Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1865-09-05
Moving We. pasturing Orchards.

\ want to express my opinion respecting the
two ways Of saving the grass grown in the or
chards-making hay of it or feeding il off.
have come to the conclusion that if good, thrifty
trees and abundant crops of nice apples are the
object, il would be better never to remove q crop
Of grass from an orchard. know many make It
practice to NOW their orchards, without any
interruption, except TO pow year or two and
reseed when the grass runs out There are
quite number Of such orchards come under my
own observation, and the scraggy NOISY trees,
and small, imperfect fruit, generally produced by
such management, give evidences OF soil reduced
by repeatedly removing its annual burden with
out any corresponding return. Perhaps 10 newer
and more fertile localities the result would not be
SO apparent as here hut good crop Of grass if
removed, evidently draws so hard on the coil that
the trees are deprived Of some of their needed
nourishment.
The following are some OF the reasons why
would not NOW an orchard :-First-lt is too
exhausting; Second-lhe difficulty of moving
among the trees, especially with machine i;
Third-1he danger Of barking their trunks !
Fourth-The necessity of having trees trimmed
up if grass is to be cut under them, which is
very unnatural form for tree standing out alone,
and as injurious in several ways as it is unnatu-
raj Fifth--In meadow the wndfalls and wor
my fruit cannot be destroyed, which gives host
Of depredators time to mature and infiict their
injury in turn Sixth-The unpleasantness OF
picking up apples among stubble. For the above
reasons, and facts warrant them think II may
be set down as a rule, that an orchard and
meadow should not both occupy the same field
at once.
Allow me to give what consider the best way
to treat an orchard after it has been seeded to
grass that is, TO pasture it with sheep. They
seem just fitted for the purpose, as they remove
very little from the soil that is not returned, they
eat what apples drop early because OF worms,
together with the pests themselves, and keep the
grass down short making il good picking up the
fruit know, by my own experience and the
testimony OF observing, practical men, that trees
will thrive and bear large crops Of fruit, almost
free from knots and worms, when sheep are al.
lowed TO run among them until the fruit begins to
rpen-while other orchards that have been
moved will make only a small growth, and pro-
duoe only second or third rate fruit
There are certain conditions that | deem i'm
porisnt and desirable in orchard management,
which | will briefly state, and then am done
Fist-Grass and vegetation OF all kinds, except
the trees, should be kept down as short possible.
Seeond-All that grows in an orchard, except
fruit, should be returned to the soil. Third
trees should be allowed to branch low in order
to shade the ground under them and keep grass
from growing. | find that apple trees with
branches just high enough for sheep to go under
do much better than those trimmed up four or
five feet.
The above remarks refer to bearing orchards
Of course young trees demand and receive cult
vation, or else dec, New Haven County, Ct
--.Moore's Rural .New Yorker.