The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-02-04
agricultural department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.

valley.
RErARy or THE CliAMPLAIN VALLEY nor.
TICULTURAL SOCIETY
Continued from last week.)
THE FRUIT FARM OF ROBERT W. HEMENwAY,
ESQ, BRIDPoRT.
FRUIT CULTURE ON THE ISLANDS,
which, with the peninsula ofAlburgh, form
the county OF Grand Isle, noted though
Their are in the markets of Burlington
Pattsburgh, and Montreal for their fine
fruit, is yet in its infancy. Good orch
ards are frequent upon all the islands
but their extent is, as yet, quite limited.
This is due In some measure to the in
sulated situation of the islanders, and to
their want of the best facilities of COM
munication with the mainland and the
large markets. Yet the transit by water
to Montreal and Quebec is easy and d.
rect; and should the time ever come when
our fruit will be shipped direct to Europe
by way Of the St, Lawrence, as might un-
doubtedly be done to great advantage,
fruit growing on these islands will receive
such an impulse as will cause the advan
tagcs here presented to be more fully i'm
proved. The soil Of the islands, to which
have already alluded as well adapted
to fruit trees, is much like that of Shel.
burn Point; indeed, they may be called
a continuation of the same slate ridge.
or shale hills, neutrality-suspicious. through
Oh the lake In irregular uudulations. gen.
orally less prominent than in the Point,
but sometimes rising,even here to a hight
OF one or two hundred feet above the wa
ter. Although the soil is mostly saty
or clayey loan, it is diversified by small
tracts of every character. A few small
swamps and wet swales occur in the hol.
lows between the swells; but it is estimat
ed that three-fourths Of the area of these
islands offers excellent sites for orchards.
Lying near the north end of the valley.
they are more exposed to the cold winds
from the northwest than are the fruit
lands south of Burlington; and though sur.
rounded by water, the channels of the
lake are here rather narrow, and the
depth of water is much less than in the
broad lake, opposite that place, so as to
freeze over quite early in winter still
the number Of varieties of apples and
pears which here prove practically hardy
is sufficiently large
THE FRUIT GROUNDS OF BENZ. MACoMRER.
GLAND ISLE
deserve extended notice. Whether visit
my friend in autumn, when his trees are
bending under loads of the choicest fruits.
when the green and gold and crimson Of
his apples and the gold and rnset Of his
pears are blended on every hand with the
purple and scarlet and gold Of his nlums
and the purple and amber of his grapes.
and the air is full Of the perfume of fruits
ana flowers, or whether it be in the time
OF leahess trees and blank SHOWS. when
by MS hreside We discuss the various
stories OF his fruit cellars. and boor of
the ways OF each particular variety. 7 al.
ways came here as to school of Hortic.
u''ure. Some TWENTY-FIVE wears AGO when
the impulse which the lamoptel Down.
ing gave to horticulture and correct rural
TASTE was moving fresh over the land Mr..
Macoii'oer commenced. on n new place
70 oui'u and to plant him n horne. The
,a1. 'nat he has succeeded here with so
'u'' list OF fruits is conclusive evidence
that 'rult will succeed almost anywhere
on 'hese islands His soil near the hipn.
way was Tor the most part wet. and in
many places the slate rock comes within
rev inches of the surface. But on this
soil ne decided to build. and TO nlant hi,
grounds and orchards. Little bv Ett,
ne mas drained and docrencd the sol
ABOUT his house, till now it is all fitted 70,
trees' and is planted to every kind ol
'ru't' His situation is on the north
western shore of the princinal island
looking off upon the broad and level track
"here join the valleys of Lake Champlair
ana the st. Lawrence. and is fully oxnos
ca TO the severe winds from that quarter
90 ne has planted wind-breaks Of orbor
C"ae' the largest Of which must he thirty
1eet high and twenty broad at the base
1hese present dense barrier to the vino
ana secure in a good degree a still anG
MID atmosphere in his grounds. Here
my friend has for many years been TESTING
great variety Of every sort of fruit and
his experience must be of rreat value r.
the frultgrowers of our valley.
CUMBERLAND HEAD.
This peninsula lies opposite the place
l have Just described and across thu
main channel Of the lake, two and hal
miles wide. West of it lies Plattsburgl
Bay, and the town is three miles distant
Its extent is some two and a half mile.
in length by one mile in breadth. TIL,
fruit is similar to that of the islands; and
on the New York side of the "Head" il
noted place for orchards. Crossing over
it on my way to Pattsburgh, though
saw some verv thrifty orchards of limit
ed extent, it did not appear that NOR,
was being done here in this business thar
on the islands.
AT rLATTsBURGH
| called as usual on my good friend. VIM
II. Bailey, Esq, nurserymen and florist
The Bailey grounds, in the suburbs Of tn
town, are extensive, and contain full col
lections of apples, pears, grapes, etc. T.
the vicinity Of Plattshurgh, and south
ward near the shore, considerable nttcn
tion has been bestowed uron fruit, hu
back from the lake the country is now.
Apropos of what have written of tn
quality of the fruit of our valley, Mr.
Bailey informs me that he last fall tool
the first prize on apples at the Fair O
the American Institute in New York
Somewhat larrer collections fromWm
Carpenter of Westchester Co., from Fl
lwanger d Barry, Rochester from Kan
sas and many other Western States con
tested the prze: but the comm;tto