The Van Buren press., 1872-02-27
The Van Bursn Press,
VAN BUREN,. ARKANSAS.
Fruits, &c.
(Continued from our last issue.

SUBJECT, anu on WHICH UuiShb "uu ui"'
much remains unwritten, which, had we
time and space, might be said of that
most delicious fruit. But as breYity
must bc adhered to in all newspaper
communications, pass on to the sub
ject of cherries, plums, etc.
The primitive stock of cultivated cher
ries are of Asiatic origin, and are divid
cd by pomologists into classes or fami
HES Of morellos. Dukes harts, biggar.
.---7,e,,so,. sill Of which, exc.pt -sho fes
varIetlcs Of ,norcllos, are entirely worth
less sonth Of latitude $50, Tho English
morello, early richmond and our com
mon red cherries being the only varieties
worth cultivating in our warm cotton
climate
Plums, as generally cultivated North
are also OF Asiatic and European origin
There are over one hundred varieties
and excepting the blue varieties or dam
son plums and some of our native chick
asaw red and yellow, all others are total
| ly worthless in this climate. There is
much said about the curculio, an insect
and to whose ravages the failure OF plums
in this country is generally attributed
Nv own experience, | must say, Goes
not Justify the conclusion. For some
thing like sixteen years cultivated tue
plum. or rather the trees, for never had
single well matured ripe plum in the
whole time. Among my trees was the
green, the blue, and the imperial cages,
Goes golden drop, Washington Jeffer-
son and Smiths Orleans, together with
several other varieties, some OF when
we're seedlings. But all alike faled to
produce fruit. My trees would regular
" bloom every spring, and frost or no
frost the bloom blasted and set no fruit'
And ms for the cnrculio, have yet to
greet my eyes with sight OF the first
one and if there is any such bug IN
our country, he has evaded my detection
to this day, and have diligently watch
ed by day and at night by lamp, when
the trees were in bloom, and no curculio
or any other insect. excepting the com
mon honey bees, have | ever found about
my plum trees, am at last convinced
that it is time to discard the imaginary
and allege the true cause, which Is simply
that the Southern climate, or that South
oflatitude $50 will not produce plums
except natives. The why is the same
mysterious why that pervades the uni
verse. A thing is orreu 50, we ha"w u
is SO, but why, is q question SO often un'
answered, and even unanswerablc by the
lproloundest philosopher of the age, that
/ do not undertake its solution. 1t is
not only SO with cherries and plums, but
equally so with a vast numbers OF varie
ties of the apple.
Take for instance the famous Newtown
pippin, the golden swaar, the esopus
Spitzenburg. the Baldwin, ah, and over
one hundred other choice Northern va
rictes OF the apple, and whilst the trees
will grow, bloom and bear apples that
will as certainly rot before ripening, as
the seasons follows each other Stlli
there are those who seem to he ignorant
of the facts, and as often as any way
purchase from the North the very trees
above alluded to.
Grapes in Arkansas, except natives
have not, with me, had chance TO prove
anything. The last two seasons were
attended by unusually late frosts, which
materially ruined my fruit and seriously
damaged many of my vines. have not
the slightest doubt, however, that there
are number Of varieties among which
will venture to mention the names oil
Concord. Herhemont, Delaware Clinton,
Hartford, Prolific and Ives, which VIII,
under fair circumstances, and grown In
high and dry situations, prove abundant
ly successful, and become here, US in
many parts Of the United States, by far
the most remuneralivc fruit crop.
Raspberrics, except the purple cam,
has utterly failed with me in all my va
ried efforts to produce others, and the
same may be said Of the Strawberry, eX-
cept the Wilson's Albany Over twenty
verieties have proved inadequate in vital
ity, and have all perishcd under our hot
August sun and droughty falls. The
Wilson strawberry is grand success
everywhere. Hundreds OF thousands oi
bushels are annually produced and con
sumed in our great cities, and with that
one fruit alone ho-ticuturists are amass
ing fortunes. Rich land deeply spaded
is required to produce the best fruit, and
under almost any ordinary good culture
will richly reward the cultivator Of that
delicious fruit.
Allow me to say in conclusion that
the present scientific age of horticulture
is far in advance Of what it was even o
quarter Of Il century ago. And he that
would undertake the planting and cult
walton Of fruit of any kind, and desires
success in the undertaking. should be
extremely carful that he is not imposed
upon by unscrupulous and ignorant
tradesmen in trees and plants. For there
are numerous persons engaged and sent
all over our land, who do not scruple. to
assert the most barefaced falschoods
as to the varieties aud the kinds OF
trees offered. They presume. and very
correctly, that most Of men consisting OF
farmers and mechanics, are not inform.
cd ms to what varieties should be plant
ed, and If they call for any particular va.
riety which may be known to the pur-
chaser. it is quite ca " for the unscrupu
lous vender to attach the name called
for to the bundle, and the party purchas-
ing has the consolation, after the loss OF
from five to seven years, of discovering
the imposjtion. But Mr. Tree Peddler