Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-06-10

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mate.
There are some general principles of
culture applicable to all classes of
plants, and others applicable to specific
classes.
l. It may be given as general rule,
that all plants, either at the time of
transplanting, orsoon afterwards, should
have their evaporating surfaces dimin-
ished to correspond to the reduced alb
sorbing surfaces of their roots. It is
seldom that we can take tree or plant,
and transplanting it, leave the portion
in the atmosphere unpruned, without
retarding its subsequentgrowth. Even
the strawberry will thrive better after
transplanting if a portion of the leaves
be taken off, while the raspberry, and
the blackberry-those biennial canes
should be cut down to theground. The
grape, currant and gooseberry-.peren-
NAL vines and wooded shrubs-should
be cut down to within two Or three buds
of the ground. Most of the perennial
vines, plants and shrubs of the lawn
and flower garden are improved by pref
ty severe pruning, and those aspiring
to the dignity of trees should have
their lateral branches cut back pretty
thoroughly.
2. Our efforts to preserve the lives,
and promote the rapid growth of trans
planted trees and plants do not cease
with pruning We consider it not only
important to prevent the too rapid
evaporation of moisture from the sur
faces exposed to the atmosphere, but
also TO preserve an abundance of mois-
ture in the soil near the roots. To eff
feet this end, we have two methods,
namely, to capacitate the soil for alb
sorbing and retaining moisture from
the atmosphere, by frequently stirring
it with implements, or to prevent the
moisture from drying out of the soil by
shading of mulch. Mulch, undoubt-
edly, not only prevents the moisture
under it from evaporating, but by keep
ing the soil cooler, causes it to con-
dense moisture from the air with which
it comes in contact.
Under some circumstances, one meth
cd of retaining moisture is the most
feasible, under others, the other. With
strawberries, raspberries, and all kinds
of plants, shrubs, vines, and trees
grown in a plowed field or garden, we
should prefer cultivating to retain mois-
ture, but in setting out trees by the
highway, or in lawn, or wherever the
entire ground is not to be under cult
walton, we should rather give prefer
ence to mulching.
In cultivating young plants the first
time after transplanting, great care
should be exercised to avoid tearing
them up. If they were properly plant
ed, there is but little danger in this di-
rection, as the roots were covered deep
enough to admit of stirring the ground
over them without endangering their
safety, but if set by careless employees.
more or less of the roots may be SO
near the surface that the hoe may catch
into, and jerk them out. We have
known strawberries, and even raspber-
ries torn out in this way. 1t is very
aggravating, after having been to the
| trouble and expense of fitting the
ground, procuring the plants and set
ting them, to have them torn out, and
all that they have gained, lost, through
the carelessness of one whom you pay
to be careful.
Another thing to be observed in
strawberries-they will blossom this
spring, and make a feeble attempt to
bear few berries, and while the salts
faction afforded you by the fruit would
be small. the injury to the growth and
productiveness of the plants will be
great. We practice going over the
vines, and pinching off the blossoms as
fast as they make their appearance, and
we are confdentthat the practice is sus-
tanned In all perennials, let the
strength of the soil, and the energies
of the plant be directed for the first
year, to laying the foundation for fu-
ture productiyeness.- An1erican Rawoz
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