peach trees is owing- chiefly to a neg- 
 lect of the practice. He ev r en said experience convinced him 
 it was owing- to the same circumstance, that peach stones did 
 ootjin general, produce fruit like the original tree. 
 
PEACHES. 205 
 
 trees, is highly rational : they are thus forced to 
 spend their vigour upon their bodies and roots, in- 
 stead of shooting up into the air with thin barks, which 
 are easily penetrated by the i\y* 
 
 "The best kind of peaches is said to be produced 
 from inoculation ; and upon an apricot stock, as they 
 are not liable to be injured by the fly ; and that peach 
 trees thus produced, grow larger and rise higher than 
 when on the peach stock. Grafting the peach upon 
 a plum stock has also been practised, with a view of 
 resisting the attack of the fly ; but this operation must 
 be performed under ground, otherwise an unsightly 
 knob will be the consequence of the peach tree over- 
 growing the plum stock, and endanger the breaking 
 off of the tree at the place of junction.* 
 
 "The directions given by Forsyth, with respect to 
 wall peach trees, may be applied to our standard trees, 
 viz. to pinch off all the strong shoots in June, the first 
 3^ear the tree bears ; which will make them throw out 
 side shoots : these, if not laid too thick, will make fine 
 bearing wood for the succeeding year. If the strong 
 shoots be suffered to grow to their full length they will 
 be large and spongy, and will neither produce good 
 fruit nor good wood for the following year. Some- 
 times weakly trees are covered with blossoms : but if 
 too much fruit be suffered to remain on them, they 
 will be weakened so much that they will never recov- 
 er. In that case, I would recommend picking off the 
 greater part of the fruit, to let the tree recover its 
 strength. When trees in this state are pruned, never 
 prune at a single Jlower bud ; as the shoot will be ei- 
 ther entirely killed, or, at least, die as far as the next 
 wood bud. 
 
 * Mr. Cobbett, who has published a book on the subject of 
 gardening, gives a decided preference to the plum stock for 
 peaches, as being closer and harder wood* 
 
 *18 
 
206 PEACHES. 
 
 "I have often topped the strong shoots twice in the 
 course of the summer, before they produced the fine 
 kind-bearing wood. These strong shoots exhaust the 
 tree, and never produce good wood, when neglected 
 to be topped. I would recommend to cut out such 
 shoots when the trees are pruned in the spring, and 
 to leave only the bearing wood, which may be known 
 by two small leaves, where the flower-buds will be in 
 the following year ; (the strong shoots having only 
 one leaf bud at each eye ;) and to pick off all side 
 shoots near the tops of the branches, as soon as they 
 can be laid hold of." 
 
 In addition to the foregoing details, I must not omit 
 to recommend in strong terms, other means of pre- 
 serving the health and vigour of this very valuable 
 tree, the fruit of which, when in perfection is perhaps 
 equal, if not superiour to that most luscious of the 
 tropical fruits, the ananas. Since it is ascertained that 
 the fly deposits its eggs which produce the fatal worm, 
 in the bark, it is obvious that if the stem of the tree 
 could be enveloped with some harmless substance, it 
 might baffle the instinctive faculties of the fly, or from 
 its hardness, resist its powers of attack. For this 
 purpose, let the earth around the roots and stem be 
 removed, and its place supplied with some one of the 
 articles mentioned in page 107; after which, let the 
 whole trunk of the tree and large branches, from the 
 surface of the earth to the top, receive a good coating 
 of the composition of quick lime, cow dung and clay, 
 page 107. This would not be a very expensive expe- 
 dient even for an extensive orchard, and the preser- 
 vation of the trees would be an ample reward; but 
 for a few favourite trees in the garden no person need 
 hesitate to try the experiment, even upon young 
 trees, at the time of transplanting. Should it fail as 
 a preventive remedy against the fly and worm, (which 
 is scarcely possible) the application will have a ten- 
 
PEACHES. 207 
 
 dency to increase the growth and vigour of the tree. 
 Ifinanyofthe uncovered branches black spots or 
 oozing of gum should be discovered, let the branches 
 be immediately cut away, and the wound covered 
 with the same composition, and young shoots will 
 soon sprout forth and bear fruit. When peach trees 
 have become unproductive from old age or disease, 
 Mr. Forsyth, from long experience, recommends to 
 head them down according to rule, and apply the 
 composition, by means of which, trees in the worst 
 condition may be completely renovated, and render- 
 ed abundantly fruitful. Hitherto, the diseases of peach 
 trees among us have eluded all our art and skill : how 
 far a different management may prove successful, time 
 and experience must determine. Jt may, however, 
 well be questioned whether it is most profitable to re- 
 new our stock by frequently planting the seed, or to 
 attempt to protract the existence of old unproductive 
 trees by the application of remedies. 
 
 Since writing the above, the following fact has been 
 announced in the newspapers of New York. A very 
 simple mode of preserving and restoring peach trees 
 when apparently nearly destroyed by the disease so 
 fatal to them in this quarter, and commonly called 
 the "yellows" has been accidentally discovered by a 
 gentleman in that city. A statement of the fact, as 
 it occurred, will convey all necessary information. 
 In the tall of 1818, a very fine tree standing in his 
 yard, was apparently dead from the effects of the 
 above mentioned disease. Throughout the fall and 
 winter, very large quantities of common wood ashes 
 were casually thrown by the servants about the roots 
 of the tree. To the astonishment of all who had seen 
 it the preceding fall, it put forth its leaves vigorously 
 the next season and bore abundance of fine fruit. A 
 small quantity of ashes was again thrown round its 
 roots last fall, and the tree has now become so full of 
 
208 Reaches. 
 
 fine fruit, that it has now become necessary to prop 
 it up. Another gentleman has since tried the same 
 experiment with all the success he could have desir- 
 ed, and he wishes to have the information as widely 
 diffused as possible. In the New York Evening Post, 
 April, 1823, a writer ascribes the cause of the decay 
 of peach trees, to small grubs, about an inch in length, 
 that breed in the roots, from eggs deposited there the 
 preceding season, and in the spring hatch and feed 
 upon those roots until the tree perishes. He recom- 
 mends the following remedy, which he says, has nev- 
 er been known to fail. As soon as the buds begin to 
 put forth in the spring, and before the leaves are 
 quite out. remove from the bottom of the tree entire- 
 ly, all the earth till you come to the bare roots ; from 
 which, scrape all the loose, old rotten bark, and de- 
 stroy all worms that may be discovered ; then take 
 three quarts of fresh slacked lime for a large and full 
 grown tree, and so in proportion for a smaller one, 
 and lay it carefully on and about the roots, covering 
 it from the weather, and it will destroy these destruc- 
 tive insects entirely. Lime or ashes should be applied 
 to the roots of peach trees every spring, by way of 
 preventive, and the whole of their trunks should at 
 the same time receive a thorough brushing over with 
 soft undiluted soap. According to Mr; William Prince, 
 proprietor of the Linnaean Garden, on Long-Island, 
 the disease called the yellows is evidently contagious. 
 It spreads at the time when the trees are in blossom, 
 and is disseminated by the pollen or farina blowing 
 from the flowers of diseased trees, and impregnating 
 the flowers of those which are healthy, and which is 
 quickly circulated by the sap through the branches, 
 foliage, and fruit; causing the fruit, wherever the in- 
 fection extends, to ripen prematurely. In order to stop 
 the progress and prevent the farther extension of this 
 disease, Mr. Prince recommends from his own ex- 
 
PEACHES. 209 
 
 perience, that as soon as a tree is discovered to pos- 
 sess thecharacteristicksof the disease, which is known 
 by the leaves putting on a sickly yellow appearance, 
 but of which the premature ripening of the fruit is a 
 decisive proof; it should be marked, so as to be re- 
 moved the ensuing autumn, which must be done with- 
 out fail, for if left again to bloom, it would impart the 
 disease to many others in its vicinity. 
 
