ORCHARDS. 189 



roots of young trees are not nourished by eating manure, but 

 by drinking in of the liquid after being filtered through the soil. 

 We are of the opinion that the liquid portion of manure, after 

 being drained through the soils, be it ever so green and unfer- 

 mented, is in fit condition to be used as plant food." 



Mr. Poor, of Somerville, says : " After twenty years' expe- 

 rience in growing pears, I am satisfied that any reasonable 

 amount of manure will not prove injurious to pear-trees three 

 or four years old." 



Pruning Trees. — Mr. Downing recommends fall and winter 

 pruning for fruit trees, without regard to kind. Although this 

 may be regarded as high authority, yet our experience and ob- 

 servation controvert this theorv. It has of late come under 

 our observation in regard to the pear, as well as the apple, that 

 a wound made in winter causes the limb to check, and usually 

 " dies down " for some distance, thus producing a cavity be- 

 tween the wood and bark, and requiring a new cut to be made 

 in April, or as soon as the sap begins to ascend ; instead of a cavity 

 being formed between the bark and wood, there is a protuber- 

 ance or bulging out of new wood, forming a ring between the 

 bark and wood. A layer of gum-shellac, or thick paint, ap- 

 plied at the time the cut is made, serves to prevent checking, 

 and hastens the growth or protuberance of new wood. 



ErHRAiM Graham, Chairman* 



HOUSATONIC. 



From the Report of the Committee. 



Only four entries of apple orchards, and three of pears, were 

 submitted for their examination by the sixteen hundred or more 

 members of the Housatonic Agricultural Society. There should 

 have been a much larger number. The apathy among our 

 farmers, in relation to fruit raising, is certainly quite inexplica- 

 ble. It would seem that every man who owns even a small 

 patch of ground, should devote as much as possible of it to the 

 cultivation of fruit of some kind ; but if we visit every town in the 

 county, we shall find only here and there one actively engaged 

 in the cultivation of fruit ; especially the apple, which may well 

 be denominated the standard fruit for this section of country. 



