Show mulching with shavings we notice that a correspondent of the boston practical fanner farmer writes to that paper that he has found that I 1 wood shavings answer a most excellent purpose for mulching young trees the writer says that having planted some fruit trees on a barren knoll anoll which although liberally mulched with grass had assumed an appearance ot of premature decay he be put two barrels of shavings around each tree spreading them out at the distance of four f feet from the stem a thin coat of grass being thrown over the shavings to keep them in place after two years of trial the trees treated with shavings shail are found to be flourishing beyond those which have not had the same game treatment this use of shavings recalls some somi experience with sawdust for alike a like ilke purpose along the road leading out ont of jacksons jackson where it passes the farm fana of S 0 knapp esq that gentleman has his set out a row of om ornamental trees about the time of the commencement of the long drought he procured a large quantity of sawdust of which he put about three or four tour bushels around each tree from tb the e time he put the sawdust around each tree until the period ot of our visit which was nearly a month there had been no rain in that section yet the trees which were maple locust locusts mountain ash and oak had bad all that dark green and healthy appearance which Is so satisfactory to their owner and when we went to examine the mulching material it was found at a depth of an inch and a ahalt half to two inches to be as moist as I 1 though it had been rained upon within the last twenty tour four hours the capacity of wood either as shavings or as sami savi sawdust dust to 0 retain moisture and to draw it from the atmosphere and then keep the earth which alch it rovers dovers covers in a favorable state to promote the growth of t the h e tree renders either elther ithe r shavings or sawdust very valuable to orcha disO independent of their value as an au excellent substance of manure to those who w ho are setting plantations for young ly dwarfs we think a mulching with sawdust will ba be found an excellent preventive of the death of a good maly ny of those which would be apt to decay from the effects of t a dry season michigan farmer |