Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-01-22
From the Ohio I Iu!tivaior
Cultivate your Orchards.

1t is beginning TO be quite evident to tn
minds OF sensible people, that good crops o
fine apples are no longer to be looked for il
Ohio, except where some little attention
and labor are bestowed upon the orchards
| At the same time it is obvious that the de
mand for good fruit is every year increas
ing, aud those who plant orchards judici
ously, and cultivate them wisely, are surf
to reap liberal reward for theif labor
Those who already possess orchards OF sons
excellence, may render them vastly more
productive and profitable, if they will only
consent to bestow on them half as mucl
care and labor as is necessary to secure {
good crop of corn or potatoes; and those
who refuse this reasonable demand, Go no
deserve good fruit.
Stirring and enr,ching The soil and judi
cious pruning Of the trees, are the great re.
qais ties Of orchard culture. and the neglect
of these is the chief cause of the premature
decay and general unproductiveness of or.
chards The common practice of seeding
orchards with grass, as soon as the trees
are fairly started, and keeping them in
sward at least three-fourths OF the time
while bearing. is about as wise as TO expect
a crop without p,evious blowing or any cul-
tivation. "Trrra Culture" is humbug, bu;
the doctrine that the roots Of fruit trees
need the influence Of air, sunshine, rain and
dew, more July than it can be secured
when the surface Of the ground is covered
with living grass Of gram, is as any other
fact in agr cultural science. The roots o.
trees OF Tearing size will ramify every foo.
of mellow soil, to distance of fifteen ur
twenty feet in every direction from the
trunk; and every blaze Of grass, and every
leaf of growing plant or weed, may be
regarded as SO many suction pumps con-
tinually drawing moisture and nutrimen:
from tie soil beneath, and at the same
lime shutting out the fertiIizing infue nee
of the atmosphere from above.
This is not mere theory, bst facts, con-
hrmed by all The observations and expert
ence Of those who hale tried the experiment
OF keeping the ground among fruit trees
clean If grass, weeds and crops, and the
surface mellow by an occasional stirring
with the plow or culiivator uuriug the sum
mer. Try it, doubling Farmer, and let US
know the rt salt.
EnricaiRg The ground is the next step to
/be taken, especially in renovating old or un-
productive orchards. Much is said in some
of the agricultural papers about the use OF
chemical or special manures for fruit trees,
as ashes, lime, phosphates, guano, etc, all
of whi-h may do good, but in nine cases
out Of ten, in Ohio at least, none of lhpse
will be found worth their cost. The best
ard most available mInure for fruit trees
and oil other crops, is stable manure
Guano is good, only because it possesses
the same clements but it is of vast,v greater
cost, in proportion to its value. Ashes aud
lime, too, are good, especially on old lands
or were naturally deficient Of lime; not
however az substitutes for manure, but as
adiunots therewiih.
The present s good lime for applying
manure to orchards, and plowing it in
Then it will penetrate the soil and prepare
the roots to furnish a good supply of nu-
triment for the blossoms and yourg fruit in
Spring. and to enable the leaves and brnn-
ches to bring to perfect maturity their ripen-
ing treasures in Summer and Autumn. Do
this now, and before the proper time for
pruning arrives, we will give some instruc-
tions in that art, through the Ohio Cultiva-
tor. and also say something about prevent
ing or lessening the ravenges Ct insects.