184G. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



95 



the soil well by trenching 18 inches or 2 ft. deep, 

 and abundantly manuring. Procure good two 

 or three year old roots, and they will be fit for 

 cutting the second year after planting. 



Where a large plot is to be planted for mar- 

 keting, the place may be prepared with the plow. 

 A subsoil plow should be used, or an ordinary 

 plow may be run twice in the same furrow. 



When the ground is prepared it may be laid 

 out in beds, 4 or 5 feet wide, and the roots plant- 

 ed in rows 1 foot by li, and an inch and a half 

 below the surface. For extensive culture, rows 

 '^ feet wide, and plants 18 inches apart, is better, 

 ;us the ground can be woi-ked with greater facili- 

 ty. The whole matter is a;? simple as the cul- 

 ture of Indian Corn, and no man who appreci- 

 ates the value of healthy, nutritious vegetables for 

 his family, will allow this spring to pass without 

 planting, if he has not already done so. 



To Correspondents. 



PRUNING, &c. 



In our last number, we remarked, among oth- 

 er brief hints intended to remind our readers 

 what should be done — not hoio or why it should — 

 that "orchards should now be pruned, if not al- 

 ready done, and that no pruning should be done, 

 if it can be avoided, after the sap has commenced 

 flowing;" meaning, that spring pruning should 

 he co?}i2)leted before thejloio of sap co?nmences. 



We have received a communication ft'om 

 "Brockport," on this subject, assuming that we 

 have erred in advising winter or spring pruning, 

 and that mid-summer is the only proper season 

 for pruning. In support of this he quotes the 

 Genesee Farmer of 1832, ^'■Kenrick^s Orchard- 

 i^t," '■'BueVs American Farmers^ last rue tor" 

 and " Gaylord and Tuckefs Husbandry^''' 



He says — " The reasons in favor of summer 

 pruning are, that the wounds heal rapidly, leav- 

 ing the wound uninjured, while if pruned in 

 winter they dry and crack under the cold winds 

 and never thoroughly grow over ; and spring 

 trimming permits the escape and loss of the sap, 

 and, to some extent, induces efl'ects similar to 

 the winter operation." 



We are no advocate of severe pruning at any 

 season of the year — particularly in common or- 

 chard culture. All that is necessary is to thin 

 out superfluous branches, and regulate the form 

 of the tree. In our region this can be done with 

 safety in the month of February and beginning 

 of March. Reasons in favor of pruning, at this 

 time, are— First: the sap which would be expended 

 in sustaining this superfluous wood, will increase 

 the vigor and productiveness of the remaining 

 portions of the tree, and aid in developing and 

 maturing the fruit. Second : The farmer has 

 much more leisure in February than lie has in 

 mid-summer. We find it difiidult to direct much 

 attention to the orchard during summer. The 

 wounds caused by removing small limbs heal up 



immediately if pruning is carefully performed, 

 and where large limbs are taken oflj which 

 should be done only in cases of absolute necessi- 

 ty, a composition of some kind may be used to 

 exclude the air until the wound closes. Sum- 

 mer pruning should be performed very cautious- 

 ly. To deprive a tree of a large portion of its 

 wood and leaves while in a growing state, fre- 

 quently produces a stagnation of the sap, and in- 

 duces disease. We find, in pruning small trees 

 in the nursery very moderately — only removing 

 a few of the side branches — that it causes a par- 

 tial relaxation of their energies. Still we prac- 

 tice summer pruning, and indeed pruning at all 

 seasons, more or less, except in spring ivhen the 

 buds are swelling and the floie of sap commences, 

 and until the leaves are fall grown. If people 

 would attend properly to their trees dui'ing the 

 whole season, no pruning would be necessary, 

 that would injure a ti-ee in summer, fall, or winter. 



We base our remarks on experience. Those 

 who prefer other methods are at liberty to adopt 

 them. We would suggest, however, that in ca- 

 ses of this kind some standard authority in fruit 

 culture should be chosen. As our correspondent 

 has not quoted Downing's work on " Fruil and 

 Fruit Trees," we would beg leave to reccom- 

 mend it to his notice. 



As regards the Virgalieu Pear, we would in- 

 form " Brockport" that the figure and descrip- 

 tion given in our January number, were taken 

 from a genuine specimen before us, and will be 

 instantly recognized as correct by all who are 

 familiar with that popular and valuable fruit. — 

 Circumstances modify, sometimes materially, 

 the form, flavor, and time of ripening of fruits. 

 That described as not arriving at maturity on the 

 tree, we should say was not the Virgalieu, ex- 

 cept the soil is very cold and unfavorable. The 

 other spoken of in Oneida county is more likely 

 to be the genuine thing. 



Our Nantucket (Mass.) correspondent is re- 

 ferred to an article on the subject of his inquiry, 

 published elsewhere in this department. 



Please give us credit. — We find our hints 

 on Garden and Orchard operations for March, 

 copied in the Troy Budget of 24th March, cred- 

 ited to the "New York IVIorning News"! We 

 suspect the " News" has published them as its 

 own, and in doing so has garbled them a little, 

 and thus perverted the sense, which shows it 

 knew nothing about the matter. For instance, 

 in speaking of cutting scions, we said that " two 

 or three buds of the last years growth should be 

 left." The Nc?tis has it, "two or three buds of 

 last years growth should be left on the scions" ! 

 We are glad to see our items copied, but we 

 wish it to be done correctly, and due credit giv- 

 en us. Some of our exchanges we find are copy- 

 ing our figures of fruits, without any acknowl- 

 edgment. Be honest gentlemen, if you please. 



