The Heirloom Orchardist

Sam Preston's Dwarf Fruit Trees

This being the season to graft, I thought I'd pass on some advice from Samuel Preston of Stockport, PA:

The Genesee Farmer
Rochester, Saturday, April 21, 1832
Vol. II, No. 16

DWARF FRUIT TREES.
Observing…some queries respecting dwarf fruit trees, this may inform that I have seen a garden bordered with dwarf fruit trees, perhaps none taller than two and a half feet; the tops spreading very wide, and well loaded with apples, pears, and peaches, many touching the ground.  The gentleman who planted them being dead, I obtained no account how the dwarfing was effected.

I have since been informed, through a channel worthy of credit, that the mode of making such dwarf trees is very simple and easy.  On the limbs of fruit trees there are what I call forked twigs, (fruit spurs,) say two or three inches long, that bear fruit.  Take and graft them into a piece of root; put on the wax, and plant it in the garden, and it will grow into a dwarf fruit tree.

I have only tried one experiment, by setting such a forked twig in an apple stock.  It grows slowly enough for a dwarf tree and produced apples.  I am now too aged, feeble and trembling with the palsy to graft any more.
Respectfully, SAMUEL PRESTON.
Stockport, Pa., March 3, 1832.

Of course we know now that Sam Preston had it wrong.  The dwarfing influence comes from the rootstock, not the bud or scion that is grafted to it.  In fact, even Mr. Preston’s fruit-growing peers of 1832 would have told him he was wrong.  An earlier (March) issue of the Genesee Farmer contains a passage by J.B. of Albany Nursery, which states: “The art of dwarfing trees, consists in grafting or budding the desired fruit, upon dwarf varieties of the same genera.”

But I applaud Sam Preston for distributing information that he felt was worthwhile.  These old periodicals relied heavily on reader submissions.  In fact, it’s interesting to note how similar they were to today’s internet forums.  The information provided was given by people who were learning through doing, despite how feeble and trembling with palsy they may have been.

Although Sam was wrong with respect to fruit spurs, he was on to something.  Are you familiar with a witch’s broom?  It’s an occasional deformity that typically forms on some woody plants, resulting in a tight cluster of living twigs.  These grow from the branch of an otherwise fine looking tree.  There are different causes for witch’s brooms, but some are caused by genetic mutations.  And many of today's dwarfed specialty spruce or pines are produced by grafting a scion from a witch’s broom onto regular rootstock.  You go Sam.

The Circle of Fruits.

The Cultivator and Country Gentleman
Albany, NY
April 7, 1881
Vol XLVI, No. 1471

     The Circle of Fruits.
     A large number of new residences have been erected in some parts of the country, and new purchases have been made with a view of building the coming season.  Some of the owners wish to know how they can obtain an early supply of fruits for their families, and for what portion of the year these supplies may be obtained by means of a suitable selection.

     In order to show these inquirers how and with what fruits a continued succession the year through may be had, we give the accompanying circle of fruits, which shows at a glance at what time of the year each kind continues ripe and fresh if properly preserved, the different varieties of each kind continuing the supply for a greater or less length through its season.

Because I can tend to sentimentalize, I may catch myself thinking that my New England ancestors, living in the days of the Heirloom Orchardist, were somehow more “in tune” with the seasons then I am.  These were people that worked the land, right?  Didn’t they know when certain plants were bearing?  Well, the answer I guess is a resounding “maybe.”

Sure, we have agricultural roots, but not all of our ancestors were farmers.  Even if we go back as far as the Mayflower, historians have hypothesized that a major reason those colonists had difficulty with their first year in New England, was that they were so ill prepared.  Yes, they arrived late in the season and didn’t have adequate provisions.  But also, many of them had lived in an urban environment before leaving for the New World.  They had never before worked the land.  They didn’t have the right skills.

Flipping through my old book, the Circle of Fruits first caught my eye because it’s attractive.  Then on examination, I found that I’ve seen diagrams like this before.  They graphically portray when plants come into flower (or bear fruit) in relation to the seasons and each other.  But often, these diagrams are portrayed as a horizontal bar graph...as if the year begins on the left, and ends on the right.

The Circle of Fruits does not have a beginning or an end.  So, perhaps that’s what my ancestors understood better than I.  The year is seamless.  There is no beginning, and no end.  One season leads to another.  And here in New England, spring’s coming!

