Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1861-10-17
0ar AgrIeultural Column.
ORCHARD AND NURSERY.

ORCHARD and NURSERY.
The labor Of harvesting the
truit crop this season, is unfortu-
nately light III many sections.
The chief cause of the small crop
vas the heavy frost in the Spring
iust as the trees came into bloom.
There is no preventive for this
except planting in a cool back
ward place, or mulching about the
roots 10 prevent an early growth.
But if the trees failed to produce
g crop Of fruit from exhaustion of
the soil, q good coating Of man
IRE, or q compost of muck and
lime, or ashes mixed with stable
manure, applied at almost any
time will produce a thrifty growth
and prepare the way for future
crops. A large portion Of the
fruit is borne on shoots and spurs
Of one or two previous seasons
growth, and if this growth has
been feeble the future crcp must
be light. Manure applied now
will be carried into the soil by the
Fall rains, and be in a condition
to be taken up by the rootlets in
early Spring. It is not enough to
spread it for a few feet about the
trunks of old trees, for the fbrous
roots which take up the manure,
extend six to ten and twelve feet
from the trunk. The best wayis
TO spread the manure uniformly
over the whole ground. If the
soil has not been stirred for many
years, pIow it lightly, turning in
good coating of manure. In
addition to the manure, if the Or
chard is young brt unthrifty, a
severe cutting back will often do
much good. Some of the roots
may be diseased, and the nourish-
ment furnished by the others be
insufficient for the top. By cut
ting out some of the branches and
heading back the others, new vig-
or may be infused into those re-
manning. IF on the other hand,
the tree is growing too vigorously
producing but little fruit, dig a.
bout it with a sharp spade root
prune it moderately, and head
back next Summer to induce fruit
buds
In gathering apples and pears
for keeping, much care is requir-
ed. Slight bruises mar the ap-
pearance and hasten the decay of
fruit Pick carefully with the
hand, or with a good fruit gather
er, and lay with care in baskets
or barrels, before taking to the
cellar, keeping covered from rain
if in the orchard. Only remove
to the cellar upon the approach of
cold weather, and then keep the
cellar cool and well ventilated
It is still better to place them in
an out building until there is dam
ger Of freezing. Both apples and
Pears keep best in a temperature
bat little above freezing, with a
moderately dry atmosphere, An
ice house will often keep Bartlett
and other fall pears into Winter.
It is better to leave late fruit IL.
on the trees till cold weather un-
less there is danger of its being
blown off.
Dry good supply of Autumn
fruit for Winter use, planting the
seed for a nursery stock. Before
the close of the month, business
should be brisk in the nursery.
Many persons who deferred plant
ing trees in the Spring owing to
the times" are now contemPla-
ting setting out an orchard. We
advise them to do So. as soon as
the frost has killed the foliage,
rather than wait till Spring. We
wish to be emphatic in our advice
to plant fruit trees, and on well
drained or naturally dry soil, we
would set the hardy apple, pear
and ounce trees early this fall
the stone fruits and some of the
tender pears may be left till next
Spring. In addition to taking up
and sending away trees for pres
ent planting, the nurseryman
should now collect seeds of apple,
pears, ounces, with nuts, acorns,
d seeds of the various ornamen-
tai trees and shrubs, and plant at