Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-12-28
Fruit Trees East and West Spectators
STANDARD 0rchards-Ba Lice.


EDITORS FARMER During the
summer season | spent couple
of months in New England, and visi-
red many of the nurseries and
orchards with view of acquiring
knowledge in the orchard enterprise,
in which department | feel a pecuni-
airy interest apart from inclination TO
learn and curiosity to investigate.
came across some extensive nur-
series aud grea. orchards trees
reckoned century old, some OF
them fifty feet in height and girting
three TO four feet near the groud.-
These very large apple and pesr
trees have tall bodies, often ten feet
or moro TO their limbs They are
generally seedlings, fruit rather
small and fit only for cider. But
some of them are reckoned to be
gratis, tho fruit of fair quality but
not valued abroad whore better kinds
have long since been introduced.
Judging from more recent orchards,
about thirty years ago the people
took to propagating new and better
kinds, since which time there have
been great Improvements IN orchard
ing and cannot see but tue new
orchards are TO be as enduring "a
have been the old, and the bearing,
and size and quality of fruit greatly
above those of the partriarchaI age.
| especially noticed that trees Of
great age, and still in fair vigor and
bearing, quite invariably stand in
good soil and upon land inclining
northward, Also, that these old
trees are doing so much the better
when standing in cultivated garden
spots and where there are houses
about them. Do trees require shady
places for health? Should they be
protected from the storms Do
buildings and the air and earth about
buildings produce the needful life and
health essentials? What do the
roots feed upon, and can the hike be
supplied by artificial means? What
of the cooling effects of shades and
northern sites Do these observa-
tons apply as well in the Northwest?
These questions may lead to further
investigation.
Orchards east, twenty years OF
age or younger, do not appear more
healthful or vigorous than in Wiscon-
sin, and about the same proportion
OF trees die out, apparently from hk c
causos--top and crotch blight at first,
then death.
la all cases where orchards have
been allowed to stand for years in
unplowed fields, the trees appear
stunted and with yellow leaves
often overbearing and OF course ex-
hausting themselves of life. A pillow
ing will restore such orchards entire,
unless some of the trees are too far
gone, and have already passed into
the winter of life, suffering under
paral ysis and consumption.
Usually the trees of New England
and New York have taller bodies
than ia Wisconsin, but am inclined
to think this is result of pruning
In Eastern nurseries the small trees,
II not pruned, fork rs low as in Wis
consin, but the farmers have always
pruned for high tops in view OF be-
ing able TO pillow close and economic
their orchard lands for crops. The
reason why SO many Western
orchards bear low tops from imbing
near tho ground il, that formerly
and until recent change of advice,
our Western agricultural papers, the
Farmer among them, instructed the
people TO train for low tops, with
forks near the ground in view of
protection against the winds. The
local nurserymen Of course pandered
to the popular notions. Late years
our nurserymen have formed ass0cla-
tons for mutual education, and as
they are known TO be interested in
successful orchatdlng they have pro-
perly taken to advising the people to
prune for higher tops. Some in re-
spect to kind of fruits and manage
ment Of trees. The. nurserymen are
our best teachers when themselves
intelligent and experienced,
Now word about eastern nurse
rymon. At Rochester there are per-
haps two hundred land owners whose
exclusive business is to propagate
fruit trees, which they carry for sale
to the Rochester tree spectators,
the price at sale size and age, from
three to four dollars per hundred
These tree spectators call them
selves the proprletors Of the Roches-
ter Nurseries, and as such they adj
vertise MISUNDERSTANDING to fill their
orders from the stocks Of said tree
propagatOrs. These CHICHESTER Nur-
sery men," who know othing at all
about trees nor kinds, except from
what il told them, and possessing no
responsibility at all from actual nur-
sery ownership, are the men who
send tree agents to the west tor TAX
ing orders They are what IS known
10 commercial partance as "Go Be
taceenS" that is, as spectators. ~
they pocket the immense profits OF
trade between the producer and The
consumer, position in which there
is usually no necessity for integrity,
character or responsibility. And the
runners they send west to act as tree
peddlers are not expected to rank
above their employers, consequently,
their agreements are as uncertain as
the wares they peedle.
Stopping over day at Rochester,
and taking a morning ride to the
country among these Rochester tree
propagators, [ learned much of their
practice and mode of business =
Many of them, | was told, propagate
particular kinds, some all kinds and
no respect with any as to adaptation
for climate, soil, latitude or quality
of fruit. Some oe these professions,
propagators are responsible men and
do what they deem right, but their
trees bear no better prices than Of
those who graft no matter what and
label no matter what kind.
"