The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-08-14
AN INTERESTING MEETING.
[CoNTINuEp.l.

49, '' - OioON vi iueouty, IItil July
at the Board of Trade rooms, Judge Ora,
presiding; p. II. Folsom, Esq, secretary
FRIEND GILLINGHAM UPON THE DE
TERIoRATIoN OF FRUITS AND PRUI1
TREES. 'eaais
The president here called the attention O
the members to the following paper from
the pen of Friend Gillingham, upon the de.
terioration of fruits and fruit trees. RI,
said:
1t has been thought by very many fruit
growers for quite a long period of time that
certain kinds of fruits, and particularly ap-
4 pies, become deteriorated and run out. af-
ter being cultivated a series of years, and
( the writer of this article was fully of that
belief up to very recent period. Such is
apparently the fact, and if I'VE Judge only
from appearances, without studying the
philosophy of the matter, we are likely to
be led into error in this, as well as in many
other cases. | repeat that varieties appa-
rently do run out, and no marvel to us that
they appear so to do when we become ac-
quainted with the habits Of orchards with
regard to this matter, in this as well as in
other. countries.
To illustrate the subject more fully. the
forest trees, which do not deteriorate.
choose their own abiding place. The dealer
i'll timber knows just Where to look for
certain Kinds OF trees--.just what kinds of
soil, elevation, &C., upon which he will find
the particular kind he wishes. For in
stance, if he is looking for white oalS--to
cut up into ship planllhe goes to the
white oak flats, with their heavy white clay
coil If ha rxr,cb 10 L.
poplar logs for saving into wide, thin
boards Tor coach bodies, he looks for them
upon an elevation of sandy loan, somewhat
moist, naturally. If he wishes hickory
for axletrees, or black oak for plank-he
goes to an entirely different soil from either
of the others. But how is it with our
fruit orchards? Do We consult their tastes
IN the same way +? No, we do not. We
conclude that we want an orchard in par
tlcular locality, and there we put it, despite
all the protestatlon OF the trees to the con-
trary. We oblige them to submit to our
dlctatlon whether the soil or location be con-
genial or uncongenial to them ; and | may
say that in most cases they are put upon
the latter and forced to grow there they
say, i'll the language OF nature, we will sub
init to the circumstance of 1eBaiaiaq
here, but we will not thrive or bear
fruit. This process is blindly con-
tinued; gratis are taken from these trees
and put upon other stocks not much better
treated, the trees for the orchard subjected
again to the force work Of being placed and
remaining upon mcongenial soil, and so on
generation after generation; and what is
naturally and necessarily the result, the
trees refuse to do anything more than drag
out mere existence, andwe say the ea,iety
is "run out" Take for example the New
town pippin, which has seemed to merit the |
foregoing term of having =" run out.u 1t
originated at Newtown, on Long Island,
New York, and has been carried from
thence all over the country. 1t CHANGED,
among other places, TO have been carried
INTO Albemarle county, Virginia, and put
upon soil and elevation and other circum-
stances suited to its nature and condition,
and therefore rejuyenatcd and received the
name OF the Albcmarle pippin, for lack of
the knowledge of its real name, and became
one OF the most popular apples of that |
region, as 1t always has been where it had
a congenial soil and climate to perfect its
wood and fruit, and really is one Of the
finest apples grown, when these circum-
stances come together, as is the case with
Rel. Pills orchard at Eropas, on the Hud-
son river, N. Y.
We will name also the old English cod
ling-one of our finest apples at the present |
day-when cultivated upon proper soil |
with other favorable circumstances sur |
it. The Red Astrachan is an
other instance-this is an old Russian va
riety, and seems to bear more hardships
than any other variety known. and will |
thrive under greater vcissitudes of soil and |
climate than any other variety that has
come under my own observation, and with
out any apparent signs of running out.
There is no good catalogue of apples for the
orchard furnished anywhere North or
South without containing the Red .Astra-
chan, one OF the earliest of apples here and
elsewhere; and while say this OF the Red
Astrachan as fruit tree, do not wish to
nislead by giving the idea that it is the best
apple under all circumstances; for the best
Early market apple known to the writer is
/ new variety here, end we call it the SID
wards Early" lnever knew Of but one
rec of them, from which | obtained the
original gratis, many years since. | now +
nave orchards in bearing. Dir. Warder, on
he subject says: with our modern views
II vegetation we can see no reason why
rec, or parts of a tree taken from it. and
placed under circumstances favorable to its
growth from time to time may not be SEM
Diternal."
Harvey has placed this matter in cor
ect light by showing that the true life and
history of a tree is IN the buds, which are
nnual, while the tree itself is the connec-
ing link between them and the ground.
Any portion of such a compound existence
RATED upon another stock, c'and espec-
ally a young seeding, which is now the
ase generallyn) or planted Immediately
n the ground itself and established upon
wn roots, will produce new tree like the
irst, being furnished with supplies of I
it may grow mdefntely,
While retaining all the qualities of the parent
took. IL that be healthy and vigorous so
will this, indeed new life and vigor often
eem to be impaired by congcnal thrifty I,
took, and a fertile soil, so that there does
lot appear to be any reason why the
arlety should ever run out or disappear.n
DIR. Warder further says that the dis
lnguished Thos. Andrew Knight, ,Presi-
lent of the London horticultural Society,
vas one of the advocates of the theory that
arieties would necessarily run out and dis {
ppear as it were by exhaustion.
Speedily combatted the views of Mr..
might and says 1T is much to be regret
ed that this apparently visionary notion of !
he extinction of certain kinds of apnles {