The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-02-06

To THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS;
Old Parson Bradley, of cheerful memory,
used sometimes, of hot Sunday in summer,
to call upon his choir to sing sold Winter" to
cool the heated atmosphere, as he said! Equal
ly refreshing in these stiff January days, is the
reading of agricultural reports in your col
umns, with discussions of fruits and trees, by
"Traxi" and others; bringing the green of sum-
mer and all pleasant hues and odors to soften
the rigid airs and aspects of mid-wnter.
"Traxi" refers to discussion in the Board
of Agriculture, in which "New York apple
trees" received new blessings from gentlemen
who had been looking for fruit from them
and found none. 1 was gratifed with Mr..
Goodale's coming to the defence by the dis
eliminating remark that good trees from New
York, like good trees from any other place
were good trees. Here is one secret of success
and failure in the cultivation of trees from the
Rochester nurseries. Along with many others
in Cumberland county, bought trees from
Rochester agent, more than ten years ago, and
at the same time trees from Mr. Goodale's
Saco nursery. They were planted in the same
orchard, and cultivated alike, and fourished to-
gether, Rochester and Saco alike. Some OF
my neighbors afterwards complained of the
failure of their New York trees. On compare
son of notes, it was found thatI had purchas-
ed better trees-what the agent called select
ed trees" an extra lot" and of course at an
extra price. Now people must Learn, if they
wish for good orchards of thrifty trees, that
they must put in good stock-well-rooted and
free from disease and deformity. If they care
lessly buy sticks for trees or ignorantly pur-
chase fair-looking trees not adapted to our eli
mate, and the special soil in which they are to
be set, they must expect to fail.
But especially, in the second place, must they
learn that trees taken from ana well cultivated
nursery and taught to grow, cannot be set out
upon hard side-hill and thrive without care
and culture. My Rochester trees, as well as
those from other nurseries, which have been
growing in soil constantly cultivated with roots
or other crops, have grown fast enough, and
and have been bearing for several years, boun-
tifully for their size; while Others left for con-
venence in a grass plat with only the cultiva-
ton OF being digged about and dressed in a
careless way, have done next to nothing; I'M
less 1t be to demonstrate to myself and nv
neighbors the important lesson, that trees, to
flourish toeH, must be cultivated Horouohly. at
least until they have reached vigorous matn-
rity.
'sTraxi" objects that the blowing of orchards
must cut the roots. 1 have no trouble on that
score with my young orchard. The roots in a
soil plowed every spring, and kept loose dur
ing the season, strike deeper and keep out of
the way of the pillow and cultivator. Or, if
sometimes otherwise, these trees have such an
abundance of vigorous roots and rootlets, that
they do not suffer from the loss of a few.
Old trees, long left in the grass-ground, will
lose some roots in blowing But the loss is
more than repaid in the vast number of new
rootiets which the cultivation of the soil will
cause 10 De formed. "a E. p. W.