The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-10-26

FROM this experience we are con-
WINGED that the least exhaustive crop,
for the net profit it will yield, is care.
fully-managed orchard. The apples
themselves contain very little plant
food-almost none, except in the seeds.
The fertilizer used on the beans will
more than replace that; while the bean
straw, decaying about the trees, keeps
the ground moist-favored also by the
shade of the trees-and 10 its decay
supplies valuable dressing. A full
crop of fruit is got only every other
season; and we should prefer to get
none at all on the off year, as in that
way the insects preying upon The fruit
would be much diminished.
THIS brings us naturally to the sub
ject of spraying apple and other fruit
trees. This is done not only to destroy
insects, but also the fungi which attack
the foliage and spread to the fruit, caus-
ing spot and cracking. But these fungi
do not seriously attack the class of
apples which we grow-the "iron-
clads "-and especially the Russians,
which have thick, glossy foliage, very
strikingly contrasted with the thin and
feeble LEAKAGE of the older sorts, brought
from damp and foggy England by our
ancestors. With the Russian fruits we
need no protection Of this sort. The
foliage is thick, firm, glossy, and clear
of all disease, and the fruit, of large
size and brilliant coloring, becomes
very popular with those familiar with
it. The only drawback among these
Russian apples is the comparatively
few kinds that are long keepers. We
are finding some good keepers among
them, and also among their seedlings.
1t has been contended by theorists that
bookkeeping apple could not be pro-
duced from the seed of summer varie-
ties; but experience is contradcting
this theory, which was really absurd on
the face of it, since no wild apples are
keepers. All our winter apples have
been selected from among seedlings of
early sorts.
To save rewriting on this subject,
we reprint elsewhere, from the New
York Tribune, under the heading " Or
chard Observations" a brief article
contributed by us some time since to
the New York Voice, in which some of
these subjects are discussed from the
practical point of view. We should
be very glad to get the opinions of any
of our fruit-growing readers on these
or any other practical points in connec-
ton with orchard work. There is yet
much to be learned in these matters.
afoat in the newspapers in regard to
the tomato. A recent writer says:
cit has only been eighty-one years
since the first tomatoes were introduced
into America. The original plant was
cultivated as vegetable curiosity at
Salem, Mass" The truth is, that the
tomato was introduced into England
from Spain as early as 1886; and, though
at first this plant was cultivated as a
curiosity, and supposed to be poisonous,
on account of its relationship to the
Deadly Nightshade, it was found to be
edible about as early as its close rela-
ton, the potato. The date of it's in
PRODUCTION into this country we cannot
trace; but j Jefferson, in his "Notes on
Virginia" speaks of its common use
there, as food, before 1882.
SPEAKING of Jefferson's " Notes on
Virginia." we may say that it is most
interesting book, and indicates tn e
character of the man, perhaps, more
clearly than his other writings. JEFF
ferson was sincere Christian of liberal
type-in fact, he was the great original
Liberal of the English race. He was,
perhaps, worse vilifed than any
man who ever occupied the presiden-
tial office; but his character was so
stainless, his patriotism 80 fervent and
pure, that even his worst enemies were
in many cases turned into his most sim
cere admirers. 1t is a curious thing
that the party he founded, because of
its aversion to meddling with rights
guaranteed in the establishment of the
Union, should continue to be stigma
tized as the friends of slavery. The
following memorable words, from JEFF
ferson's pen, show his opinions on the
subject of slavery: 81 tremble for my
country when | think that God is Just
that his justice cannot sleep forev err;
that, considering numbers, nature and
natural means only, a revolution of the
wheel of fortune, an exchange of situs.
| tons ia among nOssihle events. that II