The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-12-04
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
when d uowto prune Trees.

trees must be Settleo. In q greater or less
degree, by the climate and nature Of the
tree. AS rule, ut the South. winter
pruning, performed directly after the
fall of the. leaf, is largely practiced. In
the North pruning begins in many
orchards as early us February and is
continued through the months of
March, April, and, in some localities,
later. Hardy trees there are which may
be pruned whenever the farmers find
leisure between the dropping of the
| foliage and the second month of spring.
Trustworthy cultivators advise prun-
ing the peach just as the leaves begin to
swell, because the fruit and leaf buds
are then readily distinguished one from
the other.
Of all trees the apple is most benefited
+, by pruning the ounce is also better for
/ judicious cutting back. Generally
speaking sweet cherry trees call for
sparse pruning only. All trees are lia-
BILE to injury from the removal of large
branches; this statement holds espe-
cially true with the peach.
At meeting of the Massachusetts
| horticultural Society, where the usual
diversity of opinion was expressed in u
discussion on pruning, one member ad-
vocated when large branches are to be
taken off, cutting the under side of a
limb part way through first, to prevent
| it from splitting down the trunk and
leaving an ugly scar. A liquid grating
wax was also recommended for cover
! ing the cut surface. The practice of
cutting the limb twice-the first time
about a foot from the tree-leaving the
| length specified to be taken off at the
second saving, was advocated at this
same meeting. The first cutting was
advised at any convenient season, and
the last one to be done in summer.
The judicious pruning of fruit-trees
rests on several general principles which
should be thoroughly understood. First,
the vigor of a tree subjected to pruning
depends in great measure on the equal
distribution of sap in all its branches.
To accomplish this the following means
may be employed. Prune the branches
of vigorous parts short and of weak
! parts long. Leave large quantity of
I fruit buds on the strong parts and few
or none on the weak parts. Remove
from the vigorous parts superfuous
shoots as early in the season as possible,
and from the feeble parts as late as may
be. Pinch early the soft extremities of
| the shoots on the vigorous parts and
delay this process on the feeble parts.
Another principle to be regarded is
the sap acts with greater force and pro-
duces more vigorous growth on a branch
or shoot pruned short than one pruned
long; hence the practice of pruning
short when wood branches are desired
and long for fruit branches. Other
things to be remembered in pruning
whether this be done to induce fruit or
to diminish it, are-frst, the sap tend
ing always to the eXtremities of the
shoots causes the terminal buds to push
with greater vigor than the laterals.
Second, the more the sap is obstructed
! in its circulation the more likely it will
be to produce fruit buds. Third, the
| leaves serve to prepare the sap absorbed
! by the roots for the nourishment of the
! tree and the formation of buds on the
tree-all trees, therefore, deprived of
their leaves are liable to perish. Lastly,
when the buds of any shoot or branch
do not develop previous to the age of
two years they can only be forced into
activity by close pruning, and in some
cases. notably the peach, even this often
| fails to bring about the desired result
! NeU York World.
| Storing Cabbages In sPits.
AS tie value of cabbages for feeding
are becoming better known, this crop is
more largely grown. The greatest diff
Guilty is in preserving them. Decayed
cabbages are certainly the worst posi-.
BILE food for a dairy COW, and the odol
and taste of the milk caused by them are
far more disagreeable than when tur.
nips are fed. The successful keeping o.
them is therefore very important. A
thousand head of well i-grown cabbages
will furnish full ration once a day fol
ten COWS during at least two months
by pitting them, cabbages may be kept
in good order for twice that length o
time. The usual method for storing in
cellars is not so good as that of storing
in pits. Pitting is done by plowing
several burrows so as to scoop out Ions
hollow or trench, and heap the eartl
upon each side of it. The cabbages az
then packed, head downwards, in the
trench, and first covered with straw
then with earth sufficiently thick Il
keep out the frost. We have packed
them without straw, and found then
to keep better than with straw. as TIL
closer the packing, so as to exclude TIN
air more thoroughly, the better is TIL,
condition of the cabbage; the earth
too, seems TO have preservative effect
the heads being packed downwards, II,
earth penetrates between the leaves
american Agriculturist.
Christmas Pudding.
One pound raisins stoned, one poun,
currants cleaned and dried, one poun
OF beef suet chopped fine, one pound O
; bread crumbs (stale are the best). on
pound of brown sugar; then cut in smal
pieces two ounces of lemon, orange an
citron, candied peel, half nutme
grated, half IL teaspoonful of grOun
ginger, one teaspoonful of mixed spice
half a saltspoonful of salt, eight egg:
Mix all we'll together with your hand
. except the eggs, which must be beate
yolks and whites separately, whites t
! a froth with the back of a knife if yo
;, do not have any egg-beater. Now mi
,, your eggs with the other ingredients,
must be quite quick or it will fail apart
!, if not moist enough add one OF two egg
. Half this quantity is enough for sma
: family. Grease your mold or bowl, ii
with the mixture, grease a plate an
put over the top wrong side up; di
your pudding cloth into boiling waite
dredge it with flour and tie securel.
S Have large pot of boiling water ready
: plunge your pudding in, moving it abol
!. for minute; always keep your pu,
a ding covered with water; keep kett
: boiling near by to replenish with; new
: let the pot go off the boil, or it wi
: spoil your pudding. Boil six hours Il
= first day, and when you are ready TO e
e it boil two hours more; before untyil
: the cloth plunge the pudding into co
a. 4 4 ;,,r ~, ,,ot -; Ia