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THE GENESEE FARMER. 



July 



a, Fig. 2, and left to hang for a week or so, the effect 

 will be more complete, for the sap is not so suddenly 

 checked as when removed at once, and therefore the 

 remaining buds arc not so likely to push again into 

 wood. At the end of a week or so, these broken 

 points can be cleanly removed with a knife. 



Another case requiring summer pruning or pinch- 

 ing, is to maintain a due relative degrcce of vigor 

 among the different parts of the tree. It very often 

 occurs that one branch will acquire so much more 

 vigor than others, as to destroy the balance of the 

 tree if left to itself all summer. All such cases should 

 receive attention as soon as the difficulty becomes 

 obvious. A simple pinching of a strong shoot over- 

 growing and robbing its neighbor, reduces its vigor 

 and allows the others to come up. 



Another case still where pinching is of importance, 

 is to check, or remove entirely, shoots that are either 

 misplaced, awkward, or superfluous. By rubbing or 

 pinching them off" while soft, they are completely got 

 rid of ; but if allowed to remain till the end of the sea- 

 son and then pruned off', a portion of the sap and 

 force of the tree has' been uselessly expended and the 

 foundation laid for future crops of similar produc- 

 tions. 



Besides these points, which we call the summer 

 pruning, there are others that should not be over- 

 looked. Where a branch takes a wrong direction, 

 either too much to one side, too pendulous, or too 

 erect, it should be brought to its proper place and 

 kept there by means of ties or props. Persons who 

 will give attention to these details, will soon acquire 

 the necessary skill and experience, and be able to 

 mould their trees into any desirable form, and at the 

 same time hasten and insure their fruitfulness. 



FRUIT CULTURE IN CONNECTICUT. 



There are three difficulties in the way of raising fruit 

 in the western portions of this State — the Climate, 

 Storms, and the Soil. 



1st, The Climate. — When the country was new, 

 peaches, plums, &c., would grow in abundance, al- 

 most without care or cultivation. Now they are 

 raised only in some favored spots, and not even there 

 without great care. They thrive tolerably well for a 

 few years, and then die without apparent cause. The 

 last winter was not severe, and yet I counted, yester- 

 day, six or eight peach trees in one garden, that had 

 but just attained the size for full bearing, all appa- 

 rently dead. 



2d, Storms. — These are often very severe, being 

 accompanied by high winds. In winter they are 

 called " ice Storms," i. e., storms that commence 

 with snow or sleet, and end with rain : which, freez- 

 ing on everything as it falls, loads the trees, &lc. with 

 ice so heavily as often to cause the partial, or entire, 

 destruction of many trees, and sometimes of nearly 

 whole orchards. Several years may sometimes pass 

 without serious damage from these storms, but gen- 

 erally, more or less injury is done every winter. Or- 

 namental and forest trees also suffer much, being 

 rendered unsightly by the loss of many of their 

 branches. Similar storms occur in summer, except the 

 freezing, accompanied by winds so violent as to blow, 

 or ratiier heat, otY young fruit, leaves, branches, &.c. 



3J, The ISoil. — Though much of the country is 

 hilly, and even mountainous, yet the soil is often so 

 wet and marshy, even on the uplands, as to be unfa- 

 vorable to the growth of the apple, and much of it 



wholly unfit, in its natural state, for the cultivation 

 of the peach, pear, plum, he. This difficulty might 

 be greatly lessened, and in most places entirely re- 

 moved, by a judicious system of draining. But such 

 are the stereotyped notions of the people generally, 

 (there are some exceptions,) that few, comparatively, 

 are willing to believe, or to act, on the subject, and 

 those who do, seem often unwilling to be advised, and 

 conduct their draining operations very injudiciously, 

 and, of course, unprofitably. Hence, farming and 

 gardening operations are frequently very much re- 

 tarded ; so that fields and gardens that might be in a 

 condition for the plow, or the spade, early in May, 

 are now often undisturbed until the beginning of 

 June. II. — Doivn East, .May, 1851. 



NOTES ON SPRING FLOWERINa SHRUBS AND 

 PLANTS. 



The Double Flowering Crimson Currant — (Bibes 

 Sanguinea Jlore pleno.)— Among the early flowering 

 shrubs, we have this season been particularly well 

 pleased with this new flowering Currant. We had 

 many young plants bloom in great perfection, both in 

 the houses and in the open ground. It forces well ; 

 indeed, a specimen in a pot, when in full bloom, we 

 considered as elegant as anything we have had in our 

 whole collection. The foliage and habit of the plant 



J 



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DOUBLE FLOWERING CRIMSON C0RRANT. 



differs but little from other currants, but the flowers 

 are produced in long bunches like the old Single 

 Crimson — have the same brilliant color, with the ad- 

 dition of being quite double. It is really an acquisi- 

 tion, and we can cordially recommend it for small, 

 choice collections. It flourishes, like all its family, 

 in any common garden soil, and is readily propagated 

 by layers or cuttings. We believe it originated in 

 France and was there first introduced to culture in 

 1845, and has now become widely disseminated. 



