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156 THE GENESEE FARMER. 



expected. A field of carrots reated in the same manner as the Swedes, to which a second application 

 of liquid was given just before thijuiing, promises from 26 to 25 tons the acre.' 



"Such we believe to be the principles that should regulate the periods of growth at which liquid 

 manure ought to be given to plants. Those principles are founded upon what appear to be the 

 natural requirements of vegetation — are consistent with all at present known of the subject ; and 

 seem to account satisfactorily for many of the failures that are said to have attended the application 

 of this agent. Let us add, however, that they are fair subjects of discussion, and will be all the better 

 understood if subjected to rational criticism. We should therefore be happy to receive the opinions 

 of any correspoudenta whose experience enables them to coincide with, or to differ from us, in this 

 most important matter. 



D\rtVRF Apple Trees. — The dwarf apple tree is now very generally taking the place of 

 the standard, in all tasteful, well managed fruit gardens. A standard apple, covering 30 

 feet square in a garden, is nothing short of an absurdity ; while nothing can be imagined 

 more interesting than the pretty dwarf bushes planted along the borders of a walk, at four 

 or five feet distance. In our treatise, " The Fruit Garden," we have pointed out several 

 eligible forms for these trees, and the modes of producing them ; and 

 would now suggest to the tasteful amateur, the vase or goblet form, as 

 represented in the annexed cut. We have given in the " Fruit Gar- 

 den," pages 233, 234, a detail of this mode of training the peach ; and 

 the same principles will apply to the apple : but the latter is much 

 more easily managed, on account of its less vigorous growth. The 

 proceeding is, to commence the head with three or four leading branches. 

 These are kept open in the middle by means of a hoop, and summer 

 pinching is applied to prevent the growth of shoots inside or out. The 

 leading shoots are annually shortened, to produce a sufficient supply of 

 fruit spurs or branches on their lower parts, and to obtain secondary branches, to fill up 

 the spaces that widen as the growth proceeds upward. If summer pinching be not 

 properly applied, there will be a difiiculty in having a great deal of wood to cut away at 

 the spring pruning, and consequently a continual production of wood without fruit. 



Memoranda of the Season. — Our unusually severe winter cast its cold and gloomy 

 shadow over the whole of March and a considerable portion of April, gi-eatly retarding 

 the ordinary labors of the garden and orchard. Now, on the iVth of April, people here 

 just begin to move in the matters of tree planting and gardening, and everything wears 

 the appearance of March. But we must not complain ; for everything looks and prom- 

 ises well. Winter has not been more than usually injurious to vegetation ; and we 

 think less so, on the whole, than its predecessor, which was remarkably mild. The 

 ground thawed about the 15th of March ; we had then a few fine days, and commenced 

 raising trees in the nursery; but on the 20th it froze hard again, and remained so for a 

 week or ten days. It again thawed, and on the 5th of April we had snow to the depth 

 of six inches. This disappeared rapidly, and we have since had open but cold, showery 

 weather. For a week past it has been rather pleasant ; lawns are assuming somewhat 

 of a spring verdure ; crocuses are finely in bloom in the garden ; buds are swelling fast ; 

 and multitudes of laborers, worn out by almost six months' absence of employment, are 

 enjoying the privilege to labor. Never have we seen so many men actually desperate 

 in search of work ; it is almost impossible to refuse them. The business of planting 

 trees and improving gardens goes forward in all parts of the country with increased zeal ; 

 on all sides we have the most abundant evidences of it. 



The publishers of this journal, with a view to promote the taste for floriculture, offered 

 to those of the wives or daughters of subscribers who would apply for them, a package 

 of flower seeds ; and we beheve over 5,000 applications have been made. Himdreds of 

 - w these applications are charming little essays on flowers, and would, if printed and bound . - 