 "A good peach possesses these qualities : the flesh 
 is firm ; the skin is thin, of a deep or bright red col- 
 our next the sun, and of a yellowish green in the 
 shade ; the pulp is of a yellowish colour, full of high- 
 ly flavoured juice ; the fleshy part thick, and the 
 stone small. They are generally divided into free 
 stone and cling stone peaches. Those varieties, th e flesh 
 of which separates readily both from the skin and 
 stone, are the proper peaches of the French, and are 
 by English gardeners termed free stones. Those with 
 a firm flesh, to which both the skin and the stone ad- 
 here, are the pavies of the French, and by English and 
 American gardeners named cling stones. 
 
 LIST OF CHOICE PEACHES, 
 
 From McMahon's American Gardener, and other sources. 
 
 All the varieties, he observes, may be cultivated 
 to advantage in every state of the union, if soil and 
 exposure be given agreable to their nature and neces- 
 sities. 1. The Early Avant ; 2. The White Nut- 
 meg ; 3. The Red Nutmeg ; 4. Early Mignonne ; 
 5, Early Ann ; 6. Early Newington ; 7. Early E- 
 lizabeth-Town; 8. The White Magdalen ; 9. Red 
 Clingstone; 10. White Clingstone; 11. Kenne- 
 dy's Caroline ; 12. Royal George; 13. Oldmixon ; 
 14. Late Heath ; 15. La Plata; 16. Georgia; 17. 
 
2 1 PEACHES* 
 
 The Congress ; 13. Bourdine ; 19. President; 20* 
 English Incomparable ; 21. Chancellor Rambouiliet; 
 22. La Titon de Venus; 23. La Pourprie; 24. 
 Belle Chevreuse ; 25. Noblesse ; 26. Bellegarde ; 
 27. Large Yellow Freestone ; 28. White Pavie ; 
 29. Monstrous Pavie; 30. Clifton's Nutmeg; 31. 
 Lemon Peach ; 32. Large Newington ; 33. Caro- 
 lina Clingstone. 
 
 1. Admirable peach. — A very large and comely fruit, 
 of an agreeable mixture of colours. Its pulp, though 
 rather firm, has a delicate taste, contains a sweet, vi- 
 nous juice, of a fine flavour, and is pale red near the 
 stone. It becomes eatable about the middle of Sep- 
 tember. 
 
 2. Alberge^or orange peach — Is one of the most ele- 
 gant and best flavored of the clingstones ; rather large 
 than otherwise ; round ; dark red or purple next the 
 sun, and bright orange on the other side ; being deep- 
 ly furrowed from the stem to the blossom end ; the 
 flesh of a deep orange colour, but purple at the stone ; 
 ripens in August. The tree is a very great bearer. 
 
 3. Aunt peach, or early Ann — Is a small, round fruit, 
 of a yellowish white colour, faintly tinged with red 
 on the sunny side ; ripening about the middle of Au- 
 gust. 
 
 4. Bellegarde, or Galande* — This is a beautiful, large 
 and excellent peach, with a strong tint of red on a 
 yellow ground, and of a deep red shade on the south 
 side. Its pulp, though rather firm, jnelds a sweet 
 juice, of an agreeable taste. Ripens in September. 
 
 5. Blood Peach — Makes a beautiful preserve, and 
 is cultivated chiefly for that purpose. The tree is 
 hardy, and a great bearer. 
 
 6. Boudine — Is a large, round fruit, of a fine red 
 next the sun ; the flesh white, melting ; juice vinous 
 and rich ; ripens in September. The tree a plentiful 
 bearer* 
 
 1 
 
PEACHES. 21 1 
 
 7. Catharine* — A large, round fruit, of a dark red 
 next the sun; the flesh white, melting ; full of a rich 
 juice ; a clingstone — ripens in October. 
 
 8. Charles-town, or ananas peach — Is a new sort, 
 reared in America from the kernel. Although its col- 
 our is inferiourto that of most other peaches, being a 
 uniformly pale yellow, without any red tint, yet its 
 firm and juicy pulp possesses the. delicious flavour of 
 the pine apple. It ripens in October. 
 
 9. Early Newington — Is a fruit of middling size, of 
 a fine red next the sun ; flesh firm, with a sugary, well 
 flavoured juice. There are several varieties of this 
 fruit, all clingstones ; ripening in August and Septem- 
 ber. 
 
 10. Heath peach. — Of all peaches, perhaps of all 
 fruits, it is said, there are none equal in flavour to the 
 American Heath peach, a clingstone. It is large, weigh- 
 ing near a pound, in common ; with but moderate 
 attention, it is helieved, the} r would very generally 
 weigh a full pound. It is backward in ripening north- 
 ward of the Susquehannah, and is generally one of 
 the last sort that ripens. "This very fine clingstone 
 peach is generally esteemed the finest in our country : 
 the original stone was brought, by the late Mr. Dan- 
 iel Heath, from the Mediterranean ; it has ever since 
 been propagated from the stone, in Maryland, where 
 1 have seen it in great abundance and high perfec- 
 tion, as a natural fruit, in September and October. It 
 is usually propagated in this and the adjoining States 
 by inoculation : I have for some } T ears raised them 
 from the stone, and have now a number of vigorous 
 trees from stones, brought from Maryland. It is a 
 very large fruit, of a form rather oblong, and uniform- 
 ly terminating in a point at the head ; the flesh is 
 singularly rich, tender, melting and juicy ; the stone 
 frequently opens, disclosing the kernel : the skin is a 
 rich, cream coloured white, sometimes with a faint 
 
2 1 2 PEACHES 
 
 blush, but the finest peaches are entirely white ; the 
 juice is so abundant, as to make it difficult to eat this 
 peach without injury to the clothes ; the leaf is luxu- 
 riant, and smooth at the edge ; the tree vigorous, har- 
 dy and long-lived, compared with other trees : the 
 fruit ripens in September, lasts through the month of 
 October, and is frequently eaten in high perfection in 
 November. It is of all peaches, when not too ripe, 
 the most admired, when preserved in sugar or in 
 brandy," (Coxe's Cultivation of Fruit Trees.) 
 
 1 1. Large mignonne — Is somewhat oblong in shape, 
 and generally swells out on one side. The juice is 
 \ery sugary, and of high flavour. This is one of the 
 most handsome and delicious fruits, of a dark red and 
 greenish yellow cast ; having a white, melting and a- 
 greeable pulp, containing a sweetish vinous juice, and 
 is in eating about the middle of September. 
 
