Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1851-12-11
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q he D alp 8 pp.
From the New England Farmer.
A few Remarks about Apple Trees.
By HENRY F. FRENCH.

Although there are few men in most
New England towns, who knew perhaps,
all that can be learned, by reading, on these
subjects, yet the greater part of those
who plant frnit-tres plan and manage them
so badly, that not one of three ever pro-
duces crop of fruit.
This is partly because the best mode of
culture is not understood, but oftener, per-
haps, the result of sort of reluctance, APP
parently natural TO most men, to doing as
wellas they know how TO do. Any man of
common sense knows that hill of corn
planted in the turf OF a grass field, would
never grow. and it would seem manifest
that a tenderly reared tree from nursery,
deprived of half its roots in transplanting,
could bear adversely no better, yet nearly
one half of all the apple trees in New Eng
land have been heretofore planted in grass
land, and the ten thousand little mouths of
the grass ROOTS have drank up the moisture
and fertility Of the soil, and left the trees to
shrvel and die of thirst and starvation.
1t is not absolutely necessary to keep the
whole surface of a young orchard under
cultivation.
For the first five years after an apple tree
from nursery is set, the roots will find suf-
hcent space, if a strip eight feet wide, four
on each side of the tree, be kept tho rough
Iy worked and MANFRED, leaving the re-
mainder in grass.
Perhaps it may be better TO cultivate the
whole, but II is almost impracticable, upon
ordinary farms TO keep any considerable ex-
tent OF orchards constantly under the pillow.
l have, this autumn, prepared about three
acres OF land for planting with appIe-trees
next spring, in mode which seems new to
those who have observed it, and which it
may be useful 10 owners of new land to
know. heavy growth, chiefly of white
pine, was taken from he land three years
ago. 1t was never burnt over, and white
birch and other bushes had sprung up, so
that 1t had month ago as little the appear
ance OF an orchard, as an tract in the State
Having cut the bushes, staked the land out
tor the rows of trees, twenty eight feet
apart. Three men, with hand tools, with
out cattle, in one week, dug out nearly all
the stumps and visible roos,within four and
a half feet of the rows staked out Then
with three yoke of oxen, in three days, the
strips nine feet wide were plowed by back
iurrowing more than a foot deep. Two men,
were required, besides the driver and plow-
the plows, and another to follow win Dog
The land, being free from stone, is thus
thoroug hly worked in strips of nine feet
wide one way, through the track leaving
two-thirds of it in possession of the pine
knot stumps,to be dealt with at some future
day.
lam now having holes dug for the trees,
six feet across and eighteen inches deep.
The soil thrown out is to be mixed with
about three bushels of compost manure
from my barn cellar, and half a peck
of ashes TO each tree, to lie in heaps until
the time for setting the trees in the spring
mention the manure particularly, be-
cause an article recently published by high
authority, objecting TO the use of any ma
nure in planting fruit trees.
Green manure should not be used about
any trees; but compost, which will not fer
ment, may be applied in the manure have
mentioned, with manifest advantage, as my
own trees bear abundant testimony.
By planting the plowed strips Of my new
orchard with potatoes and corn, think the
trees will flourish as we'll for four or five
years, as if the whole ground were worked.
Then the whole should be cleared up and
subsoiIed, and the fruit will abundanily paw
after that time for any reasonable expense
of cultivation.
To show by facts, and not theories mere
ly, The advantage of raising fruit, will state
what has been the value of the crop of a
single orchard 10 which reference has be-
fore been made in The Farmer Mr. Joseph
Robinson. of Chester, N. H., has an orchard
ofess than two acres, which produced
crop Of fruit in l847, for which he was Of
fered six hundred dollars, on the trees; in
1849, crop which sold for six hundred and
eighty dollars; and this year he was offered
four hundred and twenty FIVE for the fruit on
the trees, and declined the offer His or
chard has long been IN full bearing, and
bids fair to last for a generation to come
His fruit has been soldin the neighboring
markets from one 10 three dollars a barrel.
From his own account am satisfied that
average nett income Of that orchard for ten
years past has been more than three hum
dred dollars a year-the interest of Eve
thousand dollars.
A gentleman in Hampden, in this Slate.
sold the fruit Of about four acres Of land.
this season, for eight hundred dollars. and
last yeafhe received fourteen hundred for
the fruit from the same orchard. s ~
H' Now if we were credibly informed that
so profitable business as this could he
done in California, focks of our Young men
would peril health, and life even, to find the
golden soil; but il is too matter.of. fact
business 10 remain and labor al home. II
requires six years for trees which we ret
from the nnsuries to come into beorino and
many of our young met are too old 10 wait
SO long. e'N 9faAesa asld mpd ied
irecently met gentleman, who has one
Of the finest orchards in this vicinity. Said
ne, II am more than seventy years old, but
have set over hundred apple trees this