The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1860-03-28
-rrom the North Iowa Times
Fruit Trees.
GARNAvILLo, Feb. 13, 1860.

written Dv MIR. noble, OF your place, on
the subject of Fruit trees, and. as he
suggests, l cheerfully come forth to give
my experience on the subject.
perfectly agree with Mr.. Noble in his
estimate of the loss occasioned by the
purchase of fruit trees, in this county
alone; and 1 believe the estimate he
makes will hold good throughout the
eastern half of our State, and when we
take this into consideration the computa-
ton becomes frightful indeed. Nor is
this loss exclusively confined to our own
State-it extends throughout the entire
West, TO a greater or less extent. Pre-
vious to the year 1856, had never seen
but one instance of an apple tree being
killed by what 1 supposed to be cold
weather. During the winters of 1856 and
1857, the destruction of fruit trees
throughout a large portion of the fruit
growing region of the United States, was
greater than was ever before known since
the first settlement of America. On the
west side of the Mississippi, from away
north it extended south to the middle
portions of Missouri, leaving scarcely an
orchard in the whole State Of Iowa and
Northern Missouri free from the loss OF
trees. On the east side of the river, as
far as my information has extended, the
loss and destruction was greatest through
the north half Of Illinois, Indiana, and
Ohio, the whole of Wisconsin and Mich
igan, and extending east through Penn
sylyania, large portions of New York,
and including all Of the New England
States.
So far as this statement concerns Iowa,
Illinois and Wisconsin, ] make it from
personal observation, and my authority
for the other districts mentioned is from
a source equally reliable. And when |
remember that these portions of the Uni
ted States are the best for uit-growing,
and when. as am informed they have,
since those years, experienced the same
difficulty in rearing new orchards that
Mr.. Noble speaks OF, instead of despond-
ing, take courage, and replant my or
chard. If the States | have mentioned
had escaped the calamities Of those years,
and the destruction fell upon Iowa alone /;
or if, since then. they had succeeded and
Iowa failed, then indeed would | feel dis
couraged
Both summers previous to the winters
| have mentioned, were wet and warm,
and consequently produced an unusual
growth Of wood; both winters came on
early and premature-from extreme heat,
the atmosphere suddenly became extreme
~ cold 4; and this took place in both ca
SEES before the trees had time to put on
the yellow leaf. A large quantity of sap
was consequently left in the tree to freeze
and thaw through the winter this freez
ing and thawng produced expansion and
contraction, as the mercury rose and fell,
to an unusual degree. During both win
tiers, after the snow fell, we had a severe
storm OF slcet, and in both cases it came
from The south; this sleet strongly ad
hered to the trunk of the tree, and be
came, during the extreme cold which
followed, as clear as glass this produc-
cd glistening and shining surface not
only over the ground, but upon the tree
itself, and had double effect upon the
tree, already overcharged with sap. The
conseq uences were destruction to the
most rapid growing varieties; and many
Of these trees, which survived destruc-
lion outright and fingered along for sew
eral years after. had the bark killed on
the south side in a streak exactly cores
ponding to The width and length of the
sleet which adhered to them during those
winters.
Such a combination OF disastrous cir
cumsances may never occur again in
our life time. Their effects are still felt
and it may yet be several years before
we will feel ourselves entirely free from
their dreadful calamities. 1t is, there
fore, in a great measure, to those two
wears and the circumstances combined
That, in my humble opinion. we mus,
look for solution Of Mr.. Mobiles prob
lem in egard to "dea1 trees" and the
i'll success, since that time, in the culture
Of fruit. Thousands Of these dead trees
were dug up in the nursery and sold
throughout the whole country to the far
mers, during the springs following those
destructive winters, and the consequent
CeS are, stS MI. NOt)IC ou5 SCoto, d iIi5ut-
full loss to the country. Many of those
trees, had they been left in the nursery,
might still have survived /; but taking
them up and keeping them out Of the
ground for some time before they were
again set, finished what little life was left
in them. Those trees which remained
in the nursery and died, were cut off
within two or three inches of the ground,
where they were not affected, and a
young and thrifty shoot came from Them
which, owing to its large root, protected
situation and high culture in the nursery,
soon produced tree fit to set. This
second growth from an old root is never
hardy, not even in good seasons, and will
never bear transplanting AS well as if it
originally came from the root.
Then, sir. it is these dead trees, and
those partially killed, which have been
slowly lingering along between life and
death, in the first instance, and those
which hpve sprouted from an old stock,
that the farmers have been buying for
the last iow years with such i'll success /;
both equally bad, no matter whether the
seasons since have been good or bad for
the growth Of trees.
do not know rs tho blame can be at
tached TO nursery men, for many Of them