1882.1 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



79 



strikes at the life of the tree. Between these two 

 extremes there is a season during which the vigor 

 of the tree will be but little if at all affected. This 

 is evidently the best time to prune for the pur- 

 pose of simply removing surplus branches. My 

 experience and observation have led me to be- 

 lieve that the best time to prune, if this be the 

 purpose, is just at the time the tree is making its 

 most vigorous growth of the season. This, in the 

 Northern States, is during the latter part of May 

 and fore part of June, varying with the latitude 

 and the earliness of the season. 



What to prune will be determined in part by 

 the purpose for which the operation is performed. 

 But it is evident that all branches that cross and 

 chafe must be removed. With most trees the 

 pruning should begin at the center and progress 

 outward. The head of the tree should be kept 

 open so that air and sunlight may have free 

 access. If a tree is inclined to grow lop-sided 

 the branches are to be pruned off and cut back 

 till a proper balance is secured. All water 

 sprouts and other branches that start where they 

 are not needed should be removed at once. The 

 better way is to rub or pinch them off with the 

 fingers as soon as they have started. 



If a tree is too upright in growth, it may be 

 made more spreading by cutting the branches 

 back uniformly to buds that point outward. If 

 on the other hand, the growth is too spreading, 

 the pruning is to be done to buds pointing up- 

 ward or inward. But little remains to be said on 

 how pruning is to be done. The common fault 

 of leaving a stub where a branch has been 

 removed is to be avoided. The branch should 

 be cut off with a smooth cut just where the 

 swelling at the base begins, so that the wound 

 will be just the size of the large part of the 

 branches. Large branches are to be removed 

 with a fine saw, and the wound pared perfectly 

 smooth with a sharp knife, and then covered 

 with a coat of white lead or shellac dissolved in 

 alcohol. 



Pruning done with intelligence and skill is a 

 blessing ; but if done in ignorance and in a bung- 

 ling manner it were better not done at all. 



mate than they can at the South. A French 



savant has recently uttered a thought confirma- 

 tory of my position. "Tropical fruit grown in the 

 temperate zone is greatly improved," or words 

 to that effect. As an instance, Florida oranges 

 are a hundred fold better than the same fruit 

 grown in the West Indies. Certainly we cant be 



FIC CULTURE AT THE NORTH. 



BY GEO. F. NEEDHAM, WASHINGTON, D. C. 



In a note before me from Mr. Thos. D. Lloyd, 

 Barrie, Ont., Canada, he is quite jubilant because 

 he has ripened tigs in the open air. I sincerely 

 believe that we can grow better figs in our cli- 



worse off than the fig-growers of Georgia, who 

 for two years have had their trees cut down by 

 frost. In fact our trees being protected are alive 

 and flourishing. 



In France and Germany where the climate is 

 often as cold in winter as in Canada, figs are ex- 

 tensively grown and mature in the open air. The 

 branches are simply bent down and covered by 

 earth during the winter. De Breuil gives the 

 annexed illustration of a plant in which the 

 branches have been arranged in the form of a 

 cross before putting the earth on them. 



CULTURE OF TEASEL. 



BY J. MCLAUGHLIN, SKANEATELES, N. Y. 



Our attention has been called to an article in the 

 January number of the Gardener's Monthly, 

 written by P. D. Barnhart, of Banksville, Pa., in 

 the course of which he gives a reply to the ques- 

 tion asked on page 280, as to whether any one 

 knows where the Teasel is cultivated in the 

 United States. We can give a more definite an- 

 swer than your correspondent above mentioned, 

 for what is a " pest " in his section, the farmers 

 in this part of New York State have converted 

 into a useful and valuable article of commerce, 

 which brings them annually about half a million 

 of dollars. The two towns of Maroellus and 



