4l4 BOARD OF AGRICULTURI5. 



times could not find earth enougli to hide themselves in. The soil was 

 largely decomposed rock. It was pretty thin and the trees grew low and 

 wide, only half as high as those on the red-clay side. On the poorest stony 

 knobs we applied the ashes of the burned brush heaps. But the fruit 

 was choice; it was the finest that had ever been produced on the farm. 

 On these river hills, so steep that we had to roll the barreled apples diag- 

 onally down hill to get them to a wagon road, the fruit was far superior to 

 that grown on the rich river bottom. It had character, did not take so 

 much sugar in cooking, had a firmer texture, kept better, had a higher 

 color. 



It is pretty safe to assume that potash was the principal element which 

 so differentiated the apples of the river bottoms from those of the hills. 

 The first plateau, being of recent formation, is largely silt or decomposed 

 vegetable matter carried down in the water of the river, and therefore 

 bearing a low percentage of potash, as shown by the fruit trees growing 

 there. But in all heavy clay uplands there is from 0.5 to 0.8 per cent of 

 potash, which is sufficient to influence very materially the quality of tim- 

 ber and fruit growing on it.— S. Powers, Ohio. 



BUDDING FRUIT TREES. 



The difference between grafting and budding fjuit trees consists prin- 

 cipally in the amount of material used; the result being the same. In 

 grafting, a piece of a branch with a number of buds is inserted mto an- 

 other branch, while in budding only a single bud, with a little bark, and 

 perhaps a little adhering wood is used. This bud is inserted under the 

 bark of another tree and upon Jhe face of the newly growing wood. This 

 operation must be done while the stock is in a state of vigorous growth, 

 or while the sap is flowing freely, so as to allow the bark to peel readily. 

 The exact date depends upon the kind of species of tree to be worked; 

 beginning with apples and pears and ending up with peaches. Frost some- 

 times catches the budder before finishing the peach stocks. 



There are various methods of inserting buds, but the one commonly 

 practiced is done by first selecting a smooth spot about two or three inches 

 above the ground, and then making an incision lengthwise through the 

 bark of the stock an inch and a half or two inches long, and then a small 

 cut at right angles across the top, the whole somewhat resembling the 

 letter T. A bud is then taken from the present season's growth by shaving 

 off the bark with the bud about an inch in length. A small amount of 

 wood will adhere to the bark, and this may remain if it is not too old to 

 allow of the parts uniting readily. The corners of the bark at the T are 

 then raised slightly and the bud pushed well down underneath the bark. 

 A bandage, consisting of ordinary wrapping string, or rafiia, which is com- 

 monly used, is then wrapped around it, covering the parts both above and 



