Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 January 1869 — Agricultural and Domestic. [ARTICLE]

Agricultural and Domestic.

Pruning Fruit Tree*. v§*ok. ; ife fcStfsider tlie tree efitnb-! lished tlje setomi season after ; transplanting from tlie nursery. 1 Yko pruning knife can now be | used with more safety. If a xreil shaped topjbc secured at! tlleis time, hut little cutting will be required subsequently, j provided a timely and proper! use of the thumb nail and sits | ger be, made to nip off all buds! likely to throw out interfering I Aud unsightly limbs. To be-; gin the pruning then, I would ; suggest," that all limbs that' ' cross each other or arc likdv i to, be cut off—all limbs that j throw their points toward the j center of the tfee should share the same fate—limbs that grow j too straight,and in consequence 1 will bo likely to interfere with ; their neighbors hereafter, should be cut back to a vigorous outside bud. I would also suggest 1 that some of the main center ‘ branches be cut away and all the Jimbs so pruned that the lower will be somewhat longer! than the higher, and the whole ! to]) so constructed that it will present a cup like cavity. The lowest limbs should start from the body oft he tree not over •three feet from the ground. A low top is every way desirable in a prairie country. ' In the first place they bear fruit sooner —it is more easily gathered, and are much less likely to be injured by our liigh winds. The liollow is preferable, because the suu and air can reach every branch and almost every leaf. Who has not observed that fruit growing on limbs fully exposed to the rays of the | sun.uyps larger, aud in every j respect better than that which ; grows in comparative shade. • The month of June, I believe is the best time to prune apple trees in this county. The trees j are at this time in full vigor, j The crude nutricient materials taken up by the roots are passing rapidly through their proper vessel* to the leaves, where, | meeting with a fresh supply of j carbonic acid inhaled by the leaves, decomposition, and assimilation takes place, and all of the materials not required for the growth of the tree are eliminated, whilst the rest, thus properly prepared returns towards the roots, depositing its cambium as it flows along and tlina adds little by little to the growth of the tree. It is at this time I prefer to prune apple trees, more especially if there should be limbs of considerable size to take off. The tree can now better withstand the shock, while the stumps of the limbs will more rapidly and surely heal over. All wounds made in pruning should be covered with gum shellac, or a coat of white lead. Teddy.