THE SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 17? 



arities are also one cause of its delay in coming into bearing. By encouraging 

 the growth of lateral branches and pruning the centre, fruitfulness is induced, 

 and the apples not being shaded will be of better color and higher quality. A 

 farmer of much experience informs me that he has brought his Spy apples into 

 bearing as early as any variety by plowing the orchard each way in the months 

 of July and August. The severe pruning of the roots, which this secured, 

 checked the superfluous vigor of the tree and turned its vitality to producing 

 fruit instead of "nothing but leaves." Perhaps pomological authorities would 

 object to this treatment of vigorous trees; but where men have watched young 

 orchards of Spys for ten, twelve or more years without any return for their 

 outlay, they are justified in using desperate measures. For grafting old trees 

 over, this vigor of the Northern Spy is just what is wanted. A few grafts 

 properly distributed on an old tree will make a large head after a very few years, 

 and will begin to bear in two or three years after setting. The only serious 

 fault of the Spy is the black fungous growth, which sometimes appears on its 

 fruit, and which is much worse when grown on light or sandy soil. I infer that 

 low or rich flat ground is much the best for growing this variety of the best 

 quality and with the greatest profit. — W. J. F. in Country Gentlemen. 



ACCIDENTAL PRUNING. 



An old ISTew-Englander once remarked to us when we advised him to pinch 

 back his blackberry bushes, to keep them within bounds and make them bear 

 better, "That's so ! I can remember when I lived down at Dartmouth, that we 

 always found the most blackberries on the bushes that the old cow had browsed 

 down." We lately saw another example in a western paper, where a farmer 

 had set out a hundred apple trees in autumn, and was advised to cut the shoots 

 back, to counterbalance the necessary cutting of the roots in taking them up. 

 But he declined. In the winter a cow broke in and cropped the tops of twenty- 

 five or thirty, and the winter being severe, these and a few others were the only 

 trees which survived. The others had more top than they could carry, and 

 whipping about in the wind they did not grow. AVe would not, however, rec- 

 ommend the cow-pruning for general adoption. 



J. J. Thomas. 



APPLE ORCHARD PROTECTION. 



The large number of injured trees in the State as Avell as the constantly 

 increasing testimony as regards the continuance of the causes which kill fruit 

 trees, is awakening considerable attention among our orchardists. The truth 

 is, ever since the extraordinary winter of 1872-73 apple trees have been 

 dying, and it has required but little addition to the disease then engendered to 

 kill off large numbers of trees that came through that scathing winter with 

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