Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1857-09-24
Dnrtirultural~ !.
From the American Farmer.
PLANTING OUT A YOUNG ORCHARD.

PLANTING OUT A YOUNG ORCHARD.
If you intend setting out young orchard
this fall though too early to set the trees out
now, it is full time that you should be pre-
pairing compost and getting the ground in
order, if you desire that the trees should
thrive, do we'll, and the orchard prosper.
The soil in which young orchard may
be planted cannot well be too carefully pre-
pared It is thought best that the ground
should have had the advantage of years pre-
vious cultivation in corn, potatoes or some
other crop, requiring cleanly culture But
if the acre you designed for your orchard h; s
not had this advantage, you may still getit
IN good condition to receive your trees, be-
tween this and the time for planting them
out.
The land should be both 1zougAed and sui
soiled, early this month, narrowed and left
to mellow. It should be ploughed or 10
inches in depth, and subsoiled as deep as the
subsoil plough can be made to penetrate the
earth. This done, prepare a compost con-
sisting of mould and leaves from the wood,
marsh mud, river mud, and the scrapings
of wood-yards, Of roads, of bitches, head
horse loads of barn yard manure, so bushels
Of salt, and 5 bushels of bone-dust; prepare
the compost, layer and layer about; mix the
materials all well together, form it into a
heap and let it remain until within few
days before you intend planting out the
trees then shovel over the compost and
haul it out upon the land. Broadcast even
ly upon each acre 20 or % two-horse cart
loads, plough it in inches deep, reserving
enough OF the compost to give to each tree
about half a bushel which must be intimate
ly mixed with surface mould dug out in
making the hole for the reception of the
tree.
in making the holes, which. should all be
made before the trees are taken to the ground,
have them of sufficient width to accommo-
date the roots without any cramping, say
feet diameter. In digging the holes, throw
the surface soil on-one side to be mixed with
the compost, and the subsoil on the other.
Dig the holes about feet deep: ell them
up with the mixture of surface soil and COM
post, so as to leave depth sufficient to en-
able you to insert the trees about the same
depth that they originally stood in the nur-
sery. AS you are about to insert the trees,
examine the roots; if any are broken or Sc
riously injured, cut them off smooth. Be-
fore placing the tree in the hole immerse the
roots in mixture Of the compost, made in
to the consistence of cream with water. In
planting, have the roots spread out regular
ly then, while one man holds the stems of
the tree perpendicular; let the other spade
or shovel in the mixture for covering, occa-
sionally moistening the hole with water from
watering-pot, and gently pressing the
earth around the tree with his feet, firmly,
but not too hard. A stake must be placed
to each tree to the stem, before filling in.
In filling up, it will be best to leave the
ground slightly basin shaped about the sur
face and around the tree. In finishing, give
each waterlng-pot of water, gently pour
ing out, having first tied the tree to the stake
with a whisp of straw, or other soft bandage,
to prevent chafng or injury from the winds.
Recollect that in setting out an orchard,
you are doing thing that is to last for life,
and, therefore, that you should do it we'll;
and that a little extra trouble, care and ex-
pense, at the beginning, always turn out,
in the end, enlightened economy.
In the selection of your trees, have regard
to a just proportion of summer, autumn and
winter fruit; get the best sorts, and of those
kinds that are known to suit the latitude and
climate of your location. There are varie-
. ties of apples which bear well, produce deli
cious fruit in certain degrees of latitude suit
ed to their habits and constitutions, which,
on being translated only a few degrees fur
ther north or south, prove insipid, worth
less and unfruitful. Some of the northern
winter apples prove to be autumn ones when
grown South. You should therefore bear
these facts in mind in making your selection,
and make your purchases accordingly. And
be sure that you buy of none but a nursery
man of ell-established reputation for skill
in his business, honesty, and fairness in his
dealings.
We have deemed it to be our duty to our
agricultural friends to give the preceding
caution as there have been many sad impo-
sitions practiced by sharpers, who sometimes
peddle trees about the country. And we
conclude by admonishing our friends that
tree-pedfers are not the men to buy from.
G,,Ix Z