Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1853-06-22
A Fine orchard.

One of tha finest orchards in America is
that of Pelham farm, at Esopus, on the Hud-
son. 1t is noless remarkable for the beauty
and high flavor of Its fruit, than the con-
slant productiveness of trees. The propri-
etor, r. L. Pell, Esq, has kindly furnished
us with some notes Of his experiments on
fruit trees, and we subjoin the following
highly interesting one on the Apple:
"For several years past have been ex-
perimenting on the apple, having an orchard
of 1000 bearing Newtown Pippin trees
found it very Improbable to wait for what
is termed the ''bearing year." and it has
been my aim to assist nature, so as to ena-
bic the trees to bear every year. | have
noticed that from the extensive productive
ness of this tree, it requires the intermedi-
ate wear to recover itself-to extract from
the earth and the atmosphere the materials
to enable it to produce again. This it is
not able to do, unassisted by art, while it is
loaded with fruit, and the intervening year
is lost F.; if, however, the tree is supplied with
proper food 1t will bear every year; at least
such has been the result of my experiments.
Three wears ago, in April scraped all the
rough bark from the stems ofseveral thou
sand trees in my orchards, and washed all
the trunks and limbs within reach with soft
SOAP :: trimmed out all the branches that
crossed each other, early in June, and paint
ed the wounded part with white lead, to
exclude moisture and prevent decay. |
then, in the latter part of the same month,
slit the bark by running sharp polnt4d
knife from the. ground to the first set Of
limbs which prevents the tree from becom,
ing bark bound and gives the young wood
ar opportunity of expanding. In July
placed one peck of oyster. shell lime under
each tree, and left it piled about the trunk
until November, during which time the
drought was excessive. In November the
lime was dug in thoroughly: The following
wear collected from these trees 17O0 bar
rels of fruit, part of which was sold in, New
York for four, and others in London for nine
dollars per barrel. The cider made from the
refuse, delivered at the mill two days after
its manufacture sold for three dollars anc
three quarters per barrel of 80 gallons, ex
elusive of the barrel In October manuret
| these trees Will SldUlC III
the ammonia had bean fixed, and covered
this Immediately with earth. The succeed
ing autumn they were literally bending tt
the ground with the finest fruit ever saw
while the other trees in my orchard not SC
treated are quite barren, the last season
having been their bearing year. | am now
placing round each tree one peck of char
coal dust, and propose IN the spring TO cove
it from the compost heap.
My soil is strong, deep sandy loan or
gravelly subsoil. cultivate my orchard
grounds, as if there were no trees on them
and raise grain of every kind except rye
which is SO very injurious that believe
three successive crops of it would destroy
any orchard younger than twenty years.
raised last year IN an orchard containing
twenty acres, trees eighteen years old,
crop of Indian corn which averaged 14(
bushels of ears to the acre. e."--Do,cning
Fruit Book.