INSECTS AND DISEASES. 59 



the wood. From these it is apparent that on most of our western 

 soils, application of lime and potash will be found requisite to the 

 production of healthy wood and fruit. Upon much of the heavily 

 timbered lands of the west, which have been cut and burned, the 

 ashes from the burned wood has furnished all the lime and potash 

 requisite to success for a certain length of time ; but, already, there 

 are orchards in Ohio, where application of lime and potash in the form 

 of wood ashes or otherwise, is required in order to retain health of 

 trees, and perfection in fruit. The western prairie soils require these 

 only ; of all other ingredients they are naturally abundantly sup- 

 plied, and application of animal manure is not needed. 



Cultivation. Cultivation of the soil of a young orchard is as req- 

 uisite to success as cultivation of a crop of corn ; but while the trees 

 should be kept free from weeds, suckers, insects, and the like, they 

 should not be so stimulated by application of animal or liquid ma- 

 nures as to induce rank growth. All such over-supply of stimulus 

 induces a degree of tenderness in the constitution, early fruitfulness 

 and consequent early decay. We recall to mind as we write, two 

 orchards planted about thirty-five years since, one of which has 

 always been highly, even excitingly, cultivated, and is now decay- 

 ing ; while the other has been more regularly and moderately 

 grown, and is now in a healthy fruiting state. All crcjjs besides 

 wheat, rye, oats, and clover, may be grown in an orchard. Pota- 

 toes, peas, and corn are most advisable. 



Pruning. The pruning of the apple, as an orchard tree, if an- 

 nually attended, is but a light task ; it should consist mainly of 

 cutting away all branches that have a tendency to cross or overlap 

 one another to stop back side limbs that are apparently drawing 

 too rapidly and creating irregular form, and to cut out rank shoots. 

 This is the main of orchard pruning, after the heads are once formed, 

 as they should be at planting, or the first year thereafter, by cutting 

 to a regular rounded form. Some varieties produce their fruit upon 

 short spurs on the limbs ; others on the extreme ends of slender 

 shoots of previous year's growth, and must be pruned with refer- 

 ence thereto ; others, again, naturally grow upright and thick, these 

 require thinning out ; while others, are of straggling rampant habit, 

 requiring only the checking of branches at ends to maintain an even- 

 ly balanced tree ; these qualities will be found partially noted in our 

 descriptions of varieties. For the art of pruning, to create particu- 

 lar forms for the garden, and of dwarf trees, we refer our readers to 

 a previous chapter. 



Insects and diseases. Of bisects injurious to fruit trees, western 

 cultivators have, until within a few years, been comparatively ex- 



