The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1855-02-23
From hs Maine Farmer
CULTIVATION OF FRUIT.

DR.. HOLMES lit is acknowledged by
horticulturisis generally that the cultivation
of fruit has an influence on the health and
morals as well as the wealth and luxury oil
country or people, and he who devoies
his time 10 the contribution and advance
meni OF such influences, conieTs great
favor on the neighborhood and vicinity in
which he resides; he is, as il were, pub.
lie benelactor. A well cultivated orchard
or fruit garden, engrai,ed with the best va.
rielies, land the best varieties cost but little
more than poorer ones, is rot only source
Of wealth and enjoymen, 10 the person who
will avail himself Of il, bu, is essential TO
the health and comfort OF every class OF IN
dividuals in the community. Its an honest
and honorable rs well rs amusing occupa-
ton, and leads 10 nothing but good. II
gives rise 10 no bad habits, but will serve
10 protect us frUm the alluremen,s OF dissi.
patton and its consequent evils.
The cultivation OF orchard and garden
fruits has been praclised by man ever since
the earlies, periods Of civilization, and Of
course has been more studied and perhaps
better known than most other plants; still,
many errors or faults exist in this State, in
the manner we transplant, prune and cult.
ya,e our frui, trees. In the first place, trees
are injured in digging and in setting them
the roots cut short or bruised with the
spade, and crowded in u mangled state,
perhaps by the foot, into hole no, half
large enough for lis reception, the dir,
shoveled in roughly, and the tree left 10
take care OF itself If ii Ices, j, is well
In the second place, trees are very much
injured by pruning, or wha, is called pIun-
ing. We oiten have occasion 10 say 10 fTuii
growers, you do wrong in cutting from the
trunks OF your trees the horizontal or lower
branches, these being the tirst and best for
producing fruit, besides you wound your
trees in so doing in n manner from which
they will no, recover. In reply, many say,
We cannot work or pow under them with
teams unless they are out Of the way, and
so they are pruned up out Of the trcy. But
why not have trees loaded with fruit in your
way You can have nothing on your cul.
iivated grounds Of more value. But, not
wilhs,anding the information given, the
handsaw, and sometimes the axe, is applied
TO as many OF the best bearing branches as
can be reached from the ground-some cut
close, aud perhaps split, aud the bark peel
ed from the remaining stock; others Gu,
from four 10 six inches from the trunk in a
manner in which they can never heal. We
frequently see small trees with the lower
limbs cut from them almost 10 n bare pole,
until, as our friend Little, Of Bangor says,
ga man can ride around them on horseback
without touching them with his hat" II
we wish to raise timber, and not fruit, ,ha,
is the way 10 prune.
In the next place, trees are very much
neglected after being Sc, out. Apple trees
might be made 10 grow more than they fre-
quenily do. They require goOd situation
TO begin with, and after getting fair start
should continue TO be cultivated and enrich
ed year after year. They wan, something
new 10 feed upon continually, and will pay
better than any other crop ,hatwe can raise
on our farms in this part of the State, il
thoroughly and properly cultivated.
augusta, Eeb. 6, 1856. L.