22 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



Question. What are the advantages of root-pruning ? 



Dr. Fisher. The advantage of root-pruning trees is 

 precisely that of root-pruning corn. After the crop has 

 filled your ground with roots, does it do any good to cut off 

 some of them? It simply prevents the crop from growing 

 to the extent of its roots. Every tree or plant that is un- 

 mutilated from beginning to end has a branch correspond- 

 ing to every root. If you cut off a root in any way, you 

 either kill the l)ranch corresponding to it or yon make 

 it stand still ; or, if you cut out a branch of a growing 

 tree, you kill the root w^hicli corresponds to that branch. 

 The severing of that root deprives that branch of its 

 nutriment, and vice versa. That is just what will result 

 from any cultivation that cuts off the roots of growing 

 plants. 



Question. Have you any remedy for the cracking of 

 pears, — the Flemish Beauty, for instance? 



Dr. Fisher. Yes, sir ; I have a remedy for the cracking 

 of the Flemish Beauty. It is the remedy that the French- 

 man applied to his dog. He cut off his tail right behind his 

 ears. I don't know of any other. I don't think it is possi- 

 ble to grow the Flemish Beauty as a crop in this part of the 

 country. Occasionally you get a perfect crop ; but my 

 experience is, that about nine times out of ten the fruit is 

 entirely worthless. In city yards, in protected places, I 

 have known trees to bear several perfect crops, but never in 

 a field or orchard. 



Question. If you have some good trees, would you graft 

 them with something else ? 



Dr. Fisher. I would. 



Question. Can you do anything with cherry trees when 

 knots or warts get on them, except to cut them down? 



Dr. Fisher. There is no difficulty if you keep the 

 black-knot cut out. You must cut it out whenever j^ou find 

 it, and you nuist look for it, too. It s])reads ])y spores, like 

 all the other fungi, and if it is cut out in the early stages it 

 cannot spread from that source. If 3'ou live in a region that 

 is surrounded by wild cherry trees, cut them all down. It 

 is no use to fight against the black-knot in your own trees if 

 wild cherry trees are growing all around you ; you must 



