Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-10-20
From an Old OrchardIst.

The following letter contains items OF in
terest and value, the result of much expert
ence on the part of the writer in fruit cul-
ture
" ] read from your paper, this morning. a short
piece in regard TO the best kinds Of apples 90 raise
in Vermont, and you speak in praise Of the Ben
Davis app e, Of which / have never heard, but I
mean To graft some of them next season
81 think also that the rctoGslly is % very good
kind for Vermont, and the DUCHESS OF Oldonburgh,
Tor New Bruuswickor" which is the ,amtl is q
very nice, hardy kind, have them in bearing,
and they bear young and are very hardy aud the
fruit is large have been in the nursery bust
ness thirty years. In my first year Of raising
trees grated about fifty kinds find but a
small part Of them profitable for our climate
The Baldwin, Rhode Island Grcening, Northern
Spy, Blue rearmaln, and llubharlston None
such, which do well in western New Yor, around
those great lakes, ! would not take gift
for me to set out. They either wnterkill, or
are very shy bearers, and there are many other
kinds not much better
" have trees set ont for an orchard covering
about fifteen acres which were mostly set ont
twenty years ago, and II had known then as do
now about fruit, should have now four times rs
many apples as | have. J consider the Fameusc
the hardest, most productive best bearing and
best eating Of any kind | have for winter
They always bear when they blow. For the two
past years we have had light crops Of apples, and
about one-half Of them have been the tameuse,
and one-half Of the Others have been the Nodhead.
" The Bethel, for winter, Is also good kind.
and so is the Hampshire Sweet For early fail
and early winter, those kinds you mention In the
WArcnMAN Of September 22d, with the Red
Astrachan, Summer Harvey Gmvenstciu, Early
joe st Lawrence aud Munson Sweet consider
the best of any have tested. And these con
slider are about all the farmers need in Vermont.
J have some other XII Dis that do very we'll which
| have not mentioned
% The people of Vermont have been Hooded
with trees such the Baldwin, Rhode Island
| Greoning llubbardston Nonesuch and other kinds
from western New York, which do well there, but
are worthless here. These kinds do much better
grated in the tops OF native trees They are not
half IN likely To die and bear much better But
those that are grated ut the ground for sale
most all die in year two after they set out
! Now, sir. II you think best TO make some ex-
'ifsNNo i'h Alli0 W. iiiA ANA WHINE hll Nlilf
aud about done raising trees for sale, but I pity
the farmers who need good fruit and who are
persuaded to buy these worthless trees
" STAFFORD, Vt, October /, 1875
| We thank our correspondent for these
notes, which agree well with our own expe-
rience, though we do not find the Craven
stein hardy on Lake Memphremagog. We
agree with him also upon the folly Of buy
ing and setting out the trees hawke1 by ped
dlers from states west and south OF this. But
the worst evil of all is the swindling, by
these tree peddlers, in forcing worthless crab
apples upon the people, either 10y persuading
them that they are valuable orchard fruit,
or when they cannot do that, sending them
crab trees in the place of better kinds they
have ordered Let every farmer buy his
fruit trees direct from the nurseryman, get
his guarantee of their being true TO name,
and sue him for damages if they are not.
You can get trees cheaper and better from
the nursery; then why, in the name of com
mon sense, buy of peddlers If pedder
wakes you up to the Importance of having
an orchard, thank him kindly for that favor,
and then go to the nursery for your trees.
No nursery charges over thirty or forty cents
apiece for good trees, while these peddlers
ask from seyenty-fye cents to two dollars
for their trash,
If our correspondent will send the agricul-
tural editor his name, we will send him
scions of the Ben Davis with pleasure; and
will also, if he desires, send him young trees
of several new Russian varieties, imported
by the United States Department of Agri-
culture, without charge, only asking him to
disseminate scions of them in his neighbor-
hnnh In the snmn Mnu