943 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
and turn their plum orchards to good account 
when distant from a ready market for the fresh 
fruit. • 
DISEASES. 
The plum is subject to two formidable, almost 
fatal enemies—which, more than all other impedi¬ 
ments put together, forbid its cultivation and cut 
off its crops—the curculio and the black-knot. The 
curculio is an insect. The cause of the black-knot 
may be an insect also, for it is not yet altogether 
understood ; hut the disease, whatever be the 
cause, is a bulging excrescence upon the branches 
of the tree, causing barrenness in bearing, and the 
final death of the tree itself. 
It cannot he expected that, in an article like 
this, we can go into the various prescribed reme¬ 
dies against either of the above scourges, as 
scores of nostrums—scarce one of which has 
been found decidedly effectual—have been offer¬ 
ed. They have, for many years past, been dis¬ 
cussed in our fruit books, agricultural and horti¬ 
cultural papers, and journals, with, as yet, no 
positive solution. In our own experience, fifteen 
or twenty years ago we could grow plums by 
scores of bushels every year, with as much cer¬ 
tainty as apples ; hut for the last dozen years we 
could scarcely grow as many quarts, with now and 
then an exception, even on a good plum soil. Yet 
there are large plum growers in occasional parts 
of the country, who say they never saw a curculio, 
sr suffered from its ravages ; and the black-knot 
loes not tiouble them ! The circumstances of 
the plum grower must therefore determine his 
abandonment of. or perseverance in their culture. 
To such, ••'t'.vever, as intend to grow the plum 
for their own pleasure, irrespective of the impedi¬ 
ments that may combat their efforts, we can 
only recommend them to the careful study of our 
current publications, and the proper books which 
treat upon the subject. They may succeed against 
the most formidable pests to which the fruit is 
prone to be attacked, and if not repelled at too 
much cost, will find abundant satisfaction as the 
reward of their labor. 
-- --- »«■ - 
Raising Fruit Trees from Seed. 
M. M. Ferguson, "Williamson Co., Texas, and 
several other inquirers, who write that they live 
remote from nurseries, will not find it difficult to 
raise their own trees. The main thing necessary 
is to have access to a few trees of desirable kinds 
to obtain grafts or buds from. Another difficulty 
in newly settled countries is to get suitable seeds 
for starting. Sometimes it is necessary to obtain 
them from seedsmen or others at a distance, but 
as a general thing it is desirable to take them di¬ 
rect from the fruit itself, if possible. 
Collect the seeds of the various kinds of fruits 
when fully ripe, separate from the pulp or flesh, 
and put in boxes of earth at once ; or they may 
be put in the ground immediately. With many 
of them, especially the stone fruits, to allow them 
to become thoroughly dry before planting, is near¬ 
ly equivalent to destroying them, as they seldom 
vegetate. Where, from any cause, they become 
somewhat dry, and fail to vegetate the following 
Spring, it is better to leave them undisturbed 
another year, as they frequently sprout the second 
season. Seeds placed in boxes in the Summer 
and Fall should be exposed to sun and rain until 
late in the Fall, and even watered during dry 
weather. There is danger of too much wet and 
frequent freezing and thawing when left exposed 
during the Winter. A shed or dry cellar is a good 
situation for them till Spring. It is immaterial 
whether they freeze at all—they certainly should 
not freeze and thaw frequently. Plant them out 
thickly in beds in early Spring, covering the same 
as corn. We have often cracked the peach pits 
in the Spring, planting the kernel only, but they 
will usually burst themselves unless they have 
become too dry. The after culture consists inkeep¬ 
ing down weeds and the ground loose, for one, and 
sometimes two years, when they are transplant¬ 
ed into rows some three to three-and-a-half feet 
apart and eight to ten inches in the row, for graft¬ 
ing or budding with approved varieties. Having 
heretofore described these processes we omit 
them now. 
The Peach grows very rapidly and is frequent¬ 
ly ready for budding during the first season, and 
may be transplanted into the orchard at the end 
of the second year. Apples, pears, plums and 
cherries, are usually budded when two years old, 
and set in the orchard two years afterwards 
The practice of most tree growers is to bud or 
graft their trees close to the ground, when 
one or two years old ; but it is a question with 
others whether it is not better to allow them to 
form a trunk, and either graft four or five feet 
from the ground, or perhaps better, graft the 
branches, saving the body of the seedling as a 
more natural and healthy stock. Our series of 
articles on the Orchard has valuable suggestions 
upon this and other topics, connected with fruit 
growing. 
---- 
Management of Young Trees in Summer. 
