No. IG. 



Pruning Fruit Trees— Stir the Earth Beep. 



31i 



others ; and would hardly look for much in- 

 formation from the perusal of his manual of 

 beet sugar making ; and how he can have 

 some "good additions to make to it," founded 

 upon his experiments with a glassful of 

 juice, I am curious to know — his means of 

 information in France must have been slen- 

 der indeed ! 



One thing is sure, whenever the business 

 is taken up by competent persons in a proper 

 manner, success is as certain as that the sun 

 will rise to-morrow. 



I am your subscriber and constant reader, 

 J. W. B. 



Bucks Co. April 20, 1833. 



PruHiMg Friait Trees. 



This operation is directed to be performed 

 by a writer in the Horticultural Register, in 

 the winter. The common practice is to 

 prune in the spring. Both we conceive to 

 be wrong. It is unnecessary again here to 

 repeat our reasons, for pruning at mid-suin- 

 mer. We will only add, that our opinion in 

 this matter is fortified by the philosophy and 

 practice of the late Rev. Dr. Dwight, and by 

 four year's observation and practice in oar 

 own grounds. We prune in the last of June 

 and first part of July. We earnestly recom- 

 menda trial of the practice. — Cultivator. 



The objects of pruning are at least three 

 fold. We trim shade trees to produce sym- 

 metry of form. We trim forest trees to pro- 

 duce a handsome and valuable bole, or stem, 

 for timber. And we prune fruit trees for the 

 double purpose of giving them a good siiape, 

 and of inducing them to bear well. To the 

 pomologist that shape is most handsome, in a 

 fruit tree, which indicates the best bearing 

 qualities. It is remarked, particularly of the 

 apple, that upright shoots produce less abun- 

 dantly than those which grow horizontal, or 

 deviate materially from an upright form. — 

 Hence, in forming the head of a young apple 

 tree, it is customary to take out the upright 

 shoot, when the tree has attained a proper 

 height, say seven to nine feet, and to leave 

 three or tour laterals or limbs to tbrra the 

 liead. And as pruning does not increase the 

 quantity of wood, but has a different tendency 

 and effect, by lessening the leaves, which 

 are the organs of nutrition, the upright shoot 

 BJiould not be taken out until the laterals have 

 acquired considerable wood and foliage. In 

 pruning fruit trees, all limbs which are like- 

 ly to interfere witli each other, should be 

 takeu out while they are small. Tlie head 

 of the tree should be kept open, so as to ad- 

 mit light and air, essential to the maturity of 

 tl;e ft'uit. la pruning all trees in. the nur- 



sery, tlie limbs should be left always upon 

 one-third of the stem, that is, only two-thirds 

 of the stem should be denuded of limbs. 



For the Fanutis' Cabinet. 

 STIR THE EARTH DEEP, 



Deep ploughing has been much recom- 

 mended and but little practised; the reasons 

 for which I suppose are, that proper imple- 

 ments for that purpose are rarely possessed by 

 our farmers, and few»choose to incur much 

 expense to supply themselves with suitable 

 utensils when they are not fully convinced 

 that a profit will arise from their use. Hav- 

 ing met with the following simple and appa- 

 rently efficient plough coulter, as it is called,, 

 in tlie Farmer's Register, with a recommen- 

 dation subjoined, from one of the most into'-- 

 ligent farmers in Virginia, I beg of you to 

 have a wood cut made of it, and publish the 

 description and use of it in your very useful 

 and interesting little work the Farmers' 

 Cabinet. I liave no doubt but many of our 

 enterprising farmers, will at once see the im- 

 portance of bringing it into use, on our stiff 

 soils, to loosen up the earth for tliree or four 

 inches dee])er than our common ploughs go, 

 witliout bringing the earth from below on to,, 

 or mixing it with the surface soil. One 

 horse attached to it, and walking in the fur- 

 row after the common ploughman, will effect 

 all that is required. This process of stirring 

 the earth to a greater depth than is usual in 

 common ploughjpg will, in time of much wet, 

 suffer the superabundant moisture to sink 

 away, and not injure the plants by diluting 

 their food too much; and in time of drought 

 the fibres of the roots will penetrate to a 

 greater depth in search of their appropriate 

 I nutriment. This method of loosening the 

 1 earth to a greater depth than is usual, is like 

 all those good old rules that work equally 

 well both ways; wet or dry., 

 "Ploiish deep wliile slns^rgaids sleep. 

 And you shall have corn, to sell and to keep." E. 

 l-'la7i and description of an excellent Coidter. 

 A very brief description will suffice for the 

 coulter, the original contriver of which I do 

 not know; for I met with it about two years 

 ago, on board the Rappahannock steam boat, 

 in possession of a gentleman who could give 

 me no other account of it, tlmn that he pro- 

 cured it from the late Mr George Banks of 

 Stafford county. I. was so struck with its. 

 manifest superiority to any coulter 1 had seen 

 before, that I immediately made a sketch of 

 it; iiad one made as soon as I could ; and have 

 been using them ever since, with a decided 

 preference to all others. None, of which I 

 have any knowledge, are superior to it, in any 

 one respect, while this is superior to them all 

 in two important particulars; you may wear 

 out both points, by reversing tliem before yon 



