Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-11-27
Grass VS.. Cultivation for Orchards.

THE practice of permitting the grass
to grow and form sod on the surface OF
the ground devoted to ercharding is adj
vocated by some quite intelligent writers
while others, equally as intelligent and OF
| long experience, oppose it, and maintain
that in order to have good, fair, and we'll
grown fruit, it is necessary to keep the sur
face of the ground loose and free from any
exhausting crop. Both are undoubtedly
correct, in part, for we have seen orchards
that while yearly cultivated produced fine
and perfect fruit, but as soon as, or with
in three years after being left in grass, the
| fruit became knotty and imperfect; and
again after cultivation produced fair and
| perfect crops. Again we have seen old or
chards in many States that have had no
cultivation for years, and yet produce
crops of fair and handsome fruit. We
know cherry trees that have had nothing
but turf beneath their branches for many.
years, and yet their fruit is annually fair
and good. And, again, we know of cherry
trees that were kept cultivated ten or more
years, and then gave yearly beautiful fruit,
but afterward neglected and left in turf,
the grass not even moved since then
they have not for several years produced
fruit equal to former seasons or up to the
same grown on trees of like varieties well
cultivated, not half mile distant. zone
swallow does not make o summer" nor
does one mans success in growing crop
III certain manner entail any certainty
that that is the best way. That deep Gull
tivation, with a plow going near to the
bodies Of the trees and breaking the roots
yearly around the crown, and six to eight
inches deep, occasions injury and may be
counted as bad practice, we have no
doubt; but that young or bearing or
chard is the better for being let alone and
the grass permitted to grow, rather than
have the soil annually stirred and kept
loose, free to the action of air, heat, and
moisture at a depth of three to four inches,
we do not yet believe There is undoubt-
edly medium desirable: too deep and
too frequent stirring of the soil or too late
in the season would unquestionably be
detrimental; but il a young or bearing or
chard has the surface soil to a depth of
three inches well cultivated in all the
growing portion Of the year, we have not
doubt that nine times out of ten it would
present a more healthy appearance, and
give better fruit than one left in sod, even
if all the grass be left to decay upon the
spot where it grew. Certain deep rich
soils there undoubtedly are which have
in them superintendent food for vigor-
Gus and rapid growth of trees planted
therein for many years but these are the
exception rather than the rule in all our
best fruit growing sections Locations Of
this sort on the prairies, and in rich val
ley bottoms, are to be found but they
are not generally counted as most to be
valued for fruit-growing; and to prepare
orchard ground by a first thorough deep
trenching and enriching, if thought ne
cessary to success, would check progress
in orcharding to an extent that where
now there are hundreds, there would not
be ten acres planted yearly We are de-
cidedly in favor of progress, and if we
could believe that neglect would grow
young orchards and produce equally good
| fruit as judicious, careful, intelligent cul-
tiVation, we should advocate it most
heartily, on account of labor saving,
which is heavy item in the way of get
ting an orchard into, and keeping it in,
o healthy, vigorous condition; but at
present we are not sufficiently advanced
to do other than advise every owner of
young orchard to keep the surface of the
ground stirred annually in the early part
OF the summer to a depth of three or four
inches, repeating the stirring up to
August, as often as the ground appears
hard or packed by heavy rains; and espe-
cially do we advise all owners of young
orchards to keep all grass or litter from
around the bodies Of or near to the trees
during the winter seas on because of prob
able depre6ations from mice that may
harbor therein, and in time of heavy
SHOWS obtain their food from the bark Of
the young trees.-Ihe HorticulturGSt.