FAKMEKS' INSTITUTES. 371 



against butchering trees as some ignoramuses do wlio prune once in three to 

 seven years, and then use au axe and saw and remove luilf the top by lopping 

 off large limbs. They use a paint dish to cover the large scars. They make a 

 great show in a little time with a small amount of work. They let in the light. 

 They usually tliink they are doing a good job. If a lamb's tail, or the tail of 

 a pig or pup is to be cut off, cut it off at once in the proper place. Tliis is 

 reasonable. But not so with a tree. If you wish to change its shape when it 

 has grown large and has been neglected or not pruned to suit you, make the 

 change gradually. Cut off a little each year. It is better for the tree to prune 

 too little than to prune too much, far better to prune a little often than to prune 

 heavily once in three or more years. A few small limbs may be cut off in sum- 

 mer. Small twigs cut then will tend to induce fruitfulness the next year. 



Healing quickly on the outside does not always leave the tree sound on the 

 inside. In June or July a wound heals over most quickly, but a few experiments 

 indicate that the wood below is more decayed than is found below limbs which 

 are cut off in spring. 



THINNING FRUIT. 



Upon this subject most of our farmers have much yet to learn. They have- 

 learned that corn may be crowded, — that tliey have no reason to expect six or 

 ten or a dozen good bearing stalks to each hill. The young plants must be- 

 thinned to produce a profitable crop, only a limited number must be allowed to 

 grow. So it is well known to be the case with turnips, carrots, and many other- 

 crops. It is worse than folly to prop up fruit trees to prevent them from break- 

 ing down with fruit. By over bearing, trees become exhausted, often causing 

 premature death. They rarely bear two large crops in succe>sion. 



No operation in the orchard will pay better than systematic thinning. Every- 

 one who has tried it is certain of the fact. Good pruning takes off many flower 

 buds, but often too many are left to set more fruit than the tree is able to bear. 

 It seems to exhaust a tree less to produce a bushel of large fruit than the same- 

 amount of small fruit. To produce the seeds is one of the most exhaustive- 

 efforts of any plant. A small apple is likely to contain as many seeds as a, 

 large one. 



On the day I was preparing this portion of the present paper I remarked to 

 one of the best farmers in our neighborhood that he had let iiis timothy get too 

 ripe before cutting it; that nothing exhausted plants of any kind more than to 

 allow them to go to seed. He said he knew it, but lie once thought the reverse 

 was the case. He used to let his grass ripen before cutting so as not to injure 

 the roots. But by chance and observation he had discovered that the back part 

 of his meadow where he had always mowed last ran out or decreased in yield, 

 much more rapidly than where he cut his grass first every year. The law 

 above referred to was well known to botanists a long time ago. Large numbers 

 of instances could be given illustrating the importance of more knowledge of 

 different branches of science. I was speaking of thinned fruit. The large 

 fruit will sell for the most money. It is worth more to eat. By judicious thin- 

 ning for some years a tree will raise as many bushels, perhaps more, than if left 

 to bear too much. Of course there may be some trees or some varieties which 

 ■will not need thinning. If properly attended to in this respect, trees will bear, 

 or be much more likely to bear, annually. Trees, if left to themselves, often 

 have their years for bearing and their years for resting. Thin freely and get a 

 smaller crop every year. In years like the past one when there is likely to be art 