One reason, undoubtedly, why many trees fail 
the first season after transplanting is, that their 
roots were not mudded on being sent out from the 
nursery. Every nurseryman should keep a barrel 
or puddle of mud, in constant readiness for coat¬ 
ing over the roots of trees which are to be moved 
any distance, and are in danger of becoming dry 
in the transportation. This coating not only pre¬ 
serves the moisture of the roots while out of 
the ground, but also helps to form an immediate 
contact between the soil and the roots when they 
are set out. Where this mudding or “ puddling” 
has been neglected, it is important, in planting, to 
press the fine soil among all the fibres, and 
to fill up every cavity. Indeed, this should al¬ 
ways be done. It is not enough to shovel in the 
dirt over the roots and tread it down with the 
foot. Get down on your knees, and work the 
soil into every interstice with your fingers. Are 
you too rheumatic, or have you too stiff a back¬ 
bone for such work 1 then bring a pail of water 
and dash it on the roots when the hole is about 
half-filled, to wash in the earth, and then put in 
the rest of the soil. 
But it sometimes happens that trees, however 
well planted, uffer from drouth in Summer. Wa¬ 
tering them is only a temporary relief, and it of¬ 
ten does as much harm as good. Thrown upon 
the top of the ground, only a little penetrates to 
the roots, and the surface soon becomes baked into 
a hard crust, which no moderate rain nor any 
dew can soften. If watering is resorted to—and it 
is sometimes necessary—the surface soil should 
be removed with a hoe, and a pail or half a 
pail of water poured into the cavity at the 
end of the roots, and then the top soil returned 
to its place. The roots are thereby refreshed, and 
the earth above them is kept mellow. But in¬ 
stead of repeating such waterings, we would 
mulch the soil around each tree with tan-bark or 
sawdust, or leaves, with a few stones to keep 
them in plaee. The strawy portion of the ma¬ 
nure-heap is a good mulch, imparting richness 
about the roots as the rain washes in the manure. 
Be sure that the mulching extends as far as the 
extremities of the roots. A good cultivator once 
said that, in his experience, the best mulchcr was 
a long-pronged hoe, by which he kept the soil about 
his trees clean and mellow. Perhaps he was 
right; but most farmers cannot find time to cul¬ 
tivate their trees so carefully; and for such, a 
good mulching, such as we have mentioned, is 
the best thing they can do. 
■-■» *-—=O^EB=»-t-tt- - 
To Make Fruit Trees Bear. 
Some pear-trees which make a rapid growth of 
wood, are yet very slow in yielding fruit. The 
Autumn Bergamot is one of this class, often 
growing steadily for ten or twelve years without 
producing a solitary pear. An orchardist may 
well become impatient with such trees, and cast 
about for some method to expedite their fruitful¬ 
ness. 
Let him try root pruning. Late in the Autumn, 
or early in Winter, uncover the ends of the roots, 
and with a sharp spade, cut off the tap-root, il 
there be one, and shorten the side roots, more or 
less, according to the luxuriance of the tree. The 
side roots should be removed with a pruning knife, 
and with an upward drawn cut. At the first op¬ 
eration, let the pruning be moderate. 
Another method is to transplant non-hearing 
trees frequently—say every two or three years. 
Of course, this can be done only on trees of a 
moderate size. This is, in reality, a sort of root- 
pruning. It checks the flow of sap to the ex¬ 
tremities, and converts side buds into fruit spurs. 
Trees so treated should be kept vigorous, by am¬ 
ple manuring. Mr. Rivers, of England, an emi 
nent pomologist, practices this method extensive¬ 
ly to bring new varieties into early bearing. He 
prefers it to grafting on the quince, because, after 
his trees have been tested, he can withhold root- 
pruning, and his trees then assume the qualities 
of standards. He does not recommend the long 
continuance of this practice on any one tree. 
Too long, and too severe root-pruning injures the 
quality of the fruit, and shortens the life of the 
tree. 
- re < — —» <*> 
A Centenarian Planting Trees- 
One of the earliest things we remember to have 
read was the story of the Emperor Hadrian, and 
the old man planting trees. We have often read 
the story since, and some subscriber has 
dropped it into our drawer again. It is none the 
worse for age and we give it room here thinking 
that some persons may not have seen it, while 
others will be pleased with the second, fifth, or 
even the tenth perusal. The lesson taught is an 
excellent one. 
The Emperor Hadrian, passing near Tiberias, 
in Galilee, observed an old man digging a large 
trench in order to plant some fig-trees : “ Hadst 
thou properly employed the morning of thy life,” 
said Hadrian, “thou needest not have worked so 
hard in the evening of thy days.” “ I have well 
employed my early days, nor will I neglect the 
evening of my life ; and let God do with me what 
he thinks best,” replied the man. “ How old 
mayest thou be, good man?” asked the emperor. 
“ A hundred years,” was the reply. “ What,” 
exclaimed Hadrian, “ a hundred years old art 
thou, and still planting trees ? Canst tlrou, then, 
hope ever to enjoy the fruits of thy labor?” 
“ Great king,” rejoined the hoary-headed man, 
“ yes, I do hope, if God permit, I may even eat 
the fruit of these very trees ; if not, my children 
will. Have not iny forefathers planted trees for 
me, and shall I not do the same for my children 
