Pruning. 145 



safety-valve, loaded so as to give pressure enough for the distributing ap- 

 paratus, but opening and relieving the strain when the hose-man shuts 

 down while the pump is working, — a state of things which must constantly 

 happen. Very many places have ponds or brooks in their lower borders, 

 where this simple arrangement would enable their owners to water them 

 amply and quickly, with little expense after the first outlay for pump, pipes, 

 and power. 



One other method of irrigation should be mentioned, though of very 

 limited application : where a spring or brook is so situated that we can 

 lead it along an artificial channel on the upper edge of our field, we can 

 tap this channel at any desired point, and allow the water to flow for a time 

 over part of the field or along little ditches, changing the water to other 

 parts when required. This is much the cheapest way to distribute water 

 where the circumstances permit, and is very common in Lombardy and 

 Colorado. But few fields, however, are so situated hereabouts as to admit 

 of its application. The field needs to be graded to a nearly uniform slope 

 in order to make the distribution of tlie water by this method at all easy. 



Brookline, Mass. IVUiia/n D. Philbrick. 



PRUNING. 



We find among practical men a great diversity ot views respecting the 

 performance of the operations upon our trees that make up what is com 

 monly known as pruning and trimming. Some advocate the free use of 

 the knife and saw ; others insist that the latter instrument should never be 

 brought near a tree, except in case of disease, or accident which may 

 require the excision of a large limb. Such people insist that all trimming 

 should have been done with the pocket-knife while the branches were 

 small enough to be removed by that instrument. This is veiy well ; but 

 it is to be feared our orchardists will not soon be so well informed as to 

 the future needs of their trees as to be able to see in the young specimen 

 what may be required by the plant when it shall have become fully devel- 

 oped. The knife is a very effective implement, and it may do wonders in 



