43 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Vines can also be propagated very readily, and 
with more certainty of success, by layering during 
the summer the wood of the previous, or even the 
present year, which will readily take root and 
form bearing vines in two years. 
The best method of propagating the 
f exotics is by inserting single buds, with 
a small portion of wood attached, as 
seen in the cut, into a box or pot filled 
with light and friable soil. Where there 
is the convenience of a greenhouse, or a 
glass frame, these will strike or take 
root very readily ; but generally, it is better to 
purchase plants from some reliable nurseryman, 
who will furnish good healthy one year old roots, 
which are always the best, for about fifty cents 
each. See that he is a responsible person, or you 
may get other sorts than those you bargain for. 
In those houses where forcing has been com¬ 
menced, great care will now be necessary. If 
the vines are so far advanced as to be expanding 
their leaves, the temperature should in no case 
fall below 55 degrees, even at midnight. Where 
forcing is just commencing, 60 degrees is quite 
enough, with a rise on cloudy days to 70 degrees, 
or with sunshine, 85 degrees. Sharp frosty winds 
at any time must be avoided, but sufficient air 
admitted by the top ventilators to lower the heat. 
To assist in maintaining a proper temperature 
and a humid atmosphere, it will be found useful 
to dampen the bottom and sides of the house with 
the syringe, the moisture from which, feeds the 
young leaves, and prevents them from wilting 
Maintain this humidity by evaporating pans filled 
with water, and syringing over head in the even¬ 
ing until the flowers begin to expand. During 
blossoming, the air may be allowed to become 
dryer, and the bunches should be shaken each 
morning after sunrise to distribute the pollen of 
the flowers, and ensure perfect fertilization. The 
beginning of this month is a good time to com¬ 
mence forcing so as to have ripe fruit about the 
first of July. If the vines have not been already 
cleaned, do it without delay, by removing all the 
toose bark, particularly about the spurs and buds, 
when they may be washed over with the follow¬ 
ing mixture : Tobacco, 1 lb ; whale oil soap, 
I lb ; sulphur, 31bs; nux vomica, 1 ounce, upon 
which pour three gallons of hot water. The 
object of this cleaning is to destroy insects, which 
are sometimes very troublesome in the forcing 
house. Syringe or sprinkle the whole house 
thoroughly each day, including the vines also, 
preserving the temperature during the first ten 
days at 40 to 45 degrees at night, gradually in¬ 
creasing to 50 degrees by the middle, and 55 
degrees by the latter part of the month. 
The cold grapery will only require, at present, 
to be freely ventilated at all favorable opportuni¬ 
ties, when the temperature is above the freezing 
point, but kept closed in severe weather. 
SMALL GARDENS. 
[Extracts from a business letter.] 
.... What you say in relation to the profits 
of a small garden is very true. I have in 
this city, (Roxbury, Mass.,) about one-third of an 
acre adjoining my house, well set with fruit trees 
of all varieties. I have more than fifty pear 
trees, all of which are doing finely. One Bartlett 
this year yielded five and a half bushels of pears, 
worth $4 a bushel. A Bonne de Jersey, only six 
years of age, gave a bushel of beautiful pears, 
worth at least $6. For the past three years, I 
have had one hundred boxes of strawberries each 
year, and in addition, this year I have raised fifty 
boxes of raspberries, and twenty-five of black¬ 
berries. I also raise my currants and cherries 
and all the vegetables for my family, with the 
exception of corn and potatoes. I had this 
year about two bushels of grapes, and my 
grape vines are doing well, and in a few years 
will supply a great many mouths with a delicious 
fruit. I expend annually about twenty-five dol¬ 
lars for.manure, and do my own garden work 
before eight o’clock in the morning. It would 
cost at least $200 per annum to purchase in the 
market what I gather from my little garden, but 
the advantage to health of body and mind, and 
energy of action, is worth far more than any 
other species of profit. James Ritchie. 
PRUNING TREES. 
There is a great diversity of' opinion and 
practice in the matter of tree-pruning. Some 
persons hold that a tree, like a willful child, 
needs constant and severe discipline ; and 
so they go about continually cutting and 
hacking, confident that, if pruning is a good 
thing at all, the more of it the better. Others 
think that Nature, from her long experience 
in the business, understands the best way of 
growing trees, and so they leave their or¬ 
chards to shift for themselves. But here, as 
in most cases, the truth lies between the 
extremes. 
Ornamental trees should be seldom and 
slightly pruned. When planted by the road¬ 
side, or in pastures, their lower limbs must 
be cut off; and in small pleasure-grounds, it 
may be necessary to trim them up, in order 
to economize room ; but wherever the cir¬ 
cumstances will allow, they should be left 
to grow in their completeness, from the 
ground to their apex. Least of all, should 
evergreens be mutilated by the ax or saw. 
