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Caption: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1870
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335 growth is late, no fruit buds are formed. If many small limbs are together, the buds are starved, to supply the ends of the shoots. I don't want more than a peach to a twig, nor more than forty-eight peaches to a box. Allowing six boxes to a tree, this makes two hundred and eightyeight peaches to a tree. Now, to prune off and reduce to this number would cause an immense wood-growth. Hence I root-prune, by means of a plow with a sharp coulter. Root-pruning obviates the extreme length of naked roots, which is a heavy tax upon the strength of the tree. It can be done any time after the fall of the leaf. You don't have to go deep with the peach.. Year before last I did not get deep enough, and my peaches rotted. Dr. Winans and others have been experimenting at St. Josephs, to see if this root-pruning cannot all be done by horse-power, and with good prospects of success. Root pruning makes fair fruit. It is the way to compete with California. As to the pear and cherry, I disbud, to thin the fruit. I let the pear shoots grow six inches. We must cultivate well, say in May, when the weeds grow; in June, before the fruit hangs heavy, and in the fall. I would root-prune the apple once in about five years. The pear I would root-prune early and severely. Dr. Winans found root-pruning the Delaware grape made two vines bear as much as eighteen not so pruned. I hope it may remedy blight, mildew and rot. Dr. Winans is trying it largely. HONTON—I think we may over-prune. I think diseases of the vine may result from that and from over propagation. W e must catch the curculio. My orchard is low-headed. Mr. COOPER offered the following resolution, which was unanimously adopted : Resolved, That we have been highly entertained and instructed by the interesting course of lectures which have just closed; and we herewith tender our thanks to the State Industrial University, and to the lecturers who have entertained us on behalf of the University. And, believing such a course of lectures, given annually, will be productive of great good, we hope they will be continued. Adjourned sine die.
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