Soil Culture: Containing a Comprehensive View of Agriculture, Horticulture, Pomology, Domestic Animals, Rural Economy, and Agricultural LiteratureWalden, J. H.
Science
Soil Culture: Containing a Comprehensive View of Agriculture, Horticulture, Pomology, Domestic Animals, Rural Economy, and Agricultural Literature
Walden, J. H.
Agriculture -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
We have carefully examined the varieties recommended by Ernst, by
Kirtland and Elliott, by Barry, and by the national convention of
fruit-growers, and find a general agreement on the main varieties. There
are some differences of opinion, but they are minor. They have left out
some of Downing's list, and added some, as a matter of course. All this
only goes to show the established character of our main varieties. Out
of all these, select a dozen of those named, in most of the lists, and
you will have all that ever need be cultivated for profit. The best six
might be still better. Yet, in your localities, you will find good ones
not named in the books, and new ones will be constantly rising.
Downing adds that "Newtown Pippin does not succeed generally at the
West, yet in some locations they are very fine. Rhode Island Greening
and Baldwin generally fail in many sections, while in others they are
excellent."
Now, it is contrary to all laws of vegetation and climate, that a given
fruit should be good in one county and useless in the next, if they have
an equal chance in each place. A suitable preparation of the soil, in
supplying, in the specific manures, what it may lack, getting scions
from equally healthy trees, and grafting upon healthy apple-seedling
stocks--observing our principles of acclimation--_and not one of our
best apples will fail, in any part of North America_.
On a given parallel of latitude, a man may happen to plant a tree upon a
fine calcareous soil, and it does well. Another chances to plant one
upon a soil of a different character, and it does not succeed. It is
then proclaimed that fruit succeeds well in one locality, and is useless
in another near by and in the same latitude. The truth is, had the
latter supplied calcareous substances to his deficient soil, as he might
easily have done, in bones, plaster, lime, &c., the fruit would have
done equally well in both cases. We should like to see this subject
discussed, as it never has been in any work that has come under our
observation. It would redeem many a section from a bad reputation for
fruit-growing, and add much to the luxuries of thousands of our
citizens. Apples can be successfully and profitably grown on every farm
of arable land in North America. We present, in the following cuts, a
few of our best apples, in their usual size and form. Some are
contracted for the want of room on the page. We shall describe a few
varieties, in our opinion the best of any grown in this country. These
are all that need be cultivated, and may be adapted to all localities.
We lay aside all technical terms in our description, which we give, not
for purposes of identification, but to show their true value for
profitable culture. The quality of fruit, habits of the tree, and time
of maturity, are all that are necessary, for any practical purpose.
NICKAJACK.--_Synonyms_--Wonder, Summerour.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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