

U L^'YciM^, 



Notes on the June Number. — Managefnent of Fruit Trees that bear every 

 alternate Year. — Mr. Todd's principles are undoubtedly correct and well stated, 

 but I want to know a little more about his method of applying them. What 

 does he mean by "whipping off" the blossoms? I must confess that to me it 

 is a new operation in horticulture. Does he actually take a horsewhip and 

 flagellate the tree till half the blossoms are removed ? If this is his meaning, I 

 must decidedly object to it, for the reason that he will be sure to take of all the 

 leaves with the flowers. Look at the cluster of flowers carefully, and you will 

 find just back of them a bunch of leaves produced from the same bud, and when 

 a tree is in full bearing these comprise the greater part of the leaves on the tree. 

 Now the only way to remove these blossoms and save the leaves is to pinch off 

 the blossoms carefully, and this is the way I have done, though if any one object 

 that this would take too much time, I must admit that it does on large trees, and 

 my advice is, if you want to change the bearing year of your trees, begin while 

 they are young, and train them in good habits. But I do not think I could possi- 

 bly do such a barbarous thing as to flog my innocent apple trees until I had 

 divested them of all the blossoms and leaves too. 



Scraping Apple Trees. — Sound doctrine, Mr. Editor, on that subject, and 

 there is need of it, too, for many an orchard has been injured by scraping off the 

 rough bark, leaving the tender, inner bark exposed to the sun and all the changes 

 of the weather. Mr. Needham has treated us -to another subject besides that 

 included in the title of his article, and though I have never tried manuring apple 

 trees with pomace, the theory is good, and it is corroborated by Mr. Todd, whom 

 I have criticised above, in his Apple Culturist. Bismarck. 



