214 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
July, 
or about the end of summer, and then only at the ex¬ 
tremity of the shoot, leaving all the well-formed foli¬ 
age. 
A very erroneous opinion prevails that the ripening 
of the fruit is hastened by its full exposure to the sun, 
independently of other causes. Experience has amply 
demonstrated that a fully developed and abundant foli¬ 
age, itself well exposed to the light and air, is the 
sole influence in the successful growth and maturity of 
the Iruit. Any cultivator may convince himself of this 
fact, by wholly defoliating a branch of any fruit tree, 
before the crop ripens, and by taking off’ a large por¬ 
tion of the leaves on another, and compare the results 
with a tree in full and healthy foliage, the quantity of 
fruit being the same in all cases. 
Grafted and ilnddedl Y oung Trees. 
Young fruit trees, which were budded the last sum¬ 
mer, and headed down the recent spring, or which may 
have been grafted this year, should be occasionally exa¬ 
mined, and all suckers or side shoots from the stock 
rubbed or cut off, which would otherwise interfere with 
the growth of the graft or shoot. 
Many varieties of fruit trees, and 
more especially those which ap¬ 
proach a horizontal or oblique growth 
of their side-shoots, will form crook¬ 
ed trees, if the buds are suffered to 
take their own course from the 
stock. This may be prevented, and 
a neat erect form given to them at 
the point of union, by tying’tnem up 
closely to the stock, a few inches of 
which should be left for this purpose, 
while the shoots are yet young and 
flexible. When, in a month or two, 
they have become stiff, this portion 
©f the stock is pared neatly off, and 
the wound soon heals, and well-sha¬ 
ped trees are thus obtained. With 
such erect growing varieties as the 
Early Strawberry apple, Madeleine 
pear, and Black Tartarian cherry, 
this may not be so essential, altho’ 
it still adds to their beauty.; but with 
more spreading sorts, as Roxbury 
Russet and Fall Pippin, or Elton 
and American Heart, it becomes quite important. The 
annexed figure exhibits this mode of treatment. 
Increased culture of Fine Fruit. 
The rapidity of increase in the planting and cultiva¬ 
ting of fine kinds of fruit, within the past five years, 
cannot but afford gratification to every well-wisher of his 
country. It is only to be regretted that so many fine 
farms still remain but scantily supplied with the best va¬ 
rieties, and that the majority of the most delicious sorts, 
are hut partially known. E. C. Frost, of Chemung Co., 
N. Y., furnishes in the Genesee Farmer, the following 
singular instances of a lack of intelligence in this res¬ 
pect, which, happily, are fast passing away to the things 
that have been : 
u I once had a hand assisting in setting trees, some 
fifteen or twenty sorts, and each tree was labelled, who 
remarked, 1 this is all nonsense, so many kinds of ap¬ 
ples; there are but two kinds, sweet and sour.’ I have 
heard persons while eating an apple say, ‘ what a fine 
apple this is, how mealy and good. 5 Once a person 
bought two lots of trees, from different venders, and 
remarked to one of them, ‘ I like the other man’s trees 
much the best, because they had so few roots. I could 
get them into a much smaller hole, and set them out 
quicker than yours.’ ” U ? 
Layering Grapes. 
Those who wish to increase their stock of grape 
vines, should not neglect the proper season for layering. 
This is a very simple and very certain way to obtain 
new plants. First 
make the soil clean 
and mellow round 
the main vine, then 
bend the present 
year’s shoots down 
into small excava¬ 
tions made for the 
purpose, and cover 
the middle portion 
with soil four or five 
inches deep. They 
61— layering grapes. will have become 
well rooted by autumn, and may then be separated and 
set out as new plants. Each layer, being cut in two at 
the middle, will make two new vines. The an¬ 
nexed figure exhibits distinctly, the mode of making 
layers. 
he Feach Crop. 
The remark was made in this paper, early the pres¬ 
ent spring, that most of the peach crop in Western 
New-York, had been destroyed by the cold of winter. 
This remark, founded on an examination of the fruit 
buds in different localities, nine-tenths of which, on an 
average, were destroyed, has been misunderstood by 
the editor of the Genesee Farmer. It was not intend¬ 
ed to give the impression that there had been a total 
destruction in any one region; and it might have been 
added that the uninjured remaining portion, would, in 
all favorable localities, (in one of which P. Barry re¬ 
sides,) bejiufficient to furnish a good, though not nu¬ 
merous crop of peaches, which would doubtless be of 
much better quality for the thinning it had thus recei¬ 
ved; and which a casual observer would not have 
noticed when the trees were in full flower. 
Utility of Birds—Cherries. 
We are gratified to perceive the increase of public 
opinion against the worse than idle practice of shooting 
birds 11 for sport.” Yet we think the advocates for 
the birds do not usually go far enough. Their plea is 
extended to the robin, the oriole, the thrush, and the 
numerous classes of sparrows, buntings and warblers, 
which far overbalance the slight injury they may com¬ 
mit, %y the innumerable insects destroyed by them. But 
we are sorry to seethe king-bird, black-bird, crow, and 
the owls and hawks, placed without the boundary of 
mercy. The king-bird, if he eats bees, destroys vast 
numbers of gad-flies ;* the black-bird and crow are equally 
useful in another direction, while every farmer may, by 
simple preventives, save his corn from their depreda¬ 
tions. The snakes and mice devoured by the owls and 
hawks, are incomparbly greater than the few chickens 
they may chance to light upon. If beauty is any pro 
tection, what individual among the whole feathered 
tribe possesses , the soft and beautiful plumage of the 
owl, or the symmetry and noble bearing of the hawk ? 
It is time then, that prejudice had given way to justice 
and humanity. 
We know of but one exception among the birds. 
This is the cherry or cedar bird. YVe have found it im¬ 
possible to save our cherries, so long as it is permitted 
to visit our orchard undisturbed. Cedar birds, unlike 
most others, do not merely devour a certain portion of 
the crop and leave the rest. They devour, pollute and 
mutilate, till nothing valuable is left. Last year we 
