-2- 



of miv/anted wood and surpliis trees are in that class. Of course, 

 v.'e still have the annual puzzle of deciding which branches to 

 remove from the permanent trees, but that is less difficult v/here 

 each tree has ample space. In trees 20 years of age or older, 

 drooping, shaded branches or parts of branches should receive 

 attention. And occasionally a vigorous, upright growth should 

 be removed where two or more are trying to occupy the same sp'^ce. 

 Little, if any, heading back is required, since well spaced trees 

 are much less likely to grov/ too tall. Heavy, annual crops help 

 tremendously in keeping trees from grov;ing skyi,";ard. 



Any discussion of tree pruning would not be complete 

 without stressing the need of carefu]. training daring the first 

 fe\7 years. Rapid grovYth, plus an occasional corrective cut before 

 the tree is five years of a.ge will work wonders in developing a 

 strong framework, as for example, in a loader type of tree. The 

 ease of pruning such a tree in later years is ample reward for the 

 attention it receives while yoving . 



The Role of Calcium in the Soil and Plsnt (Abstract of an article 

 in the January issue of Soil Auger by W. S. Eisenmenger) 



As far as our present knowledge of plant nutrition is con- 

 cerned, no element acts in more capaci'cies than does calcium. We 

 apply cflcium to the soil in the form of lime for the purpose of 

 changing the acidity. But the calcium has another important effect, 

 Calcium makes the soil loss compact and therefore easier to culti- 

 vate. This attribute comes into play especially in clay soils. A 

 compact soil is not V'ell supplied v/ith oxygen and it harbors unde- 

 sirable rather than useful bacteria. Calcium is admirably adapted 

 to penetrate compact masses and is therefore an antidote for caking 

 and matting. This characteristic also allov/s it to poss out of the 

 soil rapidly, particularly from a sandy soil. This is showm oy the 

 fact that rivers in humid areas contain much calcium. It is inter- 

 esting to note that more ground limestone is required to neutralize 

 the acidity in a clay soil than in a sandy soil. A ton per acre 

 may suffice in the latter \7hil0 the former may require three tons. 

 Calcium also tends to increase the availability of other elements, 

 such as phosphorus. A clay or loam which shov/s little available 

 phosphorus when the pH is as lov; as 4 or 5, v^rill sliow a much hiigher 

 phosphorus content when it is brought up to 6 or 7 by an applica- 

 tion of lime. 



Thus we find several important functions of cflcium in 

 the soil, while in 'che plants themselves its functions are of tre- 

 mendous consequence. All of the higher plants require calcium. 

 Fungi thrive witliout it, while mosses, lichens and ferns require 

 a small amount to sustain life. 



One of the more important fec"tures of calcium is its abil- 

 ity to overcome, toxicities v/hich would otherwise harm the plant. 

 The presence of superabundant amounts of magnesium, aluminum, iron, 

 copper, boron or zinc and the ensuing bad effects are overcome in 

 part by calcium.. This aspect of calcium is illustrcted by the less- 