 12. Large yellow rareripe — Known at -Ken rick's nur- 
 sery by the name of Jaccjue's rareripe — an entire new 
 sort, recommended by colonel Jacques, and Gorham 
 Parsons, Esq. as a fruit possessing superiour qualities, 
 and weighing 17 or 19 ounces. The tree, says Mr. 
 Kenrick, exceeds in growth all other peach trees. 
 
 13. Lemon clingstone — Is a large, late, but beautiful 
 and high flavoured peach. It ripens the last of Sep- 
 tember and beginning of October. 
 
 14. Monstrous pavie, — This is the largest, of the 
 peaches, and a true ornament to the dessert, as it dis- 
 plays a beautiful red tint on a white ground. Its 
 pulp is white, though red in the parts next the stone, 
 and contains a vinous, sweet juice. Ripens in Sep- 
 tember. 
 
 15. Noblesse — Is a large fruit, red or marbled next 
 the sun ; flesh greenish white and melting ; juice 
 very rich in a favourable season. 
 
 1 6. Old Newingion — Is a large round fruit, of a 
 beautiful red next the sun \ the flesh white, and melt- 
 
REACHES'. ^13 
 
 ing ; when ripe, the juice very rich and vinous : a 
 clingstone, and matured early in October. 
 
 1 7. Rambouillet — Is a fruit of middling size, deeply 
 divided by a furrow ; the flesh melting, of a bright 
 yellow colour ; juice rich, and of a vinous flavour: 
 ripens about the middle of September. The tree is a 
 good bearer. 
 
 18. Red rareripe — "Is a peach of uncommon excel- 
 lence, frequently called Morris's rareripe. It is of 
 unusually large size, sometimes weighing eight and 
 nine ounces $ of a round form, beautiful red and white 
 skin ; rich, tender and melting flesh, full of sugary, 
 highly flavoured juice ; equal to any peach cultivated 
 at the same season. Ripens in the early and middle 
 parts of August. Clear at the stone." (Coxe.) 
 
 19. Red magdalen. — It is large, round, and of a fine 
 red next the sun ; the juice ver\ sugary, and of ex- 
 quisite flavour: ripening in the end of August. The 
 tree is a free grower, and a great bearer. 
 
 20. Red nutmeg — Is a great bearer, and valued for 
 its early maturity. It is of a bright vermilion colour, 
 and has a fine musk taste. Ripens in August. 
 
 21. Royal George — Is an excellent peach, and in a 
 very good soil and aspect the fruit becomes large ; 
 dark red next the sun, juicy and high-flavoured. 
 
 22. S7valch, — This is a fine, pleasant-flavoured 
 peach. Ripens early in September. 
 
 23. Teton de Venus — Is a fruit of middling size and 
 longish shape ; of a pale red next the sun ; flesh melt- 
 ing, white ; juice sugary, and not without flavour: ri- 
 pens the end of September. The tree is a free bear- 
 er on a warm light soil, but the fruit comes to perfec- 
 tion only in fine seasons. 
 
 24. Vanguard — Is a good peach, ripens about the 
 middle of September. 
 
 25. White Magdalen. — The fruit is of a middle size, 
 round, with a deep furrow ; of a pale colour, and the 
 
 19 
 
214 NECTARINES . 
 
 flesh white to the stone ; melting, juicy, with consid- 
 erable flavour. Ripening in August. 
 
 26. White Rareripe, or " White cheek Malacotan peach — 
 Sometimes called the freestone heath : is a fruit of 
 uncommon excellence. The size is large ; the flesh 
 a rich white, inclining to yellow, melting, rich, and 
 finely flavoured ; firm, like the flesh of a clearstone 
 plum : the skin is a pale yellowish white : the stone 
 frequently separates on the opening of the peach, 
 leaving the kernel exposed ; the shells adhering to 
 the flesh, though a freestone. It is the most admired 
 fruit of the season, which is in August." (Coxe.) 
 
 NECTARINES. 
 
 The nectarine is so closely allied to the peach in its 
 nature and qualities, as to require no particular de- 
 scription or detail respecting its culture or manage- 
 ment, whether in health or disease. It will succeed 
 well if engrafted or budded on a peach, plum, or apri- 
 cot stock. The plum is preferred by some as being 
 a harder and tougher wood, less liable to the attacks 
 of the worm ; but it should be engrafted beneath the 
 surface of the earth. The fruit bears a close resem- 
 blance to the peach, though the flesh is finer, and the 
 skin is smooth and naked, free from fur or down. In 
 our climate, the tree will be benefited if sheltered and 
 protected by buildings or a board fence. It should 
 always be planted in cultivated ground, and great care 
 should be taken to guard against the worm at the 
 root, and the various species of aphides which perfo- 
 rate the bark. The roots in winter should be sur- 
 rounded with tanner's bark, or some substance to se« 
 
CHERRIES. 216 
 
 care against the severity of frost, and in the spring 
 give their trunks a thorough coating of whitewash or 
 of soft undiluted soap. All stone fruit is liable to suf- 
 fer injury by a small bug called curculio, which stings 
 the fruit and causes it to fall from the tree. (See 
 page 109 for a particular description.) It has been 
 found by experience that the depredations of these in- 
 sects may be prevented by paving the ground round 
 the trees, as far as the branches extend, as it is well 
 ascertained that the curculio will not infest those trees 
 where they cannot find means of immediately con- 
 cealing themselves in the earth, on dropping from the 
 branches. The following are esteemed among the 
 best on the list of Nectarines. 
 
 Brugnon, Red Roman, 
 
 Early Scarlet, Yellow, 
 
 Golden, White French. 
 
 Murry, 
 
 CHERRIES. 
 
 There are several native varieties of the cherry in 
 the United States, which have been perpetuated from 
 the seed, unaided by the hand of culture, and, as sup- 
 posed, without any. deviation from the original stock. 
 But the cultivated kinds are far more valuable, and it 
 is greatly to be regretted, that they are so generally 
 neglected. Many advantages would accrue to the 
 farmer from the cultivation of the cherry tree : it 
 would serve the useful purposes of ornament and shade 
 to his orchard and buildings, and the fruit would af- 
 ford his family not merely an innocent, but a salutary 
 luxury ; and if near a market, the profit would remu« 
 aerate him for all his labour and expense. 
 
216 CHERRIES, 
 
 The cultivated cherry, when reared from the seed, 
 is much disposed to deviate from the variety of the 
 original fruit, and, of course, they are propagated by 
 budding or grafting on cherry stocks : budding is most 
 generally preferred, as the tree is less apt to suffer 
 from oozing of the gum than when grafted. The 
 stocks are obtained by planting the seeds in a nursery, 
 and the seedlings are afterwards transplanted. Those 
 kinds which are called heart cherries are said to suc- 
 ceed best on the black mazard stock ; but for the round 
 kind, the Morello stocks are preferred, on account of 
 their being the least subject to worms, or to cracks in 
 the bark, from frost and heat of the sun.* The whole 
 method of management pertaining to cherry trees is 
 so precisely similar to that already detailed, when 
 treating of peach trees, that very little remains to be 
 said on the present occasion. But the following di- 
 rections given by Forsyth, in his treatise on fruit 
 trees, will probably be acceptable. 
 
 "In choosing and planting of young cherry trees, 
 the same rules are to be observed that are given for 
 apricots, peaches and nectarines; and they must in 
 like manner be headed down the first year. 
 
