New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-07-14
WHAT KNOW OF FARMING.
BY HORACE GREELEY.
xvii.

| hi"oh nc'cicI IMAM Inab VI corresponding idueuuco
in Europe-s unfayorabe, at least very trying to
all the delicate and luscious Fruits, berries
cepted Except on our Pacific coast, of which the
Winter temperature is at least ten degrees milder
| than that of the Atlantic, the finer Peaches and
Grapes grown with difficulty north Of the for
teth degree of latitude save in few specially IA
| vOred localities, whereof the southern shore Of
| Lake Erie is most noted, though part Of
| that of Lake Ontario and OF the west coast
| of Lake Michigan are likewise well adapted to the
| Peach.
1t is not the mere fact that the mercury in Fahren
het's thermometer sometimes ranges below zero and
the earth is deeply frozen, but the suddeness where
with such rigor succeeds and is succeeded by tenn
peratnre above the freezing point, that proves 20 in
hospitable to the most valued tree Fruits. And,
the dense forests which formerly clothed the Ale
ghenies and the Atlantic slope, are year by year
swept away, the severity of our cold snaps" and
the celebrity with which they appear and disappear
are constantly aggravated. change of GOO,
or from so above to 10 below zero, between
morning and the following midnight, soon
| followed by an equally rapid return to
an average November temperature, often proves
fatal even to hardy forest-rees Ihaye had the Red
Cedar in my woods killed by scores during an Open
capricious Winter; and my observation indicates the
warmest spots in forest as those where trees are
most likely to be thus destroyed. After an Arctic
night, in which they are frozen solid, bright sun
| sends its rays into the warmest hooks, whence the
wind is excluded and wholly or partially thaws out
| the smaller trees, which suddenly frozen solid
again so soon as the sunshine is withdTawn ana
this partly explains TO my mind the fact that peach
buds are often killed in lower and level portions of
an orchard while they retain their vitality on the
hillside and at its crest not so rods distant from
| dac no foo ut no a
sends into and remains in the valleys of rolling
district contributes also to the correct explanation
of phenomenon which has puzzled some observers.
Unless in favored locality, it seems to me mad
visabe for farmer who expects to thrive mainly by
the production of Grain and Cattle, to attempt the
growing of the finer Fruits except for the use OF his
| own family In majority of cases, multiplicity
| of cares and labors precludes his giving to his
| Peaches and Grapes his Plums and Ounces, the
seasonabe and persistent attention which they abso-
| lutey require. Quite commonly, farmer visits a
grand nursery sees with admiration its trees and
vines loaded with the most luscious Fruits, and
rashly infcrs that he has only to buy
good stock of like Trees and Vines to insure him
! self an abundance of delicious fruit SO he buys
! and SETS but with such preparation OF the soil,
and no such care to keep il mellow and free from
weeds or to battle and destroy predatory insects, as
|
pointment of his hopes; borers slugs caterpilars,
| and every known unknown species OF insect enc
mics prey upon his neglected favories At intervals
some domestic animal or animals get among them,
and break down a dozen in an hour. So, the Tar
greater number come to grief without having had
one fair chance show what they could do, and the
farmer Jumps the conclusion that the nurseryman
was a swndler and the trees he sells scarcely related
| TO those whose abundant and excellent fruits
| tempted him to buy. counsel every farmer to con-
slider thoughtfuy the treatment absolutely required
| for the production of the finer Fruits before he
allows a nurseryman TO make bill against him, and
not expect to grow Duchesse Pears as easily as
Blackberries. or Tomas and Catawbas readily as he
does fox-grapes on the willows which overhang his
brook for if he does he will surely be disappointed
Some of our harder and cOarser Grapes-the Con-
| cord prominent among them-are grown with con-
siderable facility over wide extent of our country
and many farmers. having planted them in cOngenlal
| soil and tended them well throughout their infancy
| are rewarded by bOunteOus product for two or
three years Believing their success assured, they
imagine that their vines may henceforth be neglect
ed and in the of two or three more years they
| are often utterly ruined. / know that there are
wild grapes of some value i'll the absence of better
which thrive and bear without attention; but do
not believe that any grape which will sell III
a market where good fruit was ever seen
can be grown north of Philadelphia but by constant
care and labor at cost of less than five cents per
pound under the most udicious and sklllful treat
ment In California, and presume in most OF our
States south of the Potomac and Ohio choice grapes
NAV be grown more abundantly and more cheaply.
Yet think the localities are few and far between in
which tun of good grapes can be grown as eheaply
as tun of wheat under the most judicious cuiiya-
ton in either case.
do not mean to discourage grape growing; on
the contrary would have every farmer, even so
far north as Vermont or Wisconsin, experiment
cautiously with dozen of the most promising varl-
cites including always the more hardy, in the hope
of finding some one more adapted to his soil, and
capable of enduring his climate. Even in France
the land of the vine. farm will produce grape
which the very next will not no man can satstac-
torily say why. The farmer, who has tired half a
dozen grapes and failed with ALL should not be de-
TERED from further experiments for the very next
NAV prove success. / would only say be moderate
in your expectations and careful in your expert
ments and never risk even 500 on vineyard,
till YOU have ascertained at cost Of s. or under
whether the species you testing will thrive and
| bear on your soil.
In nv own case, my upland mainly sloping to the
west. with hill rising directly south of it, have
| had no luck with Grapes, and / have wasted little
time or means upon them. / have done enough to
show that they can be grown, even III such locality
| but not to profit or satisfaction.
would advise the farmer who proposes to grow
Pears Peaches, and Ounces for home use only OF
mainly to select piece of dry, grayelly or sandy
loam underdrain il thoroughly, pillow OF trench II
very deeply and ferilize it generously In good part
with ashes and with leaf mold from his woods Lo-
cate the pig-pen on side of it, fence 1t strongly
and let the pigs have the of it for good portion
of each year. In this plat or yard plant nan
n dozen Cherry and as many Pear trees Oh
choice varieties. the Bartlett foremost among them
keen clear of all dwarfs and let your choicest trees