162 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR 
I shall now endeavor, and at the same time 
hope, to satisfy your readers, by pointing out 
the principal thing that is necessary to be 
known, namely, the functions of the leaves. It 
is essential also to know that every part of a 
plant, from the minutest fibre to the ponderous 
stem, has its own uselul office to perform; but 
as the development of all those parts entirely 
depends on the leaves, it is on that account 1 
consider them the principal organs of the vege- 
table fabric. 
The roots absorb moisture (containing the 
food of plants) by their extremities, and it is 
transmitted from them through the stem by 
means of channels, formed by nature for that 
puipose, to the leaves, where it undergoes a 
chemical process. The fluid, on entering, con- 
tains many different substances, owing to the 
particles of matter it meets with in its progress 
through the vessels of the alburnum. This flu- 
id does not become the proper food until it is 
duly exposed to the sun’s rays which act on the 
cuticle of the leaves, when that fluid that is su- 
perfluous passes off by evaporation, and that 
which is left becomes elaborated and prepared 
as the proper food, passing into the system, and 
depositing a new layer of wood to the outside of 
exogenous, and to the inside of endogenous 
structures, passing on to the roots, always lea- 
ving something after it, that adds to the diame- 
ter of each part it passes through, and finally 
elongates the tips of the roots or forms new 
roots. The matter that does all this is prepared 
by the leaves, by which alone the great impor- 
tance of them is clearly shown. It is an admit- 
ted fact that the greater the quantity of leaves 
over a given part, the more that part increases 
in diameter. The secretions lor fruit are like- 
wise prepared by the leaves, and ileposited in 
the tissue for the ensuing year’s fruit; hence the 
more leaves the more secretions for fruit will 
be formed. But this does not hold good in all 
cases; for instance, strong, rank leaves that 
hold or receive no proper juices, and leaves not 
fully exposed to the sun’s rays, are of no use for 
the formation of secretions; therefore, if the 
leaves are not properly exposed to the sun’s 
rays, digestion is prevented, and they become 
worse than useless. It is highly essential that 
the juices are prevented from being lost in the 
formation of useless wood. 
The system I am going to describe, which is 
practised in the London Horticultural Society’s 
garden, and first put into practice in England,' 
by Mr. R. Thompson, the acknowledged lead- 
ing pomologist of Europe, principally depends 
on summer management. It is as follows : 
Allow the young shoots to grow until the 
leaves become too crowded; then cutoff theii 
growing points only. By this means you will 
stop their elongation and confine the juices Jo 
the already formed leaves, where they will be- 
come fully elaborated for the ensuing year’s 
fruit, which would not occur so readily if left 
to the formation of useless wood ; lor, be it re- 
membered, it re-^uires the secretions properly 
prepared, by the action of the sun’s rays, in or- 
der to produce fruit; this check will cause the 
shoots to throw out lateral branches, which must 
be stopped in the same manner, for the confine- 
ment of the juices, as already descriBed. 
This system of summer pruning will be found 
to be ofthe first importance in the production of 
fruit, and it requires but little trouble when 
properly attended to. Winter pruning is only a 
secondary object when compared to this system, 
and 1 hope it will be clearly seen, when the 
principles here laid down are* properly investi- 
gated. All that is necessary in winter pruning 
is, to remove all pseless and superfluous wood. 
For peaches, nectarines, and apricots, plenty of 
young wood is required, and the operator should 
be guided by the health and vigor of his trees, 
the soil and situation in which they grow; all 
these circumstances must be taken into consid- 
eration, to perform the operation aright. The 
system I have described will be found to an- 
swer the summer pruning of vines and fruit- 
bearing trees. B. Carmichael. 
Nonanton Hill, Newton, April, 1844. 
From the American. Farmer. 
WORK FOR OCTOBER. 
We have the second Fall month upon us, 
and with it brings its toils and its pleasures — 
while Its toils consist in preparing the ground, 
and committing the seed to the earth, those toils 
are not without their pleasures, for they force 
the mind upon the anticipation of the profits 
which are to arise from them, and excite in it 
those pleasurable emotions which spring from 
the belief, of after ability to meet engagements 
and contribute to the wants and comforts of 
one’s family — and such reflections as these to 
the man of warm and generous sympathies are 
beyond all price, for they serve to assure him in 
the hope, that those on whom his every affection 
rests will be well cared for, and tnat those wdlh 
whom he may have pecuniary engagements, will 
have no cause to complain of confidence re- 
posed. And now let us turn to the work which 
the season requires should be done, and that 
quickly, 
ON THE FARM. 
Wheat. — It is full time that every farmer 
should have his ground in a state of prepara- 
tion to receive his seed wheal, and perhaps, it 
would be better that he had it already in the 
ground ; lor we must confess that, notwithstand- 
ing early sown wheat is subject to the fall rav- 
ages of the Hessian Fly, still, we would rather 
run the hazard of that enemy, destructive as it 
is, than that ample time should not be given to 
the plants to attain a sufficient strength of roots 
to resist the action of frosts. This is our opin- 
ion, and it is for our readers to exercise upon it 
their own better judgments. 
