The Opelousas courier., 1884-06-07
Enteiligent

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Intelligent Pruning.
It has often been said that no rule car
be given to guide a tyro primer, because
every tree, bush or vine, requires some
modification Of treatment. But there art
rules applicable quite generally, of which
o leading me is to thin from the exterior
SO that all shoots left have ample dis
lance to expand their leaves In full light
without shading each other, or shading
those of the inner fruit-bearing spurs il
orchard trees. Where a branch can be
stayed apart from others into fn open
space, it is double economy to do that
rather than to cut it of, because there is
the saving of its fruit-yield, and the
saving to the tree of a wound. Every
wound is injurious that remains open to
the air through a second season. All
wholesale pruning of whole branches,
twigs and all, for the sake of speed, does
more harm than good. So another gen
eral rule is to remove only the weak,
unrlpe young wood, OF decayed old wood.
In pear trees, where liable to blight,
all unripened sprouts should be cut out
early, before the sap begins to circulate,
or the-tree will be injured by the infusion
OF poisonous sap from the Winter-killed,
blackened wood of these sprouts. just as
we are endangered by pyamia from decay
ing parts remaining attached to the cir
culation in our bodies. Some trees are
very impatient of the knife or saw, of
these the cherry is one The peach, on
the contrary, a more tender tree as to
effects of low temperature. endures cut
ting remarkably well, and SO does the
rape vine, but our native sorts less than
fasvinesof Europe Country Gentleman.
Free Roots La Well water. !.
Dir. NV. VT. Mech communicates to the
Germantown Telegraph interesting obser-
vations suggesting the ACCESSIBILITY OF
putting q safe distance between the well
and trees, especially soft-wooded ones of
rapid growth:
vas obliged to cut down and dig
out the roots of q weeping willow that
stood near the house in order to save the
well twenty-six feet deep and bricked up
from the bottom. The tree sent q root about
g rod, which descending, penetrated the
wall and spread a network of fbers over
the top of the water that so completely
covered it no water could be seen, and SO
strong was the network that d large knife
was needed I'd cut the roots OFF around
the outside. The effect was Il make the
water sodisagreeablc that | had my choice
to destroy the beautiful tree or to dig q
new well. II was q long time after the
tree was gone before the water recovered
its former sweetness. A family at Cape
MAJ, with whom my wife and children
boarded h summer. had to dig i new
we'll because the roots of aiIantus trees
ruined the water. There is d case of the
eucalyptus tree reported as having sent
roots fifty feet to d well, and ahen to the
bottom, sixteen feet, where Ghey COM
pIetely covered it with littls rootlets.
This mat was very heavy when first lifted
out Of the mud, but on drying weighed
only q few ounces.
The writer suggests that such develop
naent of roots and their remarkable power
of absorption may in some cases Be the
unsuspected cause of wells becoming dry.
o. their water disagreeabIe.
FF0fits o. sheep Keeping.
It il questionable If there is il other.
farm stock 30 profitable az q little f1ock