the two last months, you will find ample instructions, both for preparing the ground, and planting the various kinds of fruit-trees above mentioned.

THE ORCHARD.

THE Orchard is a department consigned entirely to the growth of standard fruit-trees, for furnishing a large supply of the most useful kinds of fruit; in which you may have as standards, apple, pear, plum, cherry, peach, apricot, quince, almond, and nectarine trees; also mulberries, filberts, medlars, and berberries; Spanish chesnuts, and English walnuts; which two latter, are more particularly applicable for the boundaries of large orchards, in which they will screen the other trees, from impetuous winds and cold blasts, all of which are to be arranged in rows, at the distances directed in March and October; in which months you will find ample directions for raising, propagating, and planting, the various kinds of fruit-trees, necessary for all the departments.

But sometimes, Orchards consist entirely of apple trees, particularly when apples are wanted in large quantities, for cyder, or whiskey-making; and sometimes whole orchards of very considerable extent, of peach trees, when the fruit is designed for distillation; likewise entire orchards of cherry trees, but particularly within a moderate distance of large cities and towns, where sale can be obtained for the fruit; pear orchards are also extensive where people are in the habit of making perry.

A general orchard, however, composed of all the before mentioned fruit-trees, shonld consist of a treble or more proportion of apple and peach trees, because they are considerably the most useful fruits, particularly the former; as they, exclusive of their use in distilling and cyder-making, may be continued for table use, in the different sorts, the whole year round.

The utility of a general Orchard, or Orchards, both for private use and profit, stored with the various sorts of fruit-trees, must be very great; as well as afford infinite pleasure from the delightful appearance it makes from early spring, till late in autumn: in spring the various trees in blossom are highly ornamental; in summer the pleasure is heightened, by observing the various fruits advancing, to perfection; and as the season advances, the mature growth of the different sorts arriving to perfection in regular succession, from May until the end of October, must afford great delight, as well as profit. But the misfortune is, that too frequently after orchards are planted and fenced, they have seldom any more care bestowed upon them. Boughs are suffered to hang dangling to the ground, their heads are so loaded with wood as to be almost impervious to sun and air, and they are left to be exhausted by moss, and injured by cattle, &c.

By a redundancy of wood, the roots are exhausted unprofitably, the bearing wood is robbed of part of its sustenance, and the natural

life of the tree unnecessarily shortened; whilst the superfluous wood endangers the tree, by giving the winds an additional power over it, and is injurious to the bearing wood, by retaining the damps, and preventing a due circulation of air.

The outer branches only, are able to produce fruit properly; every inner and underling branch ought therefore to be removed. It is common to see fruit-trees with two or three tiers of boughs pressing so hard upon one another, with their twigs so intimately interwoven, that a small bird can scarcely creep in among them. Trees thus neglected, acquire, from want of due ventilation, a stinted habit, and the fruit becomes of a crude inferior quality.

The trees are very often almost entirely subdued by moss, which kills many, and injures others so much, that they are only an incumbrance to the ground, and a disgrace to the country. This evil may easily be checked, by scraping and rubbing off the moss at this season of the year, with a rounded iron scraper, &c. when men have little else to employ them; and only seek work, in idle expensive, and unprofitable amusements. Draining the land, if too retentive of moisture, will sometimes prevent or cure moss: or digging round the trees on the approach of winter, or in spring, and bringing fresh mould, or the scouring of ponds and roads, or the rubbish of old walls, well prepared and pulverized, and laid round them. Whatever contributes to the health of the tree, will cure, or in some degree mitigate, this and other diseases.

The above considerations ought to induce to an examination of your standard apple, pear, plum and cherry trees, &c. and where found necessary, to thin their branches, scrape and rub off moss, cut off all dead, or irregularly placed limbs and branches; and also ary luxuriant unfruitful shoots, and such branches as appear to be in a decaying or cankery state; all of which, must be cut off close to where they were produced, or to some healthy leading branch, or shoot; for the bark cannot grow over a stump, because there is no power to draw the sap that way; for which reason, always cut rather a little within the wood.

Smooth the cut parts, and if the amputations are large, apply thereto, a light covering of the medicated tar, below mentioned; which is to be laid on with a painting brush: if under an inch in diameter, it is scarcely worth while to go to that trouble, for such when well pruned, will heal and cover freely.

Be particular to use a saw in taking off all the limbs and branches that are too large for the knife, and smooth the cut parts with either your pruning knife, or a neat draw-knife, which answers better, for large amputations.

The medicated tar, is composed of half an ounce of corrosive sublimate, reduced to a fine powder, and then put into a three pint earthen pipkin, with about half a gill of gin, or other spirit, stirred well together, and the sublimate thus disolved. The pipkin must then be filled by degrees with common tar, and constantly stirred till the mixture is intimately blended. This quantity will be sufficient for two hundred trees. Being of a very poisonous nature, it should not be suffered to lie carelessly about the house. The sublimate dissolves better, when united with the same quantity of the spirit of

hartshorn, or of sal ammoniac. This mixture being apt to run, consistency may be given it, by mixing it with either pounded chalk, or whiting.

The above composition will be found eminently useful, as no worm of any kind, can live near its influence, and no evil whatever will arise to the trees from its poisonous quality; it yields to the growth of the bark, and affords a complete protection to the parts against the influence of the weather.

A solution of corrosive sublimate, made as directed under the head Orchard next month, will be found the most effectual wash, that can be applied to peach and other trees, for the destruction of the worm which so generally annoys them.

Those who wish to apply Forsythe's, or Barnes's compositions, will find instructions, both for making and applying them, under the head Orchard in March.

