The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-02-25
RMAND HOUSEHOLD.

forest trees, a subject which should have
attention now, before the demand be-
comes imperatiye, rs it surely will in the
early future, the Country Gentleman
makes these suggestions: "Walnuts,
hickorynuts and acorns should be planted
as soon as gathered to insure perfect
success in making them grow. If small
plat of mellow ground is prepared early,
the nuts can be sown when gathered, in
drills four feet apart and at least six
inches apart in the row. They must be
kept free from weeds for the first two |
years, when they should be large enough |
to transplant. If no stock is allowed to |
run at large, the strips of land where
they are to grow can be fitted and the |
nuts planted where they are to remain. |
In this case they should be planted much |
the strips for two or three years. Wal |
nut and hickory trees are rather difficult
to transplant with success, especially If
more than FIVE feet high. If the roots
are not too badly cut, and are not allowed
to be exposed to the sun and wind, small
trees can be made to grow if care is taken
that no interstices are allowed among the
roots when replanted."
GROWTH OF PLuSfs.-A correspondent
of the Massachusetts PIoughmdn, tells
how he saved his plums from the curculio
and the black knot, by planting in the
hen-yard. We can see how the presence
of hens may have kept off the curculio,
but can not see how they prevented the
black knot. He says: "About twenty
years ago / undertook to raise plums:
my trees grew well and produced good
amount Of fruit. After few prosperous
years the trees became covered with the
black wart, and the curculiO destroyed
the fruit, so that ere long my trees were
worthless. Six or seven years since /
purchased twelve plum trees and set
them in my hen-yard, where from one to,
four hundred fowls range; five Of the
twelve l succeeded in making grow.
These commenced bearing fruit four
years ago; since then every year, the
large quantity as well as the superior
quality Of the fruit has been theme of
surprise to every one who has seen it,
30 much so that nurseryman remarked,
that in all his experience he never saw
80 much fruit on any trees of their size.
These trees have always been free from
warts, and the fruit never injured by the
curculie. / can attribute this success to
no other source than my hens, and this
belief is confirmed, for have some other
plum trees that are outside of where my
hens roam, which generally blossom
well, and when the fruit is about half
grown it begins to wither and fall to the
ground.
BREAKING A CoLT.-The editor of the
Dayton journal has been on visit to
Strader, in Kentucky, and he was pleased
with the way in which colts are broken
to harness. He saw two-year-old colt
made gentle in about half an hour, and
he describes the process:
The colt had never been bridled. He
was attached to curricle called a
break-dray," and put through astonish-
ingly quick. The break-dray is nothing
more than strong broad-tread dray,
with long shafts, the tail omitted, and a
spring seat between the wheels The
harness was strong, and so arranged over
the hips as to prevent the possibility of
high kicking, and the colt was hitched
so far from the dray that his heels could
not possibly reach the driver. The
process of hitching was, of course, very
delicate, as a colt is excessively ticklish,
and is apt to let his heels fly awkwardly.
All being ready, one man held the colt
and another took the seat and rains. The
colt was then let 60, to plunge as he
pleased. The break-dray, which was so
broad that upsetting seemed out of the
question, was pushed upon the colt, and
the colt pushed sideways until he started
A few plunges settled him. He went as
he pleased, up hill and down hill, and
ho ot ,,oIy Oh 1xy
sober trot, and was thoroughly broke.
The confused and bewildered look of that
colt was pitifully amusing. Mr.. Bob
Strader was giving directions, and upon
one of the breakers raising his hand to
slap the colt to urge him, Mr.. Stradel
said: Don't do that. Never strike colt
when you are breaking him. Push him
sideways or any way. Let him 60 just
where he will and how he will. Let him
fall down if he will, but don't strike
him."
When the colt was taken out of the
shafts, he was wet as if he had been in
water, and child could have handled
him. He had not been struck a blow
The dray, we believe, was invented by
Mr.. Strader.
The COLLAR OF A TREE.-Much has
been written about root, trunk, branch
leaf, flower, stamen, and pistil. But one
OF the most important parts has been
nearly overlooked. The collar is that
part where the trunk enters the ground
and roots begin. Upon close attention
to many trees in various situations, find
frequently wide crack or cavity be-
tween the tree and ground, which is
sometimes deep and mOldy. once found
fine orchard dying, and could discover
nothing unusual but the large size and
very wet and fungoid condition of this
cavity around the collar. l have also
found that this condition of the ground
is most conducive Of fungus, and though
not yet prepared to say positively, yet
have a strong suspicion that this has
much to do with blight. BY actual OBJ
servation notice that when the ground
is favorable to this large cavity, there
blight is most common. In all cases
where have examined dead trees, and
the cause could not be certainly known,
/ found this cavity, and generally found
it to emit strong odor of fungoid
matter, and always very moist, even wet
with the exuding juices of the tree Now
these being facts, what should we do?
can only give my views; others may
differ.
put a small quantity Of stiff clay
round the collar of every tree. Not a
great quantity, as some have advised for
the borer, but enough to make neat,
smooth, close connection between the
tree and ground. And then attend to it
from time to time, adding little clay
from year to year, and filling up any
crack or assure that the rains or the
shaking of the tree might make. This is
cheap and simple, and of great value to
an orchard.
One thing is perhaps not often thought
of by horticulturists, and that is that a
large amount of water, during every
hard rain, runs down the trunk into the
collar. This water runs over the decay