Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-03-18
AGRICULTURAL.

extracts from which are given in the
Ohio Farmer:
AS young tree usually comes to the
hand of the planter, it has been de-
prived of a portion (and sometimes of a
large portion) of its feeding roots, and
consequently its power of absorbing
water from the soil is very seriously i'm
paired, and thus the intimate relations
or natural balance between the roots
and foliage is destroyed; and, the roots
being unable to supply the crude sap
necessary for SO many growing points,
the tree is unable to grow. By pruning
we must reduce the stem and branches
in length or number, or both, until they
correspond with the shortened condi-
ton of the roots; and thus, the dimin-
ished supply of nutriment being confined
to proportionately small number Of
growing points, the tree is enabled to
begin growth at once. In pruning the
top at transplanting, we should have an
eye to the future growth and SYM
metry of the tree. We should first
cut out entirely all branches not needed
for the permanent head of the tree. The
remaining branches should be cut back
to correspond with the loss of roots and
according to the habit of growth and
age of plant. For instance, the peach
may be cut back to within two feet of
the crown, leaving not twig or limb;
and yet with good cultivation during the
first season it will make four or five
strong shoots, each as many feet long,
and with abundant lateral branches.
But the apple will not bear such severe
pruning. The pear, when worked on
the ounce stock, will bear much more
severe pruning than when on the pear
stock. The grape, when cut back to
two or three buds, grows vigorously;
but if left unpruned it struggles year
or two, produces a few imperfect
branches, and dies.
We should always picture to ourselves
what the tree will attain to after many
years of growth, and trim so that the
limbs may not be too close to each other.
For ourselves, we prefer central lead
er, with side branches spreading off at
. about equal distances, this form of tree
never splitting down, as is usual when
trees fork or all the branches come out
near together. Another reason why we
should prevent the leading branches
of our trees from growing close to-
gether is that the rain, saturating
the bark in the angle between the
branches, causes ucCay--~a-s~a.-.0v..or--
later causes the destruction of the tree.
We also prefer trees with low heads,
so as to shade the trunk, and thus re-
duce to a minimum the liability to sun
light on the trunk; and also rendering
the tree less liable to be broken by the
wind, and the fruit more easily gathered
and less liable to be bruised by falling.
The ends of roots that have been broken
or mutilated in taking up should be cut
to sound wood, thus promoting the cal
lous growth on the end of the root, from
which new roots are speedily set out.
And just here we hope you will pardon
US for depressing from our subject prop
er to say that the absorptive apparatus of
roots is very much injured by exposure
to the drying influence of the sun and
wind; and especially the roots of ever
greens, owing to the hardening of the
resinous juices in the cells. Hence, the
necessity of keeping the roots protected
from every drying influence; and also
that, to insure success in removing
plants with very sluggish roots (such as
the holly, for instance), all the leaves
and immature wood should be cut away.
Having laid the foundation or, rath-
er, established the framework, of our
future tree, in our further operations we
should remember that tho right policy
is to retain and encourage all the foliage
that light can act upon; and, if we
would regularly increase the vigor of
our trees, it can only be accomplished
by yearly increase of the respiratory
and Laboratory organs, the leaves. But
we would not be misunderstood. While
we protest against any useless obstruc-
ton of the foliage, we would have the
pruner remember the chemical effect of
light in frightening the flavor of all
fruit borne by the plant upon which it
acts. All fruits require the free circu-
1ation of air and light, and whenever
they are partially excluded from these
elements they are destitute Of flavor and
color in proportion to their exclusion.
Hence the necessity of thinning and
regulating in such a manner as that ev-
cry part Of the tree may have sun and
air. The tree-grower should check ev-
cry tendency to improper growth by
s. shipping it in the bud," either by re-
moving with the knife or simply
pinching off with thumb and finger the
growing point Of the offending branch.
By this "nipping in the bud" process
we economic the growth of our trees,
and thus avoid that ruthless waste of
which we have the evidence in the mon
ster brush-heaps we SO often see, as the