 "In pruning cherries, never shorten their shoots ; 
 for most of them produce their fruit at the extremities, 
 the shortening or cutting off of which very frequently 
 occasions the death of the shoot, at least of a great 
 part of it. The branches, therefore, should be trained 
 at full length. I have often seen the whole tree killed 
 by injudicious pruning. Wherever the knife is ap- 
 plied, it is sure to bring on the gum, and afterwards 
 the canker, which will inevitably kill the trees, if no 
 remedy be applied to the wounds. I have headed 
 down a great many cherry trees, which were almost 
 
 * The small black cherry that grows wild in the woods, an- 
 swers very well for stocks for any kind of cherries, more espec- 
 ially if it is desired to have the tree grow very large. 
 
CHERRIES. 217 
 
 past bearing, and so eaten up by the gum and canker, 
 that the few cherries they bore were very bad. 
 
 "In the years 1790 and 1791, I headed down fifty 
 trees. The operation should be performed in the 
 month of April in each year. These trees made 
 shoots from three to five feet, the same summer, bore 
 fine cherries the next year, and have continued to 
 bear gcod crops ever since. 
 
 "To the above trees I applied the composition. At 
 the same time I cut down twelve trees in the same 
 row, but did not apply the composition : these twelve 
 trees all died in the second and third years after. 
 One tree where the composition was applied, now 
 produces more fruit than the whole number formerly, 
 also much finer and larger. 
 
 "When cherry trees are very old and much injured 
 by large limbs having been cut or blown off, (which 
 will bring on the canker and gum) the best way to 
 bring them to have fine heads, and to fill the vacant 
 space, is to head them down as low as possible, taking 
 care to leave some small shoots, if there be any ; if 
 not, a bud or two at the end of some of the shoots. 
 Sometimes it is difficult to find any buds. In that 
 case, before you mean to head the trees, make some 
 incisions in the branches. This should be done on 
 different branches, at the most convenient places for 
 filling the tree with good wood. The size of the in- 
 cisions should be from one to two inches, according 
 to the size of the branches, observing to make them 
 just above the joint, where the buds should come out. 
 
 "The time for performing this operation, is March, 
 April or May. T*ie above method is only recom- 
 mended where there are no young shoots or buds, 
 and when the tree is in the last stage of the canker. 
 
 "Where you find a few young shoots or buds, cut 
 down the head as near to them as you can, and take 
 care to cut out all the canker till you come to the sound 
 *19 
 
21S CHERRIES. 
 
 bark. If any gum, remains, it must be cut or scraped 
 off: the best time for this is when it is moistened with 
 rain ; it may then be scraped off without bruising the 
 bark. This operation is very necessary. 
 
 "Wherever the bark or branches have been cut ofl^ 
 the edges should be rounded, and the composition ap- 
 plied. If the young shoots are .properly trained, 
 they will produce fruit the following year ; and in the 
 second year they will produce more and finer fruit 
 than a young tree which has been planted ten years, 
 
 "Never make use of the knife in summer, if it be 
 possible to avoid it, as the shoots die from the place 
 where they are cut, leaving ugly dead stubs, which 
 will infallibly bring on the canker. These shoots 
 may be cut in the spring to about two eyes, which will 
 form a number ot flower-buds, 
 
 "When cherry trees begin to produce spurs, cut out 
 every other shoot, to make the tree throw out fresh 
 wood : when that comes into a bearing state, which 
 will be in the following year, cut out the old branches 
 that remain ; by that method you will be able to keep 
 the trees in a constant state of bearing, take the same 
 method as before directed with the fore right shoots. 
 
 "Great care should be taken to rub off many of 
 them in the month of May, leaving only such a num- 
 ber as you think will fill the tree. By so doing your 
 trees will continue in a fine healthy state, and not be 
 in the least weakened by bearing a plentiful crop of 
 fruit. The reason is obvious ; the great exhalation 
 which would be occasioned by the sun and air in the 
 common mode of pruning, is prevented by the compo- 
 sition keeping in the sap which nourishes the -branch- 
 es and fruit. I cut some trees as directed above, more 
 than twelve years ago, that are now in as good a state 
 of bearing as they were in the third year after the op- 
 eration, and likely to continue so for many years. 
 
 "Jn 1797 I cut some very old trees in the month of 
 
"CHERRIES. 219 
 
 May, which were left to show the old method of prun- 
 ing ; I at the same time cut some branches off the 
 same trees, according to the new method, to show the 
 difference of the fruit, which was taken by all who 
 saw it for a different sort of cherry. The cherries 
 from the old spurs were not half the size of the others, 
 and were at least three weeks later. 
 
 "Several persons have adopted the new method with 
 great success, and by renovating their old trees, which 
 scarcely bore any fruit, have obtained from them an 
 abundant quantity. But even the increased quantity 
 of the fruit is not so material in cherries, as the in- 
 crease in the size and in the richness of the flavour. In 
 this respect the method of pruning here laid down 
 is invaluable. When old standard cherry trees be- 
 come decayed and hollow, I would recommend head- 
 ing them down, as directed for wall trees and dwajfs. 
 Scoop out all the rotten, loose, and decayed parts of 
 the trunk, till you come to the solid wood, leaving 
 the surface smooth ; then use the composition as di- 
 rected for fruit trees." 
 
 "The following are the principal cherries cultiva- 
 ted in the United States. 
 
 "May Duke — Ripe in May and June : long stem, 
 round and red, an excellent cherry, and bears well. 
 
 "Black heart — Ripe in June : a fine cherry. 
 
 "White heart, or sugar cherry — Ripe in June : white 
 and red. 
 
 "Bleeding heart — Ripe in June, a very large cherry, 
 of a long form, and dark colour ; it has a pleasant 
 taste, 
 
 "Ox heart — Ripe in June : a large, firm, fine cheny. 
 
 "Spanish heart — Ripe in June. 
 
 "Carnation — Ripe in July : it takes its name from 
 its colour, being red and white ; a large round cher- 
 ry, but not very sweet. 
 
 "Amber — Ripe in July. 
 
£20 CHERRIES. 
 
 "Cluster — Planted more for ornament or curiosity 
 than any other purpose. 
 
 "Double blossom — Ripe in July. 
 
 "Honey cherry — Do. small sweet cherry. 
 
 "Kentish cherry — Ripe in July. 
 
 "Mazarine — Do. 
 
 "Late Duke — Do* 
 
 "Red heart — Do. 
 
 Black Tartarian. — This incomparable fruit was 
 brought from St. Petersburgh to London by a British 
 botanist in 1796, from whence, the late Ebenezcr 
 Prebble, Esq. imported a tree some years after, by 
 which it has been propagated in the United States. It 
 is a constant bearer ; succeeds better by grafting than 
 any other sorts ; is of larger size, and may be said to 
 be in eating from the time it is two thirds grown till 
 some time after fully ripe ; and as evidence of supe- 
 riour excellence has generally brought double the 
 price of the best black hearts in Boston market. 
 
 White Tartarian — A fine pleasant fruit, a little in- 
 feriour to the black Tartarian. Ripe in June. 
 
 Elkhorn cherry* — This excellent fruit grows to a 
 large size, and is scarcely surpassed in its good quali- 
 ties by any other sort. 
 
