Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-06-01
The Orohard-Insects- Mulching-Pru-
ming Barking Trees to make them
Bear Bark Lice Sucksring- and
Washing.

setting out OF trees, vines and shrub
berry Very little complaint will be
heard of failures to grow-except
when trees were brought great dis
tances and nothing known as to
whether the roots were allowed to
dry or freeze.
The fruit season has been fair and
prolific bearing is promised, unless
the damp weather shall cause the
fruit to blast and fall off. We think
that plums have already been SO dam
aged by the damp weather. We no.
tice the leaf blight which two years
ago came so near destroying all the
small red crab trees has again COM
menced, and unless it is checked at
once the better way will be to lay
the axe TO the root of every tree and
save none from the flames. The mi
croscope shows the leaves covered
with nudge or mould, doubtless
one of the new insect pests, some
thing similar to the top blight in the
common apple tree-by some called
fire blight, which is believed to be q
mould, as the spores may be seen
with tho help of a microscope.
Speaking of IRE blight in the tops
of apple trees, which shows itself in
June and spreads rapidly, it often
attacts the bodies Of trees and dis
colors patches of bark, sometimes
killing the bark entirely around the
body, the tree of course dying. 1t
is noticeable that some varieties are
not in the least injured by the fire
blight, and that other sorts when
struck at all appear to sink at once
under the poison and die in few
days. Others suffer severally but
linger till the following year before
going by the board SO far as we
can judge about tenth part of the
apple trees in any common orchard
including gratis and seedlings, and
also the several crab kinds, are sub
ject with more or less intensity to
this affiiction-the seedlings being
rather worse injured than the CRAFTS
We have been observing the work Of
this blight or nudge for ten years
and treating it every conceiva bic
way but without success. Sulphur
is unquestionably q sure antidote
but there is no way to apply it as o
practical remedy. Cutting off the
terminal limbs as the blight appear.
on them is good practice, but it i.
impractical for large trees. Once il
an orchard there is no way but to lei
it run till its stock exhausts.
Trees newly set need mulchine
with old straw or other rubbish be-
fore dry weather appears. Raspber.
ries, grapes and all kinds of trees
shrubs and vines having roots near
the surface are greatly benefited by
mulching. And We are now disposed
to believe that the Ohio practice o.
banking foot about bearing apple
trees is as we'll or even better 70,
Wisconsin orchards, Last year We
tried it, and this year will adopt the
practice for several hundreds of on,
trees,
AS usual we enjoin the pruning OF
orchards only in July, in view of do
ing the least possible harm to trees
and a coat of white paint for wounds
is recommended as one of the great
est successes. We have used It five
years with the best results, and for
very large wounds have sometimes
reprinted after one or two years
The wood under paint remains dry,
hard and strong, fulfilling all the re-
qulrements of wood in giving strength
and healthful duration.
We notice that something claimed
to be new and valuable to change
barren trees into bearing is going the
rounds. The art is DOT new at all.
being published years ago in the fruit
books. We have practiced il some
four years with good success. The
art consists only in barking to the
wood the body or limbs Of barren
tree, but the time when this should
be done is question. last year we
barked barren limbs at various times
from the first of June TO the TWEEN
tieth July, and find the best results
on those barked about the tenth of
July. The effect of barking is to
arrest tho circulation for time. dur
ing which fruit buds are formed
July pruning is apt to cause barren
tree to hear the following year.
You need not fear injuring tree by
barking it at the time named. We
have stript an apple tree OF its bark
from stump to limb without further
barming it than to be the cause of
its bearing the following year. The
pulpy mass interlying between bark
and wood at once changes into new
bark. If possible select cloudy
day for such work, as the hot sun.
shine upon freshly barked surface
may dry up the pulpy mass before it
undergoes the change spoken of, or
what is just as well, shade the sunny
side of the tree day or two.
It is believed the run of bark lice
is near done with. Walsh, the great
American Entomologist, says they
have about disappeared from Illinois,
as they did long ago from parts at
first infested. He says there appears
q devouring insect which attacks the
bark lice, at some stage probably
upon their Matching and crawling,
and devours them. Last year some
thought they were less abundant
than formerly, but we we shall lend
no encouragement till facts appear
to warrant their speedy or gradual
disappearance. Some kinds Of apple
trees appear but little injured If at
oil by bark lice, even though coated
with them. But such trees possess
the greatest vitality.
Some time sosn trees ought TO be
suckered. A sharp spade does well
for cutting suckers from the base of
trees, and knife for looping off the
water sprouts aud shoots from the
bodies.
AS to white washing or applying
any sort of mixtures to the trunks
and limbs of trees VIC doubt whether
1t pays, except for Frightening the