Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1849-12-14
Care Of Fruit Trees.

o''Nh ""PPeh' "ia' youug lEuIt LTceS,
which have been well transplanted and
properly attended to in the spring, are
neglected at midsummer The soila be-
comes hard, and its moisture is with
drawn and It's fertility lcssoned, by a
growth of grass and weeds. remedy
this evil, the unskillful cullivator waters
the surface, but, instead of reaching the
roots, the hard soil excludes the water
which only tends TO the the further hard
eRing of the surface, while the roots re-
main below. Many young trees thus
perish IN hot weather; or surviving,
make a feeble growth, and are more Ii.
able TO Obstruction by winter frosts.
Under good management, the soil is
kept clean and mellow for many feet
around each tree, during the whole sea-
son. Treated in this way, the degree
of moisture which the earth will retain a
few inche below the surface, with mea-
gre supply of a hard or grass grown
surface, is surprising, and it renders
water rarely necessary.
Mulching, or covering the ground a.
bout the trees with straw, coarse yard
litter. or leaves from the wood, will, il
timely performed, obviate the necessity
OF watering, even til extreme cases.
Midsummer drought will scarcely affect
trees thus protected in connection with a
clean mellow surface. A correspon-
dent Of the "Horticullurist' mulched so
trees out of $50, all of which had COM
menced growth, alike. Of,he remaining
100, fifteen persisted.
Where. however, trees have been me-
elected till the period Of severe droug hit,
and where wa tering becomes necessary,
the hard surface should be removed as
far down as the roots will permit, and
the water then poured on. and the earth
repl aced. Mellowing the surface, and
mulching will afterwards be beneficial.
Instead of watering the roots, which
should be very sparlngly performed on
trees not yet in leaf, by frequent wash
ing of the stems and branches has been
found of great advantage TO young trees
not yet in leaf The. leaves of which expand
tardily. Water applied copiously at the
roots, before there are leaves, to draw il
up. is apt TO induce understanding and
decay; but if the surface of the bark is
molested, immediate absorption takes
place through the pores, and daily rep
etition, with shading from the sun, will
us ually restore the freshness and vigor-
GUS growth, trees which have become ac-
tually shrivelled from drying.
In addition to proper treatment of the
soil, watering, fruit trees need watching
against disease and enemies. The fire.
blight will soon make its appearance; the
remedy is to cut off and instantly burn
the limb, two or three feet below the af-
! fected part. This course, if faithfully
pursued, will, in most cases arrest the
theAdisease. The black rot on the plum
needs similar treatment; but as it
spreads less rapidly, little more than the
affected parts need cutting off; and where
the excressences are not on the trunk or
large branches, the wounds should be
washed with solution of copperas.--
Peach trees should be examined for the
peach worm, which confines itself to
the bark of the root, and is hence easily
followed in its hole and destroyed. The
apple boarer penetrates the solid wood,
and it is almost impossible to save the
tree unless taken early. At first tn e
worm may be cut out with the point Of
a knile;'o or if deeper may be punched to
death in its hole by flexible wire or
twig. 1t is asserted that the entrance OF
a borer may be prevented by removing
the soil, and applying wash Of sui
phur, soft-soap and and tobacco water
to the base of the trunk; this mixture
is so offensive to the perfect insect, tina
no eggs are ever deposited in the bark te
which coating has been applied.