The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-07-16
WORCESTER:
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL STORM.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 1928.

structive hail storms ever known in this section
of the country. How far it extended we have
not been able correctly to determine, but have
ascertained that it passed over Brookfield, the
north parts of Spencer and Leicester, over this
town, Shrewsbury, Northboro' ,Westboro', South.
boro' and birmingham, distance of near DO
miles, spreading desolation in its course, and
blasting, for the present, the hopes of the hus-
bandman. 1t was from one to two miles wide,
but the destruction was chiefly confined TO a
width of about half mile in the centre The
greatest violence of the storm appears to have
been spent in its passage over this town and
Shrewsbury. Fields of English grain are cut
to pieces, and beaten down as fiat as if a roller
had passed over Them the Indian corn is cut
in shreds, and fruit trees are stripped of both
fruit and foliage When the largest of the hail
tcll, it was nearly calm, so that the damage
was much less than if it had been attended With
more wind. Still, the quantity of glass broken
IS very great In some houses every square on
the exposed side was broken out In Shrew5bu-
ry it is estimated that more than ten thousand
panes were demolished, of which between three
and four hundred were in the meeting house
The hail stones were irregular masses of ice
with jagged surfaces, and of enormous size. As
the storm mostly passed north of this village,
we did not see any of the largest of them, hut
we saw some as large as "a common hens egg.
That many of them far exceeded that size, we
have the testimony of the most credible Wit
nesses. One person selected four which weigh
ed over pound. Three others weighed fifteen
ounces, or five ounces each. We have accounts
of some much heavier, but as our inforLla-
ton does not come directly from the person
who weighed them, we forbear giving the
weight. Several which were measured, were
from seven to nine inches in circumference
Many birds and domestic fowls were killed.
In Shrewsbury one flock of turkeys had sixteen
killed out Of twenty-four. In another flock of
thirty, nearly all were destroyed. Cattle be-
took themselves to shelter where it was practi-
cable, and where it was not they were found to
have large swollen punches upon them occa-
stoned by the force with which the hail struck
them. The force may be estimated from the
fact that window blinds were in some instances
split and shattered by it.
REGULATION. The time for budding fruit
trees has arrived, and we hope that it may be
moro generally improved than it has been here
tofore. The principal reason why more good
fut is not cultivated, is that it takes so long to
get the trees in bearing state. There are
few farmers, however, who have not good apple
stocks for incubation, the fruit of which is
now of little worth If these were budded the
present season, in three or four years they
would begin 20 yield fruit. The difference be-
tween indifferent fruit and that of the best kind
is so great, that few we should hope would
forcgo luxury SO cheaply to be obtained.
In the Spy of the I'd inst, we made some re-
marks on the practcability of more extended
application of grating and incubation, and all
iuded more particularly 20 the inserting Of the
Madeira nut, or English walnut, on the butter
nut stock. A friend of ours who has cultivated
that nut, and who has inoculated almost all
kinds of trees, says that the Madeira nut tree
so nearly resembles the butternut and black
walnut, that he has no doubt of its growing
well in either of them. We hope the experi-
ment may be made, particularly in those parts
of New England, where the winters are most
mild and best adapted to the rearing of this nut
We hope, also, that some Of our neighbors may
try the experiment of budding the improved
varieties of the shagbark walnut, upon those of
a poorer quality and also upon the pignut tree.
In confirmation of our former remarks, We
find in The New England Farmer, a letter from
correspondent, who says he has four thousand
scions growing which were set this spring,
among which are pears in locust and forest
halle stocks, and apricot, peach, and mulberry
scions in plum tree stocks. The pear often
does well in apple stocks, and generally does
SO in the ounce and wild plum or shad BUSH
But we would direct the attention of our
farmers particularly to the cultivation of the
grape: The wild grape vine grows spontane-
ously almost every where. Many of the vines
are barren, and considerable portion of those
that are not, yield fruit of but little value
These might be inocuated with kinds that.are
valuable, and thus rendered productive and
profitable. The Isabella grape, a species re-
Gently introduced into New England from North
Carolina, is found to combine in a remarkable
degree, the excellence of the imported varieties
with the hardihood of our native grape, and is
altogether superior to the best of the latter kind
Those who cannot procure buds of the Isabella,
may still make their barren vines productive,
and improve those which bear the sour and in
fsrior kinds ofthe common wild grape, by bud
ding them with the white and pale red varieties,
which may be procured in almost every town.