No. 4. 



Pruning Fi'idt Trees. — Housetvife's Duties. 



119 



best orcliard is a deep loam ; no one, for profit, 

 should plant on a strono; clay, or a cold sharp 

 gravel, but wiiere this cannot bo avoided, let 

 the land be most effectually under-drained, 

 and never dig into the substratum ; rather 

 plant high and cover with fresh mould, sow- 

 ing on it white clover — very much of the 

 success of the whole operation depends upon 

 this. In pruning, never omit the medicated 

 tar, it is strongly operative in the destruction 

 of insects, removing the effects of canker, 

 arresting the state of decay, and giving a 

 smoothness to the bark and a freshness of 

 growth : canker arises from animalcula^, and 

 if the only object be to remove the canker, 

 hog's-lard with the sublimate might do, but 

 where water is to be guarded against, tar is 

 superlatively better than lard. JMr. Morshead 

 practised close-pruning and medication on a 

 great variety of fruit-trees, of all ages, which 

 succeeded beyond his expectations. Trees 

 under such care must, with their remaining 

 free shoots, grow large, which requiring a 

 great flow of sap, will keep the roots in con- 

 stant employ, and from that very source, ne- 

 cessarily establish permanent health." 

 Here follows the epitome of pruning — 

 "Take off every stump, close to the body 

 or branch of the tree — the decayed and 

 blighted branches, with all that cross the 

 tree, or where the leaves curl — close, smootii, 

 and even. In all gummy trees, such as the 

 cherry, the peach, &c., pare the gum down 

 close to the bark, and even a little within, 

 but not to destroy the bark ; open the fissures 

 from whence the gum oozes, to the bottom ; 

 cut away the blotches and pare down the 

 canker, then anoint all the wounds with the 

 medication, smearing a little over those can- 

 kering places which are not large enough to 

 bear cutting, wash the tree, rub off the moss, 

 but do not, shorten a single branch." 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Housewife's Duties. 



Sir, — Although I receive the Cabinet regu- 

 larly as the day of publication arrives, yet, 

 long before the appointed time, I have ex- 

 hausted the pages of the last number, and 

 have, therefore, to turn to the former volumes 

 for agricultural provender, until I am sup- 

 plied with fresh matter in the forthcoming 

 number ; and I find that many of the articles 

 contained in them will bear re-perusing more 

 than once; indeed they derive additional in- 

 terest from a re-examination, and on some 

 occasions I have found that before this, I had 

 not done justice to their contents. 



It is now the first of another month, and 

 being again out of reading, I last evening 

 turned to the fourth volume, and happened to 

 fall upon Mrs. Jenkinson's interesting article 



on the silk business, at p. 24; and as I gene- 

 rally, upon such occasions, read aloud to my 

 wife and daughters, I could but admire how 

 they chimed in with Mrs. Janet on the sub- 

 ject of "odd times;" they, too, being of opi- 

 nion that if the liousework of a farm, with a 

 dairy of 2.'3 cows, be not enough to keep the 

 hands and heads of the farmer's wife and 

 daughters pretty full, why then, " they don't 

 know." And yet, Mr. Editor, v>'hat are the 

 duties which formers' wives and daughters 

 of the present day have to perform, compared 

 with what they were called upon to do two 

 hundred years ago] You may think this "a 

 long time ago," but if you will admit into 

 your pages the following extracts, from an 

 agricultural work published 224 years since, 

 I guess you will agree with me in thinking 

 that at that time of day tliey had no " odd 

 times" — strange if they had ! 



" I do not find the place of a housewife to 

 be of less care than the office of her husband, 

 understood always, that she is acquitted of 

 field matters, inasmuch as she is tied to those 

 of the house and base court — the horses ex- 

 cepted — as he is tied to the business of the 

 field. Likewise, she is to look unto the 

 things necessary about kine, calves, hogs, 

 pigs, pigeons, geese, ducks, peacocks, hens, 

 and other sorts of beasts, as well for the feed- 

 ing of them as for the milking of them ; the 

 making of butter and cheese, and the keeping 

 of lard, to dress the labouring men their 

 victuals withal: yea, farther, she has the 

 cliarge of the oven and cellar ; the handling 

 of hemp, and also the making of webs ; of 

 looking to the clipping of sheep, of keeping 

 their fleeces, of combing and spinning of 

 wool to make cloth to clothe the family ; of 

 ordering the kitchen-garden, and keeping the 

 fruits, herbs, roots and seeds, and moreover, 

 of watching and attending the bees. It is 

 true, that the buying and selling of cattle be- 

 longeth to her husband, as also the hiring and 

 paying of servants; but the surplus to be 

 employed and laid out in small matters, linen, 

 clothes for the household and furniture — that 

 of a certainty belongeth unto her. She must 

 be such an one as must be subservient unto 

 God and to her husband, given to store up, to 

 lay up and to lock up ; painful, peaceable, not 

 loving to stir from home ; mild to such as are 

 under her when there is need, sharp and se- 

 vere when occasion requires ; not contentious, 

 or full of words, toying or tattling, nor 

 drowsy-headed. Let her always have her 

 eye upon the maids ; first at work, last from 

 it, first up, and last in bed ; not suffering the 

 least trifle to be purloined : not grumbling at 

 any time for any service done to the lord of 

 the farm, knowing that the value of a crura 

 of bread denied unto him may lose the quan- 

 tity of a whole loaf afterward. Let her not 



