Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1862-09-05
A & RI o4-B + UR Al.
Fruit culture.

a-. ~
Fruit Culture.
At the last meeting of the Arperi-
can Pathological Society, Mr.! Wilder,
president Of the society said in his
1 opening address: sei
-' For the details Of cultivation he
advised that more attention should be
/ given not only to the location, and es-
/ pecially the aspect of trees. A com
/ mon error IL to disregard The time of
| iripening. We plant out early fruits
IN the warmest and most genial To-
cations. y These should beassigned to
our latest varieties. For einstance.
we at the North hayetoo often placed
our late fall and winter peans,a like
Eastern Beurre, cr Beurres d'Arem-
berg, in northern aspects and exposed
positions, where they are Liable to in
I Jury by the gales and 1frostsof au-
| tunnl, whereas we should lave given
them a southern aspect. and our most
ifrtila spils, 70 bring tEedi 10 perfcc-
ton. The most favorable IoeAtions
/ are not so Indispensable 10 our sum
mer fruits, which mature. early under
the more direct rays Of the sun, and
] H u
IN much higher temperature. This
, rule may reauire modification, and
even reversion, to adapt it to the
south or ssouthW esteln portions of our
| country.
The sentiments contained In the
communication Of Mr.eJ. j J.Rhomas,
at our last session, against the growth
Of any Other crop in orchards, espec-
Tally against relying upon small cir
cles dug around trees in. grass ground,
as method Of culture, deserves to be
held IN perpetual remembraRee.-
Equal lyIdnJqrlohs ia my own opin-
I lonSis the habit Ofdeep digging or
I plowing among fEuit trees, thereby
cutting off the roots, aHd5 destroying
the tibrou5 feeders, which frequently
extend beyond the e'sWee Of the branch
cs, However necessary the practice
may beef cutting off oldroots In orch
ards, in the PROCESS of renovation, it
shoald be carefully aY2ided in
groundsPr properly prepared, and where
the trees arc IN healthy or bearing
condition, From experiment and OBJ
servation, | AM persuaded that work
ing the soil among fruit trees, to the
depth Of more than three or four
inch es, shouldI be carefully avoided
The surface should only be worked
with ahoe. or scariier, for the pur-
pose Of stirring the soil and keeping
out the weeds. Thus we avail our
selves Of the advantages of what, in
farming, is called fat-cdlture, at pres
cnt so popular. For the same reason
manure should not be. dug in to any
considerable depth, and some Of our
Wlsest cultiYatOrss now recommend its
application on the surface, So favor
ably impressed with this practice is
the MassachusettsB Board Of Agricul-
ture that it has OrderedFa series of
experiments which cereal grains and
other products, in the application of
manure on the surface as compared
wi th specified depths beneath it.
"Ehelpfaetice Of surface manuri Rg
nonoyeltE of our day. An eminent
cnltivator Of fruits, nearly two hun
dred years ago. said: Manures Should
be applied to fruit trees in the au-
tumn upon the surface, that the rains,
snow, and frosts may convey the ele-
ments Of fertility to the roots;' and
that by this method one load will do
more good than two used in the com
mon way Of trenehing in to the depth
of one foot Other distinguished
cultivators and scientific gentlemen
recommend the same practice. Hence
we are OF opinion that our orchards
and gardens should be manured in the
autumn, and on the surface, so that
the manures may be thonroughly de-
composed, made soluble during the
fall and winter. and suitable for the
nourishment Of the tree early in the
spring. -.... ..-.'..
Con the cultivation of the grape,
he said it is believed that no country
on earth is better adapted to the ex-
tepsiye cultivation Of the grape than
the United States Of America This
branch of fruit culture is yet in its in
cipient state, but it has progressed so
far as to authorize the belief that the
grape can be grown with success in
almost every state and territory in the
Union.
"Witl the progress made inraising
new sorts, it is a question of time
when we shall have varieties adapted
10 almost every locality. Thousands
of cultivatOrs, scattered over our ex-
tensive country, are each of them rails
ing new varieties from seed in the ex-
pcctatiou Qf success.
.