The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1866-03-03

cost Of four or five dollars a rod.
With all this outlay after eight or tel
i years, MF. Bolmer appears to have had NJ
very encouraging results until he observed
! that#h his mounds were increased il
size and height he had most fruit, and tina
this Tas.in direct proportion to their size
When they were but eight inches, the in
sects would work in and effect his trees, ysc
he naads them larger and higher, foot ana
eighss iachess but still the worms womb
trouble him, aud would effect the body o
of hesgee. To overcome this he increased
the mound 10 one tree to three feet, and il
another between four and FIVE feet high, SC
that it covered the branches above the
! forks. This was done seventeen years ago
and the tree, now twenty one years old
has never had the mark of a worm upon it.
In some cases-as q protection from thaw-
ing and freezing-he had wrapped the
stems with rags, in some surrounding them
with walls Of stone or boxes, or lumber
into which he filed earth, at a cost of fifty
cents to dollar and half each tree, bu;
none of these plans proved so good, cheap,
and durable as the simple mounds of earth.
This method has so entirely satisfied him
With its results that Mr.. Bolmer now has an
orchard of some thirteen hundred trees, of
different ages, up to nine years, all of which
are subject to similar treatment. Some
were earthed up the first year they were
set out, others at a later period, some at the
fourth year Twelve hundred of these trees
have bore fruit, and have given four Gro DIS
in FIVE years. In 1854 they only fruited
where they were projected by boxes, or by
other means. The crop last season, 1865,
produced more than $4,000.
In setting out his trees Mr. Bolmcr plants
shallow. In light soils, that are sandy and
gravelly, he digs the holes foot deep; 10
light loan, six inches; in heavy clay, he
plants on the surface, unless it be on hill
side, when he makes slight excavation; in
wet places, or hollows, he raises the ground
foot or more for the tree before planting;
the trees are all surrounded with mounds
OF earth; this applies to all sorts of fruit,
and while it protects them from the fros is
and winds of winter, it also deters the rab-
bits from iDjuring the bark
The branches are formed at two feet high,
which is the top of the first mound. The
second year this is raised another foot, COW
ering the lower parts of the limbs, and ma
king the hillock three feet high. No other
protection is needed, as the extremes of wet
or dry, heat or cold, are regulated by this
mass or earth, if. it be properly made, and
kept smooth and sharp at the top. The
worm cannot gain access, and neither man
nor beast can I'M ure the bark nor split down
the branches, neither can the wind blow the
tree over. The third and fourth years the
mound is made etill larger, go that when
finished they will be between four and FIVE
feet high.
For older trees-if more than three or
four years-he advises cutting back pretty
freely as preparation for this earthing pro-
cess, which is aided very mnch by blowing
both ways toward the rows, thus prepar :
ing the soil, and leaving so much less work
for the shovel 81 '''.s
In this case mulchiug should be freely
applied 10 protect the roots from the sun.
The work may done at any time when the
ground is not frozen or the tree laden with
fruit, and,e then if the earth is brought
to the tree from beyond the roots.
This banking up of the soil exposes. it to
the action of the frost, and it is thought
that the mounds freeze solid to the tree, and
remain frozen until spring, especially if
we'll mulched; and the buds are kept back
until late in the spring, and escape untime-
y frosts. 1t is claimed for this plan, also,
that there is a vastly increased surface ex-
posed to the heat and air for their happy
influence. 1t is found that the earth is lit
orally filled with fine 6brous feeding roots
by the third or fourth year, which are ready
to make the most of the ssituation.''
WINTER PROTECTION FOR THE BUDS.
Having disposed of the earthwork recon
mended by Mr., Bolmer, let us now look at
his method of traeting the limbs of histree,
to insure crop of peaches under any cir
cumstanees of winter severity. Sometimes
he bends down the lower limbs to the earth
and puts a weight upon them to keep them
there; very often the snow furnishes the
needed cove ring, aud In northern climates
this will be found sufficient. But in our
less snowy latitude, where we often have
great depression of temperature, without
any such covering to the earth, we need
some artificial protection. For this pur-
pose Mr.. Bolmer uses long open boxes, sup
ported by four legs of the requisite height.
say from two to five feet, to adapt them to
the different parts of the trees. Into these
the branches are gathered aud crowded and
Dressed dewns and covered with straw, with
little earth or something else to keep them
in place. This is done in November, and
they are left till late in March or April,
when the exposed part of the tres is IL full
bloom; these protected buds are then begin
ming to swell, and they will be two or three
weeks later in their blossoming. and may
thus eseapeIa epring frost that might de-
stry the earlier bloom and fruit Of q z
These boxes have another Office to per
form, which is entirely novel, and it enables
the proprietor, or inventor, to prolong the
season of peaches very considerably, as
was shown in this Society last October.
when fihs fresh peaches were exhibited from
this orchard, much to she surprise and de-
light of all beholders.. Il is claimed that
! they may thus be preserved even. TO the hol-