Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1857-05-02
GRANT COUNTY HERALD
LANCASTER, WIS, MAY 2, 1857.
Fruit Trees-Causes of Failure
The Remedy-Tree Peddlers
and Agents.

and Agents.
Our experience and observation OF the
past. with large stock of information OBJ
tanned in conversation with men having
orchards, settles in our mind certain con-
illusions about raising fruit trees. Com
munity is joint stock community in this
question. sis our soil and clinate adapted
for fruit p Every one is bound in duty
to present all the testimony he can upon
the subject, even though an individual here
and there suffers thereby. If we are
wrong. let Others set US right; our coli
umns are free.
The matter is settled that something is
wrong, either in soil and climate or quality
of stock trees. Our purpose is to afford
some light in that direction where the
trouble lies. In some points all agree, as
that certain kinds OF the apple cannot be
brought to perfection in this REGION that
all kinds are harder when raised from
seedlings in the same climate and soil
where afterwards transplanted; that the
acclimating process holds just as good III
respect to fruit trees as in cereals and ami
mails, and that hardy tree can never come
from defective or diseased stock.
Our soil and clay contain the strongest
quality and largest amount of the fertllis,
ing agents of any soil known, according to
DR.. Pereival and other testimony. We
doubt If another region can be found where
trees and vegetables grow SO fast and ma
ture so soon as in the mineral soil of Wis
consin. Our fruit and forest trees grow
almost as much in one year as they do il,
two years in soils differing in quality and
composition from ours. The fall sea.
soiis ofthis northwest region are, moreo, er
fine and warm till late; trees grow till al.
most the winter period; the sap scarcely
begins its downward flow when winter
comes. The soft part of The wood and
bark are not, therefore, we'll matured and
hardened; freezing weather sets in and the
process of winter killing is done--not by
the extreme cold but as consequence d
the soft condition of the trees. This quick
growth and tenderness in trees is largely
aided by the common but erroneous pro
cess of manuring and cultivating orchards
The ground, already too fertile and loose
is further enriched and Ioosered by ma
nure and cultivation, causing certain de-
struction by total or partial winter killing
and such calamities as consumption, SAP
poison, lice, &c.
Touching frees of unsound stock and of
artificial manufacture by grating in roots,
we hear much said and but very little favor
shown for either. We conclude that fruit
tree peddlers and nursery agents would
meet with cold comfort in these parts at
present. Then wares cannot in future
come into the catalogue of errors, for they
will not be purchased But, these tree
agents are responsible for most of the fail
ures, and are answerable for the damaged
credit of this region for orchards. Their
root-grafted, dead hearted, soulless and
eonsumptive treelings are seen everywhere
-sickly, dropping, feeble and tottering-
propped up by hopeful and confding old
womeni
We think then we have pretty clearly
shown wherein the faults lie. The eli
mate and soil and wrong treatment are
the causes of partial failure in this coun-
try for fruit. The remedy, SO far as eli
mate and soil are at fault, is to choose fol
an orchard site north, northwest or north
east slope of ground; if possible let it b
protected by surrounding timber, and bet
ter to select thin than heavy soil. Select
sound, thrifty trees with good roots. The,
may be top grated or budded, and be a
hardy and free from disease as seedlings
Many of the trees offered in nurseries arr
lousy, for which there is no remedy. Sick
ly trees breed lice and communicate then
to healthy trees, in turn creating more
lice and disease. Set out your trees with
care, not too deep, in wide pits we'll filled
In with loan and earth but do not pacl
hard. Do not cultivate your orchard
keep the grass away from the trees b,
chip manure or rotten wood. Leave then
alone and you will find this region one o
the best in America for apples.
APPLE TREEs.-Several thousand per
fectly healthy, three year old seedlings =