Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-07-28
A G. RICU LTU II AL.


Of strawDerrles, green peas cucumbcrs, hOw-
ers, &c, did credit to the horticulture of this
region. 1t is not until recently that the citi-
zcns have turned their attention to this mat
ter, and most Of the fruit-yards are quite
young. The streets were once ornamcnted
with locust trees, but the worms made such
ravages among them that large part Of them
were destroyed, and second growth of elms,
naples and horse-chestnuts, are coming for
ward to take their places.
Some of the gardens upon the Hill are very
sad tom yd dqid opt And shqT taste in the
trees and flowers. We visited, among others.
the garden of Rev DR. Wheeler, formerly
President Of the college. He has commenced
his horticultural operations quite recently,
but has succeeded already in turning wet,
heavy piece Of land into fine garden soil.
He has very thick well grown hedge Of Ar
bor Vitae, upon two sides Of his premises.
and we noticed this evergreen elsewhere cul-
tivated as hedge with entire success Seve-
raj in the village are now some six feet high,
and the houghs completely interlace each
other 1t is native of this region, and
grows to good sized tree of forty or fifty
feet high, and foot in diameter, IN the wet
woodlands, and upon the islands in the lake.
At Judge Mech in Shelburn, there is gar
den OF two acres, enclosed with a belt Of
these trees, set out twenty years ago. They
are now well grown trees, and form n com
plete protection from the lake winds.
They have changed the climate within the
enclosure, and many tender plants and shrubs
flourish there that cannot be raised without
such shelter. We have seen fine hedges of
this tree in Hartford, and in Westport, Conn.
and elsewhere, and from its success in these
different localities, we have no doubt that il
will prove one of the finest hedge plants for
New England, and perhaps for all the North
ern States. The BuckthOrn also does well in
hedges here.
Another ornamental tree which the Presi-
dent pointed out to us on his grounds, and
which appeared TO ill his eye as a model Of
beauty, was the Double Balsam Fir. 1t is
found on the SUBMITS of some of the Alle-
ghanics, but is rather scarce in New England.
We did not know that it was to be found e1-
cept on the summit of tie Greylock but We
learned from DR.. Wheeler that there is To-
cality Of it near here, and that it is to be
found IN the vicinity Of Willoughby lake, and
in other localities 10 Vermont and New 1amp-
shire. 1t is certainly much finer tree than
the common Balsam Fir, and for richness and
grace Of foliage surpasses any of the ever.
greens We have seen, except the Norway
Spruce.
The Negundo Aceroides is another favorite
of this garden. 1t is not 4 tree generally
known to botanists here is in the town Of
Colchester, VT, "a few miles from this village
The appearance of the leaf and wood is moro
like the white ash than any tree we know Of.
and yet it has striking peculiarities. IL
starts very early in the spring, has light green
foliage, makes wood rapidly, and grows to a
height of some thirty feet.
In fruit growing We found the doctors
fancy had very much run to grapes. lie SCENE
L. i .l.. r
and succeeds in ripening the White Sweet
Water, the Red Frontisnac. and Miller's
Burgundy, with several seedlings of tho
foreign grapes, not generally known to culti-
vators. The Isabella and Catawba only sue
ceed in this climate IN sheltered gardens and
in favorable exposures. One fruit grower ripens
his Catawbas by letting them run on the
ground. The extra heat Of the soil, and tho
protection Of leaves and weeds, guards them
against the early frosts, so that they ordina-
rily mature. The Diana succeeds we'll here,
and those from this garden took a premium
at late fair, as perfect grape. This vine.
which, in some parts Of New England is a
bad grower, here makes wood very rapidly.
One Of the vines, which had been out three
years, was making shoots as rapidly as an
Isabella. Fruit growers will be glad to hear
of the success of this very promising seeding,
so far north as Burlington
We also visited the gardens of c. Goodrich,
Professor Torrey, and DR.. Hatch, who gave
more attention to apples and pears. We have
never seen the pear more entirely at homo
than in these gardens. The trees are mostly
standards, and have the appearance of perfect
health. The bark was remarkably clean, and
the leaves of that bright glossy green which
makes many varieties of the pear almost as
beautiful as an evergreen. The old white
Doyenne. or Virgalieu, which all along the
seaboard succeeds but poorly, is here one Of
the most perfect Of pears, free from rust or
cracking The Dearborn's Seeding is po-
pular pear, and great bearer. The Beurre
Bose here attains its highest flavor, and il
much esteemed, The Golden Beurre and the
Secke also do we'll. The Flemish Beauty
sttains full size, but is thought to be def
cient in flavor. 1t is remarked at the horti-
cultural exhibitions here, that the same va
rieties are generally larger and fairer than
those grown on the seaboard.
The best arranged and most neatly kept
garden here is reputed to be that Of J. a.
Peck. Esq, which is under the supervision Of
his excellent lady. We think no stranger
who has the pleasure of looking through the
grounds, will doubt the correctness Of this
opinion, The premises embrace several
acres, and are tastefully laid out, part in
flowers and shrubs, and the rest in tho
kitchen garden and its appurtenances. The
trees are already well grown, the lawn is
close shaven, and the walks are nicely gravel
led. A carriage drive has been laid out
through new part of the premises, and bor-
dered with hedge of Norway Spruce, tree
which is hardly to he found elsewhere in the
place. 1t was for long time popular be-
liei that evergreens would not flourish on this
hill, although the native forest was once full
of them.
We saw in this garden cold winery, in
which are matured every season the finest Of
the foreign grapes, and yet the structure was
SO cheap as to be within the reach Of mon Of
very moderate means. Mos. horticulturists
are deferred from the cultivation of these
grapes by the idea that they are necessarily
very expensive. But artificial hoat is not at
all necessary, and building that one NAV
extemporize with a saw and iack-knife will
produce as fine Hamburghs as winery cost
ing from one to five thousand dollars The
great essentials are good border and grss.
to protect them from the changes of our cli-
mate. Grapes that took premium at Hart
ford last fall, we are informed were raised in
an old shanty winery, not costing thirty dol
lars. We had the curiosity to visit it, and
found the report no exaggeration. We have
also seen this season, in the garden Of gem
tleman of note, winery of his own construc-
tion, cheaper STILL where the Hsmburghs
seemed to be entirely at their ease.
The kitchen garden of Mrs Peck was much
the best We saw in the place, The tomatoes,
peas, cucumbers, melons were far advanced
and the raspberries and Strawberries were
luxuriant. Close by was fowl department,
where the biddies, in ample yards. tended
their broods, and large flock Of young tur-
kies skulked ip the grass as We passed, or
the choice collection Of groen house plants,
roses, fuchsias, camelias, vcrbenas, helio-
tropes, So, that ~e sa~. still under the
glass, and OF the bird concert that entertained
US in the house, We have no time 90 speok.
And if we should attempt description, we
fear IL would leave our readers very much
like the Queen OF Sheba, before che saw her