
          RURAL ECONOMY

FOR THE UNION.

Mr. Bronson,

Supposing that the extract enclosed
(from the Gentleman's Magazine for
Feb. 1818, p. 159) relative to Fruit trees,
would be interesting to your country as
well as city subscribers, I have been induced 
to send them for publication, more
especially as the season for making the
experiment is approaching. The writer
of this would be gratified if any one who
may make the experiment would make
the result publick through the medium of
your paper. C.

The following easy, simple, and infallible 
method of forcing fruit trees to
blossom and to bear fruit, has been translated 
from the German of the Rev. Geo.
Charles Lewis Hempel (Secretary to the
Pomological Society ol Altenburgh in
Saxony) by George Henry Nochden. L.
L.D. F.L.S. &c.

“ In my early years I saw my father,
who was fond of pomology, and skilled in
that science, cutting a ring on several
branches of trees, which already were in
blossom, for the purpose of producing, by
that means, larger fruit than usual. This
was not his own invention; but, as far as
I can recollect, derived from a French
journal. Thirty years ago, when I was
a boy, I practised this operation in imitation 
of him, and thereby obtained larger
pears and plums. In repeating this operation 
of ringing the branches which I
did merely for the purpose of getting
larger fruit, I observed that the branches
so operated upon always bore the next
year. By this reiterated appearance, l
was led to the idea, that perhaps this
mode of ringing the bark might be a
means of compelling every unproductive
branch to yield fruit. With this view, I
cut rings upon a considerable number of
branches, which as yet showed no blossoms; 
and found, by repeating the experiment, 
the truth of my supposition indisputably
confirmed by experience. The
application of this experiment, whereby
upon every bough or branch fruit may
artificially be produced, is very simple
and easy. With a sharp knife make a
cut in the bark of the branch which you
mean to force to bear, and not far from
the place where it is connected with the
stem; or, if it be a small branch or shoot,
near to where it is joined to the bough:
the cut is to go round the branch, or to
encircle it, and to penetrate to the wood.
A quarter of an ich [inch] from this cut you
make a second cut, like the first, round
the branch, so that by both encircling the
branch, you have marked a ring upon the
branch, a quarter of an inch broad, between 
the two cuts. The bark between
these two cuts you take clear away with
a knife, down to the wood, removing even
the fine inner bark, which immediately
lies upon the wood; so that no connexion
whatever remains between the two parts
of the bark, but the bare and naked wood
appears white and smooth. But this barkring, 
which is to compel the tree to bear,
must be made at the right time, that is,
when in all nature the buds are strongly
swelling, or are breaking out into blossom. 
In the same year, a callus is formed 
at the edges of the ring, on both sides,
and the connexion of the bark, that had
been interrupted, is restored again without 
any detriment to the tree or the
branch operated upon, in which the artificial 
wound soon again grows over. By
this simple, though artificial means of
forcing every fruit tree, with certainty
to bear, you obtain the following important 
advantages:

1st. You may compel every young tree
of which you, do not know the sort to
show its fruit, and decide sooner whether,
being of a good quality, it may remain
in its fruit state, or requires to be grafted.

2d. You may thereby, with certainty,
get fruit of every good sort of which you
wish to see the produce in the next year.

3d. This method may probably serve
to increase considerably the quantity of
fruit in the country. The branches so
operated upon are hung full ot fruit,
while the others that are not ringed,
often have nothing, or very little on
them. This effect is easy to be explained
from the theory of the motion ot the sap:
for where the sap moves slowly in a tree,
it produces fruit buds, which is the case
in old trees; when it moves vigorously,
the tree forms wood, or runs into shoots,
as happens with young trees.

Though l arrived at this discovery
myself, in consequence of trying the
same process with a different view, viz:
to increase only the size of the fruit, but
not to force barren branches, that were
only furnished with leaf buds, to bear,
this latter application being before quite
unknown to me; I will, on that account,
by no means give myself out for the first
inventor of this operation; but I was
ignorant of the effects to be produced by
tins method, and only discovered them by
repeated experiments of my own, which
I made tor the promotion of Pomology.
Frequent experience of the completest
success has confirmed the truth of my
observations  Nor do I think that this
method is generally known; at least, to
all those to whom I showed the experiment, 
the effect produced appeared new
and surprising.”

CURED FISH.

Dr. Mac Culloch, of Edinburgh, has ascertained, 
that the antiseptic quality of Sugar is sufficient 
to preserve fish in the most excellent condition.
He states that this substance is so active, 
that fish may be preserved in a dry state, and
perfectly fresh, by means of sugar alone, and
even with a very small quantity of it. He has
thus kept salmon, whiting, and cod, for an indefinite 
length of time; and by this simple means
fresh fish may be kept in that state some days,
so as to be as good when boiled as when just 
caught.

It is added, that, “if dried, and kept free 
from mouldiness, there seems to be no limit to I
their preservation ; and they are much better in
this way than when salted. The sugar gives no
disagreeable taste. This process is particularly
valuable in making what is kippered salmon;
and the fish preserved in this manner are far superior 
in quality or flavour to those which [are]
salted or smoked. If desired, as much [illegible]
be used as to give the taste that may be required; 
but this substance does [illegible] conduce to
their preservation. In the preparation it is barely 
necessary to open the fish, [illegible] to apply the
sugar to the muscular part, placing it in an horizontal 
position for two or three days, that this
substance may penetrate. After this it may be 
dried; and it is only necessary to wipe and ventilate 
it occasionally to prevent mouldiness. A
table spoonful of brown sugar is sufficient, in
this manner, for a salmon of five or six pounds
weight; and if salt be desired, a tea spoonful or 
more may be added. Saltpetre may be used
instead, in the same proportion, if it be desired
to make the kipper hard.”
        