»auiority of M. Van Mons. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     amt. uptem- 
     
    
   
   
    
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     HORTICULTURE 
     
     AND 
     
     AGRICULTURE. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     0N IMPROVING VARIETIES OF FRUITS. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Mr. Poiteau, a writerin the Annals of the Pa- 
     
     ris Horticultural Society observes in substance, 
     
     that it is buttrarely that improved varieties 
     
     of our native fruits originate with nursery- 
     
     rnen; they are generally the productions of 
     
     chance, foundin the woods or hedges, from 
     
     distant corners in the provinces, where the 
     
     finer sorts are hardly known, and where the 
     
     sorts they have are mismanaged or negleted. 
     
     That “ like begets or produces like” has long 
     
     been considered as a law of nature among ani- 
     
     mals and some vegetables ; but this law is not 
     
     always uniform, especiallv among the domes- 
     
     ticated animals or highly cultivated plants. 
     
     Yet, on this principle, our nursery-men have 
     
     acted in their endeavours to obtain better kinds 
     
     of fruit, by sowing seed of the best, in the 
     
     hope that they would raise something still bet- 
     
     ter. It is well known that in this process they 
     
     have failed. The celebrated Duhamel and his 
     
     cotempories failed in the same way. From 
     
     these and other instances, the author con- 
     
     cludes that practitioners are wrong in their 
     
     expectations of obtaining at once, what can 
     
     be only the result of time. He seems to infer 
     
     that seedlings, apples or pears, for example, 
     
     require some years, and some cultivation, while 
     
     they are passing from one stage of their infan- 
     
     cy to another, before they can show their in~ 
     
     licrent qualities. 
     
    

    
     After noticing the fact proved by Mr. 
     
     Knight, P. H. S. that a crab, fecundated by 
     
     the pollen Ofa good fruit produces better kinds 
     
     from seeds than can be had from seeds of im- 
     
     proved fruit, he proceeds to prescribe the me- 
     
     thod pursued by the Flemish orchardists, to ob- 
     
     tain new sorts, and |whicb is given on the au- 
     
     The Belgians, he 
     
     says, do not prefer the seeds of ameliorated 
     
     fruit. When the seedlings appear, they do not, 
     
     as others do, choose only such as are free 
     
     from spines, having large lea yes, and remark. 
     
     able for their thickness and beauty of their 
     
     wood; butpn the contrary, such as are most spi- 
     
     nous, provided the spines are long, and well 
     
     furnished with buds or eyes, placed near toge- 
     
     ther. Thislast cirwmstance they consider as 
     
     an indication that they will soon shew fruit. 
     
     Individuals having such properties are grafted, 
     
     apples on paradise. and pears, on quince, stocks, 
     
     to hasten fruitification. The first fruits of 
     
     these are e rallv bad; but whatever the 
     
     are, the ‘ ‘d and sowe . 
     
     The se r 
     
     be i 
     
     «.5 
     
    
   
   
    
     Jag...me .«...«- - 
     
     WM..1..W 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     THE BRITISH AMERICAN. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Ishould not take away the calf. But sup os- 
     
     in no difficulty of that kind, the calf shoul be 
     
     taken from the cow the first day, or twelve 
     
     hours after it is calved, then fed from a bucket, 
     
     or small tub with two uarts of milk from the 
     
     cow in the morning an evening, the finger held 
     
     in the milk will very soon induce the calf to suck, 
     
     and in a very short time he will drink the milk 
     
     freely and readily. [have had a piece of lea- 
     
     ther, (upper leather) sewed together of the 
     
     size and in the form of a cow’s teat, a small 
     
     opening at the top, the bottom so cut as when 
     
     nailed to the bottom ofa bucket or tub with 
     
     three pump nails, the milk will pass under 
     
     easily and flow to the orifice of the teat, 
     
     the calf will soon press for it with as much 
     
     earnestness as for that of his dam, and shortly 
     
     he will be so impatient for his breakfast and 
     
     supper, that the process of sucking will be too 
     
     tedious, and he will drink freely-—it will not 
     
     be necessary to increase the quantity of milk 
     
     beyond ton quarts night and morning but as 
     
     he advances in size, add a little water, a pint at 
     
     first and increase it, of the same warmth as 
     
     the milk, to which a gill of Indian meal which 
     
     may be increased to a pint, although I prefer 
     
     ofusing double the quantit of wheat bran, 
     
     and think it far better for mtlch cows than In- 
     
     dian meal—offer him second crop hay, (if before 
     
     the season for grass) he will soon eat it, and 
     
     may have skimmed milk soon substituted for 
     
     new milk made warm with water, as milk di- 
     
     rect from the cow. 
     
    

    
     When four or five weeks old he will eat grass 
     
     and drink water, and be quite as large as if 
     
     he had taken all the milk from the cow. The 
     
     saving ofmilk will amply pay for the trouble, 
     
     and the calf will not be stinted in size. I think 
     
     we err in permitting calves to suck too much 
     
     at first, even when intended for the butcher, 
     
     they fat better by beginning moderately, and 
     
     increasing gradually, as gorging is injurious, 
     
     to the brute creation as well as to the human 
     
     race. 
     
    

    
     Let a man purchase an animal as prepared 
     
     and presented at our cattle shows for premium, 
     
     stuffed and pampered for the occasion, then 
     
     let him feed fairly as a'good farmer ought to 
     
     feed, and before the next cattle show, the ani- 
     
     mal would be like the lean kine of Pharaoh. 
     
