Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1850-01-16
AGRICULTURAL SCIENTIFIC.
THE CULTIVATION OF FRUIT TREES.

Professor Mapes, Of New jersey, one Of the most
scientific practica! farmers in the United States,
one VINO makes agriculture study, and has done
much Tor Its advancement, gave the following val
liable advice In relation TO the management Of fruit
trees, In lecture delivered at Princeton, N, j..
few weeks since:
In the planting offrut trees, the earth should be
deeply disintegated frs: to enable the roots 10 PASS
freely down into the so and not 10 be entirely de-
pendent upon the mere surface for its support for
even if the soil be disnegrated 10 deplh OF four
or even five feet, Immediately under the lree it
will merely act as cisiern for the reception of fer
tiliz'ng materials, which may be ftering through
the soil, or pervadiDg the upper surface in The form
gases for in soil properly dsintegraied, the roots
Will lind such valuable materials at these or even
greater depths. The feriIzing materials used TO
iruit trees should always bear an analogy to their
chemical constituents. Thus, we find the bark Of
the apple tree to contain l5 per cent of lime, cal
culated from lis dry constituents after parting with
its waller; therefore an old tree will have exhaust.
ed the soil ofts Immediate neghborhood of this i'm
portant material, which if not re.supplied, will
cause decay OF the tree, notwithstanding that all
It's other constituents may be present in sufficient
quantities.
He also referred to the treatment of peach, plum,
apricot nectarne, and other similar fruit trees, sta
ting that the short life of the peach tree was due to
its over-prohic growth, and il permitted to extend
its branches to an inordinate length, the weight Of
the fruit on their extreme ends would act as lever,
either to break off the branches from the trunk, or
to so compress the capillary tubes of the woud as TO
prevent free circulation of the pabulum for the
formation OF the fruit BY pursuing the 'shorten-
ing system, recommended by Downing and others,
the tree would be rendered long Lived, and produce
at all times It's fruit ofa maximum quality. This
should be performed in the spring, cutting back the
new growth at leasthalf, the cut being always made
near wood bud thus securing the continuation of
the plant the next years glowth, which would not
be The case if cut opposite the fruit bud. lfthis
system be followed each year with a proper thinning
out Of useless and crowded branches the peach Tree
may be rendered highly ornamental, with its fruit
near enough its trunk not to AFRAID the tree with
its leverage, its quality at ali times equal and sups
ror and The tree by lis increased health. less liable
to the attacks Of insects disease. He highly re-
commended guano mixed with 100 times lis bulk
of decomposed muck, or charcoal, as manure, for
fruit trees, and stated that the Messrs. Hovey of
Boston, and many other fruit growers of celebrity
had found this manure extremely valuable. Slight
quantities of salt placed around fruit trees, has been
found useful for preventing the attacks Of many in
sects and in rendering the ground more absorbent Of
moisture.
The two caamities to which the peach tree is in
cident are the peach borcr and the disease called
the yello,cs. The borer attacks the tree at the
ground collar, girdling the bark and hiding itself
beneath it this may be removed at proper seaso;
with knife many applications, such as ashes, sui
phur, &c., have been applied with varied success.
The application OF boiling water poured the trunk
of the tree near the ground, and thus permitted to
run down around the tree was highly recommended
for the removal of the peachworm. Many had
feared its inuring the general health Of the ree but
the speaker said he had used it for three years with
signal success The hot water would enter every
worm hole, and cook the worm which from its al
luminous constituency, would be cooked and coag-
ulated at about the same temperature as the white
of an egg thus leaving the hole preoccupied by lis
carcase and preventing the intrusion OF a new conner.
Fruit trees that have been regularly shortened in,
are seldom or never subject disease, and are much
less liable 10 the attack Of insects. When the dis
ease called the yeows attacks the peach tree, il is
advisable to remove it at once, as it soon commun
Gates itself 10 adjacent trees. Many fruit growers
suppose, however, that the disease may be reYnov-
ed If attacked daring its early stages. r. l.. Colt,
ESD, of Patterson, states that solution Of phats
of iron Common copperas) applied around the root
Of peach tree, on the first appearance of the yell
lows, will cure the disease, and other growers slate
that by the application of prooxide OF iron around
the ree left on the surface Of the soil and occasion
ally watered, has produced similar results, but iu
both these experiments the lecturer had not been
fortunate.