Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-11-26
Agricultural Department.
Management of Orchards.
BY JUDE FRENCH.

No man living, think can show good
orchard of grated iruit which was kept in
grass the first ten years Of its life, 1t is a
point settled beyond controversy, that or
chards, to be healthy and productive,
must be culsvated most OF the time. There
is such thing as over cultivation. The
mistake oftenest made, l think, Of late
years, is forcing young trees too much,
thereby giving them too luxurisus growth,
and iucreasing their liability to injury by
trosss. Land, rich enougo for crop oil
Indian corn, is in good condition for the
healthful growth of apple trees Even af-
ter trees are grown TO large size ,manur
ing SO as to maintain vgorour growth
often renders the trees unfruitful
The theory is, that when dame nature,
along in summer and early Autum, is ly-
ing her plan for next years operations,
she forms buds without at 6rst deciding
whether tLey shall be for leaves or fruit,
and that We, her servants, may help TO
determine their character by urging or
checking the circulation OF the sap; a
vigorous circulation and full supply devel-
oped the buds into leaves and wood, and
diminished circulation developing fruit
buds. A tree which the plow has injured,
enc which has been bent down by the wind 3,
often is full of bloom, while its thrftier
neighbors a:e expanding their dimensions
with no attempt az fruitfulness We prune
the roots or bend down the branches to in.
duce fruitfulness. On the Same principle,
if your beautiful orchard, at eight or ten
years Of age, grows rapidly but does not
bear, by laying it to grass year or two,
check will be given to its growth, and
blossom and fruit will appear in due sea-
sen. 1t is not uncommon TO hear man
complain that certain tree is apparently
dying, and regret it, because it was a tree
that always bore full, not knowing that
che partial loss of vitality had :urr ed all
its twigs to fruit spurs,
know Of no substitute for pl,wing or.
chards, unless il be mulchirg. There is
spractical difficulty however, that all ex-
periSsns in raising apple orchards has not
obviated undoubtedly low branching trees
are most healthy, most productive, most
convenient in all respects, except in culti.
vstion. But low branching trees will not
admit horses to pass under hem, and cx-
en-, though not so high headed as horses,
which are very inconvenient in orchards.
After low headed trees have borne two or
three full crops, their branches often touch
the ground, giving great convenience in
picking the fruit, but utterly preventing
the passage of prov team. I know Or
chards of this character which have long
been kept very productive by mulching
the whole ground with hay or straw
They were near tho sea, and the mulch
was the coarse grass Of the da,s. Where
any mulch can be cheaply obtained, I think
trees may bo planted abodt twenty-tw o
fee. apart, allowed to form low heads, and
so cover the ground, pnd the orchard KEEP.
free from grass and weeds by thus cover.
Ing the surface. The crops derived from
cultivation under the lrees seldom pay the
cost, and in many localities mulching
would be cheaper than cultivation, and
answer all the.purpose. We should then
have our trees in their beautiful natural
proportions, INSTEAD of ungainly long. legg-
ed monsters, warred and SCARED, and ex.
posed to the alternations Of heat and cold +,
and rssarded years in being productive
Probably t might not be wise 10 continue
the mulch upon the ground during the
whole season, although am not aware
that injury is caused by SO doing. The
tendency of thus covering the grouud no
doubt would be to bring tho roots toward
the surface, but perhaps this would pro.
duce no injury. Where mice and moles
abound, sither the mulch, or grass grow
ing in the orchard, would afford them win.
ter quarters, and thus endanger the trees.
-COuntry Gentlemen.
:-....-s.szz4zs.
How Tn EpoNU PuAcrI Tpprs NJ.