Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-03-13


TACT. l fear has not been so deeply impressed
but it may be slept off in night. As for OBJ
servatiOn. do not know as they have any,
and borrowed information they do not seek
after so We are obliged to leave them with
their heads slightly elevated above the tares
that surround them, with that saying still
true in their case, . by their fruits ye shall
know them And so we might 60 on with
repetitions OF q similar character in the
various branches of agriculture, at waste
Of time, and yet present no fact but such
as are common and familiar to the farming
community generally.
While our Washington County Agricultural
Society has imposed on me this tax of pre-
pairing a paper upon the subject Of fruit cul-
ture for the benefit Of the Vermont State
Agricultural Society, must confess, gentle
men. that | possess no secret IN the art OF
fruit raising which ought not 70 be familiar
+ to all. But while it IS a part OF our nature
to differ from each other on nearly all topics,
| shall be allowed perhaps TO differ some
what on some points from some OF my
/ brother farmers in regard TO the m1duS opeT-
mil Of fruit culture. As the ola ma
tive fruit Of our country Is about playing
out, as the saving il, our farmers are be
/ ginning to think that necessity demands an
effort in this direction and finally.
. for the last fifteen or twenty years, expert
mcut af G experiment has teen tried, aud in
many instances has failed OF success. This
is not attributable. however, to any one par
ticular cause. Trees have been brought
from various parts Of the country, and have
+ been placed in all kinds Of soil, ana have
underg ne nearly al kinds OF treatment,
from that which is passaJ,y good to that
which is utterly bad and either the tree or
the nurseryman or h.s agent stands con
10 =
the trial. Now while there may be just
capse for complaint, which | d)ub- not q 9 E,
is, vet while tie nurserymln may be strictly
conscientious in the sale of bis trees, the
change Of climate and the change o soil may
be such rs 70 render the cultivation Thereof
unsucc- ssfu'. I would not De understood.
however. 10 say Tor mucl less to Think that
all fruit dealers are honest, (tlnugl there
are some honest, no doubt,) for the cx2eri-
auce OF many " our farmers has provel il
quite the reverse And It becomes sslf-eyi-
dent that the man who will sell yOn an IN
ferior article for the cbOicest and best, who
he's no regard for his word, but looks only
at the dollar, will choose his agents from
tmorg t5Jse-0u level with himself So it
is diff nut u de eruine who is the greater
.uevc. the proprietor or his agent.
FruIG rcId.tI- are becoming, ike pusiy
quite common, and everywhere present
sly experience with them has been sJuewhaf
limited @ .ea~, ouailv, I'd add little INV
variety. | buy a few trees SJue Xix 10
seven wears ago bought small number Oi
ere 5 d b. Delivered nc VI 1u' p-ii-r. o. re-
ceivin- nav notice inuc iiareiy called lor
them, ard finding the proprietor and hl-
gent both present, EV attention was vtl
80 II d rccteI % "a small bundle bearing my
name. I lmiued them carefully, and stII
-r fns.zp ar dead
o. o no nd p sai5 he with good deal o.
-eit-comTIacency. - they are all right, All
You have to d. Is TO dig a hole 10 the ground
AID bury them completely for three days.
and hey Will come out all right " ell, /
know that Jor ah was three days in the
whales belly, and lie came out all right, and
know that man must die and be buried, IN
order 10 rise again; but whether he founded
his theory on Scripture Illustrations, | cJuli
not tel; but like mauy men nova d ty~.
nv f4itu was very small ! finally told him
[ would pay him Tor the trees, the price be-
ing but seven DO !srs, but If he uld s.Ii ne
another lot Just Ike them for seven cents,
would not lake them / came % the con
clusi0n THAT seven dollar experience was
cheap. and LETT with the benefit OF ms ex-
perIeuce under my arm.
But, mind YOU, this is not all the ,xyerl-
ence have had 10 this line Of business.
though Il my e valuable. as | doub5 uo- Il
nas been L fell t. my fortune, twenty-five
years ago this spring, to leave my native
town end take up ms residence in Alas-aehu-
S It's, where / resided twelve years. During
that time, though | had little experience i1
tie lire IF fruit, yet nay close observation 81
the manner and style Of fruit culture proye-
no disa1vanta e To me, a. it naturally w9ul1
70 no man interested therein. The striking
contrast between that part Of Massachusetts,
where | was, and Of our county, in regard
TO the culture OF fruit, was peculiarly notice
able; and one going from this place to that
mentioned would, at once. have MS attention
arrested BY the general healthy and vigorous
appearance and smJothness IF the lark Ji Lh-
young trees. For instance. the first wear |
was there 2 friend Of mine from my native
town c-lled to zee me, and adjoining the
place where / resided was a beautiful young
orchard, | should Judge some ten years d.
age, which at once attracted his attention.
and he inquired what kind of trees these
were. thought it would be a mark ofciyiity
to properly answer his question though !
supposed Of course he knew, and / said APP
pie trees. - Apple trees 3" exclaimed my
friend with a suspicious look at me, as much
as to say. . You can't cheat this child much
over the left" l allude t. this instance
merely - show YOU that there is a ve-- di.-
ference aetrcen thorough cultivation and 4
LartiI cultItauo oil fruit. as well as witl
All other vegetation the partial being
about the extent OF the experience of our
farmers in past years alt iougl we trust
1t may not lie so IN years 20 come and have
reason 10 hope Juat our farmers are an
least rem owing some of the scales from their
eyes. II is naiy the question. Can iruit b.
successfully raised and made pay 10 Vermont.
as IN her sister S.ates2 | cannot answer a.
to all parts Oi our STATE, but from what lit
tie ex. erience I have had, | think ! can an
swer Tor our own county, and know not WHy
&c may not apply throughout the State.
Fourteen years aG) this present m 10 ID, l
returned from Massachusetts, t. where | now
resi- ie 90 the old homestead Farm in Bertha,
/ here had formerly spent twenty-five ana
a halt years Of my early days. The old or
chdrd Cd this farm, which IS now from 20
I TO - years of age, was said to be years az,
/ one Cf the best orchards IN the country bat
when | came back, | found the old orchard
7 falling rapidly, and the general iniereac
\ was tbat few years more the orchard
\ that used to bear Us over 1860 bushels o.
apples year, would aft I'd US but a small
part Of that amount, The succeeding fall !
planted nursery, from seei taken from our
native fruit. anu, thinking the first sep to
be taken was the most important one to
warrant success, thought TO prepare nv
ground for the reception of trees that ia.
tended 20 graft in due time, which did do
on he first CT May, 1861. At the time re-
ferrcd to Of plan ing a nursery. | selected
pItt Of ground. of good soil, easily to BE- en-
osed. which thoroughly did with a stone
wall. | then manurtd heavily and plOwed
the ground deep, and having no other IL
structor except my own weak judgment,
bought it nee, ssary to thoroughly stir TIE
sol to proper depth, that, the roots
Of my trees might have no reason to COM
plain Of the quality or the amount Of food
a. a prerequisite to rapid and thrifty growt7,
planted potatoes on said ground Tor two
. sncace-tva caasoDs no y,rrrosa ~ tbo.