 Black Eagle — > Two of Mr. Knight's new sorts 
 
 Waterloo — ) may be purchased at Ken rick's 
 nursery next season. 
 
 "Morello — Ripe in July and August : a red, acid 
 cherry, the best for preserving, and for making cherry 
 brandy. 
 
 "Early Richmond cherry. — This fruit originated near 
 Richmond, in Virginia, and is the earliest cherry in 
 America, and valuable on that account : it is the size 
 of a May Duke, and resembles it in form. 
 
 "Red bigereau — A very fine cherry, ripe in July : of 
 a heart shape. 
 
 "While bigereau — Ripe in July and August : remark- 
 ably firm : heart shape. 
 
CHERRIES. 221 
 
 u Large double flowering cherry, — This tree produces 
 no fruit, but makes a handsome appearance in the 
 spring, when it is covered with clusters of double flow- 
 ers as large as the cinnamon rose ; it differs from the 
 common double flowering cherry, which never forms 
 a large tree, and has small pointed leaves. 
 
 "The three last were imported from Bordeaux, in 
 1798. 
 
 "Small Morello cherry— Called also, Salem cherry, 
 because it came originally from Salem county. New- 
 Jersey, is cultivated by Mr. Cooper, of that state, who 
 values it highly. The fruit has a lively acid taste. 
 The tree produces abundantly, and is the least sub- 
 ject to worms of any cherry tiee. 
 
 "Mr. C. says that the Bleeding Heart suits a sandy 
 soil, but the May Duke will not flourish in it." 
 
 Besides the foregoing list, the black mazard, or natu- 
 ral cherry, with its several varieties, should be men- 
 tioned as excellent fruits, and valuable for being later 
 than the others. They make very useful and hardy 
 stocks for propagating other varieties. This fruit 
 ripens in June or July, and is used by way of bounce 
 in rum or brandy. Another native fruit is the com- 
 mon red cherry which abounds in New-England* The 
 fruit is not of a superiour quality, being very acid, un- 
 less perfectly ripe : it might perhaps be improved by 
 grafting and proper cultivation. 
 
 The wild, or native black cherry, of spontaneous 
 growth, is deserving of some attention. The fruit, 
 when infused ; n rum or brandy, imparts its astringent 
 and cordial qualites, and forms a pleasant and salutary 
 liquor. The bark of the root of the tree is very 
 astringent, and makes a useful a to mac hick bitter; and 
 the wood is frequently employed by artists as a tolera- 
 ble substitute for mahogany, being susceptible of a 
 handsome polish. 
 
 Cherry brandy is made in the following manner: 
 
222 APRICOTS. 
 
 Fill the cask with cherries ; pour over them as much 
 brandy as the cask will contain. When it has been 
 on ten days, draw it off, and pour on hot water : let 
 this remain some time, shaking the cask frequently; 
 then draw it off, and mix the last with the first liquor. 
 Both cherry and plum trees are subject to the an- 
 noyance of the cherry and plum tree weevel,(Rhyne- 
 haeas Cerasi) producing a disease which will prove fa- 
 tal unless remedied. See plum tree. 
 
 APRICOTS. 
 
 The apricot tree is raised from the stone, and prop- 
 agated by buddirg or grafting on their own stocks or 
 any kind of plum stocks. Their treatment is in all 
 respects the same as the peach and nectarine treess. 
 The best time for planting the trees is in autumn, 
 and the best soil is a light loam. In our climate 
 this tree should be screened from easterly and north- 
 erly winds; otherwise, it is said they will not bear 
 fruit, though they may grow large. They do not at- 
 tain to a bearing state so soon as the peach by one 
 year. Some kinds ripen their fruit earlier than oth- 
 ers. The following are those best adapted to our cli- 
 mate : 
 
 The Black Apricot, 
 
 The Brussells Apricot, 
 
 The Breda Apricot, 
 
 The Early Apricot, 
 
 The Large Eearly Apricot, 
 
 The Peach Apricot, 
 
 The Moors Park Apricot. 
 
 The Turkey Apricot. 
 
FLUMS, 223 
 
 THE PLUM. 
 
 Plums are natives of the United States, and have 
 for many years been propagated from the stones with 
 little variation from the original fruit. The kinds 
 cultivated in our gardens have chiefly been brought 
 from Europe or produced from the stones of imported 
 plums. To insure a choice kind it is necessary to en- 
 graft or inoculate on peach or plum stocks. The soil 
 should be a rich* mould and their whole management 
 should be the same as already detailed for other stone 
 fruit trees. Plum trees have for a number of years 
 been greatly annoyed by an insect called by the late 
 Professor Peck, the cherry weevil which has proved fa- 
 tal to a large proportion of our stock. The disease 
 first appears in the form of black irregular tumours 
 on the branches and twigs which increase in number 
 and size until the whole tree becomes affected. The 
 seat of this disease is in the bark, in consequence of 
 its being perforated by the insect. The sap being 
 diverted from its regular course is absorbed entirely 
 by the bark, which is very much increased in thick- 
 ness, the cuticle bursts, and rough irregular tumours 
 are formed. "The wood besides being deprived of its 
 nutriment, is very much compressed and the branch 
 above the tumour perishes. The cherry tree is af- 
 fected in a similar manner." The insect which proves 
 so destructive to our cherry and plum trees, Profess- 
 or Peck ascertained, is found in the bark in the month 
 of June, and it leaves its residence before the end of 
 that month. The only remedy in our power, there- 
 fore, is to cut off every diseased branch before the 
 last of June, or as soon as discovered, and commit 
 them to the flames. If this method were adopted and 
 persevered in with all the trees in a neighbourhood, 
 the destructive enemy might be in a great measure 
 
224 PLUMS. 
 
 extirpated, and the fruit preserved. The most prob- 
 able method of preventing the attack of +his insect, * 
 is during the whole summer season : to keep the 
 bark of the tree with its branches, well coated wit! 
 the white wash composition, which it is supposed will 
 baffle their efforts. In order to guard against the at- 
 tack of the worm at the root, lime or ashes should be 
 applied every spring, and if their trunks were sur- 
 rounded with tanner's bark, it would be an addition^' 
 security. It is a fortunate circumstance that there 
 are, according to Mr. Prince, of Long-Island, some 
 kinds of plum not subject to the attack of the insect ; 
 among which are the following : — Chicasaw, Early 
 Coral, Golden Drop, The Cherry plum, Flushing 
 Gage, Yellow Egg plum, Balmer's Washington, a much 
 celebrated gage plum, which has weighed four ounces, 
 and has a superiour flavour, and beautiful appearance. 
 The following list in addition to the above, comprises 
 a sufficient variety of the most approved kind. 
 
 Blue Ga^e, Large Queen Claudia, 
 
 Green Gage f Little Queen Claudia, 
 
 Red Gage, Smith's Orleans, 
 
 Yellow Gage, Large Red Orleans, 
 
 White Gage, French Copper, 
 
 Holland plum, Magnum Bonum, red 
 
 Cooper's plum, Magnum Bonum, white or egg 
 
 Swiss plum, plum, 
 
 Jacinth, Emperial Violet, 
 
 Cloth of Gold plum, 
 
 American or common Damson. 
 
CURRANTS. 22 5 
 
 CURRANTS. 
 
