The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-09-29
FRUIT AND FRUIT TREES.

FRUIT AND FRUIT TREES.
The country readers of the Dispatch will find the
following an interesting paper. 1t has been fur.
| nished by Mr.. E. RuFFrN, Agricultural Commits
sioner OF the State Agricultural Society, from The
large collection OF interesting facts and observa
| lions which he has collected:
| Fraitand Fruit Trees-Mr. r. T. Lacy, OF New
Kent has been successful In rearing and growing
| peach trees. His orchard contains nearly forty
fine varieties, and several of them Of new and val
| liable kinds. all produced from seeds planted by
himself Some persons rely with confidence on the
seeds Of choice peaches producing trees Of like
| fruit. Others dis.rust the seeds altogether for
continuing the kind, and rely only grating or
inoculating for that object. Mr. l.. has found that
in great majority of cases. the seeds of the best
peaches have produced like kinds, without any
diIninution of size favor, or other value In the
cases of exception from this general result the pro-
ducts Of seeds have been other kinds of peaches,
generally INFERIOR ii not worthless. But In small
number Of such cases of variation of the product
from the parent fruit, he has obtained and also
| improved and very fine kinds.
| Mr.. l. acy has practised, with entire success, a
| similar mode (Which he saw recommended In a
| Tennessee pspeD guarding against the worms
| which in ure peach trees, and destroy many
entire orchards, by boring into the tender bark,
just at the junction of the stem and the roots, at
the surface of the earth. The remedy is simply to
| raise hill or mound of earth around the lower
|
high, (or as large as a sweet potato hill) This CO.
verng kills the worms already in the tree, by ex-
Guiding air. And the earth covers the tender bark,
which is all at or beloD the former surface Of the
ear.h that there is not n the harder bark above
suitable place for the boring of the parent insect.
! The hills may be raised at any time. They have
| not been removed. nor have they required any fur
ther change For some years OF trial. the plan has
| been found entirely successful.
| lQuery. Where mari is plenty would il not oe
| we'll to make the hill of mari, instead of common
| earthi thick and hard covering of the earth be-
low stone fruit trees has been found greatly bene-
fetal in preventing the boring into the ground of
curculo, which breeds the worms that I'M ure stone
| fruit E.R.
| Mr. Tn. NJ. Crowell, Of Halifax county, H. c. In
formed me that the snearing very little tar, by
rubbing over with slightly tarred piece OF cloth,
will etfectually prevent young fruit trees being
barked by haves in winter. 1t is not necessary
and would be injurious to the young trees, TO cover
| the exposed part with tar. slight touch of the
soft tar, here and there from the earth to high
as the haves can reach is sufficient, as the strong
odor of the tar deters them from eating any bark
so contaminated Of course, such an application,
and acting will require renewal at the beginning
of every winter AS very young and small trees with
| tender bark only exposed to this cok1mon and
great injury and destruction, such young trees are
very easily treated as advised.
Ii valuable young apple tree should have the
| bark eaten around by haves it may be saved. Mr.
| Julian c. Ruffin, of Prince George county. had
which the bark was thus eaten off all around, the
irregular ring skinned being from one to three
| inches wide. This injury occurred some time in
the winter The next spring, at the proper time for
| grating, Q85V two apple twigs (Which had been
before cut for gratiDg) were grated into the re-
| naming and living bark both above and below the
| skinned wood-one graft on each side of the tree
The gratis united well with the tree, and grew rap.
idly, the whole sap passing through them. The
skinned portion OF the young tree soon died and
the gratis make double stems, OF sufficient size
and strength, and which will in time meet and
| unite. If, in such case. there had been one or
| more sprouts growing from below the wound, it
would be still better to ingraft above.
| Another fact and matter of trial may be useful
1t is the universal understanding that Qyafiag ony
| can be done in spring, and budding late in sum
| mer Butli tor any reason, apple twigs designed
| for grating, cannot be 80 used their buds NAV he
used for budding Being kept buried in the earth
| the sap will move In such twigs, the buds swell
| and the bark will then slip. AS soon as this con.
