46-1 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Oct. 



short stall when big with calf, and the property of 

 a previous owner. For a fortnight before calving, 

 nearly every morning it would be necessary to re- 

 turn this fallen sack. Before doing so, itshould 

 be carefully washed with a soft sponge and hike 

 warm water. It may then be returned by raising 

 it with the palms of the hands underneath and 

 gently pushing inwards. If not inflamed greatly 

 it will u^Hally slip readily into its place. 



A cow big with calf should be carefully treated, 

 and allowed plenty of room, and for some little 

 time before calving kfpt by herself in a roomy 

 comfortable place. A good farmer or stock breeder 

 will have a place or places fitted for this purpose. 

 Aside from the inhumanity, it is one of the-most 

 impolitic and destructive of neglects to allow any 

 domestic animal to suffer for the want of proper 

 attention. Much >3 yet to be learned on the part 

 of those who have the care of dumb creatures, in 

 the way of securing their comfort. 



CRUELTY TO SHEEP. 



I have just been informed by a perfectly reliable 

 gentleman that a few days since, during the hot- 

 test weather, he saw in the town of Westport, four 

 wagon loads of sheep from I^aushon Island, hav- 

 ing been brought across Buzzard's Bay, and car- 

 ried some seven or eight miles over a rough road, 

 under the broiling sun, and suffered to remain in 

 this condition in Irout of the slaughter house, 

 until the next day ; havirig been, as be supposed, 

 some forty-eight hours thus incarcerated. When 

 it is remembered how much sheep and little lambs 

 suffer from the heat even in pastures, it must 

 readily be seen how great must have been their 

 sutFering by such unwarrantable cruelty. The 

 earth still groans with cruelty ; and man's inhu- 

 manity to the brute creacion, must cause even an- 

 gels to weep. Let every friend of humanity ex- 

 ert all his influence for an improvement, for with- 

 out humanity thei'e can be no true religion. R. 



New Bedford, Mass., July 26, 1870. 



PRUNING APPLE TREES. 



I wish to know the best way to trim a young 

 orchard. I have one of three hundred trees, sixty- 

 five of which are grafted in the root, and have 

 been set nine years. Some of them cover one rod 

 of ground with the top. How shall 1 trim these ? 

 Shall I cut off the ends of the branches, or other- 

 wise ? About one huncked are seedlings, which 

 commenced to blossom this year; the remainder 

 are grafted trees — some four years, some two years 

 from the scion. How should they be pruned and 

 taken care of? How shall I keep the bark-lice off 

 of them ? I have some trees that are very lousy. 

 Will dry ashes or air-slacked lime, scattered into 

 the trees when wet, do any good ? 



Backwoodsman. 



North Montpelier; Vt., 1870. 



Remarks.— The true way to prune an apple free 

 is to commence upon it as soon as a branch starts 

 in a wrong direction. That is, if it turns in so as 

 to cross the tree, or if its direction will lead it to 

 cross other branches, take it ott" as early as possi- 

 ble. 



On good soil, nearly every apple tree will 

 throw out more limbs than ought to grow. The cul- 

 tivator, therefore, must see them often during the 

 growing season, and take away such portions of 

 the branches, while young, as will leave the tree 

 suflBciently open to admit light and air, and to be 

 as evenly balanced as possililc. He cannot do this 

 in one year or two, but must bring them into shape 

 in the course of ten or twelve years. He must 



look at the tree prospectively ; have in his mind's 

 eye all the time just what shape he would like to 

 see when the tree is fifteen years old. 



It is not common to head in apple trees ; that 

 is, to cut off the ends of the branches. Some of 

 the side shoots of the branches ought to be taken 

 out near their extremities, if the tree is vigorous, 

 which will leave it open to external influences. 



It will be a slow and difficult thing to keep off 

 the bark-lice. Quick-lime scattered over tba 

 branches might be useful, especially if applied 

 when or soon after the grub hatches out, say from 

 the 20th of May to the 20th of June, according to 

 section and season ; but a pretty strong soap-suds, 

 applied with a scrubbing-brush such as the women 

 scour floors with, would be better. A weak fish 

 brine, such as may be obtained at the stores from 

 mackerel barrels, is said to be efficacious in de- 

 stroying bark-lice, so we are informed. The dry 

 ashes would be excellent for the trees, even if it 

 did not kill the lice. 



A few simple rules should always be observed 

 in pruning. 



1. Never prune when the sap is running freely, 

 as in March, April and May. But, 



2. When the sap has gone up to form bud, blos- 

 som, leaf and fruit, and is elaborated into a thick- 

 er, gummy substance, and is descending between 

 the bark and sapwood to increase the diameter of 

 the tree. This will take place about the middle of 

 June, and continue two or three weeks, and again 

 after the leaves have fallen in the autumn. 

 Branches cut off at these times will rarely bleed, 

 but soon form a ring of smooth, green bark 

 around them, and heal over rapidly. 



3. All branches should be cut off smoothly, 

 and close up to the stock from whence they are 

 taken. If a stump is left, there is no action in it ; 

 it never heals over, but soon decays, and the decay 

 runs into the main branch, and checks the vitality 

 of the whole tree. 



More trees are injured by cutting them at the 

 wrong season, we think, than by any other cause. 



RED-HUMPED CATERPILLAR. — Notodouta COTl- 



cinna. 

 Specimens of this caterpillar were recently re- 

 ceived from a correspondent in New Hampshire, 

 we believe, but unfortunately the accompanying 

 letter was mislaid. They are something entirely 

 new to our correspondent, who gave a brief de- 

 scription of their gregarious habits, and remarked 

 that they were hideous looking creatures, appear- 

 ing as though they had a head on each end. We 

 have occasionally found them upon our apple 

 trees, but have never known them in sufficieut 

 numbers to cause any serious damage, though 

 they make a clean sweep of the foliage as far as 

 they go. Being an "old acquaintance" we regard 

 them as one of the best dressed and most beautiful 

 caterpillars we ever saw, unless we except the 

 Tussock Moth. With a clean red head and red 

 hump, with bodies handsomely striped with longi- 



