The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-03-15
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Hints on Pruning.

| and training of fruit trees offered the
following suggestions Apple trees in
gardens and orchards that are allowed
to grow freely and naturally, require to
have only their heads thinned out, and
| especially in the center, so that light and
air may be freely admitted to every part.
Young trees should be closely looked
after for q few years after planting, 80
that by the judicious removal of ill
placed shoots or branches and the short
ening of others, the tree may be en-
couraged to assume q neat style of
growth. Standard and pyramidal pear
trees should be treated in the same way
as apple trees, good thinning rather
than hard pruning being quite as desir-
able in their case as with apples. Hori-
zontally trained trees against walls re-
quire, however, to be treated somewhat
differently, if only for appearance sake.
The flowers are borne on spurs, conse-
quently these only should be left un-
touched ; and the shoots made last season
should be pruned close in, say to within
an inch or so to their base. The pro-
duction of fruit bearing spurs, rather
than unfruitful shoots, on the main
branches, should be the object aimed at
in pruning, and it should be borne in
mind that hard or close pruning is not
favorable to this process consequently
be sparing with the knife in the case of
the horizontal leaders, which may BE-
nailed in their entire length if well
ripened. Standard plum trees also re
quire to be well thinned out if good
crops of fine fruit are desired. Plum
trees on walls, which are generally
trained in fan shape, must be treated
pretty much the same as pear trees. In
this case, also, the flowers are borne on
spurs, SO that the breast wood and such
groyths as are not required for mailing
Ill should be cut close back. The leaders
may be nailed in their entire length in
this case also, if well ril,ened; if not,
cut back to the well seasoned wood. Be
careful in strong growths not to cut back
more than is absolutely necessary.
Hand pruning in such cases means a
more vigorous growth still in the coming
season. Prune weak shoots close to en-
courage vigor, and cut the strong ones
as little as possible to repress it, and you
will soon get a well balanced tree The
flowers of the peach and nectarine are
borne on the shoots developed the pre-
vlous year, hence the system of pruning
to be followed in their case is totally diff
ferent from those before mentioned.
The shoots which bore flowers and fruits
last season must be cut out as far as
possible and the young growths made at
the same time encouraged; and if trained
against walls Gas is advisable with at least
the nectarines) nailed in their places
straight and neatly, at from two to three
inches apart.
In answer to the question asked at
what age trees should be set out for an
orchard a member replied that he had
experimental with transplanting trees of
different ages from one 10 four years
from the graft, and he preferred the one
year trees. They can be taken up more
nearly with the entire roots, are set
quicker and are not checked in the
growth.
Keep Stock Warm.
A COW fed on twenty pounds of hay
daily, having no shelter in the winter
season, except perhaps an open shed
about to tumble down, would be in no
better condition in the spring than she
would be II led on nfteen pounds daily,
and kept in warm stable at night. and
allowed the run of the BARNARD in
pleasant weather. This is a result that
has substantially been proved thou
sand times. Now we will compute the
loss to farmer on ten COWS, which are
left through the winter on the unpro-
tected system; and many barns afford
but slight warmth to stock over the open
air, being boarded up vertically, with
cracks between the boards from a half
inch to an inch wide, and all such barns
come under the losing system of winter
ing stock. 1t would be fair to estimate
hay to be worth S15 ton as an average
value throughout the country. Ten cows
not well protected will require fifty
pounds day more than when kept in a
warm stable, for at least four months, or
l12 days, worth thirty-seven and one
half cents daily, or during 112 DAYS,
80. Probably the loss on each animal.
no matter how fed, would be at least
So; consequently, farmers who study
their own interests build warm barns,
but so rs to be we'll ventilated in mild
weather, and thus save enough in fod-
der III few years to pay the cost Of
them. But much can be done with old
buildings to make them warm: battens
can be nailed over the cracks. the roofs
can be repaired, doors made to shut
close, and thus the comfort of domestic
animals can be enhanced, to say nothing
of the saving in fodder. Farmers, do
you realize this important fact? Some
OF you do not seem to realize it at all; and
such men are always talking of "hard
times, being slack in all they do.
Curing Pork.
Curing pork so that it will always be
sweet is not difficult matter. provided
the necessary requisites are furnished
pork from young pigs from six to ten
months old and plenty of good salt. A
writer in the Country Gentleman saws !:
Cut the pork up into suitably sized
pieces, after it has lost all the animal
heat, but it should never have been al
lowed to freeze. Pack closely in clean,
tight cask, in alternate layers of pork and
salt, using from half bushel to whole
bushel to each barrel 1.-TWO hundred
A portion of the salt must be
reserved for the brine, which must be
boiled and SKINNED and saturated with
salt. When cold pour over the pork.
taking care to provide sufficient brine to
cover the meat at least two inches. Law
a heavy flat stone on the pork, to keep
it from floating, and the pork will keep
sweet as long as it is covered with brine.
Ordinary fine Onondaga salt is
just as good as the coarse salt, if the
same weight is used. The barrel should
always have undissolved salt in the brine,
For bacon, hams and shoulders, use
eight pounds of salt, one quart of mo-
lasses Cor it's equivalent-two and one
half pounds of sugar., two ounces of