Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1853-11-28
For the Grant County Herald.
Fruit Bearing.

.uT. EdHor: propose In this essay
to give your readers some of my crude
notions about the best manner of raj
sing an orchard of fruit-trees in this
part OF Wisconsin. / will first remark.
that there is no part of farmers toll
that is better rewarded than that which
Is devoted to the cultivation of good
fruit; and yet there is scarcely any
branch Of rural industry which is so
little understood and SO badly managed.
The first object of farmer, after pro-
curing home ana building dwelling,
should be the planting Of an orchard. -
Ii the location is in the timber, the best
plan will be to stake off the land burn
a brush heap right where each tree ia
to be planted. Spring planting is 10 be
preferred to planting in the fall. When
the proper season arrives (Which, in
this country, is in the latter part of A
lpril), dig hole not less than FIVE feet
across in circular form, knee deep; in
to the bottom throw rich earth, until it
| is filled within ten inches of the sur
face /; make the earth on which the tree
is TO stand round, something like a sau-
GER, turned bottom upwards set the
tree Their elm, taking care to part the
thriftiest branches and heaviest part of
the top on the southwest side; let one
person hold the tree in an upright posi-
ticn whilst another applies fine rich
earth TO the roets. IF any of the roots
should be pressed down in such man
ner as to require it, they must be raised
little with the finger. Handle the fine
roots as tenderly as you would a young
baby. Fill every part with fine earth,
The best time for transplanting is on
cloudy day Immediately before rain
The hole being filled up with earth, the
dirt is to be pressed gently around the
neck of the tree with the foot. AS seen
as the trse begins to put forth leaves
and expand its branches, it should be
gently washed with weak I've or suds.
IF the ensuing summer should not be a
wet enc the tree should be mulched /;
that is, there should be good quantity of
straw thrown around it to prevent the
hot sun from robbing it of its life, be-
fore it gets well established in its new
home. Before winter approaches throw
a mound of earth around the stem to
counteract the influence of the wind and
prevent the depredatisns of the comics.
Here I would remark, that it is better
to procure trees from Nursery than to
purchase them from tree peddler. We
can then have good quantity of roots
which have not been exposed to a dry
ing sun or frosty night and trees
raised in cur own country are to be pre-
ferred to these brought frem the south.
Some persons plant fruit-trees on old
exhausted land, by digging holes just
and cramp them by binding them around
and shovel the dirt in upon them as
carelessly as if there was no danger of
doing an injury thereby. In cultivating
an orchard we should always keep in
view the spropriety of cultivating well,
and doing the work at the proper time.
All the labor bestowed on an orchard
should be done in the fore part Of the
season: after the 25th of July all efforts
to produce young growth should cease,
as young tender wood will fall prey to
the frosts of winter. In raising an or
chard we should always avoid sudden
changes in the management. Suppose
an orchard has been sewn TO grass until
the trees become siunted in their growth
and it is found necessary 10 pillow the
land, we should not make a thorough
breaking up of the ground at once. The
proper manner would be to take sharp
hoe and shave the top of the ground
nearest the trees and then give the land
shallow blowing. Keep the grass
and weeds down until the next season
when the land should be cross plow cd
Ga little deeper than before,) keep the
land loose and mellow by frequent plow
ings. Suppose an orchard has not been
pruned until it accumulates a much lar
ger amount of top than it should have
it weuld not in my judgement be the
proper method to reduce it to the pro-
per Dimensions at once. [ would trim
off small portion of its useless limbs
about the 10th of April, and let the rest
remain until the latter end of May,
whsn it may have some more Of its ex-
cresences taken off. [ would let the
; balance remain until the next Spring.
In my travels through the country l OBJ
serve some orchards with the earth
hsaped up around the trunks so that the
trees appear to stand on ridge. This
earth being always thrown towards them
with the plow, this is certainly bad pol
icy. The ground should be kept level.
as the burying of the reefs in the earth
will cause the lower roots to decay and
thus produce premature death. But
would not recommend any person to sud
denly bring the ground to level, as by
that means the larger roots would be ex-
posed to scorching sun or severe
: winter, besides the tree weuld be apt to
be blown up by the roots.
i But suppose an orchard has become in
Ifectsd with such vermin as catterpil-
lars, leaf-rollers or apple-boars, or 9TH
er intruders, would say destroy them
forthwith. The practice of SOHO far
Imers is to dig a square hole in the
ground just large enough to get the roots
lin by thrusting them around, and cramp-
ling them up into the smallest possible
space, then throwing any and every kind
Of earth upon them, and then to make
the work uniform, sow the land to wheat
loats. rye or grass. | would as soon ex-