The "Honey Heart" Cherry Tree of 1851, and Plant Patents

The New England Farmer and Boston Rambler
Boston, Saturday, March 15, 1851
Vol. VI, No. 11

The Honey Heart Cherry Tree.
     This variety is also called Sparhawk's Honey, and it was formerly called Roger's Pale Red.  The Honey Heart is doubtless a native variety, and probably originated in this vicinity some sixty years ago.    Mr. Samuel Hyde, an aged gentleman, of Newton (Mass); first saw it in that town, and he propagated it in his nursery, from the original tree.
     His sons, and successors in the nursery business, Messrs.  S. & G. Hyde, gave to this cherry the name Honey Heart, and under this appropriate appellation it has been extensively disseminated.  As some authors called it Sparhawk's Honey, without sufficient authority, as we think, - for those who had first introduced had previously named it, this name obtained considerably for a while, but of late its true name is becoming prevalent.

Wait...what was that?  Are we talking about Sparhawk's Cherry, Roger's Pale Red Cherry, or the Honey Heart Cherry...which one?  The answer of course, is all of them, because they're all the same tree.  Back in the days of the Heirloom Orchardist, the creation of a new plant variety was as easy as coming up with a new plant name.  This was a common problem until pretty recently, when Plant Patents became available.

Yup, it's called a Plant Patent.  Today, there are just three categories of patents available from the US Patent Office.  The first is a Utility Patent, which covers the inventor on the functional aspect of a new device or process.  The second is a Design Patent, which addresses ornamental design.  The third is the Plant Patent, which was a difficult concept for the patent lawmakers to grasp.  A Plant Patent is granted to anyone who "invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new variety of plant."  That definition comes right from the US Patent Office web page.  I quote it because it's significant that they use the words "invents or discovers."  This was a great debate for years, and one of the reasons that plant patents are a relatively recent addition to the small list of patent types. Who really creates a new plant variety, and thereby has the "rights" to it?  Is it the plant breeder who deliberately bred a new cherry variety?  Is it the person who just stumbles upon the nice cherry growing in his orchard and "discovers" a new variety?...or is it God?  The US Patent Act goes back as far as 1790, but plant patents didn't come about until the 1930's.

Today, we still have confusion amongst different plant varieties.  But it's a heck ofa lot better. Good nurseries will claim that the plants they sell are guaranteed to be "true to name."  I can't find if the Honey-Heart is still available.  Hmm...but Sparhawk's is listed in my 1849 edition of Thomas's American Fruit Culturist, a great old manual that I refer to repeatedly.

If you're considering growing heirloom cherries, here are some suggestions:  Bing, Montmorency, Van, & Morello.

A Very Important Subject: Heirloom Fruit

This site is devoted to enthusiasts of heirloom fruit culture.  Here, we will re-publish old historic passages on this huge topic gleaned from antique books and periodicals (and anywhere else we can find them).  Why are these old accounts so interesting?  Well, this stuff was written by those who were growing heirloom fruit before the term “heirloom fruit” came to be.  These are the practices of organic farmers before “organic farming” was a trendy marketing niche.  This is the real stuff.

So, where to begin?  Well, in 1835 a new publication was introduced from the northeast corner of New England:  The Yankee Farmer.  In the third issue, the editor presents a “very important subject” to his readers.  That subject was fruit.  And this is a great start to The Heirloom Orchardist:

    

Yankee Farmer

Cornish, Maine

Monday, February 2, 1835

Volume 1,  No. 3

FRUIT

This is a very important subject, and one that deserves the particular attention of every farmer and gardener.  The climate and soil of this part of the country, in general, is well adapted to raising a great variety of valuable fruits.  He that attends to raising and preserving fruits, may furnish his table every day in the year with several pleasant wholesome dishes, prepared mostly from them; and there is no provision that can be raised with less expense, or that is more conducive to health; and as a luxury, what can be more delicious or innocent in its effects? He that has had the pleasure of tasting a fine bunch of Isabella or Catawba grapes, a delicious plum or peach, a melting pear, a rich crisp apple in the spring or former part of summer, and many other kinds of excellent fruit that may be raised here in abundance - he only … can judge of the value of good fruit; it is vain to attempt to describe it.

It is proper to consider the subject now and ascertain what kind of fruit will be most valuable, and this month is the best time of cutting scions; we have found by experience that scions cut in February or the first of March, are more likely to succeed than those that are cut at a later period or about the time they are set.  They will generally succeed if they are cut any time in March or the first of April, if they are properly set in growing stocks.  We shall give the best information that we have or can obtain as to the best kind of fruit, and in due season give directions for making cement, and the manner and time of engrafting, the comparative advantages of using cement and the clay, and the result of experiments as to different modes of engrafting.  We would invite those that have paid attention to this subject to communicate their opinions and the result of their experience, firstly as to the best kind of apples and pears, as the attention of fruit growers would better be turned to that subject, and the scions selected in season.  We send this paper to some gentlemen who are not subscribers, and we should be pleased to hear from them as we understand that they pay considerable attention to the subject.

    

And here at The Heirloom Orchardist, we invite your comments too.  Please send this web address to some gentlemen (or gentle women) who pay considerable attention to heirloom fruit culture.  We’d be very pleased to hear from them.