 The different species of currants will thrive on 
 Mmost any soil, but they require the benefit of ma- 
 nure and culture, annually, to make the fruit large 
 ad the juice rich. The goodness of the fruit de- 
 pends very much upon their having the full benefit 
 of the sun and air, to mature and give the berries a 
 roper balsamic quality. By planting some on the 
 .uth, and some on the north side of a wall, they will 
 yield fruit from June to October. The red currant 
 is preferable to the white as yielding richer juice, 
 and in greater abundance. Currants are easily prop- 
 agated in the following manner. Take the most luxu- 
 riant slips or shoots of a year's growth, set them in 
 the ground about eight inches deep, and not less than 
 twenty-four inches distant from each other ; they soon 
 take root, and begin to bear in two years : the roots 
 should be kept from suckers and grass. When the 
 bush has stood two years in the nursery, plant it 
 where it is to stand, and cake care that it has only one 
 stem. Let no limbs grow nearer than six inches of 
 the ground. Prune the shrub every year and keep 
 it thin of wood, leaving the middle open ; the limbs 
 extended ; and when these get about three feet in 
 length cut off every spring all the last year's shoots. 
 To cultivate on an extensive scale for the purpose 
 of making wine, set the bushes in rows, six or 
 eight feet between each bush, with intervals of prop- 
 er width and at regular distances for passing across 
 the rows. It is estimated that an acre well cultivated 
 will probably yield on an average, a quantity of 
 fruit sufficient to make one thousand gallons of wine 
 annually. The expense of making this wine is about 
 fifty cents a gallon. 
 
 The common black currants are larger than the 
 red or white, but they have a peculiar flavour 3 which 
 20 
 
226 CURRANTS* 
 
 to some persons is unpleasant; they are, however, 
 wholesome, and afford a juice which, when made intt 
 syrup with sugar, is much esteemed in sere throats j 
 and quinsies. The officinal black currant has a small 
 berry, but is highly valuable as a medicine when 
 made into wine. In lung fevers, putrid fevers and 
 ulcerous sore throats, and in putrid dysentery the i 
 medicinal properties of this wine is not to be surpass- 
 ed. 
 
 TO MAKE CURRANT WINE. 
 
 Gather the fruit when fully ripe, rejecting all un- 
 ripe berries; let them be picked in fair weather and 
 washed, break them well in a tub or vat, (some have 
 a mill constructed for the purpose consisting of a 
 hopper fixed upon two lignum vitas rollers,) press and 
 measure the juice, having first strained it through a 
 flannel cloth. To every gallon of pure currant juice 
 add two gallons of cold water, then to every gallon of 
 this mixture, immediately put three pounds of good 
 brown sugar, stir it well till the sugar is quite dissolv- 
 ed, and then fill up the cask and put it into the cellar 
 to ferment. Be careful not to let the juice stand un- 
 mixed over night, as it should not ferment before the 
 mixture is made. Observe that the cask be sweet 
 and clean, and such as never has had either beer or 
 cider in them, and if new let them be first well sea- 
 soned. The cask must not be so full as to work over. 
 Lay the bung or a rag lightly over the hole to keep 
 out flies, &c. In three weeks or a month, or as soon 
 as the fermentation is over the bung-hole may be 
 stopped up, leaving only the vent hole open, till it 
 has fully done working, then stop it up tight, and in 
 six months it will be fit for bottling or for use. Like 
 other wine, however, it improves much by age. If 
 you intend to make thirty gallons agreeably to this 
 
 tnis • 
 
ORNAMENTAL TREES* 227 
 
 receipt, you require eight gallons of juice, sixteen of 
 water, and seventy-two pounds of sugar. When you 
 draw off the wine, bore a hole an inch at least above 
 the tap hole, a little to the side of it that it may run 
 clear off the lees. Dr. Mease (Dom. Ency.) gives also 
 the following receipt which has been used successful- 
 ly for many years. Take fourteen pounds currants 
 when fully ripe, three gallons cold water, break the 
 currants in the water and let them be therein two or 
 three days and stir them once each day. Strain the 
 liquor from the fruit and stalks and add fourteen 
 pounds sugar, which being well mixed with the cur- 
 rant liquor the whole may then be barrelled and left 
 fourteen days without the bung: after which bung it 
 close and bottle it at Christmas, previously adding to 
 every ten gallons one quart of brandy. A small 
 quantity of the outer rind of orange peel will give 
 this wine a grateful flavour. Currant wine is suppos- 
 ed to be greatly improved by the addition of brandy, 
 in the proportion of one pint to every gallon of the 
 mixed liquor, but it must be added before the fermen- 
 tation takes place, that the spirit may check in some 
 measure the violence of the fermentative process, 
 which if carried to excess is apt to generate an acidi- 
 ty in the wine. 
 
 ORNAMENTAL TREES. 
 
 The following is selected from the very ample cat- 
 alogue of William Prince, Esq. proprietor of the Lin- 
 nasan Garden at Flushing, Long Island — presumed to 
 be the most extensive establishment of the kind in the 
 United States. 
 
 Horse Chesnut. White flowering. Yellow flowering, 
 Scarlet flowering. i 
 
228 ORNAMENTAL TREES, 
 
 Mountain ash, European, American. 
 
 Black walnut. 
 
 Butternut, 
 
 Calalpa, much admired for its showy flowers. 
 
 Elm, American white, Slippery, English. 
 
 Locust tree, several varieties. 
 
 Honey locust, or thorny acaica. 
 
 Oak, several varieties. 
 
 Willow, weeping and seveial others. 
 
 Tulip tree, or white wood, very stately and ornamen- 
 tal. 
 
 Button wood or American sycamore. 
 
 Pride of India, 
 
 European Linden or lime tree, 
 
 Kentucky coffee tree, of singular growth with spikes 
 of purple flowers. 
 
 Weeping ash, of singular appearance. 
 
 Venitian sumach or purple fringe tree. This beauti- 
 ful tree is covered during summer with tufts of russet 
 coloured down, and forms the most singular ornament 
 of the garden. 
 
 American chesnut. 
 
 Chinese ailanthus, or tree of heaven. This tree at- 
 tains to an enormous height, and its leaves are four 
 feet long. It retains its foliage till very late in the 
 season. 
 
 Umbrilla magnolia, with very large, white, fragrant 
 flowers. 
 
 Glaucous magnolia, with flowers of exquisite frag- 
 rance. 
 
 Double flowering magnolia. 
 
 Blue flowering magnolia. 
 
 Splendid magnolia, with leaves two or three feet 
 long, and flowers twelve inches in diameter of a de- 
 lightful fragrance. 
 
