Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1866-06-12

orchards, as revealed since leating
and the several surmised causes.
One Bennett reports the Michigan
orchards badly used up, in some
parts halt the trees dead or partly
dead in other parts, a fourth dead
or dying, and in some places heard
from a tree in six to ten killed.
In Illinois and as far South as
the uncommon wet weather prevail.
ed in the summer of 1865, the Or
ehards suffered severely, one man
in Sangamon County losing q half
his beautiful young orchard, his old
er trees suffering but little. Second
growth and immaturity Of wood are
the alleged causes of failure in Hi
nois.
The Michigan farmers are not
agreed as to the cause Of so many
of their trees dying. One writes to
the Detroit AdrertiSer his views, as
follows which we consider sensible :
"Thc apple orchards, 50 far rs |
have examined, are generally more
or loss hurt, young orchards of eight
or nine years old the worst but /
have seen some plats Of, trees of
that age not hurt at oil, but in ell
cases the trees so escaping stqodin
land but little cultured, or even in
grass. The old orchards, especially
such as the owners had neglected to
have plowed, escaped without visible
loss. Orchards but recently set out
also escaped much injury. The high
land trees did best those in low
or rather wet land Jared Che worst.
Perhaps orchards should be less cul-
tured after the fifth year than before
that age, though it might be danger
u to abstain from giving orchards
OF any age and size of trees an oc-
casional blowing and crop of corn"
Another Michigan farmer writes
to the Cleveland Farmer that a fourth
of his trees have " died outright or
are SO killed in the bud that they
cannot leaf out and some of them
may die" He thinks the very cold
winter froze his trees.
In Indiana the trees have failed to
leaf and bloom as early as usual
the buds appeared reluctant to start,
particularly on the young trees.
Some are complaining Of their young
orchards dying.
Our Experience and Practice in
the Orchdrd-CdUSeS OF the Apple
Tree Failure.
From the foregoing it will be seen
tina t we in Wisconsin, are not alone
in the misfortunes of the year 1865,
and that the causes of failure in ap-
pie orchards are as uniform as gener-
eral throughout the country.
We now offer our experience for
the year 1865, and to this date in
1866, in our orchard of above 5000
trees, varying in age of FIVE to ten
years, and Of which lot of trees we
have lost but nine from all causes
these among those we neglected to
treat at all last year.
In the summer Of 1865, duringJune
and July, we pruned more or less all
our trecs.-taking from each tree the
new shoots, water sprouts and other
surplus growths shooting from the
bodies and large limbs. Also, we cat
away, not all, but the worst part of
the mal-formcd limbs, by which is
meant such limbs as have the banks
Of crotches turning inward instead of
rolling upward and outward, as hith-
erto explained. So much pruning
caused tho new limbs and wood to
fully ripen and mature, and be able
to stand any extreme Of weather or
other usual cause Of injury. Some
Of our orchard land was worked in
corn, ana some was in blue grass
The nine trees dying this spring,
three of them from fork blight and
five from the peculiar effects of 1865,
no doubt the second growth occurring
after the rains, stood upon land that
had been in corn for several years,
and were last year neglected as to
pruning.
rom an experience and from what
VIC have observed in neighboring or
chards, we feel warranted in Offering
some points as facts rot TO be success
fully refuted nor in the future dis
turbed by any such weather or hurt
full causes ar operated in the year '65.
For two or three years after setting
out a young orchard it is best aud
perfectly safe to cultivate orchard
land for two or three years thereaf-
ter it is best and safest to cultivate
land but very little-still less after
the trees mature in size and form.
Trees should be pruned more or
less every year after the season of
transplanting, and until the mature
or bearing age is arrived at, say when
trees are a dozcnyears old or upward,
after which but little pruning and lit
tie cultivation Of orchard land is
required.
The lands Of the west are too pow
o~rfulIy fertilized with mineral and
animal manures, consequently send
up through their roots too much top
and foliage to be well supported, the
roots falling short in ability to thrive
with the top and the artificial slim
u~lation of land by culture, but for its
effect in producing a larger quantity
ofroots, could we'll be dispensed with.
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