126 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
Pruning Orchards— Spring Pruning. 
Fiom the Western Farmer and Gardener, March 16. 
Fanners are, we suppose, universally busy, 
about this lime, in pruning their orchaids. 
This habit ot early spring pruning has been 
handed down to us Irotn English customs, and 
fanners do it because it always has been done. 
Besides, about this time, men have leisure, and 
would like to begin the season’s work; and 
pruning seems quite a natural employment 
with which to introduce the labors ol the year. 
It is not possible for American, but more em- 
phatically for Western cultivators, to do worse 
than to pattern upon the example of British and 
continental authorities in the matter ot orchards 
and vineyards. The summers of England are 
moist, cool and deficient in light. Our sum- 
mers are exactly the reverse; dry, fervid and 
brilliant. The stimuli of the elements with 
them are much below, and with us much above 
par. In consequence theirtrees have but a mo- 
derate growth ; ours are inclined to excessive 
growth. 
Their whole system ot open culture and wall 
training is founded upon the necessity of hus- 
banding all their resources. To avail them- 
selves of every panicle of light, they keep open 
the head of their trees, so that the parsimonious 
sunshine shall penetrate everv part of the tree. 
Let this be done with ns, and there are many of 
our trees that would be killed by the force of the 
sun’s rays upon the naked branches in a single 
season, or very much enfeebled. For the same 
general reasons the English reduce the quantity 
of bearing wood, shortening a part or wholly 
cutting it out, that the residue, having the 
whole energy ot the tree concentrated upon it, 
may perlect its fruit. Our difficulty being an 
excess of vitality, this system ot shortening 
and cutting out would cau.se the tree to send out 
suckers from the root and trunk, and would fill 
the head of the tree with rank water-shoots, or 
gourmands What would be thought of the 
people of the torrid z )pe should they borrow 
their customs of clothing Itom the practice ot 
Greenland 1 It would be as rational as it is for 
orchardists, in a land whose summers are long 
and of high temperature, to copy the customs 
of a land wno.ee .summers are prodigal of fog 
and rain, hut penurious ot heat and light. 
Except to remove liea l, dise.'sed, or interfer- 
ing branches, do not cut at all. 
But if pruning is to be di.nc, w-ait till after 
Corn pla nting. The best time to prune is the 
lime wb-n healing w'ill the quickest follow cut- 
ting. This is not in early spring but in early 
summer. The elements Iroin which new wood 
is pro luce 1 are not drawn from the rising sap, 
but Irom that which descends between the bark 
and wo >d ot the tree. This sap, called true 
sap, is the upward sap after it has gonethrough 
that che u ical laboratory, the leaf. Each leaf is 
a chemical c mtractor, doing up its part of the 
work ot preparing sap for use, as fast as it is 
sent up to It from the roots through the interior 
sap passages. In the leaf, the sap gives off and 
receives certain properties, and, when thusela- 
borated, it is charged with all those elements 
required fir the lormation and susieniation 
of everv part of the vegetable fabric. Descend- 
ing, it give.soiu its variousqualinestill it reach- 
es the r. ois, and whatever is ielt then passes 
out in o the soil 
Every mtn will perceive that if a tree is 
pruned in spring before it has a leaf out, there 
is no sap provided to repair the wound. A 
slight granulation mav take place, in certain 
circumstances, in some kin Is of plants, from the 
elements with which the tree was stored during 
the former season; hut, in point of fact, a cut 
usually remains without change untii the pro- 
gress of spring puls the whole vegetable econo- 
my into action. 
In young and vigorous trees, this process 
may not seem to occasion any injury. But 
trees growing feeble by age will soon manifest 
the result ot this injudicious practice, by black- 
ened stumps, by cankered sores, and hv decay. 
If one mast begin to do something that looks 
like spring work, let him go at a more efficient 
train ot operations. With a good spade invert 
the sod several feet from the body ot the 
tree. With a good scraper remove all dead 
baik. Dilute (old) soft soap with urine ; take 
a stiff shoe brush, and go to scouring the trunk 
and main branches. This will be labor to some 
purpose; and, before you have gone through a 
large ore lard faithfully, yourzeel for spring 
work will have become so tar tempered with 
knowledge, that you will be willing to let prun- 
ing alone till alter corn planting. 
Two exceptions or precautions should be 
mentioned : 
1. In the use of the wash, new soap is more 
caustic than old; and the sediments of a soap 
barrel much more so than the mass of soap. 
Sometimes trees have been injured by applying 
a caustic alkali in too great strength. There is 
little danger of this when a tree is rough and 
covered with dead bark or dirt; but when it is 
smooth and has no scurf it is more liableto suf- 
fer. Trees should not be washed in dry and 
warm weather. The best time is just before 
spring rains or before any rain. 
2. Where fruit trefs are found to have suffer- 
ed from the winter, as they have done severely 
this winter, pruning cannot be done too early, 
and hardly too severe. It left to grow, the heal 
of spring davs ferments the sap and spreads 
blight throughout the tree; whereas, by severe 
cutting, there is a chance, at least, of removing 
much of the injured wood. We have gone 
over the pear trees in our own garden, and 
wherever the least affection has been discover- 
ed, we have cut out every particle ot the last 
summer’s wood ; and cut back until we reached 
sound and healthy wood, pith and bark. 
From the N Y. Journal of Commerce. 
Introduction of the Alpaca into the Uni- 
ted Stales. 
