The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-25
The Scrap Book.

Pruning Old Apple Trees.-Apple trees
that have become unproductive may often
be restored to usefulness by severe prun-
ing, cutting out limbs that have begun to
decay, as these lessen the Vigor of the
tree. If large limbs are cut off the cut
should be made with a saw, and the cut
surface quickly coated with Varnish
made of gum shellac with rosin. With
new and smaller top vigor will return
to the old tree, and If supplied with min
eral fertilizers, especially potash, it will
often be productive many years. 1t is a
good time to regraft these aid trees when
pruning them. choosing some extra vigor-
GUS variety that is long in coming into
bearing on young trees. The Twenty
Ounce apple and Northern Spy are both
excellent kinds to regraft on old and ap-
parently worn-out trees.
Mulching Strawberries-The best time to
mulch Strawberries is to cover them when
the ground is frozen. If the mulch is then
applied over the vine in the rows it will
do much to prevent the lifting of the plants
by freezing and thawing. which is most
injurious The strawberry plant is quite
hardy against cold, but if the soil around
it is alternately frozen and thawed, its
roots will be broken and the plant will be
come worthless. This is especially the
case on mucky soil, which is always satu-
rated with water in winter. Besides, the
mulchng of the strawberry plants now
will probaly keep the soil frozen around
them and prevent the premature blossom
ing which often loses the crop from late
spring frosts.
Restoring Grass Lands-There are
many fields in grass than cannot well be
plowed. Such are usually left to get such
fertilizing as they can from animals graz
ing upon them and the natural decay of
some vegetation on their surface But
sooner or later, such lands lose their min
eral fertility, especially il mown and the
grass made into hay. Lack of the min
eral plant foods is shown by the dying out
of the valuable grasses and substitution
for them of MOSES which do not require
mineral manures. Sometimes the surface
is merely hide bound, and running over it
with a harrow will admit enough air TO
give the soil new supply of plant food by
making its fertility available. If this is
done some grass seed sown at he same
time will proably in part grown and help
supply a new sod. 1t will be a great help
if grass seed is sown to follow 1t with a
dressing of manure. This will protect the
young grass plants which cannot easily
or quickly get rooted in a sod whose sur
face only is narrowed. But some pot
ash and phosphate ought TO go with barn
yard manure. as IL is most likely In these
minerals that the grass land is most de-
ficient. If this does not run out the MOSES
it shows that the land needs underdrain-
ing The cultivated grasses root deeply
and stagnant water quickly kills them.
Moses adhere to the surface, and thereby
get what air they need to make growth.
Poverty a Bar to Best Methods 1t
needs a wealthy farmer to make the best
use of straw as feed. This is an old
saying among farmers, and it's moral is
that straw is only profitably feed with
concentrated nutrition in grain and Oil
meal. which wealthy farmers are most
likely to purchase and feed. But in these
times farmers who are not wealthy have
begun to learn that to make money they
must do as the wealthy do especially in
methods of feeding their stock. What
pays one will pay another, and no man is
so poor that he cannot buy what makes
really cheaper feed than what he grows
on his own farm. Many a farmer feeds
timothy hay, when his stock would do
better If he should sell that and buy
wheat bran or middlings, with oil meal
or grain. and feed this with cut-grain