522 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



leaves, twigs, in short of everything but the 

 bark. Every leaf which appears along the 

 young stem should be encouraged. It any 

 strong shoot break out, let it be checked ; but 

 all other laterals should be allowed to go on 

 at least to the end of July, when they may 

 be stopped by pinching ofT their points. In 

 the following autumn cut them off closely 

 from the lower portion of the stem, and .short- 

 en the rest back to one eye. In the follow- 

 ing season these eyes will push fresh shoots ; 

 treat them like their predecessors in summer, 

 and clear an additional portion of the stem 

 below, in autumn, by closely cutting the 

 laterals which may have pushed therefrom. 

 By this mode of procedure, self-supporting 

 Bterns can be generally insured. 



The formation of the top must now be con- 

 sidered. The hight of clear stem being de- 

 termined, ihe upright leader exceeding that 

 hight in summer by several inches, must be 

 shortened back at the ensuing winter-pruning, 

 BO that the lowest of the three buds imme- 

 diately below the section shall correspond 

 with the intended hight of stem. These three 

 buds will give rise to three shoots, which 

 should be encouraged for the commencement 

 of the branches of the tree. Each of them, 

 as they proceed in growth, should be made 

 to diverge at an angle of about 45*-", or half 

 way between the horizontal and perpendicu- 

 lar directions ; and at the same time, the 

 ahoots should be kept equidistant from each 



other. At the winter-pruning, they should 

 be shortened to within nine inches or a foot 

 of their bases ; particularly observing to cut 

 above two buils pointing outward in the di- 

 rection which it v/ould be desirable the 

 shoots proceeding from them should take. — 

 Six limbs will thus be originated. Again, a 

 little attention in summer will ensure an 

 equal divergence of the shoots from the per- 

 pendicular, and equal distances from each 

 other. Meanwhile a gi-adual divestment of 

 the temporary shoots on the stem is presumed 

 to have annually taken place as above recom- 

 mended. The scars resulting from the sup- 

 pression of those on the lower part of the 

 stem will have nearly or quite healed over ; 

 for this process will be greatly accelerated 

 by the action of leaves on shoots left alcove. 

 It may be observed that after all these tem- 

 porary shoots are removed from them, their 

 beneficial effects continue ; for the roots form- 

 ed by their agency still remain to contribute 

 to tho future growth of the tree. 



After the principal branches have been 

 started, it would be well to regulate the 

 growth of the top for a few years longer, by 

 checking, about midsummer, any shoots that 

 are over-luxuriant, or that are taking a wrong 

 direction. Afterward, little pruning will be 

 required. The branches should be kept thin 

 enough to admit sufficient sun and air ; and 

 after bearing heavy crops, portions of the ex- 

 tremities should be a little shortened. 



CULTURAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE POTATO FOR 1848. 



It seems on all bands to be agreed that 

 early planting of tho potato is advisable. 

 The first point of importance is selecting and 

 cultivating the earliest kinds, and at the ear- 

 liest possible season ; not that early varieties 

 have been less subject to disease than others, 

 for if cultivated at a late period of the sum- 

 mer all have proved alike affected. Hence 

 the utility of treating late kinds as precoci- 

 ties, which plan, be it remarked, we have 

 had recourse to with success, by raising them 

 in pots on slight heat, early in April, and 

 planting them out finally in May on open 

 compartments, taking precaution to cut down 

 the hauhn or straw at the end of July, and 

 in this way we have obtained an abundant 

 sound crop, and large, which has kept well 

 up to the present time. We recommend our 

 frieuds to adopt the same plan, and we vouch 

 for satisfactory results, for wo flatter our- 

 selves this is a decided cultural improve- 

 ment in late kinds, and of national impor- 

 tance, as we conceive nearly double the land 

 usually allotted to them will be required to 

 produce ample supplies of early potatoes if 

 late ones become extinct. Upon the same 

 principle they may be ripened earlier on a 

 (962) 



larger scale by simply plastering a wann bed 

 2 inches thick with puddled dung or loam, 

 which will more readily adhere to the roots 

 when transplanted, then placing the sets 

 firmly, as close as they may be conveniently 

 removed with a ti'owel, finally covering them 

 about 2 inches vi'ith light mould, precisely as 

 with dahlias, to be slightly protected in case 

 of frost until their final destination in May. 

 We hope this will induce those who aro 

 about to raise potatoes from seed to be as 

 early in the field as circumstances will ad- 

 mit, as the gi'eater probability of success de- 

 pends on raising them before the ordinary 

 time, also of obtaining early selected seed, as 

 seeds gathered and raised indiscriminately 

 have signally failed, while the former have 

 produced a crop of sound tubers, and many 

 of ample size for the table the first year. 

 For the encouragement of tyros in this de- 

 pnrtnjeut, we observe that on 7 rods under 

 this early treatment, we have fiom one small 

 packet of selected seed, value 7d., obtained 

 .5 bushels of seedlings, sufficient to plant half 

 an acre of land, which we intend to plant t^ 

 ensuing season, not fearing success. \Ye 

 would farther add that no one need be ap- 



