The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-01-25
AGRICULTURAL.

4 Il
We copy the following extract from
an article in the last Ohio horticultural
Report, by G. W. Camphell, one of the
most intelligent and successful fruit
growers in that State
In my remarks upon pruning, shall
advocate no particular system, for have
not found any that l consider applicable
to all varieties and all situations. My
object will, therefore, be to state facts
and general principles, leaving their ap-
plication to be made as circumstances
require. It is well-know to all grape
growers that the wood growth of the
present season is the fr,lit-bearing wood
of the next. The object, therefore, of
fall or spring pruning is to remove, as
far as practicable the old and useless
wood of the past season, and to contine
the new or bearing wood within its allot-
ted space, and to the production of no
more fruit than it can perfectly mature.
"That our vines have been, as a rule,
confined to too narrow limits, and sub
jected to too much pruning, have no
doubt; and 1 am glad to see general
disposition among vineyardists to plant
at wider distances and to prune less.
"A vine must eventually suffer from
having all its tendencies continually
checked and its rambling habits cramped
to o mere fraction of its natural dimen-
sions. So far, however, as my observa-
ton extends, 1 would say that the injury
resulting from the severest winter prun-
ing, performed while the energies of the
vine are dormant, is as nothing, compar-
ed with that caused by an indiscriminate
and wholesome summer slashing, while
the vine is in vigorous growth and all
its forces in action. In proof of this, L
will mention the following experiment,
which have repeatedly tried with diff
ferent varieties, and always with the
same results. 1 have taken young vine
in perfect health, and in the full vigor
of its early growth and cut it down to
within two or three leaves of the point
where it had started in the spring. This
sudden check stops all growth for week
or two, when the upper bud slowly
swells and at length makes new shoot,
and, if vigorous variety, it will soon be
making rapid growth. l have then
again shortened this new shoot little
above the former cut. The period of the
test is now longer than before, but a
new start, rather feeble, will usually be
made; and have repeated the cutting
back process even third time. The
vine now either remains stationary, OF
makes very feeble and spindling shoot
which never natures. Now if this vine
be taken up after the fall of the leaves, il
, will be found to have just the amount Of
living roots it had when planted, and nc
more. All the new roots formed during
each successive period of growth between
the different prunings will be found
dead and rotten; and the different set'
of roots indicating these successive pc
, riods can usually be traced.
1.-THE application of these facts to thu
J practice of severe summer pruning is no
difficult and it is to my mind conclusive
that its effect is only evil continually
A simple pinching at the ends of to-
rampant shoots in order to strengthen
the weaker ones and equalize the summe
= growth in addition to the rubbing out O
2 superhuous shoots, is all l believe to bt
, ever necessary, if the fall pruning ha
been properly performed"
! How TO HANDLE CATTLE.-The Rev
! Y. G. Jones, in his address before tn
l Board of Agriculture of Ohio, describe
| lllt DOllllS VIC WduU III Culllc W I'LL u Sltci
/, deal of acumen. He says:
! "In cattle, we want the round carcas
the barrel-shaped rib-because, first
it gives strength to hold up the immens
c weight carried in the large stomachs @
the Illuminating animals. If the ribs az
fiat, the abdomen will be the widest a
s the bottom, and the tendency will be t
S let down the contents below the termi
c nation of the ribs. These paunchy
: animals are seldom good feeders. In tn
l. second place, the round barrel is impoI
e tant in all flesh-producing animals, be
n cause this form gives us the most mea
y in the more valuable parts. But tn
d fiat rib gives us a sharp, narrow chin,
n with large amount of tough attachin
muscles, and very little tender flesh.
e carcass of proper form for producin
Il flesh should appear large when We've
IS from above because the portion thu
e seen bears the best and most valuabl
n meat. The hips, must, therefore, be lon
Is and broad, though not too wide, an
n especially not protuberant. The sid
II view, with straight upper and lowe
, line, and nearly straight from the rum
S and the top of the shoulder to the intel
section of the lower line will nearly fl
OF rectangular parallelogram, as may
le seen in diagram of properly forme
&c OK, sheep, or pig. And the same woul
be true of front or near view of we
fatted animal, though in this case I'll
:, parallelogram would be nearly squar
er while in the side view it would of cour
to be oblong. In all fiesh-producing an
s. mails, the parts which are mere off
| chn,,l1 ha 1iohf a q rOccihla. thn hpol
or horns, legs, and bony structure general
s. should not be larger than necessary
e. give the proper size and vigor III
OF animal should be large when fat, ar
Id relatively small when lean. In determ
ID ming the excellence of cattle, no point
le more important than hide and hair.
e. mellow and elastic hide, with soft, lon
s. and elastic hair, gives protection duriI
our severe winters, and indicates thrift
animal and good feeder, as well as Il