The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-05-01
UTILITY.
Pruning Fruit Trees-ExperimeEH in Feed
ing Swine.

Fruit Trees.
Pruning should now be complete
rs quickly as possible, says write
in The Garden, as the sap is rapid
rising, and bleeding will take place
she operation is longer deferred. Vine
suffer moro in this respect than mos
things, except walnuts, which it i
best to leave till they have foliage Oh
them; they may be thinned out o
partly headed back with safety.
vines are cut now, it is advisable tt
touch the parts with styptic, whicl
stops the pores and prevents loss o
strength. Apples in orchards are gen
orally left pretty much to themselves
which is a great mistake, as when al
lowed to get thick with wood it is i'm
possible for them to produce fine fruit
they may and generally do bear pro
fusely, but the apples are small and
poor in color. In order to expose
them to sunshine all branches should
be removed that are misplaced OF
crossing others, as well as any that
are cankered. If the latter is caused
by blight, as is generally the case,
coat the bark with lime, which may
be effected by using it fresh and hot,
rs wash, pumped on by the aid of a
garden engine, which will throw it in
n regular stream, smother the insects,
and make the trees healthy and clean,
as the lime VIII kill and divest them of
AL moss and lichen, however bad they
may be in that respect. The same re-
marks apply to plums and damsons,
and, Independent of freeing them from
moss, it is always advisable to give
them lining to prevent the buds
being eaten by birds. Plums, like
apples, are greatly benefited by judi
eious thinning, and the object to be
aimed at is 10 have the branches reg
Mar and well balanced all over the
head. Those on walls that are spurred
should be kept as close in as possible,
and the same with cherries, apricots,
and pears, which every year should
have some of the longest spurs re-
duced, as there is generally more than
enough of blossom buds, and the
great point is to have these as near
the wall as it is possible TO get them;
If not. their flowers get injured by
sold winds and frosts.
Morello cherries bear on the young
shoots, bnt it is useless having these
thick, and the same with peaches and
nectarines, the proper distance apart
Tor which is from four to SIX inches,
laid in all over the trees. In pruning
ahese, attention should be directed to |
Keeping them well furnished near the
base. In the manas ement of peaches
and nectarines much depends on the
Summer disbudding and keeping the
foliage free from insects. Figs need
but little pruning. The point with
them to get them to bear freely is to
restrict growth by limiting their root
suD. This is best done by concreting
and bricking them in, or planting in
lhe hardest and poorest of soils in
which there is a good admixture of
:halk, as then they make very short
ointed shoots that become well rip.
'sed and studded with fruit If
,runed at all it should be more in the
say of thinning than anything else,
% as to let in the full light and sun to
consolidate the pithy growth which
hey make; they will then endure
harp frosts. Gooseberries, when
wanted for picking green, may be left
'retty thick, AS then the bushes yield
lore fruit, but if required for dessert,
be shoots should not be nearer than !,
IL inches, and left regular over the :
nsh. Red and white currents ought ,
, have their branches from SIX inches
, nine inches apart, and be spurred :,
! close, and the leading shoots short i,
ned to about three inches, but black !,
lrrents bear from the young wood, /
nd only need thinning. Raspberries .
lOuld have their canes reduced to :.
ON three to five, according to their g
rength, and shortened to about
srd, height at which they are more
than higher. Half their P
sads may be bent over from each o
DOL and tied at the points, when they u
i'll stand fairly stiff without any a
axes. Another way of managing Il
spberries is to plant or twist the c
mes up by interlacing them from bot p
On to top, and if then tied they will II
pport each other. Double bearing
autumn-fruiting kinds should be cut Z
lite down to the ground, as a sum- b.
er crop from them when the others h
Q in is of no value, and it only helps IL
exhaust them. Forking or digging fc
Q ground among raspberries is about a
Q worst thing that can be done for p'
EN-, as it disturbs and destroys many bl
their roots, which a good mulching
half-rotten manure fosters and en- IN
urages to the great benefit of the it
ants they are feeding. Instead of nj
the soil, it is far better to al
once spread the manure and leave 10
on, as not only does it act in the way it,
'errei to, but it keeps out drought, pr
d thus assists in producing fine of
lit. fl,
Feeding Swine
The six pigs selected were of one u'
.er, three quarters Berkshire, and en-
ighed February ,, 1881, 437a pounds. gu
ey were given sweet skim milk and ie'
,lled corn three times each day. In Ia
s case no record of the quantity of ne
I'd consumed was made. They were va