The Northern star, and farmers' and mechanics' advocate. [volume] (Warren, R.I.) 1830-1834, 1830-04-03

ny giving the following article on Fruit
Trees, a place in the columns ofyour use
full paper, you will oblige
A FARMER.
Brisiol Neck, March 81.
FRUIT TREES.
The old practic Of pruning fruit trees
in Autumn, has been condemned by mod
ern writer's. Mr.. Forsyth, in his treatise
on Fruit Trees, Up. l8, Cobbett's Editon)
says, /" have agrcat dislike to aatumnal
|prunining Of fruit trees of all kinds of
stone fruits in particular; for by pruning
at that season, you seldom fail to bring on
canker. Whereas, in spring, Ewhen the
sap is beginning to follow the knife, the
lips will quickly grow.
A writer, whose essay on the subject of
apple trees, is published in the " Massa-
chusetts Agricultural Repository, vol. v.
lip. l2l to l27, mentions three modes Of
mismanagement, which injurc orchards in
the vicinity Of Boston. 1. Beginning to
prune them in March, "when there is still
much wet and frosty weather, land no ac-
tivity in the sap Of the tree" 2. The
the old practice ofhacksng and mutilat-
ing apple trees in manner ruinous to an
orchard. 1t is universal practice among
the old farmers, to mount the tree with a
hatchet or bill hook, and hack off any
branch which is in state Of decay, or
which is misplaced, about six or eight inch
es from its insertion, leaving stump to
rot, and to operate as O conductor of the
water, frost and canker into the mother
branch in which it grew, or into the body
OF the tree according to its situation.-
This was done originally from an idea
that ifyou cut close to the mother branch.
or to the body of the tree, the-rot or can
ker will siczc more readily on its trunk,
than If cut at distance, and that the tree
will decay the sooner. The practice has
been followed without reflection, and with
out reason by many; but the error is 50
obvious, that any man of observation may
see it yearly; and any one, who doubts,
may satisfy himself in one season of the
incorrcctacss Of the practice, by making
ms experiments on young tree"
This writer advises the farmer. when
he has fixed upon a limb to be Topped off.
ifit is large and heavy, to cut it first at
some distance from its insertion. 10 pre.
vent its weight in falling the bark ut the
shoulder, whence your final cut is to be
because this leaves an opening for the wa
ter to get under bark, and cannot easilv
be healed. You may now saw the stumn
close to the branch from whence il pro-
ceeds with safety; or if it be portion of a
branch which is to bc Topped of, the cut
should be down to a sound, healthv later
al branch, growing from the same limb to
be cut off; ifit proceeds from the body cx
trunk ofthe tree, then it should be sawed
close to the shaft. The wood in all cases
should be smoothed over, and the edge :
OF the bark carefully pared with your
knife or hatchet, SO that the water will run
OIL the wound. 1.-THE cut be made on a
lateral branch, it should be sawed oblioue-
~ or sianting, so as to leave no dead wood,
or wood to die, and in all cases the cut
should be on sound and healthy part of
the tree. If the branch on whici, it is cut.
is healthy and vigorous one it will heal
without difficulty, pruned the last Of A
pril, or beginning Of May, but if in March,
the wound should be covered with a com.
post; but ifthc wound be large, SO as to
require several seasons before it can heal
entirely, it will be better to apply the com
post, whether it be pruned in March or
later.
"Ihe compost suited to cover the
wounds Of all trees, is o composition of
tar, bceswax and red ochre, boiled or SIM
med for half an hour or twenty minutes to-
gether. The proportion which have US
cd are, pint of tar, into which l put a
piece OF bees wax as big as an English
walnut; when these are incorporated. /
scatter small quantity ofpulverizcd red
ochre, say halfa gill and stir them well to-
gether, while boiling hot or simmering.
When this compost is cool, it should be
stiff enough to resist the heat of the sun
sufficiently to prevent its running, and vet
soft enough to be applied to the wound
with small flat smooth stick; it will last
two years at least, without requiring to be
renewed; it yields to the sap as it issues
from under the bark round the wound &c
cover it, while it continues to protect both
the wood and the edge of the bark from.
wate', and Of course from dccay.D-
Deane's Ncw-England Farmer.
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