 Evergreen trees and shrubs, an extensive variety* 
 
INDEX. 
 
 jipples, excellences of . .9 
 
 .American, esteemed in Europe . 11 
 
 . juice of,boiied down, useful en long voyages 14 
 physical properties of . . .12 
 
 particular varieties become extinct by age 19 
 new varieties, production of 19, 20, 21 
 
 improved by grafting early and late on 
 
 the same tree . . .37 
 
 should be gathered by hand . . 118 
 
 how to ascertain when ripe . 117 
 
 best method of preserving . 118, 121 
 juice of, when most dense makes the best 
 
 cider 
 
 which yield the best juice for cider 
 
 useful for animals 
 
 sweet entitled to preference 
 
 useful for a sick horse . 
 fattiug cattle 
 making molasses 
 
 different sorts of, in United States 
 
 American Gloria Mundi 
 
 American pippin 
 
 American nonpareil 
 
 Aunt's apple 
 
 Autumn or Fall pippin 
 
 Baldwin or Pecker apple 
 
 Baltimore apple 
 
 Black apple 
 
 Bell Flower 
 
 Bow apple 
 
 Brownite 
 
 Bullock's pippin 
 
 Campfield 
 
 Cathead 
 
 *29 
 
 145 
 
 147 
 
 172 
 
 13 
 
 ib 
 
 ib 
 
 14 
 
 122 
 
 135 
 
 124 
 
 125 
 
 ib 
 
 ib 
 
 ib 
 
 ib 
 
 126 
 
 ib 
 
 ib 
 
 ib 
 
 ib 
 
 ib 
 
 ib 
 
230 
 
 INDEX, 
 
 es, Catline 
 
 . 
 
 127 
 
 Carthouse 
 
 
 . ib 
 
 Cider apple 
 
 • 
 
 ib 
 
 Codling 
 
 
 ib 
 
 Corliers' sweet 
 
 . 
 
 128 
 
 Cooper's russeting 
 
 
 . ib 
 
 Crab apple 
 
 . 
 
 15 
 
 Flat sweeting 1 
 
 
 . 129 
 
 Gloucester white • 
 
 . 
 
 ib 
 
 Golden pippin 
 
 
 . ib 
 
 Golden rennet . 
 
 . 
 
 ib 
 
 Gilliflower apple . 
 
 
 . 145 
 
 Green everlasting 
 
 . 
 
 130 
 
 Green Newton pippin 
 
 
 . ib 
 
 Greyhouse 
 
 • 
 
 ib 
 
 Hagloe crab . 
 
 
 . 131 
 
 Harrison apple » 
 
 . 
 
 132 
 
 Hearty sweeting 
 
 
 ib 
 
 High top sweeting 
 
 * 
 
 ib 
 
 Holmes apple 
 
 
 . 133 
 
 Holten sweeting 
 
 i 
 
 ib 
 
 Hughes's Virginia crab 
 
 
 . ib 
 
 Lady apple 
 
 * 
 
 ib 
 
 Lady finger 
 
 
 . 134 
 
 Large red and green sweeting 
 
 ib 
 
 Large early harvest 
 
 • 
 
 ib 
 
 Loring sweeting 
 
 . 
 
 ib 
 
 Large yellow Newark pippin 
 
 . ib 
 
 Maiden's blush 
 
 • 
 
 135 
 
 Michael Henry 
 
 
 . ib 
 
 Monstrous pippin . 
 
 • 
 
 ib 
 
 Morgan apple 
 
 
 . ib 
 
 Newark King apple 
 
 • 
 
 ib 
 
 Nonsuch . . 
 
 
 . ib 
 
 Nursery apple 
 
 • 
 
 136 
 
 Pearmain 
 
 
 . ib 
 
 Pennock's red winter 
 
 • 
 
 ib 
 
 Poveshon . . 
 
 
 , 137 
 
 Pound apple 
 
 • 
 
 ib 
 
 Priestly 
 
 
 ib 
 
 Queen apple 
 
 • 
 
 ib 
 
 Quince apple 
 
 
 - ib 
 
 Raritan sweeting 
 
 - 
 
 138 
 
 Red everlasting 
 
 
 - ib 
 
 Redling 
 
 - 
 
 ib 
 
INDEX. 231 
 
 Apples, Red streak - - - 138 
 
 Rambo, - - - ib 
 
 Roan's white crab ib 
 
 Rhode Island greening - - 139 
 
 Roman stem - ib 
 
 Royal pearmain - - ib 
 
 Royal russet - 140 
 
 Roxbury russeting - - ib 
 
 Ruckman's pearmain - - ib 
 
 Seeknofurther - - - 141 
 
 Spitszenburgh ... ib 
 
 Spice apple - - - - 142 
 
 Styre #> 
 
 Summer pearmain - - - ib 
 
 Swaar apple - 143 
 
 Sweeny nonpareil - * ' - 145 
 
 Sweet greening - - - 143 
 
 Tolman sweeting - 'ib 
 
 Vandevere ib 
 
 Vanwinkle - 144 
 
 Wine apple ib 
 
 Wine sap - 145 
 
 Yellow sweeting ib 
 Apple Trees, soil and climate of the United 
 
 States adapted to - - 10 
 
 original stock of »■ 15 
 
 native crab - - - io 
 
 do not enjoy indefinite longevity 19 
 
 cultivated or seedling stocks 16 
 reared from seed seldom produce 
 
 the same kind of fruit It, 19 
 best adapted soil for - 18 
 reared from seed require to be 
 12 or 15 years old to pro- 
 duce fruit - - 20 
 bow forced to bear fruit - 28 
 instance of one bearing fruit of 
 
 opposite qualities - - 23 
 should not be planted deep in 
 
 the soil - - - 55 
 heading down old ones, utility of 72 
 
 annual wash for - - "78 
 means of preserving the health 
 
 and vigour of - - ib 
 
 washing of, with soft soap - ib 
 
232 JNDEX* 
 
 Apple Trees, white washing of : : 7f. 
 
 clay paint recommended for 79 
 diseases of, which render them 
 
 unproductive : : 80 
 
 Apple jelly, how made : : : 170 
 
 Apricots, how propagated : : : 222 
 
 list of : : : : ib 
 
 B • 
 
 Bark of applt trees, scaly should be scraped off 84 
 
 injured by exposure to the sun 79 
 
 Blight : : : : 80, 81 
 
 Blossoms, injured by spring frosts : 87 
 
 black flies : : ib 
 
 Borer, account of by John Prince, Esq. 102 
 
 description of by E. Hersey, : 103 
 
 report of committe in fovor of E. Hersey 104 
 
 methods suggested to prevent its attack 106 
 
 Bottling cider : : : 
 
 165 
 
 Brandy made from apples 
 
 168 
 
 Brush for destroying caterpillar's nests : 
 
 100 
 
 Buds, description of i : 
 
 43 
 
 Budding, observations on : : : 
 
 42 
 
 proper seasons for : : 
 
 43 
 
 different modes of : 
 
 44,47 
 
 c 
 
 
 Canker, : : : : 
 
 82 
 
 remedies for : • 
 
 83 
 
 Canker worm, character and description of 
 
 88 
 
 various remedies for : 
 