    

    
     You see Idifler fr0m many good men as to 
     
     the condition in which animals should be exi- 
     
     bited at our cattle shows—l do not mean the 
     
     cattle as fatted for Beef, although in that case 
     
     l should lean to the farmer who presented well 
     
     fatted beef at the least expense. 1 have thought 
     
     it better to have rather small enclosures for 
     
     calves, and change them every two or three 
     
     weeks. If the feed should be short or the flies 
     
     so troublesome as to prevent their eating in the 
     
     day time, feed witha quart of wheat bran or 
     
    

    
     see pints per day—if no bran, a pint of Indian 
     
     teal—some crust of bread occasionally of which 
     
    

    
     ‘y soon become fond. I am fully of opinion 
     
    

    
     ves should be so fed as to keep them in a 
     
    

    
     .wing state, but never gorgcd or pampered, 
     
    

    
     requently occurs that they require a very 
     
    

    
     iall piece of their.tail cut off; the neces- 
     
     yis ascertained by pulling the tail, and if 
     
    

    
     a bones are loose and the skin spongy, cutting 
     
    

    
     iecessary, thev are what farmers term tail- 
     
    

    
     . They should be provided with salt to lick 
     
     nthey please. Iuse the crude lump salt 
     
     Liverpool; my cattle of every descrip- 
     
     ick it freely. 
     
     urns—Sow strong wood ashes over the ground 
     
     the time they are springing up. This will cause 
     
     ung plants to grow sooner out of the way of in- 
     
     . produce a larger crop, and cause the crop to be 
     
     t and palatable. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     £0. 2 
     
     ADVANTAGES 'ro Bl: DERIVED FROM run 
     
     DESTRUCTION os‘ wnlns. 
     
    

    
     Plants that grow naturally, among a crap that hasl 
     
     been sown, may be regarded as weeds. or, in other 
     
     words, as enemies to a crop that is cultivated. The 
     
     destruction of weeds, therefore. must be considered as 
     
     one of the most important branches of the agricultural 
     
     art; for if it be neglected. or even ifslovenly performed, 
     
     one third, or one half of a fair crop, may only be ob. 
     
     tained, even from the very best soils. Besides, it merits 
     
     consideration that if weeds are suffered to exist, the full 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     advantage of manuriug land, and many other improve. 
     
    
   
   
    
     ments. can only be but partially reaped. Nor is this all. 
     
    
   
   
    
     the mixture of weeds in the soil. prevents the crop 
     
    
   
   
    
     from receiving the beneficial influence of the air ;-_ 
     
     augments the risks at harvest, (for a crop that is clean, 
     
     may be ready for the stack-yard in much less time than 
     
     is required to harvest it, when encumbered with weeds) 
     
     and the seeds ofthese intruders, deteriorate the quality 
     
     oftqe grain. Notwithstanding all the injuries thence 
     
     sustained, how many are there, who hardly ever at. 
     
     tempt to remove weeds in an efl‘ectual manner? This 
     
     negligence is the more to be blamed, because, were 
     
     farmers at the trouble of collecting all sorts of weeds, 
     
     before they have formed their seeds and of mixing 
     
     them with rich earth, they would soon be reduced into 
     
     a soft pulpy mass, and in this way a pernicious nui- 
     
     sance may be converted into a valuable manure. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Various experiments have been tried, to ascertain ‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     the positive advantage to be derived from carefully 
     
     weeding one part of a field.and leaving another undone, 
     
     among these, the following. made with peculiar accura- 
     
     cy, ma be safely relied on. 
     
    

    
     1. ’heat. Seven acres of light gravclly land were 
     
     fallowed, and sown broad-cast ; one acre was measured 
     
     off. and not a weed was pulled out of it; the other six 
     
     were carefully weeded. The unweeded acre produced 
     
     eighteen bushels : the six weeded acres, one hundred 
     
     and thirty-five bushels, or twenty-two and half per acre, 
     
     which is four and half bushels, or one quarter more 
     
     produce in favour of weeding. 
     
    

    
     2. Barley. A six acre field was sown with barley. 
     
     in line tilth, and well manured. The weeding owing to 
     
     a great abundance ofcharlock, cost 125. per acre 
     
     The produce of an unweeded acre was only 13 bushels; 
     
     of the weeded, 23. Difference in favour of weeding 15 
     
     bushels per acre, besides the land being so much clean- 
     
     er for succeeding crops. 
     
    

    
     8. Oats. Six acres sown with cats ; one acre 
     
     ploughed but once, and manuted. produced only 17 
     
     bushals. Another six acres ploughed three times, ma- 
     
     nured and worded, produced 37 bushels per acre. This 
     
     experiment proves, that oats require good management, 
     
     and will pay for it as well as other crops. Ten bushels 
     
     of the increased produce may be fairly attributed tothe 
     
     weeding ; and the other ten to the manure. 
     
    

    
     The importance of weeding, both to the individual 
     
     and the public is such, that it ought to be enforced by 
     
    
   
   
    
     law. At any rate, a regulation of police, for fining?~ 
     
    
   
   
    
     those who harbour weeds, the seeds of which may be 
     
     blown iuto their neighbour's ground. can have no in- 
     
     justice‘in principle. In England, the petty constable 
     
     might be required, by precept from the high constable. 
     
     to bring in presentment: to the Quarter Sessions, con. 
     
     taining a list of all persons who suffered weeds to run to 
     
     seed in their hedges or lands. such presentments to be 
     
     particularly specified in court. Those referring to the 
     
     coltsfoot, to be given in at the lady-day sessions and 
     
     those referring to thistles. ragweed. he. to be given in 
     
     at the midsummer sessions. An order of court might 
     
     then be made. for the immediate removal of such nui- 
     
     sances. and if not complied with, the ofl'ender should be 
     
     fined a sum not exceeding five pounds. one half to the 
     
     informer and the other half to the releit‘ of the poor. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Ann—r a»... ...,. 
     
     a O 0 0‘. 
     
    
   
   
    
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