1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



245 



would agree to pay a guarantee of $25 an acre, 

 to have it made certain that the maggot can be 

 destroyed by the application of guano, after it has 

 began to operate upon the young plant. Many 

 acres were omitted to be sown the last season, 

 through fear of this destroyer, and many more 

 would be sown the present, were it not for this 

 apprehension. J. w. p. 



South Danvers, 1859. 



TIME OF PRUNING APPLE TBEES. 



We are always obliged to exercise considera- 

 ble care that our columns shall not be too much 

 occupied with discussions upon a single topic. 

 The article lately presented by us upon the sub- 

 ject of pruning, has awakened considerable inter- 

 est in the matter, and the importance of the sub- 

 ject demands it. We have received several let- 

 ters from high authorities confirming our views, 

 and two dissenting from them. One of the lat- 

 ter is from Mr. Daniel Leland, of East Hollis- 

 tor, who says he has an experience in the sub- 

 ject dating back to 1805. He thinks the true 

 time for pruning "is just before the opening of 

 the buds," and his reasons are, 



"First, The wound will heal as well as it will 

 when pruned in the middle of June. 



Secondly, The sap is saved, that is, taken up 

 in the formation of the leaves." 



We will not reiterate arguments to show that 

 he is mistaken, but will merely remark in relation 

 to his first reason, that he must be so, because 

 his theory is contrary to the nature and habit of 

 the tree ; the sap flows freely in the spring, but 

 not at all, or very lightly, in June. 



His second reason is, that we "save the sap 

 that is taken up in the formation of the leaves." 

 But we do not wish to save it ; we often prune 

 because there is an excess of limbs and leaves ; 

 they are in the way of each other, and prevent a 

 free and healthy growth. But this is not always 

 the case. 



Pruning is scarcely necessary at all — unless in 

 cases of accident — when proper care is taken of 

 the young tree. It may all be done with a com- 

 mon pen-knife, if it is always done at the right 

 time. 



For the Neie England Farmer. 

 COAL ASHES AS A MANURE. 

 An article with the above heading appeared in 

 the last Farmer, in which the writer, copying from 

 an English work, on the benefit resulting from 

 the use of this article in England, closes with 

 the following. "As coal is employed for fuel in 

 nearly every town, experiments on various soils 

 and crops might be made by every farmer at a 

 small expense." This writer, it would seem, is 

 not aware, that the ashes used in England, comes 

 from bituminous, and not anthracite coal. I ap- 

 prehend there may be found a great difference in 

 the fei'tilizing properties of these. This want of 



definiteness, reminds us of the use of lime for the 

 apple tree. Mr. Pell, the successful grower of 

 this frnit in New York State, recommends the 

 use of shell, (not stone,) lime, for this purpose ; 

 still many careless writers recommend simply 

 lime ; the natural inference is, that they mean 

 common stone lime. There is a diftVrence in the 

 article of lime ; most stone lime contains magne- 

 sia, a substance which is considered deleterious 

 to the soil, while shell lime is destitute of this. 

 I have generally considered that nearly all the 

 virtue there is in anthracite coal ashes in its ap- 

 plication to land, is in the ashes combined with 

 it, which comes from the bark, wood or charcoal 

 used to ignite it. j. M. I. 



Remarks. — There is about two per cent, of 

 potash in coal ashes. But its alkaline is not 

 its only good quality. It has a mechanical effect, 

 and perhaps has still other qualities to recom- 

 mend it. 



For the Netc England Farmer. 



FRUITLESS TBEES— MORE LIGHT 

 WANTED. 



What kinds of fertilizers are best for apple 

 trees, to make them produce fruit ? I have the 

 Baldwin trees, and practice digging about them 

 in the spring, and putting in stable manure, and 

 air-slaked lime occasionally. They grow an abun- 

 dance of wood, but very little fruit. Some of them 

 have blossomed full, but it was all show, and no 

 fruit. This is the case generally in this vicinity. 

 So that people have come to consider the apple 

 tree an encumberer of the ground, and almost 

 ready to wish them the same fate, of a certain 

 fig tree of olden times. 



What is best to put around pear trees, to make 

 them bear fruit ? 1 have put manure, lime, ashes 

 and iron, about them ; they grow the wood rap- 

 idly, but not the j^ear. One tree, a Flemish Beau- 

 ty, made an attempt, last season, to produce a 

 specimen of its kind ; but before August was out, 

 the whole concern burst up, and proved a failure. 

 The Flemish Beauty has been a favorite pear 

 with us, but of late years, it has taken to crack- 

 ing badly, and has lost its reputation. This crack- 

 ing takes place long before the pear matures. 

 Can this be prevented ? Will you or any of your 

 numerous readers, give the desired information 

 upon these matters ? A. Philbrook. 



East Saugus, March, 1859. 



Remarks. — These questions, and a hundred 

 others put to us, show how much we need a more 

 intimate knowledge of the business in which we 

 are engaged ; and we feel that want, impressively, 

 quite often, when called upon to reply to them. 



Why is it, that apple and pear trees that are 

 well cared for fail to produce fruit, in one lo- 

 cation, while others near by bear abundantly ? 

 Who can tell ? Who can penetrate the myste- 

 ries of this single point, or fathom a thousand 

 others that meet us at every step? We may 

 now and then stumlde upon some fact of impor- 

 tance to our Art, but must-tlepend upon pcrsis- 



