, 1861-03-07
THE FARM.


PRUNING TREES
The advantage Of spring pruning Is, that IL
Is time Of leisure with the farmer. The 1ar
bors Of the farmer, at least in March and
April, are not pressing hin as at some other
seasons. The disayantages are, that the saplie
in fun circulation up the. tree. The tree, in
all Its parts, Is filed with sap, and the wood at
the wound cannot season. Hence the wood
becomes corEuptible and readily decays: ANY
persons who should cut timber at this saason.
especially hard wood, and expect 1t would Sea-
son with the bark on and become endnrable,
would be considered out Of his senses. The
sap veaaels are open and will not close. The
sap will t1oW out and run down the tree.
The bark Will become cankered, turn black
and cleaye from the wood. A wound which
can never heal will surely be the
result. The sap being in brisk
circulation mp the. tree, or waiting to
be received by the leaf, and finding itself
out off in its communication, will resort to the
recuperatlve principle common throughout
nature, and will throw out innumerable suck
ers. ,1nmany instances these are suffered to
grow, to the great injury, II not destruction,
Of the tree. The tree is destitute Of foliage,
aud the pruner Is not quick to note the limbs
which should be removed on account Of feeble
ness aud decay. r.:
Summer Pruning. The sap has
now ascended the tree, has passed into the
leaves, and has been by them elaborat-
ed. It is descending between the wood
and the bark, or in the inner bark,
for the formation Of fruit and the growth Of q
new grain of wood. The sap is appropriated,
and nature is not prepared for the 1ecuperatiye
process, aud throws ont but few, if any,
shoots. The elaborated sap, being in active
operation, may be seen in few hours oozing
from between the bark and wood, ready to
commence the healing process.
It commences quickly and progresses rapid
II. When the tree is in full verdure, the far
mer may readily observe which of the limbs
are diseased and require amputation. BE can
the more readily see what part Of the top
should be removed, in order to admit the fIuc-
tifyiDg influences Of heat and light. The pru-
ming is very beneficial to the remaining fruit.
It causes it to hold, to grow larger and fairer,
and to ripen more perfectly.
Disadvantages Farmers are very busily en-
gagged in other farm operations. The bark
which is then tender and yielding, may be in
juted by the heel Of the careless pruner's
foot. The SUMS more verticle rays may be let
in upon tender limbs, in which case they be-
come sun.scalded, ut those points where the
SUMS rays fall at right angles from noon until
two O'Clock the wound may not season as =
readily md become as ineorruptible as ut fall
and winter pruning.
Winter and fall pruntng.-Adyantages The
sap has become quiescent. 1t has passed up
the trunk nnd limbs, has been elaborated by
the leaves; has returned down the limbs,
trunk and roots for the production of fruit,
and the formation of new growth of wood.
The wood readily sensons aud becomes hard,
firm and incorruptible. It will seldom rot, NJ
though large detective limbs are amputated.
The sap vessels consequently become closed,
and the sap the next spring will not be SO
forced in that direction as to throw out 80
many shoots, as though pruned in the spring,
! neither can the sap flow from the wound. The
! operation can be performed without liability
OF injury to the bark. The farmer has leisure !;
most Of his farm operations have ceased ne
cessari1y. There ia, therefore, time to perform
/: this long neglected service.
Disadvantages: The operator cannot 80
quickly determine the points to be attacked,
to dfslodge the detective limbs, and to open
the top jndlciously, The only serious objec-
tion to pruning now, is, the orchardist does
not know, consider, and appreciate the very
great advantage and necessity Of pruning.
# the render has followed the article as
closely as the Importance Of the subject de-
! mands, he will now be prepared to strike q
balance in favor Of summer against spring
pruning; and large balance in favor Of fall
and winter pruning.
| We have, for many years, noticed the delete.
| Tlous effects OF spring pruning, arising from a
| flow Of sap, and the multifarious production
I Of suckers. We do not mean to say that, as
whole, an orcharp had not better ba pruned in
| the sprirg thnn never to be pruned. Much
4, depends upon the age md condition Of an or
chara, as regards the injury Of spring pruning,
! ing. A young, healthy, and vigorous tree may
be pruned in the spring with less detriment
than an old, decaying tree. The wounds will
be smaller; the sap will flow less the wood
Is tlrmer and the recuperation stronger In the
young than in the old tree. As regards the
t1owage Of sup, the peating operation and the
MULTIPLICATION of suckers, comparing April,
May and June, we have had ample experience.
/ The advantage is decidedly and positively in
| favor Of the latter part Of this season. AS re.
CARDS the quantity and quality Of fruit, from
! the pruning in April and July, We have had
same direction. Cole, in his American Fruit
Book" referring to fall pruning, says: '' Thir
+, ty years ago, in September, we cut @
! very large branch from an apple tree
&: The tree was old, and it 'has neye,
hsa1ed over, but Is now hard, almost as haru
] as horn, and the tree perfectly sound around
it. A few years before and after, large limbs
were cut from the same tree in spring, and
where they we're cut of, the tree has rotted, SC
that quart measure may be put into The
cavity"
TRIMMING GRAPE VINES.
/ Grape wines may be pruned during any mile
weather from the middle Of November to tht
middle Of March. Vines should never h<
pruned with dull knife, nor when they 1rt
fnr " ia n r1F
den change from mild to extreme cold weather
On planting vine, let but one branch grow
the first season. At the end Of thit
season, cut these branches back eigh1
or ten buds, or to four or five feet it
branches "risht and left" along tht
lower rail Of tho trellis The third scasoz
let these branches produce branch from every
alternate bud, and train them perpendicular
to the top Of the trellis, and about the first Q
September stop them by pfnehing them off
The trellis il now filed with good bearing
wood, and the next-the fourth season--thi
vine will produce its first crop. After the drs
crop Is taken from the vine the only pruning
necessary to prepare it for another crop, will bi
to cut back the lateral branches, proceeding
from tho upright branches to two buds, ant
When they start the next spring, but one o
these-usunlly the one nearest tie main branc1
should be allowed to grow. The next yea
that portion OF the old spar extending beyout
the base Of the new branch should be cut Of
smooth, aud the new branch cut back Is hefor.
to two buds. Thls same process il to be con
tinued from year to.yeaE It is well, however
to proFide for an entire removal Of the frui
bearing branches, as often as once in ever,
three Of four years. This can be accomplished
; without loosing crop, in the following man
| ner: Suppose there ure SIX main uprigh
branches to the vine: two Of these may he re-
moved each year By allowing q new branch II
grow from the base Of each to suf1lcien
length to taku their places, and at the mex
annual pruning cut the old ones out. In thl
way this entire vine will be renewed in tA
course Of three years.
| SPRING SOD BDEAE1NG