We have observe I W'th pleasure the inten- 
tion of the Amei ican Agricultural Association, 
at the suggestion ui R L. Pell, ol Ulster c mn- 
ty, to introduce the Peruvian sheep, or A Ipaca, 
into the United States. I’hisaniTia! inhabits 
the slopes, table lands and mountains ol Peru, 
Bolivar and Chili, enduring all the vicissitudes 
of climate. They are found 12,000 feet above 
the level of the sea, where they derive a subsis- 
tence from the moss, (fee , growing upon the 
rocks, exposed to all the rigors ol the elements, 
and receiving neither food nor care from the 
hand of man. The shepherd only visits them 
occasi mallv; yet .such are their gregarious ha- 
bits, that the members ol one flock seldom 
s rav away and mix with another, being kept in 
discipline bv the older ones, who know their 
grtJirnde, and become attached to the place ol 
their nativity, to which they return at night, 
evincing an astonishing vigilance and sagacity 
in keeping the young ones together, and free 
from harm. Hence there is no need ot brand- 
ing 'hem. So great is the intelligence of some 
leaders of a flock, that much value is on this 
account attached to them by their owner — part 
of whose duties they perform. These anim-tls, 
says Wil iam Walmn, are lound on the snow- 
capped mountain Chimborazo, 1 1 670 feet above 
the sea. In t'^is tropical region excessive heat 
is experienced in the month of August during 
the dav. and towaris evening the thermometer 
regularly lal Is many degrees below the freezing 
point, and the next morning rises Irom eight to 
twelve degrees above it, all of which changes 
they endtire pertecily well. In other pans ot 
the Andes mountains, during haR the year 
snow anti hail tall incessantly; whilst in the 
higher regions, as before noticed, every night 
the thermometer tails manv degrees below the 
fr"ezing point, and the peaks consequently are 
constantly covered with an accumulation of 
ice. The wet season succeeds, when light- 
ning flashes traverse the clouds in rapid succes 
sion, followed not by showers, but by torrents of 
rain, which, afiercolleciing, fall headlong frrm 
the rocks, leaving the slopes almost bare of soil, 
and spreading de.solation wherever they pass. 
Still the Alpacas abound and thrive. Their 
teeth are so strong that they can easily crush 
and masticate vegetable substances too hard and 
tough tor ordinary cattle. In the turmaiioD of 
their stomach they resemble the camel, and can 
undergo extreme nunger and thirst. Their 
meat is tender, wholesome and savory, and in 
that country is recommended by physicians to 
invalids in preference to fowls— for all declare 
that their meat is extremely wholesome, and as 
palatable as that of fat sheep in Castile. Mr. 
W. further remarks, that in his time there were 
shambles in the Peruvian towns where it was 
constantly sold. The quality of Alpaca meat 
could not fail to be good, when the cleanliness 
of the animal and nature of its food, and neat 
and delicate manner in which it feeds, are con- 
-sidered. They eat the purest vegetable sub- 
stances, which they cull with the greatest care, 
and in habitual cleanliness surpass every other 
quadruped. The hardy nature ana contented 
disposition ol the Alpaca, rause it toadaptit- 
•self to almost any soil or situation. The best 
proof of its hardiness is its power to endure 
cold, damp, hunger and thirst — vicissitudes to 
which it is constantly ex posed on its native 
mountains; while its gentle and docile quali- 
ties are evinced in its general habits ol affection 
towards its keeper. 
No animal in the universe is less affected by 
the changes of climate and food, nor is there 
any one to be found more easily domiciliated 
than this. Another remarkable feature in the 
Alpaca is, that it does not perspire; for which 
reason, and its peculiarly cleanly habits, the 
fleece does not require washing before it is taken 
from the back. Although olten confined to re- 
gions where 
“ Snow, piled on sriow, each mass appears 
Tlie gathered winters of a thousand years.” 
The Alpaea is free from all diseases incidental 
to common sheep. The chest guarded by a 
callosity which comes in contact with the 
ground while the animal reposes, and protects 
it from catarrhs, or other disorders disabling the 
limbs. In whatever point ot view we contem- 
plate the properties and habits of this animal, 
it will be found suitable stock for all our West- 
ern and Northern States; waste and unprofita- 
ble pastures would suffice them; they would 
browse on wild grasses and herbage that sheep 
and rattle reject. 
They will yield 12 to 15 pounds of wool, 
which is . soiled (or the finest class ot goods, and 
calculated to compete with silk Ir is almost 
as fashionable now as that fabric, being worn 
bv her Majestv Victoria. In 1831 thequaniiiy 
of Alpaca wool imported into England was 
5,700 lbs., valued at .Sj6 per quintal —in 1H42, 
to July 9th, 1,200 0!)0 ihs., valued at S25 per 
quintal - up to 1841, .8,657 164 Ihs. were import- 
ed into Liverpool alone, valued at S30 per quin- 
tal. In France the wool is used ins ead of An- 
gora for cashmeres and merinoes. It has been 
proved to be admirably w'ell suited for mixed 
goods; and so fi'^mlv' is its reputation now es- 
tablished, that there is every certainty of a ?row- 
ing demand, to meet which an additional quanti- 
ty will annually be required, it is supposed 
that owing to neglect of the inhabitants of Pe- 
ru, there has been an enormous decline in the 
number of A'pacas, which will eventually ren- 
der them diflienlt to be obtained. We would 
therefore urge strenuoustv gentlemen ot wealth 
— manufacturers —merchants, and agricultur- 
ists— and in fact all who feel an interest in the 
welfare of the country- to come forward at 
once <nnd assist the Society in an undertaking 
so worthy of all praise. We understand the 
eost of bringing out three hundred will beiSlO,- 
500, delivered in New York; of which sum 
three thousand have already been promised. 
VVe sincerely hope those engaged In an enter- 
prise so noble will not allow the matter to flag. 
To Dbstroy Insects — Someone says, that 
the water in which potatoes have been boiled, 
sprinkled over plants, completely destroys all 
insects, in every stage of their existence, from 
the egg to the fly . — Neio England Farmer. 
