Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1854-03-09
VOLUME 6.
AGRICULTURAL.
From the Prairie Farmer.
PRUNING ERU1T TREES.

From the Prairie Farmer.
PRUNING FRUIT TREES.
Mr.. EpiToR. Pruning healthy trees.
so far as ave had experience, always
rc,ards their growth.
When trees are budded or grated in
the top. il is Of course necessary TO re.
move all other branches, as thew shoot
forth from time TO time, that all the sap
may be directed into the inserted bud or
graft. There is no other way ofeventual.
]. forming the whole top from the inser
ted portion. But this necessary cruelty
to the tree, almost stops its growth for
the first season-.,he second il will thrive
little more rapidly. and so OF: but
tree that was no larger al first, and new
er had its top removed. aud been trim
med sparingly, will, in two CT three
years from the time of grating be ,wic,
as large as The gratis are; and Judging
from nine years observation, it would
seem tina. the tree, which was trimmed
blu, very sparingly when young. nigh:
continue to be twice the largest, till OLD
age should check its growth.
As the leaves of tree draw in nour-
ishmen. from the atmosphere, the great
er the number of leaves, the greater the
nourishmeni thus received, and the more
rapid will be the growth of the tree,
and as the foliage also, and The limbs. al
serve as pump to draw up the juices
from the earth. and the greater the mum
Der of branches and leaves, the greater
will be the power of the pump, and the
more the tree hourisles from this source;
consequently, if ii is not desired TO keep
atree long time afbeau,iful lille one,
uhiie 1t IS standing in the nursery and
aUhit it is smaHin the orchard, i, should
be pruned as little as possible.
One, also, if the knife is spared when
the tree is small, may eventually have a
tree more erect. and of more beautiful
symmetry, than when il is KEEP. trimmed
to beaulify it while young. Early pru
ming not only dwarfs the tree, but ii
makes slim trunk. that easily yields TO
the pressing winds, and in spite Of sarly
care produces leaning nody, and top
bending over upoK OTIS side. Sut if a
tree is permitted to grow in the nursery
pretty much as nature dictates, when il
is large enough for the orchard, j, will be
three or four times as large at the ground.
as it is where the limbs should be allow
ed to form head; and il will have some
twice as many roots as il would have II
it had been kept nicely pruned; and when
j, is now tr.Amed and set in the orchard,
it will both grow faster and more up
right than if ii had been trained to the
shape of bean pole in The nursery.
After trimming to secure life under
the operation of transp,anting in the
nrchard-if trees are bent considerably
, me Southwest after very soaking
.r.ns, for two years after setting, and
ne earth pressed against them with the
loot 20 hold them in that position--and
if they are allowed to stand in the or.
chard some four gears without having
limb removed. excepting such as may
shoot out within foot of the ground
none will complain of crooked, STOPPING
trees; and they will be about twice as
large as they would have been, if they
led been constantly pruned.
When they have stood in an orchard
unipjured with the cruel knife, and been
finely cultivated for this period, they
have formed large trunks and large tops,
and have sent out an abundance of lux.
urent roots; and now is the time to
prune as it checks the formation OF
wood, and promotes the formation OF
blossom buds. All the skill Of the pru-
ner may now be taxed in leaving the top
in as beautiful form as can be. But
there should be less removed on the
South west side of the tree, than on the
North west, 10 counteract the influence
of our most constant winds; and the
tops should be abundan,ly thinned. that
the air may circulate through them. TO
enrich the fruit and enlarge its size
Low tops are the mos Convinent, thrift
~ and productive. lftrees are pruned
in summer, when the nourishment is
drawn from the roots to the limbs and
foliage it Injuries the tree far more than
to trim in the winter, when the strength
is the most descended from the branches
10 the roots.
G. w. BABBIrT.
Green Vale, Woodford Co. Ill.