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tree. Next year cut back the leading branches rather severely. Follow up 

 heading back the leading branches, and let the laterals grow so that the bearing 

 branches might bend to the ground without breaking. Many young peaches 

 should be picked off to thin the fruit, increase its size and save the vitality of 

 the tree. Thin out three-quarters and there will be too many left then. The 

 pear tree should also be headed back. It is well to thin young apples, a quick 

 operation with an iron fork on the end of a pole. Head back in autumn, or a^ 

 any time thereafter up to time of leaving out. The best peaches for market are 

 Crawford's Early, Crawford's Late, Foster, Old Mixon and Freestone. 



The black wart can be kept off plum trees by cutting off and burning. 

 Captain Moore keeps off the curculio by planting plum trees in his poultry 

 yard and letting the fowls eat the insect. It may also be jarred off the trees and 

 caught on a sheet. 



Grapes should grow on a high, warm location, exposed to the south and 

 south-east, and to be fertilized with bone and muriate of potash, although wood 

 ashes is better. They thrive best set in rows nine feet apart, the vines being set 

 six feet apart, the rows running north and south, as they get more heat, which 

 is most important. The roots should be well spread in planting, generally 

 shortening some of the roots that they may all grow alike. In eastern Massa- 

 chusetts only native varieties grow to advantage. Our climate is too likely to 

 produce mildew in foreign varieties. Keep a clean culture, keeping away all 

 weeds. Never lay down the vines. If a rank growth of wood is permitted they 

 will winter kill. 



Captain Moore explained with diagrams on a blackboard how all fruit trees 

 ought to be pruned. If pruning is begun early, as it ought, no large limbs 

 need ever be cut off, but if found necessary, cover pruning of large limbs with 

 shellac dissolved in alcohol. The limbs should be amputated so as to let their 

 future growth be at an outside bud ; the tree will then be spread out. If apple 

 trees are pruned in June, the fruit, particularly, will be helped ; if in the autumn 

 the wood growth of tree will especially be helped. Apple trees don't require so 

 much pruning as pear trees and vines. The pruning of grape vines as ex- 

 plained cannot well be described without a diagram. Pruning should be done 

 in the fall after the leaves fall, and any time before the buds start. In pruning 

 grape vines after the first year, trim the shoots back to two buds, because in the 

 Concord and some others sometimes one bud may only be the leaf bud while the 

 next is the fruit bud. The next year be careful not to leave the spurs too long. 

 Rosebugs are a great enemy to vines. They need a warm south-west wind to 

 bring them, and can only be killed while in the winged state. Its habit is to 

 deposit its eggs in July near the surface of the ground. It hatches in ten days 

 and the little maggot goes into the ground till the middle of October when it 

 goes down deeper. The rose bugs have to be picked off by hand. The process 

 of girdling was not approved, because it uses up the vines, though it will in- 

 crease the size of grapes and ripens them early for that year. 



In growing house plants Capt. Moore said a moist air is necessary , hence they 

 thrive much better in a kitchen where there is much steam, than in a sitting room 

 heated by a coal stove. Forced roses particularly need a humid air. With a 

 deep bay window, or better, with an addition which so many have now-a-days, 

 where the plants can not only get the light and air, but be showered frequently, 



