Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 March 1869 — Agricultural and Domestic. [ARTICLE]

Agricultural and Domestic.

Reasons Wh? Fruit-Trees are Barreoi. We promised, in our last paper, to give the reasons ivhy fruit-trees are barren, as stated by Dr.'B. 8. Ilidl, in his Industrial University Lecture at Champaign, 111. He said: “To understand this, we must refer to the tree’s action in growth. Trees that expend nil their forces in the production of wood-growth can produce little or no fruit. Indeed, it is not possible for any tree to jierfect a fruitgenn, and not ngain, in some way, disorganize it, unless the Wood-growth shall cease in time for the leaves to elaliorafce food enough to grow l>oth leaf and fruit the following year, or until a part of tlie leaver shall attain to nearly or quite their full size. That this is so will be apparent when we consider that the leaves whieb-first appear in the Spring were formed in the hnds the previous year, perfect in all their parts, and in the embryo state contained each individual cell found in them when fully grown. But,we are asked, if there is no addition to the number of cells, how do the leaves grow ? The answer is, that the only difference we can see between an embryo leaf aiid one fully grown is in the size of the leafcolls. As growth begins in the spring, these small cells, which were formed in the previous year, begin to expand. Each individual cell thus enlarges, until the whole of the- numerous cells of which the leaves are composed are of full size. To further illustrate this, let us suppose in a brick wall, that each brick at the same time was gradually to-expand to several hundred times -its present diameter, and you have just what takes place in the growth of an embryo leaf. Here we tind the tree in possession of a full grown leaf. This leaf did not torn itself, but was formed by the tree in the preceding year. To produce and sustain this cellular enlargement, there has been stored the previous year a large share of nutriment in the buds and in. other parts of the tree. This nutriment or plant food mast not only be sufficient to feed the embryo leaves, but must also be sufficient to produce the small, warty Excrescences —the rootlets and spongioles. These new leaves and spongioles are tlie tree’s labspongmles first grown were made, with the exception of moisture, wholly out ot the materials that were stored by the tree during the growth of the previous year. When the vegetable stores are in sufficient supply to do this, and nourish the fruitgerms also, then we shall hear little about imperfect fertilization. On the other hand, had the food been consumed the previous year, by ripening an overcrop of fruit, or by making a very succulent growth,.then tlie tree would "not sture a sufficient amount of plant food to' perforin its threefold office in the production of leaves, roots with their spongioles, and fruit. In this condition, a part of the leaf, and a larger portion of all the fruit-buds, yield up their nourishment, which goes tb the production of root and leaf growth. -—-The tree, therefore is barren of fruit for the summer, its whole growth being required to recuperate the vigor of the tree. Such trees Often bloom, 1 freely', and then cast their Mown. When this occurs, unauformed persons often attribute it to a want of fertilization, or'suppose that the rain must have washed away the pollen.” —Hearth and Home . v —Professor Brewer, of Yale j Scientific School recommends the Breton cattle for scanty pastures. They yield eight times their weight of milk per year, and thrive well where other breeds fail t -7-Lewis F. Allen says there ama AQ A' vhs r>4- _ i.A.'l