 90, 91 
 
 proposed remedy by professor Peck 92 
 
 Mr. Kenrick 93 
 
 observations on, by J. Lowell, Esq. 95 
 
 tarring recommended by Dr. Dean 90 
 
 he also recommends to destroy them 
 
 through the agency of swine 98 
 
 Caterpillars, : : : : 99 
 
 disgraceful to farmers : ib 
 
 description of : : : ib 
 
 methods of destroying : 100 
 
 brush for destroying : : ib 
 
 Cherries, : : : 215 
 
 method of propagating : 216 
 
 treatment by Forsyth : . ib 
 
 Jist of best sorts- ' : t 219 
 
INDEX. 23$ 
 
 Cherry Brandy : : : 221 
 
 Cider, making- and managing" : 146 
 
 proper casks for, should be kept sweet 
 
 and clean : : 154 
 
 how to clean the casks : : ib 
 
 stumming- the casks for : ib 
 method of making as practised by the 
 
 Shakers : : : 164 
 
 improved method of pressing : 167 
 
 medicinal properties of : : ib 
 
 bottling of : : : 165 
 
 useful method to preserve : : ib 
 
 Cider wine : : : : 169 
 
 Cider mill and press improved : : 167 
 
 Coxe William orchard and cider establishment 122 
 
 Account of distilleries of spirit from cider 171 
 
 the use of apples for hogs and horses 172 
 
 Curculio, account of by Dr. Tilton, : 112 
 
 Currants, how cultivated : : 225 
 
 Currant wine, how made : : 226 
 
 D 
 
 Decortication or disbarking fruit trees - 84 
 
 E 
 
 Engrafting, the art not traced to its origin 33 
 
 proper season for - - 35 
 
 choice of scions - - ib 
 when scions should be taken and 
 
 how preserved - - ib 
 
 modes of grafting - - 36 
 
 whip grafting 37 
 
 toogue grafting - ib 
 
 cleft grafting ib 
 
 crown grafting - - - 38 
 
 side grafting - - ib 
 
 root grafting - - ib 
 
 new mode of grafting - 39 
 
 extreme branch grafting - ib 
 
 compositions used for grafting 37 
 
 causes of failure ingrafting - 41 
 
 Engrafted fruit not permanent - - 24 
 
 F 
 
 Fire Blight 181 
 
 Flax shaws useful round fruit trees - 62 
 Forsyth heads down old apple trees - -72 
 
234 
 
 1ND2X. 
 
 Forsyth's composition to be applied to fruit trees 75 
 
 heads down old pear trees - 72 
 
 his management of peach trees - 199 
 
 of cherry trees • 216 
 
 Fruit, directions for gathering and preserving 118 
 
 1 
 
 Inoculation, see budding 
 
 K 
 
 Kenrick's method of cultivating nursery - 31 
 
 remedy against canker worms 93 
 
 nursery establishment - - 124 
 
 Knight's sentiments relative to fruit - 11 
 
 recommends apple juice boiled down 
 
 for use on long" voyages - 14 
 
 experiments for the production of new 
 
 varieties - - 20, 21 
 
 theory of the motion of sap - 30 
 
 method of reclaiming old pear trees 180 
 new varieties of pears - - 193 
 
 Lice infesting young orchards in maine 
 
 remedy against - 
 
 M 
 
 110 
 111 
 
 Manuring fruit trees, utility of 
 
 b»st kinds of manure • - 
 
 59 
 60 
 
 Moss and scaly bark on trees 
 
 84 
 
 N 
 
 
 Nectarines, cultivation of 
 list of 
 
 214 
 215 
 
 Nursery - 
 
 soil and situation for 
 
 30 
 ib 
 
 method of planting apple seeds in 31 
 Nursery pruning - 47, 49 
 
 
 
 Orchard planting and culture : : 
 most eligible soil and situation for 
 
 50 
 ib 
 
 proper season for planting 
 proper distance for planting trees in 
 Orchard pruning : : 
 
 53 
 52 
 65 
 
 former errors in : : 
 
 66 
 
 propes season for : 
 P 
 
 67 
 
 Peaches : : : 
 
 method of pronajratins: : : 
 
 195 
 
 196 
 
INDEX. 23"* 
 
 Peaches, budded or grafted on other stocks 1 97 
 
 qualities of : : : 209 
 
 divided into freestones and clingstones ib 
 
 list of preferable peache 3 : 209 — 214 
 
 Peach Trees, liable to premature decay : 196 
 
 cannot be reared where old ones 
 
 have died : : ib 
 
 method of treatment by Forsyth 199 
 lime or ashes to be applied to their 
 
 roots : : : 203 
 
 soft soap applied to their trunks 200 
 Cobbett's method of pruning- 198 
 
 disease called the yellows,contagious 203 
 method of preventing injury from 
 
 the fly and worm : : 200 
 best method of cultivating 202, 204 
 
 Prince William, Esq. : : 123 
 
 notices disease of pear trees 182* 
 i peach trees 208 
 
 catalogue of ornamental trees 227 
 Pears, list of : : 184 
 
 Amory 184. Beurre Knox 193. Bensell's win- 
 ter 184. Broca's bergamot ib. Brown beurre ib. 
 Catharine ib. Chaumontelle ib. Colmart ib. Cras- 
 sane 135, Cassimont 193, Colmar d'Hyver 194, 
 Early summer bergamot 185, Easter bergamot ib. 
 Epargne ib. Fine gold of summer ib. Florelle 
 194, Garden pear 185, German muscadell ib. 
 Green Catharine or spice Catharine 186, Green 
 summer sugar pear ib. Grey butter pear ib. Har~ 
 denpont de Printems 194, Holland table pear 186, 
 Jargonelle ib. White butter pear ib. Little mus- 
 cat 187. Mons Jean ib. Mogul summer ib. Non- 
 pareil bergamot ib. Orange pear ib. Pound pear 
 ib. Maria Louise 193, Napoleon ib. Tillington 
 ib. Urbaniste ib. Passe colmar 194, Princes 
 pear 188, Radish pear ib. Rousseline ib. Sarasin 
 ib. Seckle pear ib. Red bergamot 192, Summer 
 good christian ib. Virgouleuse ib. Winter baking: 
 pear ib. Winter good christian ib. Winter thorn 
 ib. Saint Germain 190. Skinless pear ib. Squash 
 pear ib. Saint Michaels 191, Summer beurre or 
 butter pear of summer ib. 
 Pear Trees well adapted to the soil and climate 
 
 of New-England ; : ^ 
 
^6 INDEX. 
 
 Pear trees may be grafted on a quince stock 176 
 benefited by washing" with soft soap 177 
 method of treating when decayed 178 
 method of reclaiming when unproduc- 
 tive by Mr. Knight : 1G0 
 extraordinary produce after heading 
 
 down^ : : : 179 
 
 too very old ones :* : 183 
 
 disease of : : : 181 
 
 Perry, : : : : 183 
 
 Plum trees, how propagated : 223 
 
 disease of : : ib 
 
 Plums, list of ... - 224 
 
 Pomona wine - - - 168 
 
 Potash, solution of, remedy against insects 77 
 
 Pruning fruit trees - - - 47, 65 
 
 Q 
 
 Quince tree - 194 
 
 R 
 
 Ringing* fruit trees 28 
 
 S 
 
 Spring frosts, affecting the blossoms - 86 
 
 Sap, theory of the circulation of - 29 
 
 Seaweed applied to fruit trees 62 
 
 Scions when to be taken from the tree - 35 
 
 how preserved - - - ib 
 
 importance of a proper choice of ib 
 
 Slug worm, description of - - 109 
 
 remedy for ib 
 
 Slumming casks for cider - - 154 
 
 T 
 
 Tanner's bark, utility of - 80, 107, 110 
 
 Tobacco and lime, a remedy against insects 77, 116" 
 
 V 
 
 Vinegar, various methods of making from apple 
 
 juice ... 173 
 
 w 
 
 Wine made from cider - - 169 
 
 Pomona - - ' - - 168 
 
 ©bservations on, by Dr* Mease - i* 
 

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