Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-02-25
AGRICULTURAL.

WmTEwAsH TO DESTROY CURCULIos TIL
Hon. A. S. Miller Of Rockford, ILL.,, in a COM
munication published in the Prairie Farmer,
says that he has found the following a most
| effective preventative of the curculio:
prepare a very thin whitewash-say a
peck Of lime to half barrel of water; mix
and dissolve thoroughly, and apply to the
branches of the tree with large syringe or
squirt-gun, till the whole tree is we'll white
washed. Commence Going this on the fall of
the blossoms, and as soon as the young plums
appear. Keep the tree well coated for the
few weeks in which the insects work Apply
in dry weather, and especially after a heavy
rain twice a week will be often enough in
ordinary weather"
Is SEVERE PRUNING ADVISABLE ?-Mr. j.
Thompson of Juniata County, Pennsylvania
communicates the following to the Philadel-
phia CuitU'iSt: ,
Mr.. EDITOR In former number OF the
Cadtauia the question is asked, "Why does
our Apple Crop fail so frequently ?" In the
course of the article, among others, the sug-
gestion is made, that possibly, excessive pru14-
ing may have something to do with the fail
ures. | decidedly incline to that opinion. In
vegetable physiology it is laid down as an
axiom, that so long as the channels Of COM
municatiOn between the roots and branches
are kept unimpeded, so long the decay of the
stem is impossible. God has so fashioned the
tree, that every part Of it is properly proper
toned. The roots are adapted precisely to
the wants of the branches. Destroy portion
of the root, and some part of the branches
will suffer.
Every limb that is cut off, renders some of
the sap vessels useless. AS a consequence,
they contract, and that portion of the stem of
in WI oh RS
vitality and shrinks, and separates from the
living wood around it. This loss of vitality
is, of course, in proportion to the size of the
limb taken away.
Now let US apply these common sense de-
auctions of science to the modern practice of
pruning, and see whether we have not some
grounds for belief that the non-productive-
ness and early decay of many Of our orchards,
are attributable, to very great extent, to the
excessive use of the knife and saw. From
the first season of the trees life, to the hour
of its dissolution, it is cut and mangled with
out mercy and without reason. 1t was not
always thus, nor were our orchards always as
unproductive as now.
The editor of the Coltarist makes the fol-
lowing sensible suggestions in reference to
encouraging the development of fruit buds
in young trees, by pruning with the object in
view.
If branches are removed after the fall of
the leaves, then the roots have the ascenden-
cy. The buds which remain shoot forth with
increased vigor. In the management of
fruit trees, this is fact of special Importance.
When planted in appropriate soil, young fruit
trees are apt to attain luxuriance of growth,
which is not compatible with fruitfulness.
They make lengthy shoots, which, if allowed
to remain during the summer, and are pruned
away in the winter, will only add to the
growth of wood the following season, and
again defeat the hope of fruitfulness By
sparingly shortening those in winter, and
carefully pruning them in summer, the for
nation of buds and blossoms will be encour-
aged, and the probabilities of productiveness
greatly enhanced.