Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-10-18
Planting the Orchard..FallP Plant.
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Ed. NORTHWESTERN farmer.

Planting the Orchard-.Fall Plant
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Ed. NORTHWESTERN FARMER
There is 50 much carelessness in SGT.
ting out trees, that truly we need Zine
upon line, and precept upon precept,'
in order to succeed in orchard plant
ing, and tree planting. There ought
to be vast deal of tree planting, al
we'll as orchard planting, in this State
yet. We have as yet made but small
beginning of q great work. -,
In the first place, the Nurserymen,
and I am one Of them, have done q
great deal of mischief in bad handling
of trees. Ihave been punished by re-
morse of conscience for the short roots
and long tops, which and my work
men have dug up and loaded into far
mers' wagons for their orchards. But
repentance, confession, and reform, is
a good thing, and l have been at that
work for some years. But Of all the
miserable work at tree selling, and tree
buying, it some Of these Eastern tree
pedlers and the farmers, and villagers
too, that can beat me at buying and
setting out damaged trees dead trees.
See that your trees have good roots,
smooth and short trunks, and not dried
to death, or do not take them. Select
good ones to begin with. sci
I have no doubt timber and hazel
land is little the best for trees, e.
pecially the Pear and Plum. Why :?
Because Of the sitter, clayey soil
Therefore we want to make the prairie
soil more like that of the timber. lido
not think the prririe soil is much richer
than the timber land. 10 be sure it is
deeper, but 1t does not produce any
bigger crops Of grain than most of the
timber soil when new, but after a few
years the timber land wants manure,
and both want deep blowing before you
set the orchard, and after the trees are
set, getting the deep blowing little
farther from the trees each year, so as
not to break too many roots. To
render the prairie soil more like that
Of the timber, mix it with clay; and
the easiest and best place to get the
clay, is beneath the very spot where
you set the tree. There are q few
ridges where you want to set the orch
ard, that tho subsoil is sand. In that
case you had better haul clay to fill
half the hole you set the tree in, In
setting out trees, look for the side with
a good low limb to shade the south
west side; and set it leaning south
west a little, to avoid the heat of the
sun, both summer and winter.
Fall Planting.-I am of opinion
that if the work is well done, fall is
the best time to set out the orchard
Charles Downing says, call physiolo-
gists agree that the best season for
transplanting dec:duous trees is in au-
tumn, directly after the fall of the leaf.
The tree is then in a completely DOR
mant state. Transplanted at this early
season; whatever wounds may have
been mado in the roofs, commence
healing at once, as q deposite directly
takes place, Of granulous matter from
the wound, and when the spring arrives
the tree is already, somewhat estab-
lished, and ready to commence it's
growth. Autumn planting is, for this
reason. greatly to be preferred in all
mild climates, and dry soil, and even
for very hardy trees, as the apple, in
colder latitudes !; as the fixed position
in the ground, which trees planted then
get by the autumnal and spring rains,
gives them an advantage, at the next
season of growth, over newly moved
trees" =.
I find many good authorities give
about the same preference for fall
planting. DR.. Kennicot, who lives
near Chicago, ILL.,, says, ''Most Of you
are afraid of autumn planting. A
mistake, think, in many cases, es-
pecially South, and in dry soil that is
seldom moved by frost. KS \ The
soil is oftener too wet than in autumn
land the spring is almost always the
busiest season Of the two !; and when
planted early in autumn, the roots of
trees get we'll embedded, their wounds
we'll healed before winter, and if prop
erly protected, the tree or plant grows
right off, and makes larger growth
against very small one in late spring
planting. still, in thoughtless hands,
we must admit the spring to be the
safest season for most trees, and es-
pecially evergreens.
My own experience is, that the trees
make an earlier start if plantedin fall,
and the drouths Of the first summer do
not effect them as much as spring plant
ing. Pile up the earth eight or ten
inches high, a good board pile around
the tree, to keep the frost from injuring
the roots. to turn off the freezing s1an