The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-03-24
Pra ctical Suggestions AbOu
Plantimg Trees. ...'
Dy a Hapello Farmer.

| growers the idea Is often held out that a
vast deal of labor and industry are requisite,
to insure success with fruit trees. This
may all be well enough in it's selfto stinu-
! late many persons =, increased care and at
tention; but while it does so, it seems to me
that it has te ndency to deter many others
from planting orchards, who otherwise
| would undertake it. .@.
Every man, woman and youth, should
plant oct at least few fruit trees as soon
as they are able. and have a care for them
The child should do it, and should he taught
that 1t is duty he owes to himself to civil
ization and posterity. Nothing looks more
desolate than human habitation without a
| tree. b. a.f.sasGs.a8
l. But, says one, i'll have to excavate and
pulverise the earth three or four feet deep,
( for each tree, and mix it with manure, and
scrub each tree with soap suds, and apply
ashes, &c, and then wait eight or ten years
for fruit, shall not invest much mo nev and
labor in an orchard. When see SO much
uncertainty about the success Of those who
have planted on every side, prefer to
forego an orchard, Gas am not very well
satisfied with my place and the conntry. }
and buy what little fruit myself and family
need. This think is the conclusion that a
large number of our western people have
come too, especially those who like to have
fruit and veg citation spring from dame ma.
ture spontane ously. .r., .-'....
It's, amentable fact, (ln this section Of
country at least,) that many of our early
planted orchards are extinct, or nearly so.
| propose 70 give my experience in fruit
raising in Iowa, and asI have been emf
nently successful, think otheys may do as
much and perhaps with less labor Seeing
the scattered veterans that had wthstood
the attacks of the borer. the leaf-rober, the
brawslng, trampipg and rubbing Of cattle
and the barking Of sheep and rabbits, prov.
ed to me that with little care fruit could
be raised here 5 well as anywhere.
My experience dates from the Spring OF
:. - . .
1858. then bought 25 trees three years
Old, have % of them yet, 1.-TWO of them
through ignorance allowed the borer to kill)
as nice thrifty trees no doubt as could be
found anywhere, part of them have been re-
wardrg me with fruit for two years past,
and as nice fruit as ever grew in anv cou n
try. have been setting more OF less every
spring since (nos omittins the small fruits, }
and have not lost tree. manure nv trees
very heavily using any fermented BARNARD
manure, chip manure, ashes, &c, spreading
it evenly over he ground and blowing it in,
and cultivate in roots CT vegetables; never
sowing TO grass or grain. | give my trees
a good scrubbing each spring with strong
soap suds, and keep the borer out by smear
ing the trunk from one inch below to six
inches above the ground with soft soar, and
wrap them in the fall with rye straw bv set
ting it around the trunk, and tieiug at top
and bottom. My object in wrapping is to
keep the rabbits from gnawing the bark and
to prevent the sun from striking the trunks
on warm days, which starts the san. and
the sudden freezing causes what is called
sap blight.
NY orchard site is the north slope Of
dry ridge on the prairie. l prefer a north
exposure to any other, from the fact that the
ground does not thaw out so soon in spring,
which retards the fruit buds thereby escap-
ing the late frosts set out wind brake
on the north, east and west when first Sc,
out my orchard used for the brake cot
ton wood, black locust, map'e elm, birch
in fact almost anything I could get hold of
that would transplant without to much
trouble. If was going to start again,
would use white willow. @"E
NY ADVICE to those who expect to plan
an orchard the coming spring COR at any flu
ture period0 is to select as dry ground as
possible, prepare it by under draining, i
possible, ifnot then do the next best thing
surface drain, plow the land as deep as pos.
sible, beginning on a line with where YOU
wish your trees to stand, throw the dirt ou,
then turn and throw it back again making
a ridge on which to plant your trees, and IN
after culture always throw the dirt to the
trees, thereby leaving deep drain between
each row. Select good thrifty low headed
trees of sorts that are known 10 be hardy
and good bearers 1fto he set in prairie sol
get them from Nursery on the pralr,e Re.
member that one good tree is worth a dozen
'oor ones.
Planting. The great mystery to some
yet simnle as breathing. Ordinary trees
rightly handled in m,ving, should, and will
sS surely live a grow as seed corn, and
no mystery about it. The trouble some.
timeS,i is all in the planter. sometimes all in
the trees, or both. As to the season, il
helps or hinders, but the planter, skill can
overcome any difficulty with the weather
| With trees in bal order, or dry, baa
season, the more care should taken. In any
case. do not expose the roots Of trees tc
sun. air, frost. or brusing. Nine out of ter
err here. Fill the holes partly with the
best surface soil; set the tree in with the
heaviest side Of top, and bodies leaning
little south west; straiten out the roots ir
their n,tural order, SO that where the GROUND
settles they will not be over an inch or tw,
deeper than they originally grew. Deer
planting rains thousands of trees. Fill in
among the roots with the best of soil, shak