Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1866-06-20
From the Lancaster Herald
4 Fatal Year for Orchards.

condition OF their orchards az revealed
since l~afrg, and the several surmised
causes.
One Bennett reports the Michigan or
chards badly used up-in some parts half
the trees dead or partly dead; IN other
parts L fourth dead or dying, and in some
places heard from, tree In six TO ten
killed.
+ In Illinois, and rs far south as the un-
+ common wet weather prevailed in the sum-
meT Of 1868, the orchards suffered severe
~. cre man in Sangamon County losing
half Of his beautiful young orchard-his
/ older trees suffering but little Second
growth and immaturity of wood are the
alleged causes Of failure in the State of
Illinois.
/ The Michigan farmers are not agreed as
4 to the cause OF so many Of their trees dy-
1 ing. One writes to the Detroit AdrerE en-
/ his views, as follows, which we consider
sensible
''The apple orchards, so far as I have
/ examined, are generally more or less hurt
Young orchards Of eight or nine years
/ old the worst; but have seen some plats
( of trees of that a-e not hurt at all, bat in
all cases the trees so escaping stood IN
land bat little cultured, or even in grass.
/ The old orchards. especially such as .hc
ttf Hls-ae -Atss 10 l-t. r. tlff' eAt-
capped without visible loss. Orchards but
recently set oat also escaped much iniu-
~ The HIGH land trees did best; those
iu low or rather vet land farcl the worst
Perhaps orchards should be ess cultur-
ed after the filth year taan before that age
though it might be dangerous to abstain
from giving orchards Of any age and size
/ Of trees an occasional plowing ard crop Of
/ corn.
/ Another Michigan farmer writes to the
CIeyelG1d Farmer that q 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 ap-
pcarcd reluctant to start, particularly on
the young trees Some are complaining
of their young orchards dying
orr Experience and Practice IN the or
cdard-Causes Of tie 1pp1e tree fa.y-
are
From the foregoing it will be seen that
We IN Wisconsin, are not alone in the
/ rnislortunes Of the year 1863, and that the
/ causes Of failure in apple orchards are as
uniform as general throughout the coun-
/ try.
wear 1868, and to this date IN 1866, In our
orchard Of above 5000 trees varying in
1 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 tC
+ treat at all last year
/ In the summer Of 1868. during June
and July, we pruned more or less all our
/ trees, taking from each ali the new shoots,
/ water sprouts and other surplus growths
shooting from the bodies and LARGE limbs
Also, we cut away, not all, but the worst
part of the mal-formcd limbs, by which
4 is meant such limbs as have the barks Of
crOtches turning inward instead of rOl-
: ling upward and outward. as hitherto eE-
planned. 80 much pruning caused the new
/ limbs and wood to fully ripen and ma
/ turej and be able to stand any extreme oG
weather or other usual cause Of injury
I Some Of our orchard land was worked in
corn, and some was in blue grass. The
nine trees dying this spring, three Of them
from fork blight and five from the pecu-
. liar effects Of 1865, no doubt the second
+ grOwth.Occurrino after the rains stood up
on land that had been in corn for several
years, and were last year neglected as to
pruning
From an experience, and from what wc
have observed in neighboring orchards,
we feel warranted in Offering scme points
rs facts not TO be successfully refuted nor
in the future disturbed by any such wea~
ther or hurtful causes as operated in the
year 65.
For two or three years after setting out
Young orchard, it ia best and perfectly
safe to cultivate orchard land for two or
three years thereafter it is best and safest
to cultivate land but very little-stiil less
after tire trees mature in size and form.
Trees should be pruned more or less
every year after the season Of transplant-
ing, and until The mature or bearing age
Is arrived at, say when trees are q dozen
years old or upward, after which bat lit
tie pruning and little cultivation Of or
chard land Is required.
The lands Of the west are too powerful
ly fertilized with mineral md animal ma
nures, conseqEently-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
stimulation Of land by culture, but for It's
effect IL producing q larger quantity o.
roots, could well be dispensed with Bat
the cutting nt roots Dy culture. causing
them to multiply and throw ont abundant
IY from the ends ana increase the guam
THY and support for the top, indirectly pro
notes over growth Of top. \ cutting away
Of such excess Of top il therefore indis-
ulasaale. especially I1r such seasons q.
We had in IS.
4 reckless ltsre-aTj oG attention 10 or
chards lnsarez their periodical dcstrnc'
tim from sueh seasons as the last. wills
little prompt labor each year. in prun
inE especial ly, iusUres perfect success-,r
proof of which we offer eur orchard an.
It's present successful condition.
For pruning trees, prepare such imple,
menEs IS g compass saw, narrow. caisz'
axe and Jack knife, all sharp, and in tw
, hours you can relieve cutie an orchard o.
2 all excess 0e limbs. On saturday last yz
: with another hand relieved 500 large tree
5 of their surplus limbs and Of such tree
as had uniformed forks, often male thar
half their tops were cut away IHe wyr
b appeared quite destructive and contrar,
G 70 the taste of old fo-v orchard men. Bu
: if any have doubts of its success. the
may cal any time and be relieved Las
I year and the year before we nractisel tA
D scmC on several hundred, and since hav
: not lost q tree 50 treated. bat on the con
/. tIarv they appear 50 reclaimed as ID kee
e their tops within right bounds, nc;thc
Z throwiug cut an excess Of limbs nor an
limbs badly formed AT the crotch. il