148 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER 



or six, if judiciously placed, will efrectuaiiy answer 

 for a field of 50 acres. Our mode of fixing lliem 

 was this ; we cut a pole of sufilcient height, trim- 

 med off all the limbs but the upper one ; to the 

 end of this limb, we attached, by a strong flexible 

 wire, a sheet oi tin, and planled the pole thus 

 provided firmly in the ground on the distined ppot. 

 Tlie liinb lelt at the to[>, ehould project horizon- 

 tally far enough to allow full play to the tin. Thus 

 attached, the slightest breeze gives motion to the 

 tin, and conscrpjenily causes a n-flection, so sud- 

 den as to efleciually frighten ott crows, or other 

 birds addicted to picking up the corn. Three 

 years successful use uf such scare- croios, paUiy us 

 in recommending them to our brethren. 



From llic Keiitueliy Fanner. 

 FOUeiKG PRUIT TUEES TO BEAR. 



Greenup Co., Ky., March 3, 1842. 

 jDeur sir — Having addressed you an epistle o 

 fortnight ago, I did not at that time intend to write 

 you again until I saw your comments upon the 

 project proposed in that letter, but being under the 

 conviction that I could not write too much for 

 the good hoaest-heartcd yeomanry of the land, 

 provided I keep in the limits of valuable informa- 

 tion, I have, by the idea of facilitating the labor 

 of the producing man in some measure, been 

 prompted to address you at this time, the main 

 object of which is to apf)rise the agriculiural 

 community of a novel mode of raising apples. 

 I do not wish to be understood that it is novel 

 with all, for it has been practised in Europe )br 

 many years, by the farmers in Geiinany in 

 particular, who probably are the inventors ; but I 

 mean that it is novel to me, and if not to all, 

 in my knowledge is at least not practised by them. 

 The steps to be taken by the farmer to force his 

 fruit tree to bear, as it is termed, are of a very 

 eimple nature and can necessarily be executed by 

 any person who turns his hand to it without the 

 aid of a practical operator, further than a descrip- 

 tion of the process. 1 hope, therefore, that my 

 agricultural friends will not deem the description 

 which 1 am about to give of the process to force 

 trees to bear unnecessarily minute. With a sharp 

 knile (the blade of a penknilii is the best) make 

 a cut in the bark of the branch which is meant 

 to be forced to bear, and not more than eight or 

 nine inches (rom the place where it is connected 

 with the stem, or if it is a small branch or shoot, 

 near where it is joined to the large bough, (three 

 inches or less,) the cut is to go round the branch, 

 or to encircle if, and penetrate to the wood. 

 Care must be taken not to cut the wood, which 

 would neccesarily cause detriment to the branch 

 or shoot operated upon. A quarter of an inch 

 or nearly from the first cut make a second 

 in the same way round the branch or shoot, so 

 that both encircling the branch or shoot, a ring is 

 formed thereoa a quarter of an inch broad be- 

 tween the two cuts. The bark between these 

 tvi'o cuts is now taken clean away with the small 

 blade of a penknife, down to the wood, removing 

 even the fine inner bark, which immediately lies 

 upon the wood, so that no connexion whatever re- 

 mains between the two parts of the bark, but the 

 bare and naked wood apji^ars white and smooth ; 



but this bark ring, to compel the tree to bear, must 

 be made at the time when the buds arc strongly 

 swelling, just before breaking out into blossom. 

 In the same year of this operation a callus is 

 formed at the edges of the ring on both sides, 

 and the connexion of the bark that had been in- 

 terrupted is restored again without any detri- 

 ment to the tree or branch operated upon, in 

 whifii tlie artificial wound soon again grows over. 

 By this simple (though artificial) means of forc- 

 ing every fruit tree with a certainty to bear, the 

 most important advantage will be obtained by 

 those who watch the time nature is ripe lor it. 

 Three years ago (the time when 1 was first in- 

 Ibrmfd of lhi.s singular way of forcing trees to 

 bear,) I made an experiment on an apple tree= 

 Being somewhat cautious of h urn buggery 1 con- 

 fined the experiment to one branch of the tree, 

 which was about a fourth part of the whole top 

 of it. 1 did not notice it until JVIay. 1 had par- 

 tially ibrgotten it, as I had but little faith in its 

 having any cllecl toward making the tree bear, 

 and called by rather to see if the limb which I 

 had cut was not dead than to observe any thing 

 else ; buL to my astonishment I found the limb 

 which I had expected to find dead in a vigorous 

 state of file, with as much young fruit on it, appa- 

 rently, as all the rest of the tree. On examining 

 the young liuit, I fbund that on the branch vvhicli 

 I had cut to be sound and firm, while that on the 

 other parts of Ihe tree were dwindled and very 

 much decreased. I expected at first that it waa 

 owing to the cut which I had made on the branch, 

 but I satisfied myself by examining other trees 

 which 1 found to be in the same way, and which 

 1 found shortly afterwards to be falling off. In 

 September, when I gathered the apples, I Ibund 

 thai the branch of the tree which 1 had made the 

 experiment on, had five bushels on it, and the rest 

 of the tree had not above one bushel on it, and 

 that was inlerior li-uit. I would therefore re- 

 commend that larmers who have orchards would 

 try the experiment. It would be well for thera 

 to be particular in the operation at first for 

 fear of damaging the tree. 



William R. Thompson. 



AN ESSAY ON THE BEST SYSTEM OF ROTA- 

 TION OF CROPS, (hogs,) pork BEING THE 

 CHIEF SURPLUS OF THE FARM. 



From tlie Keutucky Farmer. 



The first rotation on a pork farm is corn, rye 

 fed down to hogs, clover (seed sown on rye) 

 two years. This rotation will improve the ground 

 very fast. 



In consequence of the probable injury that 

 would be likely to be done to the corn crop by the 

 worms, when following clover, that crop should 

 be broken up in the fall or winter season, Ihe sod 

 being turned over in the fall of the second year 

 the frost of winter will effectually destroy the cut 

 worms. 



The advantages of this rotation will be to fiir- 

 nish a succession of food suitable for tlie hogs, at 

 the same time enriching the soil. 



Without a proper supply of corn the raising of 

 pork would be a poor business in Kentucky ; and 

 a proper supply of corn cannot be easily raised 



