Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-07-11


friend and correspondent
G. @. PringIe, Esq,
whose various writings upon horticultural
subjects, lover his own name and that Of
d" HOrtensius," " are we'll known to the read
ers Of the FARMER; and not to these alone,
but throughout the country, since few arti-
Oles that have appeared in our columns have
been SO widely copied. Mr.. Pringle spent
the whole day in showing us over the de-
lightful fruit-prOducing region extending
from the Charlotte station to the lake shore,
and along that to the extremity Of Shelburne
Point; returning through Shelburne and the
northern part of Charlotte to his own resi-
dence in the eastern section Of the town. On
every side at short intervals were to be seen
the large and well-cared-for orchards, which
SO remarkably distinguish this from the or
chardless northeastern part Of our State.
The thrifty and uniform growth, the unbrok-
en- rows, the smooth trunks and limbs,
and their freedom from caterpillar-nests
showed that we were in country where the
apple.tree is at home, and where the growth
of fruit on large scale is lucrative bust
ness, justiiying the necessary care aud re-
wsrding it. This was the general aspect
but orchards are not wanting, even there, to
show that nature, under the most favorable
circumstances, will not do his work for a
thriftless man and little closer examna-
ton demonstrated to us that here as every
where, want of industry, energy and profess
sional skill is followed by the usual conse-
quences.
The first place at which we stopped was
the home-like, fruit-embowered homestead
of
VIM. IL. Holmes, Esq,
a gentlemen who is giving his principal atten-
ton to apple culture, his orchard now num-
bering some five thousand trees. Were it
not for his out-numbering plantations of APP
pies, however, Mr.. Holmes would be justly
entitled to rank high as a cultivator Of fruit,
since upwards of 400 pear trees, besides
nice vineyard aud many plum trees, embrace
ing every desirable variety, form the small
items of bis extensive fruit business. Our
readers have already had a description of
Mr.. Holiness orchard from Mr.. Pringle, aud
we shall not attempt to add more than our
testimony as to the splendid condition of his
lty to fruit-grOwing The only sign of suf-
fering to any extent from the winter, that we
saw, was in the severe injury to plum trees;
but in this he was more fortunate than most,
since nearly everywhere in that part of the
State, and far to the south, almost every va
riety of the plum-except the Lombard and
Damson- was exterminated by last winters
frost. AS the Lombard is, all things con-
sidered, regarded as their best and most
profitable sort, it is satisfactory to know tina t
it proves also by far the hardest.
Driving northward from Mr.. Holiness place.
alsng the lake shore, we passed by the loca-
tion chosen by Mr.. Bryant, of Derby, for his
nursery. We had not the time to make a
call, but thought we saw urgent call among
his young trees for few Ross horse-hoes,
and should hardly consider the knolly char.
acter of the land as desirable for nursery.
We suspect he will find very uneven growth,
and occasional serious injury in summer from
drouth and in winter from frost, upon the
tops of those knolls
Nearly at the extremity of the point are
the beautiful orchards and model nursery of
Hon. RObt. j. white.
1t does ones soul good to sec the faithful,
honest character of the work ia Mr.. Whites
nursery. 1t is evident that here is man
whose first object is not the money profit but
the satisfaction OF growing first class stock,
aud selling nothing else What we heard rom
others, Of Mr.. Waite r.owug mp and cou-
signing to the brl,h-heap whole blocks OF
trees far better Than most Of those sold
through the country by the tree peddiers, aud
what we saw with our own eyes of the care,
order, system and conscientious skill exer-
csed by him in his nursery work, satisfied us
that Shelburne and Charlotte orchards were
on a sound basis to begin with, that were
planted with Mr.. Whites trees But it was
not so pleasant to know that the peddIers
can come right into the vicinity of such a
nursery and sell their Russian Crabs and
other like trash at two or three times the
price of first class standard and approved va.
rieties in Mr.. Whites grounds. Great in-
deed is the power and prestige Of CAB, gas
and hoomboog" Mr.. White seemed quite
concerned over the growth of the crab-iuror,
though not much acquainted with the improv-
ed Siberians (which are well enough in their
Way We promised to send him specimens Of
fruit aud trees of the best varieties, and shall
do so tif the lice don't eat them all up, as
they now seem likely toy, but what anybody
should want Of them on lake Champlain ex'
cept as curiosites, We can't understand. II
is simply another case of MOrus Multicauli.
and ROhan.
From Mr.. Whites we turned southwark
and then east, skirting the beautiful Shell
burne bay, the headquarters Of the Cham
plain steamers, in which they lie up for thu
winter and where all building and repairing
is done, crossing the LaplOt river, which emp
ties into the head of the bay, and driving
through a moderately rolling country, cOnsti
tuting the southern portion Of shelburne AM
the northeastern part of Charlotte. N earl,
oil this land is well suited to orcharding, an,
will, we believe. be devoted to it in an an