180 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



in the State, who assured me that one of his orchards now pro- 

 duces ten times the value of crop that it did ten years ago, and he 

 attributes the improvement wholly to the fact that of late years it 

 has been pastured with sheep, whereas formerly the grass was 

 mown. 



In the case of young apple trees (and sometimes with older ones, 

 but less frequently), there is need of adopting some means to pre- 

 vent the sheep from barking the trees. A highly esteemed corres- 

 pondent and skillful cultivator writes, " My course with a young 

 orchard is to mulch the trees well on setting, and continue it for 

 some years. My orchards are pastured with sheep — first coating 

 the trunks with green dung mixed with soapsuds, which is repul- 

 sive to the sheep and good for the trees ; or else I take five or six 

 laths and tack them, near together, to two strips "of leather — stand 

 the laths around the tree (having previously cut them 'so as to 

 come up only to the branches) and tie them with the leather strings 

 at top and bottom. After pasturing for five jeaxs the land becomes 

 so rich the sheep do not like the feed. I then plow carefully and 

 re-seed the land." • 



Pruning. Concerning the motion and circulation of vegetable 

 fluids, we are very much in the dark.. Although volumes have 

 been written on the subject, no one yet knows enough to determine 

 with certainty the best time to prune a tree. Opinions vary, and 

 practice varies greatly. Something has been learned by experi- 

 ence, but what we don't know is greatly more than is known. This 

 much is sure : any needless mutilation of a tree is injurious, and 

 should be carefully avoided. We know, too, that severe pruning 

 may be practised with comparative safety upon young trees ; of 

 which wc have evidence in the impunity with which they are 

 headed down in the nursery for grafting, or after being budded. 



After this heading back pruning, is chiefly required, when young, 

 to give proper form to the top, and this, if well done, obviates the 

 need of any heavy pruning subsequently. An esteemed corres- 

 pondent writes as follows : " There is one point to which I wish to 

 call the attention of orchardists, viz., that young orchards should 

 be early trained in the way they should grow. I speak feelingly 

 on this point, having had to do with some trees which were sadly 

 neglected until ready to split down, covered with diseased spots, 

 and tops so tangled that it was difficult to get at the (often imper- 

 fect) fruit. A well balanced top is attractive to all who have an 