dition occurs buds from the twgs may be inserted
in the bark, and will live as well as if a. the usual
| and much later tme-as Mr.. r. has tried and
proved In practice. as to apple grafs He has not
tried In this manner the buds of any stone.fruit -
| If they can be thus propsgsted by spring budding
from twigs cut of and buried in winter, An i,npor-
| tant purpose can be served. Stone-fruit though
easily and safely budded, cannot well be propagat.
| ed by grating. The buds cannot be convened
| alive and healthy any considerable distance in
| summer, the usual (and supposed only time for
| budding. But In winter, The twigs may be safely
| carried TO any distance and then, in the manner
just described, Gf applicable to stonefru,t,) the
1 buds may be inoculated in the spring
| Lieut. NJ. r. Maury, u. 8. NJ. long ago made seme
| difference and changes of temp .rature on valley
grouod and different heghs of the hills rising
| above. The results were, of course, in accordance
with the laws established by SCIENCE of the accumu-
lation. radiation, &c. of heat. But the differences
observed between hill valley were une ueetadlv
great and indicated important aud sure rules for th
L and m hay frr,tN
which the young fruits especially liable to be
killed by late spring frosts. The surface coil, and
lying land. are much more highly heated in the dsy
| and are also cooled TO much lower degrees in the
nights and especsl.y under conditions of the atmos.
phere most favorebe TO the radiation land Ioss1 of
heat Hence the heat of the earth and of the air of
valleys in sunshine tend to forward the budding
blossomiug of peach trees sooner than would be on
the higher hillsdes, (other conditions being alike
and equal and the much greater lowering of tempe
rature in the valleys in the clear nights and conss
fruits. when they would be safe higher though
| nsighboring poHitioss where great fluctuations
| and extremes of both heat and cold cannot exist
Though the experime nts and obs rvatons ade and
stated TO me bv Lieut. Maury would be enough to
assure of their value as instruction in practical
rieulture this instruction not merely of tcsi
and scientific reasoning. The rules indicated have
In some cases been illustrated In practice and the
practical result. have been found to accord with and
sustsin the theory. He stated as examples of ths
| working OF the rule, the following facts:
| In Amherst county, a gentleman pointed out to
hn, particular h3rlzontsi strip of for. ct land on
which the young sprouts were never killed bv severe
late ross when they were generally killed on
| boring land of lower elevation.
In Fred. rick county there is an elevated rds. of
land on which the apples 80 generally are safe when
all others In the neighborhood are killed by frosts
| that has acquired the name of Apple. pie Ride
When visiting q relative, in Albsmarle b. fonnd
that all the peaches had been killed by frost in The
peach orchards in the valley the mansion wbiIa
they had escaped, and were bearing in At
another part of the estate high up the side of ths
neiRhborng mountain.
The usual safety of the peaches on elevated local..
ties near Washington, affords and extensive
proof OF the rule. And these proofs were, on one
occasion, the more strking By the contrast of the
| peach Hees OF very careful culturist, much
lower land having bean all killed by FROST when all
| the neienborlpg hill orchards had escaped.
Lieut. Msury farther remarked that the best fl nit
| ties. They must depend on latitude, and. perhaps
other conditions and should be determined by en- De
riment.
young man, Charles Bourseul, now at Paris.
| the son of French officer, and formerly in the
army In Africa, but relieved from his militarv du
ties on account OF the scientific cleverness he dis
played, has been making experiments la the elec.
tricsi transmission of the voice He entertains the
idea, from the success which has attended hi,
initial trials, that people may talk by telegraph.
and the present writing or printing Telegraph be
dispensed WITH In a word conversation NAV be
held between one person In Paris and another Ia
/ Vienna, and SO forth. He 10 now engaged Ia az
| perimeuts to verify his theory