Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1868-10-23


Wheat the best, provided the seed is
obtained annually from Southern Ken
lucky.
1t opens about ten days earlier than
other species, except Southern wheat,
and is seldom attacked by rust. 1t is
less liable to smut, and stands the win
ter we'll. When sown on good land, it.
yields good crop-forty-tvo bushels
are known to have been harvested from
an acre--and it makes the best straw.
We consider the Mediterranean wheat
the best for thin land.
H, FREpRToK,
g. NJ. PRATHER,
Oct. 3, 1868. Committee.
THE PRYOR RED APPLE.
DIR. Allen read an interesting paper
on the disease of the "Pryor Red APP
pie" which however, he reserved for re.
vision and ampliication.
BRIERs AND SPROUTS.
Amid the iuterminabie forests which
once covered large portions of the Wes~
tern States, it was formerly the prac-
tice of pioneer farmers who desired to
make additions to arabable fields to belt
adjacent woodlands, andwait two to four
years after the operation was performed
that is, after cut was made running
quite round the trunk, separating the
bark below from that above the cut
without injuriDg the alburnum With.
in thar period most forest trees, except
timber trees with large heart wood such
as poplar and walnut, would become
dead, dry, and partially rotten, and this
result followed the operation OF betting,
whether it was performed in spring or
fall, summer or winter. If, however,
the tree were deadened by cutting
through both bark and alburnum, or by
cutting down the trunk, the effect upon
the life of the stump was very much
modified by the season ST the year when
the cutting was performed. II IN spring,
when the roots we're in full health and
vigor, many trees, such as hickory, beech,
and walnut, would stimulate to active
growth dormant or adventitious buds
and sending out cluster of shoots for
every large division of the roots would
soon have tae stump as vigorously alive
as before the deadening Of the trunk
and branches If, however, this dead
ening took place at the close of summer
when the trees were yet in full leaf and
ha tuh oh ~ nj tba
gans of digestion, were actively employ
ed in renewing supplies of plant food
for another year in place Of that which
they had exhausted under these cir.
.cpmstances the most serious injury to
the life of tree would be sustained
which it was IN the power of the axe
man to inhict. Many sorts would die.
A few would throw out feeble sprouts
to be promptly removed, and only the
mulberry aud willow were so tenacious
of life as to refuse to succomb 10 this
treatment, aud to require either betting
or grubbiDg up as means for their
destruction. TO these principles, any
theory for the destruction Of trees and
sprouts must conform, if we would be
successful in practice; but as regards
weeds and briers, we cannot belt them,
bnt must cut them, thus separating the
leaves, which are the organs Indigestion
from the roots, which are the mouths Of
plants. In regard to briers, experience
seems to indicate the close of summer
as the suspicious period for a single
cutting, and tradition has fixed the ex
act period 10 summer by naming tht
dark Of the moon in August.
The briar is peculiar in its habits
and is in its stems but bienniale grow
ing to its full size the first year, anC
bearing and dying the second. But i
in March or April, the bearing shoots
are removed, the eyes which were t.
form the bearing shoots for the SECOND
year will grow more luxuriantly thar
If the top bad escaped such spring cut.
ting; but every cutting made during
the summer whilst the briar is in full
leaf, will weaken the roots, and cut
ting in May followed by cutting llt'
in summer, We think would be quite at
hurtful TO the HE of the plant as any
single cutting during year however
well timed s1ch single cutting might be
The philosophy Of the operation is
this: that as the roots or mouths of
the briar plant have in the ascending
round of circulation sent up to the leaves
their stores of plaut food, dissolved il
water imbibed from The aoil, to be by
tho leaves digested aud when digesteC
TO be distributed over the whole body
of the plant, including the roots, so tina
they would be thereby compensated fol
tie plant sustenance sent up in cireu
lation, so when by amputaiion the plan
food, digested and undigested leaves
shoot ard all were separated from th,
roots 10 this exhausted condition, th,
next shoot sent by these exhausted root
must be greatly epfeebled; and ii durin.
the same season this enfeebled shoot q
top should be cut again, the roots wovl,
be still more exhausted, if not thor
oughly killed
Weeds that are perennial must BE-
managed much after the manner of bri
ers, cutting their tops at such times al
win be most exhaustive TO the roots
and after having ouce cut then with F,
view TO rheir determination, they SHOULD
be cut once or oflener every succeed
ing year until exterminated.
If we attempt to kill noxious anuua
weeds, such as rag weed or horse weet
by cutting, that operation should be per
formed after the weeds are ia bloom ,bu