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LOW HEADED FRUIT TREES AND ATMOSPHERIC CHANGES. 



not half the power to rack, and twist, and 

 break the tree, and shake off the fruit ; a 

 matter of no inconsiderable consequence. 

 4th. The trees will be muck longer lived, 

 and more prolific, beautiful and profitable. 

 5th. The trees are more easily rid of de- 

 structive insects, the fruit is much less 

 damaged by falling, and the facilities for 

 gathering it are much greater ; there is 

 less danger in climbing, and less of break- 

 ing limbs. 6th. The trees require less 

 pruning, and scraping, and washing ; and 

 the roots are protected from the plough, 

 which is too often made to tear and muti- 

 late them. Now these seem to me indis- 

 putable facts, sufficient to f ilence all ob- 

 jections. But the farmer says he must 

 head his trees out of the way of his cattle, 

 so that the boy can ride the horse to plough 

 under them ; for he must have all the 

 ground planted with something. Non- 

 sense. If you cannot afford the tree a few 

 feet of ground, and good care and cultiva- 

 tion, then cut it down and burn it. If a 

 tree is worth growing, it is worth pro- 

 per care and culture. Any sensible man 

 must be convinced of this. It is poor busi- 

 ness, — this pruning so close and high, in 

 order to plough and plant under the trees. 

 Nurserymen are greatly to blame for so 

 much high pruning, and forming the heads 

 of the trees so high when young. They 

 are, many times, more than half spoiled. 

 An apple or cherry tree is nearly twice as 

 valuable for shooting out low, near the 

 ground, especially on the southwest sides. 

 That scourge of the pear tree, of which 

 we hear so much, would be much less pre- 

 valent, if the trunk and limbs were kept 

 low, and well shaded by their foliage. 

 Let anybody, whose trees are subject to 

 "fire-blight," (or rather, as it should be 

 called, sun-scald,) try the experiment and 

 see. It is owing to the hot blazing sun, 



for weeks and months together, with scarce- 

 ly a cloudy day, with five or seven days in 

 succession in which the thermometer rises 

 to 90° or lOtP or more in the shade, and 

 would show, if suspended in the sun upon 

 the bark of a tree, from 125° to 150°. 

 Such scalding is enough to make tropical 

 trees exude their gums and resins, and 

 enough to show the absolute necessity of 

 protecting the trunks of trees from such in- 

 jurious effects. Let any one set out two 

 trees which branch out, say six feet high ; 

 let one of them lean very considerably to 

 the north, and the other as much to the 

 south, so that the body shall be well sha- 

 ded, and see which will grow the fastest, 

 (having equal advantages of light, soil, 

 moisture, &c.,) and be the longest lived 

 and most fruitful. A few observations and 

 experiments of this kind will convince any 

 one that limbs and leaves are valuable for 

 shade, as well as other purposes; and that 

 low headed trees are much better than 

 high, in most cases. If Prof. Turner will 

 limb his cherry trees out very near the 

 ground, he will not be so much troubled with 

 gum oozings, bark-bindings and crackings. 

 A word more, in conclusion, about what 

 I suppose to be the cause of so much fire, 

 and other blight, in trees, and also in fruits 

 and vegetables. I had never a doubt of 

 its being, in some way or other, atmosphe- 

 rical ; and, moreover, could be readily ac- 

 counted for. A gradual and perceptible 

 change in our seasons has been going on 

 for the last fifteen years. Our summers 

 are drier and hotter than they used to be. 

 We have fewer and shorter storms and 

 showers, with scarcely any lightning and 

 thunder. The electric fluid has some how 

 or other got into an unnatural state, and 

 nature seems not to have the regulating of 

 her own equilibrium, but has it done for 

 her artificially, in a very unsuitable man. 