Preparation of Seed Wheat. — To avoid smut 
it is always safest to subject the seed wheat to 
a soak previous to sowing. This soak may be 
either made of the ley of wood ashes — a brine 
of salt; or stale urine, either to be made strong 
enough to bear an egg, and after permitting the 
seed wheat to remain therein for twelve hours, 
it should be taken out, drained, and have a suf- 
ficient quantity of slaked lime mixed with it to 
cover or whiten each grain of wheat. The 
wheat should in every instance be sown imme- 
diately after being taken out of the soak and pow- 
dered with lime, as if it remains longexposedafter 
being thus prepared, it is apt to sufier in its 
germinating powers. We prefer, except upon 
a close lay or grass-sward, to plough the seed in 
3 or 4 inches, then to harrow and roll. The 
rolling brings the ear^h in immediate contact 
with the seed, promotes early vegetation, en- 
sures a much better stand of plants, and prevents 
w'ashing. 
The following recipe for a soak for seed wheat, 
has come very opportunely to hand, and we 
give it a place here. As the initials will show, 
it comes from an individual, who, besides be- 
ing the great pioneer in Agricultural improve- 
ment in this country, has been its constant, un- 
tiring and enlightened friend for near a quarter 
of a century — and who has richly earned the 
name of Agricultural benefactor. 
TO PREVENT SMUT IN WHEAT. 
To the Editor ofthe American Farmer; 
I always read with especial interest your own 
remarks and advice to your patrons as to the 
“work” to be done at particular seasons. In 
your 4th of August number, to which, (having 
been for some weeks absent) I have just looked 
back, you recommenu, as you have well and 
repeatedly done before, that v/heat should be 
steeped before it is sowed-r-can there be any 
doubt that every grain would be better for it, 
— steeps well prepared, of good ingredients, 
serve to kill the eggs of insects, to throw off the 
unsound grain, and as a manure for that which 
is to be committed to the earth. I lately read 
of one to prevent smut in wheat, which my in- 
former, Mr. Dechest of Tennessee, said he 
knew to be infallible after very many experi- 
ments. You may not have published it, — it is 
this: Dissolve a pound of blue stone in as much 
water as will cover five bushels of wheat, and 
let it remain therein about 18 hours before it is 
sowed, and, as he says (allowing me to use his 
name) you will never have smut in your wheat. 
1. S. S. 
Quantity of Seed per Acre. — Less ihan two 
bushels per acre should not be sown, as a smal- 
ler quantity than that will not sufficiently cover 
the earth, to exclude those pests of the w'heat 
field, weeds and grass, and very certain are we, 
that lull seeding tends to increase the product. 
Finishing the Seeding. — No wheat grower 
should consider his seeding finished until he 
shall have run water furrows through and 
around his field, to carry off the rains of winter 
and keep the plants dry. 
Rye.—\{ there be any who may not have got 
in his Rye, there is still time, provided no time 
is lost, and he plow in his seed some three or four 
inches, and harrow and roll it well. 
Quantity of Seed per Acre.— From. 4 to 5 
pecks per acre is the right quanti'y— but as the 
season is late we should prefer the latter, as it 
will allow some loss from wintei killing 
Fall Plowing. — All stifl clayey grounds 
will be the better of fall and winter ploughing, 
provided that work be done in good weather, 
when the earth is not wet. To plow clays in 
that state is always injurious, as they become 
little better than mortar, and seldom can be got 
into good condition during a season; but if 
plowed when in good condition in the fall or 
winter, the best effects are derived from the expo- 
sure to the frost. 
Hogs for fattening. — These should be penned 
early, as they take on fat much faster in mode- 
rately warm weather than in cold, and conse- 
quently consume less corn. They should be 
given charcoal, ashes, rotten wood and salt 
while being fattened; and it is important that 
regularity should be observed with regard to the 
times of feeding and watering. 
To save corn, cooked pumpkins serve an er'- 
cellent purpose in the commencement of fatten- 
ning. 
Catlle Staoling and Shedding. —All cattle 
should have dry quarters during winter, and if 
you have not stabling or shedding to afford it, 
let us advise you to put them up, as the saving 
in feed will more than compensate for the cost 
in a very few years, besides the saiislaction it 
will afford you, to know that your stock is se- 
cure from the winter’s rains, sleet and snows. 
Pumpkins. — Gather these before they are in- 
jured by the frost, and stow them away in some 
dry place, taking care not to pack them but a 
few rows high, and not to put any unsound ones 
among those which are sound. 
Fences. — Examine all on your place, and re- 
pair such as need it. 
Orchard. — Gather your fruit by hand as soon 
as ready. Be careful to do it in dry weai her, and 
put them away carefully. Your trees may be 
pruned of dead limbs; but the wound must be 
cut smooth and covered with a mixi ure of equal 
parts of fresh cow dung and clay, lakint; care to 
cover the application with a thick cb th to keep 
out rain. The trunks of the trees should be 
painted with a mixture of soft soap and flour of 
sulphur, in the proportion of a gallon of soft 
soap to 1 lb. of sulphur. 
Draining. — Your wet ground should be drain- 
ed during the fall months. 
Buckwheat. — This grain should be cut before 
it is nipped by the frost, as its straw is good feed 
for your cattle. 
Work Cattle of all kinds must receive addi- 
tional attention during this month and the next, 
as it should, be an object with you to carry them 
into the winter in good condition. 
Potatoes and Turnips. — These roots should 
be gathered befoie they are frosted. Let them 
be taken up in dry weather and securely stowed 
away where they will not be liable to become 
frozen. 
Beets, Parsnips and Carrots. — See to the dig- 
ging and putting away of these roots. 
Cow Yard,. — Before you bring your cattle in 
for winter let your yard be spread a foot deep 
with mould and leaves from the woods, and so 
spread as that the centre will be lower than the 
sides — all the materials you throw into it, will, 
