Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1892 — ORCHARD AND CARDEN. [ARTICLE]

ORCHARD AND CARDEN.

Can of the Marfl. Do not he too rast In methods of trimming. Nature nukes fewer mistakes inan orchard lectors give her credit tor. Confine toe trimming to the tower branches—hose that seem to have served their purpose, and to a few that appear crippled and weak. The tree will indicab which it can spare Is trying to ibilioff by the lack of vigor in the brilich out at any time. Also establish l kind of mutual understanding betwen yourself and the orchard by frequeit walks through it. The trees will point out their needs .and you will #t to understand their language, whiiji is a safer guide than all the orthodox rules found in the books. .If the soil lacks nutriment and the trees are hungry the little yellow lea\es tell it plainly. Sun scald.and borers arc both Inflictions readily noticed. Scraping the baulk .and washing with lye and soap is .foolishness.. If thb tree is vigorous .it .can probably standi it, but if it is .not you can not supplement the lack by any such nonsense. The scurvy apple tree and tt e scurvy pig are not common terns, and they .cannot be treated al ke. The cause may be -similar—inaiequate nutrition, but wbile the pi ? gets a little sympathy and the big feed of milk niter the washing, the tree must stand the scraping without protest .and without a corresponding dose of fertility. Some of the potash might possibly percolate out to the feeding roots .and be taken up into the circulation, but it is doubtful if vegetable .diseases respond to an application ■of liniment, ointment or salve. An .applettree.does , not shed its coat as it does its leaves. Last year’s jacket gets too small and cracks open for the .new one growing under It, the tatters hanging to the body over the pew suit. Whether the tree is thankful for this scraping service I much doubt. Indeed, it is possible, and quite probable, that it needs just this tattered mantle to protect itself from the suu. The tree needs just ordinary .common sense and the exercise of it upon the young orchard is needed to make a success of such an undertaking.

Late-eiMUad I’otatoes. One of the advantages of lateplanted potatoes is that it gives chance for more thorough preparation of the soil. One of the evenest and best potato fields seen this year was grown .after corn. The field was plowed three times, thoroughly mixing the soil and impossible those air spaces under furrows, which, when they come under a hill of potatoes, are not often remedied all the season. A poor hill occasionally greatly reduces the yield. It cannot be avoided except by most thorough preparation of the soil before the potatoes are planted. Pfanlni l'nrmant Grsartb. All pruning done before the buds start into growth stimulates those that remain so that they grow all the more vigorously. Pruning trees when in leaf Is, oil the contrary, a check to the Whole plant, and does not stimulate what is left. It is quite apt, however, with very vigorous trees, to cause fruit buds to start, and may thus be sometimes advisable to bring young orchards more quickly into bearing. The national debt of England first appears as a regular expenditure in 1094, though no doubtit had practically existed long before. With some fluctuations it grew and grew until, at the close of the great war in 1815, it amounted to nearly £900,000,000 —more than all the other national debts of the world put together. It seems a singular commentary on our great triumph over Napoleon that, while France came defeated out of the war with a debt of only about £70,000,000, we, who were victorious, had incurred orte of £900,000,000. This enormous sum has been slowly reduced; but at the present moment, and even after deducting the amount of loans made to local authorities and the purchase money of the Suez Canal shares, it still amounts to £731,000,000. The Americans are setting us a noble example, and paying their debt off with much greater rapidity. —English paper.