Their geometrical regularity is their chief 
beauty. 
With fruit trees, the case is different. 
They are cultivated for fruit more than for 
shade or beauty of form. They must feel 
the saw and knife. Unless we can be satis¬ 
fied with the fruit of the wild seedling, we 
must bud or engraft, and completely change 
the character of the tree. 
When a young tree is taken from the nur¬ 
sery, it is often tall and slender, bending 
under its own weight. If now it is cut 
back one-third or one-half its length, its 
lower buds will start into growth, the de¬ 
scending sap will deposit new layers of 
woody fibre on the trunk, and add so much 
to its size and strength, that it will hence¬ 
forth stand erect, and become a well-pro¬ 
portioned tree. 
In the process > of transplanting, it is im¬ 
possible to avoid some mutilation of the 
roots of trees. As this work is commonly 
done, full one-half of the roots are cut or 
mangled. The balance between the roots 
and branches must then be restored by cut¬ 
ting back the top proportionate to the loss 
of the roots. When large branches are 
taken off, the wounds should be covered 
with grafting-wax, or gum-shellac mixed 
with alcohol to the consistency of cream. 
Nor will the careful gardener neglect to 
pare off, with a sharp knife, the rough edges 
of the bruised roots so as to expedite their 
healing. 
A young tree sometimes becomes stunted : 
its bark seems hide-bound, its sap-vessels 
clogged, its buds dormant. Cut it to the 
quick, and it will start into new life ; espe¬ 
cially if, to pruning, you add the scriptural 
treatment of the roots of the barren fig-tree, 
it will grow as if striving to make up for 
lost time. 
A tree sometimes makes a vigorous growth 
of wood, but produces no fruit. Shall we let 
Nature take her course, and let the tree 
cumber the ground ? Common sense says 
no. Common Sense once noticed that such 
a fruitless tree, having been accidentally 
browsed during the summer, became after¬ 
ward fruitful. So she took the hint, and 
began to pinch off the ends of growing 
branches which produced wood only, and 
they mostly began to bear fruit. Pruning a 
tree when in its dormant state generally 
promotes a more vigorous growth of wood : 
pruning when in its active state checks the 
rampant flow of sap to the extremities, and 
sets it about the more useful work of mak¬ 
ing fruit-spurs and branches. 
A barren tree is sometimes rendered pro 
ductive by pruning its roots. Transplant an 
arbor-vitae tree of any size, and you will 
find, in the following summer, that its 
branches will be covered with seed-vessels. 
And why 1 Because you have cut its roots, 
and checked the flow of sap. Transplant a 
pear tree old enough to bear fruit, and it 
will show an increased tendency to fruitful¬ 
ness. “ When a tree is deprived of a cer¬ 
tain portion of its roots, its supply of food 
from the soil is lessened, growth is checked, 
the sap moves slowly in its channels, is 
better elaborated in the leaves, and the 
young branches and buds begin to assume a 
fruitful character.” 
Ill-shaped trees require pruning. If the 
top branches incline to grow in a dense 
mass, they should be thinned out. Cross 
branches should be removed. Branches 
shooting out awkwardly on one side should 
be taken off, and the tree kept well balanced. 
Why should not the orchardist show some 
taste in his department, as well as the land¬ 
scape-gardener in his ? 
Pruning should begin with the tree when 
quite young : then its shape can be control¬ 
led without removing any large branches 
and so mutilating and weakening the tree. 
But whenever it is performed, let it be done 
wisely, and the fruit will amply compensate 
for the time and labor. 
FARMERS’ BOYS. 
Out in every tempest, out in every gale, 
Buffetting the weather, wind and storm and hail; 
In the meadow mowing, in the shady wood, 
Letting in the sunlight where the tall oaks stood, 
Every fitting moment each skillful hand employs— 
Bless me! were there ever things like farmers’ boys 
Though the palm be callous holding fast the plow, 
The round cheek is ruddy, and the open brow 
Has no lines and furrows wrought by evil hours, 
For that heart keeps wholesome, trained in nature’s bowers, 
Healthy, hearty pastime the spirit never cloys; 
Heaven bless the manly, honest farmers’ boys! 
At the merry husking, at the apple bee, 
How their hearts run over with genial harmless glee, 
How the country maidens blush with conscious bliss 
At the love word whispered with a parting kiss; 
Then the winter evenings with their social joys ! 
Bless me ! they are pleasant, spent with farmers’ boys. 
__ [.Merry's Museum 
A Retort in Three Words. —A clerk in oui 
office wrote out the following item and placed it 
upon our desk. It is good and new to us.—Ed. 
Agriculturist. 
Voltaire once met Pierre, his mortal enemy, in 
debate, at an evening party. He immediately 
informed the hostess that lie should leave in¬ 
stantly unless Pierre should agree to speak not 
more than three words throughout the evening. 
