Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-05-02
Ashley, March, 1862.
ORCHARD CULTIVATION.

! ORCHARD CULTIVATION.
: We continue our extracts from Dr.
Kennicotts Essays on Fruit Culture:
| Fruit trees need as much cultivation
as corn and potatoes, and should have
it-not for one year, OF hve-but for
ever-or as long as they pay for it in
fruit But the cultivation should not
be continued too late in summer, lest a
late and consequently immature wood
growth should ensue. This caution is
especially called for, in relation to all
tender wooded sorts-like the peach
and pear. You can raise any kind OF
hoed crop you please, among fruit tress.
Beans, potatoes, vines. roots, etc, best;
and corn good, when not shading the
young trees too much.
NEVER "sEED DOWN young or
chard. Never let one of the forage
"grasses" get foothold in it. 1t is
next to impossible to keep down "blue
grass" and June grass" when once
established in an old orchard. Red
clover is sometimes admissible, to check
| 4 too luxuriant wood growth, in deep
rich loan. 'Smal. grains" NEVER. A
worse than fire blight and caterpil-
lars, among fruit trees.
A shallow running corn plow, 'culti-
vator, and four tined fork, or pronged
hoe, and common hoe, are the impe-
Insnts Of cultivation. Keep the spade
out Of the orchard; and the large plow,
too, after the trees begin to bear.
pRTNJNG
As rule, orchard trees need pruning
--as usually praeticed-about as much
as a cows horn or horses hoofs need
cutting! Most of the shaping should
be done in the nursery, or during the
first three or four years; at, and after
planting, as the trees, attain size, and
good shape, removal of dead, or diseased
| wood, aud dense, unfruitful spray, is
about all the thinning out ever called
for. "Shortening in, is quite another
thing. You practice this, on peaches,
for example, to prevent leafess limbs
| and keep within reach; and on the pear,
for the same purpose, and to get good
FORM. Interfering branches, too, may,
sometimes, be treated as dead wood; if
they can be spared.
To increase wood, prune, or 'cut
back" in autumn and early spring
during dormancy. To check wood
growth-and, of course, encourage
tendency to bear-pinch back, or cut,
at mid summer. June and July are the
best moths, for general prunning-win-
ter is always bad. Autumn is the time
to prune grapes. Pruning is surgical
operation, and requires as much judg-
ment-though not quite SO much skill,
perhaps-os animal surgery Under
some circumstances, a tree has less
power ofresistance, to amputations, than
man. And, as good surgeon deems
short limb better than none, good or
chardist should first see whether it is
not better to save, than to amputate-
better to keep the pruning knife in
your pocket, as the surgeon leaves his
amputating case at home, till absolutely
needed. But, when necessary to cut
cut boldly, and freely-and above all,
promptly, and we'll.
MANURING ORCHARDS.
! have left this till the last because
it is the last thing, to practice, except
in rare instances, as driving sand;
which may be helped by clay, leached
ashes, and cow manure, and barren clay
seldom found-which-afte thor
ough drainage, and exposure to winter
frosts, by plowing-may be made good,
by early applications of coarse stable, or
horse manure, peaty earth, and like
matters. Manuring tc sustain fruitful
ness, is another thing; and is not much
needed, in most orchards, west, till the
trees have been years in bearing; and, as
eften given, at planting, it is a great
damage, and sometimes death to fruit
trees. When you manure bearing Or
chards, let it be in autumn; spread
evenly, and plow under lightly, in
spring; but be careful to place it where
the roots are-not close to the stem,
and avoid breaking roots when you
plow.
Special manures are often Of great
moment; especially broken and dissolved
bones, leached ashes, air, Stacked lime,
ETC., etc.-analysis of soil, analogies,
and experience, will teach you these
special wants; and care, and patient
watching, will insure just reward, for
a III vour we'll direotad uorL