Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1859-07-01
NO. 49,.
2nral and 1nntestit.,
A & L i c u l t ure :.
THE APPLE,


I" The apple is the world-renoyrse,I ffiSit a
l temperate clinfstes," The peach and the teal
: are more delicious but from its great prodie-
tlVeness, Its hardness, its various uses, and
above all its long continaange cotnmenci5g TO
r1pen with us in early wheat harvest, and last
ing until that time again the following season.
1t possesses value superior TO any other fruit.
W hen we take into consideration that our min
pms, belleiiours, rambos, smokehouses. &c. are
not exceeded in size and flavor by those of any
other part OF the world, our only question need
be how shall we get enough of them Can
we, fy proper selections of varieties, and by
particular cultivation, raise more uniform
| crops? In the first place we have to plant
and as it is not likely that the market 5sjii soof,
be oYerstOcked TO such an extent as to malcethe
CULTURE utpFoaitable we may safely plant ex
| tersively. 1t would be advisable that persons
about planting should look in their own Iocali
ties, and see what varieties succeed there and
plant largely those varieties. 1t is, however,
advisable that many varieties be planted In
an orchard of one hundred trees, for general
purposes, from forty to sixty kinds wodfd not
be too many. BY this means we may have
fruit to ripen at many different times during
the season, and we may also increase the
chances of having more or less fruit every wear.
Should any of the varieties after a dozen
years trial, prove not addpteA to the soil or |
locality, the tops can be 1dt or and re-grafted
with some other variety, at very trifIing loss
OF time and expense. Where it is practiea- t
BILE, few trees might he planted on north
ern aspect, a few od' a Southern, some on an |
eastern, and some on a western /; some on the I
hill top and some in the valley. BY such "a /
course of planting, total failures would seldom /
occur. But planting in such manner for I
general crops is inconvenient in many ways, I
and is i'll adapted for that cultivation which is
essential for the production Of Uniformly good 7
fruit. We should, therefore, select such "a sit +
uati"n for the orchards as will combine the
most prominent advantages, as contienity to the I
dwelling and situation that is least Influenced
by sudden changes of weather. Experience !
has shown that the latter is best attained by
planting on high situation with northern
exposure 1t may be adopted as a safe rule,
that all soils that produce good crops of corn
are adapted for the cultivation of the apple
1t is important that the soil be deep, and if it
is not naturally so, it would pay to subsoil it
to the depth Of sixteen or eighteen inches be-
fore planting. Two rods apart each way is
good distance to plant. If the soil is prepar-
cd as above, the holes in which to put the
trees need not be dug any deeper or wider
than will admit Of the roots being spread out
evenly all sides of the tree, and Of being
set about two inches deeper thar. they set in
the nursery row. For the first three or four
years, the orchard should be cultivated with f.
good crone, of which potatoes are the best
For several years afterwards the following
crops will probably pay better, and at the
same time be more conductive to the thrift
ness Of the trees, than any other: Potatoes
(corn next besD followed by wheat and clover,
occupying the ground but one year With each
crop. After the ground becomes too much
shaded to make the above crops profitable, K
SOW to clover and ploW down the sod every al I
ternate year. IT must be specially borne iii
mind that the orchard will require an extra |
quantity Of manure. The soil has q tWo-fold
work to perform, nourishing the crops and the
reqs. Lime, stable manure, bone dust, guano,
md wood ashes, are very gdcd tin1anure5 for the
orchard, and they should be applied with
LIBERAL hand Where they are attainabIe, it
would be good policy to apply them in rota- t
ion.
In pruning the arple, let your aim be to !
produce well balanced head, that will pro- I |
luce the fruit as near the ground as cultiva- !
ion will admit. To attain this, it will only !
DC necessary to cut out few branches that c
would interfere with each other, and shorten q
n those that grow too long and straggling.