312 [Senate 



MANAGEMENT AND CULTURE OF FRUIT TREES. 



The following Essay, by Isaac C. Piatt, from the proceedings of" 

 the Clinton County Agricultural Society, contains some excellent 

 practical hints : 



About thirty years ago, I planted my nursery with apple seeds 

 taken from a cider mill ; that mode being considered the best to pro- 

 cure the various kinds of fruit. I kept the nursery well trimmed, as 

 they grew up, always trimming when the sap flowed freely, in the 

 last of June and first of July. After they were large enough, say 

 from two to three years old, I engrafted many of them, cutting off the 

 stock near the ground, and many of them I set out without grafting, 

 (not knowing then the process of inoculating.) I set them about 16. 

 by 24 feet apart ; close planting at that time being preferable to a 

 greater distance, the plants being not so liable to be blown down by 

 high winds, and also they would stand the cold winters better. When I 

 set the trees I always clipped the main branch, to make them spread over 

 more surface, and render it easier gathering the fruit — washed them 

 frequently with soap suds or strong lye, and scraped them frequently 

 after a heavy rain in spring and summer with a hoe. This, together 

 with the wash, kept the trees clear of lice, and also prevented the 

 lodgment of insects. I kept the ground well manured and under the 

 plow for several years. My trees grew very fast and I soon found 

 _they were too thickly set ; — the fruit began to diminish in size and 

 the quality to degenerate. I then went through the orchard and cut 

 down every other tree, and after this process I had more and better 

 fruit. My next care was my engrafted trees, which I planted twenty 

 to thirty feet apart, clipped well the tops as formerly, and kept them 

 well trimmed — washed them as formerly and scraped them frequently 

 — manured every year for about eight years and kept under the plow. 

 They proved great bearers. A part of my ungrafted trees I had 

 inoculated about twelve or fifteen years since. I find by experiment 

 that this is preferable to engrafting, for if the inoculation should not 

 take, the limb is not injured and another incision can be made; 

 whereas, in the other mode, the limb is taken off and if the 

 scion fails, you must try another part of the tree. The inoculated 

 tree gives fruit earlier than the grafted, and are great bearers. It is a 

 very important consideration to have them set a good distance apart, 

 say 2 rods by 1 ^, that the sun may have access to every part. This 

 gives a fine rich color, and improves the taste of the fruit. You will 

 invariably find the fruit on the north side of the tree, (especially if 

 the top is not sufficiently trimmed out,) of a pale color, small in size 

 and inferior in flavor to that on the part of the tree lohere the sun has 

 no obstruction. 



Pears. — I took from the roots of pear trees that were several years 

 old, young shoots, set them out, manured them highly with hog ma- 

 nure and manure from the hen house ; kept them well trimmed, cut- 

 ting off the tops to prevent them from running too high. Some I left 



