650 TjiAjXSACTIOyS OF THE AMERICAS lySTITUTE. 



being plowed too deep. The only way to make such soil of much 

 worth is to apply mineral substance. Any one who has soil of this 

 character may try the experiment on a small scale, as this is one of 

 the lessons Mr. Greeley's practice teaches. 



Mr. P. T. Quinn, — I was at Mr. Greeley's recently, and he told me 

 that he was fully convinced of the importance of deep culture in 

 connection with underdraining, by the experience of the past season. 

 The truth is, much of Mr. Greeley's corn grew on land as black as 

 my hat, that has not had a shovel full of gravel thrown on it, and 

 this corn was as good as the other. The land was all plowed ten 

 inches and a foot deep, and while his neighbors were all burned up, 

 he has made about sixty bushels shelled corn to the acre. Still, one 

 of the members stated here not long ago, that Dr. Ilexamer had 

 said that Mr. Greeley's deep plowing practices would not do. 



Dr. F. M. Hexamer. — I understand. The apostles of shallow cul- 

 ture want reinforcements, and have hastened to conclusions. I am 

 not with them more than with the other extremists. I advocate the 

 using of common sense everywhere, and always in farming. When 

 land is light and mellow, I question the propriety, as a general prac- 

 tice, of going deep. Nature has subsoiled some sections, as, for 

 instance, Salem county, N. J. If land is hard, plow deep, but go 

 down gradually. 



Pruning Treks. 



Mr. S. Curtis, Pagetown, Ohio, having noted Mr. Quinn's advice 

 to prune trees in winter, wrote to ask the whys and wherefores, and 

 said : " I trim mine in June, or when the bark is loose. Trees thus 

 pruned the past season, made more progress in healing the wounds 

 made, than those that were made on the same trees early the spring 

 previous, with two seasons' growth. Great care must be used in 

 operation, so as not to bruise or loosen the bark ; saw the limbs oif 

 with a fine saw ; use a firmer chisel well sharpened, paring the wound 

 made smooth and nice, as an old maid would trim her finger nails." 



Mr. P. T. Quinn. — If any person were to ask me when to remove 

 a large branch I should reply, without hesitation, in July or August, 

 when the sap is active. But during these months farm work presses, 

 and the orchard is likely to receive little attention. This being so, 

 the work must be done before or after the hurry. I have never expe- 

 rienced bad results by using the knife and saw from February to 

 mid-April, provided the wounds be left smooth and clean. To be 



