THE GENESEE FARMER. 



185 



;heck than if a cleaa cut were made. He gives 

 ;he accompanjing illustratioa of piucbiug the lat- 

 jral branch of a pear tree:" 



Fie. 1. 



Fig. 2. 



Fig. 1, head of a young Iree ; d, the leader ; a, a, vigorous 

 tioots below it, that ought to iiave been pinched. Fig. 2. a 

 ranch of the pear, twice cut back with the lateral shoots piuch- 

 d ; a, a, th» first section ; c, o, c, the second ; b, and d, d, shoots 

 inclied close to favor the leader, and those above them. 



"The branch was cut back tlie first time to J, 

 Sg. 2) and below that point five shoots were 

 rod need, none of which were needed for branches. 

 7e, therefore, pinched tliein in June, when about 

 |hree inches long or thereabouts, and the result is, 

 liey are now fruit branches. The same branch 

 ras cut back the second time to d, d, and on that 

 action seven shoots were produced that were not 

 eeded in the form of the tree, and were conse- 

 uently pinched and will becoine fruit branches. 



t the points b and d, tZ, are sinall spurs, the base 

 f shoots that have been pinched close to favor 

 tie growth of the leader, as well as the develop- 

 lent of the shoots below. "Without pinching it 

 '^ould have been impossible to obtain, such results 

 1 this branch in the same time." 



"I have just been reading the leading article in 

 le last number of the London Agricultural Oa- 

 'Me. It opens with the question : ' What is the 

 lant which most occupies the attention and en- 

 ages the interest of the British farmer?' "What 

 you think it is? Is it wheat,- or barley, or oats? 

 r is it clover as a preparation for wheat, or of 

 irnips, which furnish such a large supply of suc- 



culent food for stock in winter, and enrich the land 

 so much for the following cereal crops? Is it 

 beans,' or peas, or vetches, or rape, which occupies 

 the thoughts and receives the attention of the 

 farmer and his men at this season? No. It is 

 CouoH Geass ! " 



" "We know little of couch grass in this country, 

 as yet, and it would be well if farmers and garden- 

 ers would eradicate every spear that makes its ap- 

 pearance — root and branch. On the light turnip 

 soils of England it is a great pest, and it will be 

 just as troublesome hfere if it once gets possession 

 of the soil." 



"■I once asked H. N. Lang-vvoetht, who has hnd 

 considerable experience with couch, or quack, what 

 was the best way to destroy it. "With a merry 

 twinkle of the eye he replied : ' Fork it up care- 

 fully, so as not to leave a particle of the root in 

 the ground. Then put it on the top of a stump 

 where the sun can scorch it. Then take a stone 

 and hammer it out flat. If the wind does not 

 blow it off the stump, I think it will die in the 

 course of the summer or the winter following.' " 



" This was, of course, a joke, but it showed how 

 tenacious of life he had found this weed. Tlie best 

 way is not to let it get into the ground. The earth 

 does not breed it, as some seem to suppose, and it 

 is much easier to keep it out than to destroy it 

 after it gets into the land," 



"The raspberries look exceedingly well this 

 spring ; but the suckers are springing up quite too 

 freely between the rows. They should be cut oflf 

 as soon as they appear, for there can be no doubt 

 that they rob the parent plant. In fact, it is well 

 to cut off every sucker from the hills, except the 

 four you require for next season's bearing canes. 

 The ground should not be dug over. It breaks the 

 roots, and this is one reason why so many suckers 

 spring up. Hoe the surface, and kill every weed, 

 and then give a heavy mulching of grass." 



"The raspberries that I transplanted last sum- 

 mer are doing well. It is the best method of start- 

 ing new raspberry plots. The' green suckers will 

 transplant as readily as cabbage plants, and will 

 bear fruit the next season." 



"The strawberries nejver looked better. The 

 plants are strong and vigorous and full of flowers, 

 I expect a great crop of "Wilsons, Early Scarlet, 

 Triomphe de Gand and Trollope's Victoria, Last 

 year I gave them a heavy dressing of sulphate of 

 ammonia and superphosphate, and they show the 

 effects of it now. I was rather amused to see di- 



