35 G Missouri State Horticultural Society. 



As this receipt is but little known even among fruit men, we 

 publish it for the benefit of all interested. We have made it only 

 once — about eighteen months since, and have used it with the most 

 satisfactory results. By long standing it becomes a little thick. 

 When such becomes its condition, a few drops of alcohol makes it 

 all right. It needs no warming' to apply it, being the same winter 

 and summer ; for out-door grafting nothing can be compared with 

 it. We apply it with a stiff turkey-feather. In a few days the 

 alcohol evaporates, leaving the other ingredients forming a perfect 

 coating as hard as stone. 



The receipt is as follows : ''Melt one pound of common resin 

 over a slow fire, add to it one ounce of beef-tallow, and stir well. 

 Take from the fire, let it cool down a little, and then mix with it 

 a tablespoonful of spirits of turpentine, and after that, about seven 

 ounces of strong alcohol (95 per bent). The alcohol cools it down 

 so rapidly that it will be necessary to put it once more on the fire, 

 stirring it constantly. Still the utmost care must be exercised to 

 prevent the alcohol from getting inflamed. To avoid this, the 

 best way is to remove the vessel from the fire when the lumps that 

 may have been formed commence melting again. This must be 

 continued till the Avhole is a liomogeneous mass, like honey. It is 

 best kept in a large mouthed bottle." 



When the wound is over one inch in diameter, we coat it. It 

 pays to do so. For removing large' limbs we use the hand-saw. 

 Trim in February, or June and July ; do not trim in extreme cold 

 weather, or just as the sap is rising. With a little thought and 

 study any good farmer can learn to trim his own trees better than 

 many of the jirofessional tree-trimmers who travel over the country, 

 I have noticed some apple-orchards seriously injured by these per- 

 sons. The greatest danger is in topping the trees. I noticed one 

 orchard where many of the top limbs after being severely short- 

 ened had died down a foot or more. Had the wounds been properly 

 protected such would not have been the case. — Wm. H. Smith, in 

 Spirit of the Farm. 



IJSTTELLIGENT PKUNING. 



Eds. Country Gentleman : — It has often been said that no 

 rule can be given to guide a tyro pruner, because every tree, bush, 

 or vine requires some modification of treatment. But there are 

 rules applicable quite generally, of which a leading one is to thin 

 from the exterior so that all shoots left shall have ample distance to 

 expand their leaves in full light without shading each other, or 

 shading those of the inner fruit-bearing spurs in orchard trees. 



