PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 243 



doing this is found in the principle enunciated by Licbiji^, viz: "That decay- 

 is much retarded by the absence of moisture, and by the substance being 

 surrounded by an atmosphere of carbonic acid, wiiich prevents the oxygen 

 of the air from coming in contact with decaying matter." 



Butter, eggs, meat, game, partially cooked fruits, fruit juices, or almost 

 any substance liable to decay, can be kept in one of these preeervatories. 



The regular subject, Pruning, was then taken up. 



Mr. Thos. ('avenach. — Visitors to the Central Park, cannot fail to observe 

 how systematically the trees and shrubs, which adorn that beautiful resort, 

 are pruned; all superfluous branches are removed and the greatest care 

 taken to form tlie remaining branches into a symmetrical shape. Pruning, 

 when judiciously performed, is an operation which is highly beneficial to 

 most kinds of trees and shrubs. B3' pruning we not only bring the plant 

 into a better form, but we can, in a great measure, control the vital forces, 

 distributing them through all' its various ramifications; giving each fruit 

 and flower a due proportion. The secret of successful pruning, consist;^ in 

 knowing the nature of the particular tree or shrub to be operated upon, 

 and the future use of each shoot or branch. If carried to too great an 

 extent, the object is not attained, for every plant requires a certain amount 

 of leaves for the elaboraticm of its sap; if this be reduced too much, flowers 

 are produced less abundantly. On the other hand, if the branches are 

 allowed to grow too thick they shade those beneath them and so exclude 

 the light as to prevent that perfect elaboration of the sap, without which 

 no blossom buds are formed, but an excessive amount of leaves are formed in 

 the vain effort to obtain, byalarger surface that elaboration, which a smaller 

 surface would effect in a more intense light. Only a few general rules can 

 be given, as the particular treatment necessary, for each tree or shrub, 

 must be decided at the time the operation is performed. The first pruning 

 a tree or shrub receives is when it is young, and this is for the purpose of 

 giving it a regular form. If the tree is to be grown as a standard, most 

 of the side branches should be cut awaj' and the main, stem topped, when 

 it reaches the height at which it is desirable to form the top; but with 

 dwarf trees we must reverse the treatment; we then cut back the main 

 stem lower down to induce the side branches to grow. When a tree has 

 produced a number of side branches, care should be taken to remove all 

 superfluous shoots, as t\wy generally throw out many more than is needful. 

 Most people think it will ruin a plant to remove strong and healthy shoots; 

 but it should be borne in mind, that each shoot will not only increase in 

 size, but will produce more or less side branches which will cause the 

 space between them to be filled with small and weak shoots, and in this 

 way producing a weak growth all over the tree. Some kinds of trees, as 

 the apple, plum, pear and cherry, produce their fruit on spurs of one or two 

 inches in length, which grow from the main branches; these spurs if not 

 injured will C(jntinue to bear many years; so that when we have produced 

 a proper number of main branches, regularly arranged, all that is neces- 

 sary, for some years, is to keep the new branches from coming in contact, 

 or any particular one from taking the lead, and thereby drawing to itself 

 more than its proper share of sap. 



Trees of the kinds named, when trained as dwarfs, require a continual 



