1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



179 



lect of pruning at the time specified by Mr. G., 

 during the ordinary life of man, would be at- 

 tended Vtith consequences equally as great. If 

 friend Goodrich could see some of our Roxbury 

 Russets, R. I. Greenings, and many other varie- 

 ties, that had not been pruned for ten or twenty 

 years, I think he would come to the conclusion 

 that nothing larger than a raccoon could get 

 among the branches to harvest the apples. 



I commenced pruning the orchard I now own 

 twelve years ago last February, thinking it would 

 be economy in me by so doing, as the various 

 other branches of farming would soon require my 

 whole attention, (b.) I have pruned every year, 

 generally selecting the warmest days of February 

 and ]March, taking out all limbs that were liable 

 to come in contact and injure others by galling. 

 I have taken oif limbs five or six inches in diam- 

 eter, rubbing the wound with cold beef tallow 

 until thinly coated, and thus far they are vigorous 

 and healthy. The product for the first, third and 

 tenth years, were as follows :-^18-i2, 45 barrels of 

 winter apples, (early not included ;) 18-43, 

 86 barrels ; 1844, 183 barrels ; and in 1852, 400 

 barrels. So much from February and !March 

 pruning, (c.) 1 do not apprehend, from what 

 experience and obseiTation I have had, that early 

 spring pruning of healthy trees would, if judi- 

 ciously done, ever be attended with serious conse- 

 quences, in any extreme of clhnate to which New 

 England is subject. But I am aware that, in 

 pruning diseased trees in any season, there fre- 

 quently Hows a poisonous sap, blackening and 

 killing the bark below the wound. 



As for apples grown in the shade, protected by 

 leaves, being larger, fairer and of a better quality 

 than those grown exposed to the fair rays of the 

 sun, is a question easily to be decided by present- 

 ing them for sale in our markets, (d.) A few 

 years since, I selected two barrels, (most of them 

 grew where they had a pretty fair peep at the 

 sun,) and carried them to Boston to be sold on 

 commission. I received twenty dollars for the 

 apples, after deducting the commission for selling. 

 Now if Mr. G. will select the same quantity of 

 ajiples grown in the shade, protected by leaves, 

 and receive the same amount of money from any 

 of our markets, then we may conclude that his 

 theory and mine, in this respect, hold equally 

 good, although we somewhat disagree in the 

 mode of treatment which produces the fruit. 



Soincrvillc, 1855. N. P. Morrisox. 



Remarks. — (a.) Mr. Morrison commenced his 

 operations upon trees set by another person, that 

 were generally healthy, but selected without a 

 particle of taste, being crooked and the limbs of 

 many of them coming out within two or three 

 feet of the ground. He cleaned and pruned 

 them, and thoroughly manured and tilled the 

 soil. "Where limbs were cut off, the wounds 

 ■were immediately covered with tallow, and the 

 sun, wind and rain kept from their fresh surfaces. 

 By this careful mode of treatment, and giving 

 great activity to the growth, he has, undoubt- 

 edly, gone so far without the usual bad results 

 of March and April pruning. If so, however, 

 it is the exception to the general rule. 



{b.) Mr. M. says he commenced pruning in 

 February as a matter of economy. Certainly, 

 and that is the usual reason why pruning is done 

 in March — because there is more leisure at that 

 season. We have no doubt that is the reason all 

 over the State. 



(c.) After giving the products of his trees for 

 several years, he adds, "so much for February 

 and March pruning,'' as though the increase of 

 the crop were the consequence of the pruning. 

 That increase, however, should be imputed to the 

 manure, cultivation and care, and not, in any 

 particular degree, to the cutting oflF of limbs. 



(d.) Mr. Goodrich, in his article of April of 

 last year, says, "apples protected by leaves are 

 much better, larger and fairer, (being grown as 

 Nature designed,) than when grown on long 

 branches, exposed to thesunin July and August." 

 Will any man acquainted with vegetable physi- 

 ology doubt this ? He does not deny the necessity 

 of sun and air, but is an advocate for a good 

 many leaves. We once knew an intelligent lady, 

 and one who understood much about horticul- 

 ture, strip her grape vines of a portion of their 

 leaves, in order to let in the sun and I'ipen the 

 fruit ; but to her surprise, where the leaves re- 

 mained as Nature had disposed them, the grapes 

 were the earliest, and every way the best. This 

 led her to investigate the matter, when she was 

 delighted to learn that the leaves were not only 

 the protectors, but the caterers of the fruit, con- 

 stantly elaborating and supplying it with the 

 pabulum it required to bring it to perfection. 



Mr. INIorrison is a careful and successful or- 

 chardist, and it is because he is so, that we are 

 unwilling our readers should believe that we en- 

 dorse his theory of March and April pruning. 

 If he had pi-uned a portion of his trees in June or 

 October, there would be opportunity of compar- 

 ison on his own grounds — but there is none now. 



The highest authorities we have are opposed 

 to Mr. Morrison's theory. Prof. Lixdslet, the 

 most eminent horticulturist in our knowledge, 

 says — "take care never to wound trees at the 

 time when their sap first begins to flow ; after a 

 time, the demand upon tlie system by the leaves 

 becomes so great that there is no surplus, and 

 therefore bleeding does not take place when a 

 wound in inflicted." 



Downing says — "There are advantages and dis- 

 advantages attending all seasons of pruning, but 

 our own experience has led us to believe that 

 practically, a fortnight before midsummer is by 

 far the best season, on the whole, for pruning ui 

 the northern and middle States.'^ 



PoNTEV and Loudon both say — "There is, how- 

 ever, one season for pruning unquestionably 

 preferable to all others, as far as the welfare of 

 the tree is concerned. It is well known to phys- 



