Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-02-26
Mounding up Peach Trees.

"OuhoAnA eP ESACH AECcSs
The following questions were re-
Gently propounded to Mr. E. A.
Thompson celebrated agricultu-
rist, vineyardist, etc, of Cincinnati
who has given what is known as
the Boln,or plan of 'mounding up
peach trees" a thorough trial :
f'What is the Daounding plan with
peach trees as practiced by you?
Eow high above the general level
ofthe ground are the trees mounded2
Do you allow the dirt to stay around
the trees all the time or only GER
tain season of the year? What Ju1k
is the mound, that is, how far out
from the tree, or what diameter ?
How soon after the young trees are
set out do you mound them upY'
To which Mr. Thompson replies as
follows:
/ proceed to answer the above in
quiries briefly, as follows: The
mounding system was first prac-
ticed, SO far as / know, by Isaac
Bolmor, of Warren county, Ohio.
/ visited his orchards some years
ago-acquainted myEelf with his
system-and concluded to try it
upon my orchard of four thousand
trees-then one year planted. |
plant my trees in the fall, and in the
spring following cut them back to
six inches above the bud. The tree,
then, instead of having one body,
has several--from three to six. The
second summer ] plough both ways,
turning the burrows toward the trees.
The men follow with shovels,
throwing the loose soil around the
tree 10 the height of about one
foot. In the fall l cut the trees
back, taking off about one third of
the years growth. The next spring
or summer / pursue the same meth
cd, raising the mound about one.
foot higher; cut back in the fall,
and the third summer repeat the
process, raising the mound another.
foot, which finishes the job. The.
mound will then be about three
foot high at it's apex and six feet in.
diameter at its base. The mound
ing need not be done in the sum-
rner, or at any particular season; it
is just rs well done in the fall when
the hurry is over. The dirt is never
taken away from the trees--in fact
it cannot be removed without injury
to the tree-for the young rootlets
each year keep climbing up through
this mound l had occasion to re-
move on of these mounds few
days since and found it a mass of
healthy roots.
Now for the benefits. First, you
have no trouble with grub or borer !;
he must have light and air, and the
mound is too much for him he
comes out, and that is the last of
him. / have never wOrmed my
trees, or hunted for the borer, and
an orchard of healthier or thriftier
trees cannot be found. 1t has been
asserted that the borer will reappear
again near the top of the mound
but l am satisfied this is not the
case; ] have never thus far been
able to find one. Second, the sys-
tenn imparts longevity to the tree.
/ saw a tree in Warren county
treated in this manner thirty (30)
years old, still healthy and bearing
annual crops. Third, trees thus
treated are not subject to disease. /
have never had a case of geyotoS in
my orchard. Fourth, the expense
is trifing-one man can mound fifty
trees per day. The system can be
applied TO old as well as young
orchards; but if old trees are thus
treated they should be first severely
cut back, when they will make q
growth of Young wood.