When pruning is judiciously done, fruit-trees will come into bearing sooner, produce more abundantly, and continue in vigour for nearly double their common age. No branch of your orchard trees should ever be shortened, unless for the figure of the tree or the reasons before mentioned, and then, it should be taken off close, as before observed, to where it was produced, or to a leading shoot. The more the range of branches shoot circularly, a little inclining upwards, the more equally will the sap be destributed, and the better will the tree bear. The ranges of branches should not be too near each other, that the fruit and leaves should all have their full share of sun; and where it suits, the middle of the tree should be so free from wood, that no branch crosses another, but all the extremeties point upwards.

If any of your particularly valuable fruit-trees, are partly decayed, or in a bad state of health, and that you wish to attempt their restoration, by judicious pruning, and the application of good composition; you must defer it till March, or when the sap begins to ascend in spring; which will be manifest by the swelling of their buds; then prune them, and apply the composition as directed in March

I am not an advocate for much doctoring with old decayed or sickly trees, but the reverse; therefore recommend as the most preferable way, to replace such, with young healthy trees, so soon as they show strong symptoms of decay. Whenever you meet with a tree, the fruit of which you esteem, propagate it immediately whilst in health, by budding or grafting, &c. and if it should afterwards get into a declined state, replace it with one of the same, or some other good kind. Never propagate from a sickly tree, if you can well avoid it; for its disorder will be carried with the buds or grafts, and in all probability will ultimately work their destruction.

For the method of propagating fruit-trees, &c. by budding or inoculation, see the Nursery in July.

THE VINEYARD.

AN infant institution of such important national utility as the cultivation of the VINE, merits the attention and support of every lover of his country. The practicability of producing Wine, in the United States, cannot be doubted; the experiment has been made successfully, in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and South-Carolina : nothing is now wanting, but the liberal and spirited exertions of the citizens, to carry it to such perfection, especially in the middle and southern states; as in the course of a few years, to produce a sufficient supply for home consumption, and in time, a large quantity for exportation.

Work to be done in the Vineyard.

In severe weather, when other work cannot be performed, prepare poles for the support of the vines; these, for sake of durability, ought to be made of red cedar, white oak, or chesnut, split and seasoned, and to be made one inch and a half, or two inches square, and six and a half, or seven feet long; pointed at the lower end, and if that part which is to be inserted in the ground, and about three inches above it, say fifteen inches, be dipped in boiling pitch, it will be of considerable advantage; if this is not convenient, let that part be slightly scorched in the fire, which will prevent their rotting, so soon as they otherwise would. Round poles, such as are used for hoops, of about two inches diameter will do, but these soon rot, and will require to be replaced, every two or three years; when the former would last, if made of the heart of well grown timber, fifteen or twenty years. Sticks of four or five feet long, may also be made, for the purpose of supporting young vines, during the first and second years of their growth; after which they are to be taken away to answer a similar purpose, and replaced with the tall poles; those may be made one inch and a quarter square, pointed, and dipped in pitch as above.

You may also at this season cart manure into the vineyard, and spread it as directed in February, repair old fences, and prepare posts and rails, or boards, for new ones; examine your ploughs, harrows, spades, shovels, hoes, mattocks, and all your other tools, and have such as need it repaired; purchase any new tools that may be wanted, and have all your necessaries in readiness for the opening of the spring.

In such of the southern states, as have mild winters, and early vegetation, vines may now be pruned, as directed under the head Vineyard in February, but with them, November would be a much more eligible time for this work. In the middle states you must defer the pruning of vines, to the last week or ten days in February, not later, except in extremely severe weather, but on no account later than the first week of March, for soon after that period, the sap begins to ascend, after which, were you to prune them, they would bleed so copiously from where the wounds were inflicted, as

G

to greatly exhaust and injure them, and even totally to destroy some. In the eastern states this work may be done between the first and tenth of March, according as the spring may be early or late, observing that it is safer to prune too carly than too late.

Under the head Vineyard in March, you will find general instructions for the different methods of propagating, and cultivating the vine; both as espaliers, and in the field way; likewise concise descriptions of the various kinds which have been generally cultivated, either for table use, or making wine; and also, observations on the kinds most likely to succeed in the various parts of the Union.

THE NURSERY.

THOUGH this is not a period, in which much business can be done in the Nursery, especially in the middle and eastern states; it may be well to call attention, to that eminently useful department; in order, that those who have not yet attempted it, may have time to consider of its utility, and be determined, when the season arrives in which it can be commenced.

The many advantages, which every lover of improvement and planting, may derive from having a Nursery of his own, especially, in such a country as this; where public nurseries are so scarce, and frequently so remote, as to render it extremely inconvenient to procure such trees as may be wanted,....the expences of transportation to a considerable distance,....the length of time the trees have to be out of ground and the consequent uncertainty of their growth, ....the hazard of procuring the intended, or even good kinds; except the proprietors, are men of experience, knowlege, and integrity; are strong inducements, to the establishing small and convenient Nurseries; in which, the owners may raise such kinds of fruit, and forest trees, ornamental shrubs, and other plants as may be pleasing and profitable to themselves, useful to posterity, and ornamental to the country.

The raising of thorn-quicks, and other plants, suitable for making live hedges; ought also, to command attention; especially, in such parts of the Union, as timber is getting scarce and dear in; the planting, and establishing of such hedges, must ultimately be resorted to, and the sooner it is commenced, the better.

Conscious of the great utility of such establishments, I shall in the course of this work give such ample, and minute instructions, for the raising, and propagation of fruit and forest trees, ornamental trees and shrubs, thorn-quicks &c. &c, as may lead the most inexperienced persons, to a complete knowlege of the business; which may be pursued upon a small, or a more extensive scale, as it suits. In the Nursery, may also be raised, all sorts of hardy herbaceous plants; both fibrous, bulbous, and tuberous-rooted; for adorning the flower-garden, pleasure ground, and to plant for medical use, &c.