The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1873-05-08
for the farmer.
FARMERS, WORK.


There are many Job for leisure hours. which
may be performed with out interfering at al with
plswing, planting, and other field labor, if they
are only thought Of in time.
Pruning fruit trees 10 too often greatly neglec-
ted. Let this be attended to when it is too wet
to pillow or plant, or TO make fences. For such
work one needs small, sharp axe, sarp saw,
and good knife. large pocket knife Will sub
serve q good purpose; but, in the absence of
good knife, ! take an old file ans get good
blacksmith to make pruning knife, with the
blade shaped like the blade of grain sickle or q
grass hook. IT the blade be four or i've inches
long, after it is cnrvel, it will he long enough.
Pruning saws, which are fastened on the end Of
fork handle or pole, and used by the operator
while standing on the ground, are sometimes
preferable to any other tools for pruning frnt
trees. They may be obtained at most hardware
stores.
After tree has been pruned, cover the wounds
with rosin and tallow, of equal parts, melted to-
gether in a small kettle, aud applied with paint
brush.
yards. and spread them around fruit trees, for
the purpose Of keeping the soil loose, and promo
ting the healthy growth of Young trees. With a
broad hoe scrape the bodies of fruit trees, and if
the bark is already smooth, tie rag ON the end
Of stick for large swab, and apply thin soft
soap to the bodies and limbs for six or eight feet
above the ground.
In localities where the borer is accustomed to
work in the yellow locust, shave of and scrape
of all the outside OF dead bark for six or eight
feet high, aud smear the bodies Of the tree with
pitch and tallow, applied with whitewash brush.
If the pitch and fallow be heated teo hot, it will
spoil the brush by burning the hair.
Notwithstanding all that has been said and
written against allowing a tree Of any kind to
grow a. tn form . crotch, most persnns will
persist in permitting many young trees to grow
with two equal branches, thus forming crotch,
which 10 very liable to split by the wind or by a
large burden of fruit. Procure carriage holt of
the proper length, and bore hole through the
crotch, 80 that the bolt may be seen at the juno
ton of the limbs that it has been driveniu. Put a
large washer at the head of the bolt and one at
the nut, and screw it up tightly. Many valu-
| able tree has been, aud may be, saved in this
way from being split down at the crotch.
Some fruit trees will never produce any good
fruit and some will not bear even poor fruit.
had several such trees, and every effort faild to
make them bear fruit but this one. We erected
| q portable fence around each one, and kept pig
| or two in the enclosure. Four panels, about six
teen feet long, of light board fence were placed
around tree, and simply nailed together at the
corners. After the pigs had been in that pen
about month, they were removed to another
tree. IL this remedy fails to produce good fruit
after they have been well MANFRED and regrafted
then let the trees be cut down. Make high
board pen around plum trees for young chick
ems and keep them there until they old enough
to ran at large and see If they will not destroy OF
| frighten away the cnrculio, and thus save crop
| of plums. The experiment is worthy Of trial, as
it promises good results.
Some people do their churning with a sheep,
and keep him tied to q tree OF tethered in the
yard when he il not churning Let him be tied
to fruit tree, after protecting it that he can
not gnaw the bark off. and see if this means will
not produce crop of plums, cherries, peaches, or
other fruit.
Thsideais quite too prevalent among many far
mers that the soil needs but one blowing for
buckwheat. But my own experience on this
point is that there is other crop Of grain that
will pay better, for twice blowing, than buck
wheat. If the ground is sod ground, or wheat,
oats or barley stubble, it ought to be plowed in
May.
1t would be a good practice, if there is not too
much clay in the subsoil to pillow it three or four
inches deeper than usual. Then pillow the ground
again about the first of July, or when the grain
is to be sOwn.
When there are Canada thistles, or other nox-
ious plants, the blowing should be deferred until
the last of May, if there is not much sod because
thistles will be mnch more subdued if they be
allowed to grow few inches high, before the
ground is Plowed, than to pillow it before such
plants have grown any, or but very little.-Cor.
Country Gentleman.