Year: 1861

llcal FARMERS ana WRITER'S on agriculture


that soils are wearing out, and that lands


in New York and even Ohio and other
places, which once produced thirty OF


forty bushels of wheat to an acre, will


scarcely now yield fifteen, or even twelve


The same complaint is extended to other


crops, and few days ago we heard a gen


tleman remark that the cultivation Of


apples had about gone by, az least with


him, and he believed his neigbbors. The


trees would grow indeed, but would no


longer bear. He could not tell the reason,


but when he went to his orchard for fruit,


ii was there no longer. The mason for


it was mentally suggested to ou' mind at


the moment of his making the lamenta-


tions. He never went to his orchard ex-


cept to gather its fruit. Had he visited


and examined his trees, their iops and


roots in the spring and during he sum-
mer, pruning the former judiciously, dig
ging round the latter, supplying appro-
PIRATE nOurishment, ferreting out the
noxiOus insects that infest and are de-
structive to both, be would have a right
to expect good harvest in the autumn,
and we will venture to say he would not
have been disappointed.


How can a man expect a tree to be
vigorous enough to yield returns, when
nothing has been done for it, except neg
ligently sticking it into the ground in the
most slovenly and summary way! A
tree is baby of the farm, requiring es-
pecially in its infancy and nurture, some
thing of the same sort of tending and
as the baby ia the house.
Trees are often planted by the job; all
that is supposed to be wanted it to get
them under the dirt somehow or other
as soon as possible, and he that can set
out a hundred in a day is the best fellow.
We have heard it stated that it is half
lays work to prepare the soil and plant
me tree in proper manner. This may
'e an exaggeration, unless indeed the
ground was to be created first. But we
nave known whole orchard stunted and
worthless, because it was planted little
90 deep. And it cannot be doubted that
many entire orchards are rendered good
or nothing in the very first act off
planting, which may be considered to be
he birth Of a tree-the second birth at
east.


But, admitting the work to be well


one, one must reflect that young tree,
nd an old one, too, for that matter, is
ubject to as many diseases as an infant
J heir to, and can have them more than
nee too. 1t does not have the chicken
OK, the mumps, the whooping cough,
leasles, and others of the like, nature,
ldeed, but it is pretty sure to be attacked
y enemies above and below ground, with
he borer at the root, and the caterpillar,
anker worm, and curculio-whch may
G called the three fatal Cs that war
ganst the branches and blossoms. Be-
des these, there are many others, as the
ely measure worm, the most injurious
erhaps of all, except the curculio, be-
luse the manner of his propagation is
OF well understood, though much may be
one by the vigilant, intelligent, and ac-
We cultivator, to check his ravages.


A farmer should be no mean natural
t. To him it belongs to consult the
laracter of his plants, and to investigate
Ie transformation and habits of insects,
lat prey upon his crops. Who else is
so much as he? To that end S
) must personally visit all his trees fre-
lently, and where he finds the trail of
foe, he must not leave it till be has t
acked it to the creature that has COM I
tilted the injury, and become able to !
entity it in its larva, chrysalis, and moth v
,nditions. t


One who presumes to be a cultivator
ust know himself the business he has !;
ndertaken to pursue. True, it will cost |
m study and perseverance perhaps in a
eater degree than to be a merchant or !
echanic. In another respect to be 7
med, the proper pursuit of agriculture Il
lis for more personal oversight than u
her. We know the common remark, o
at anybody can be farmer. Unques- !
nably everybody, who has money, may II


the proprietor of farm, and hire men hi
work upon it. But this is not to be a
'mer in any proper sense of the term. u
ch man cannot delegate his manage "
mt of an orchard or any part of his ci
res, as is often done, to rude, ignorant ca
N, perhaps from beyond the Atlantic III
ould he think of trusting his mechan- %
1 or merchandise to similar men ? He It
uld be crazy if he did. And yet the ga
t is, that farmers, especially the gen