Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1869-10-21
Fruits Dying Out.

A Few days since we had occa.
sion to visit small village, about
eighteen miles from the city ot
| New York, on the northern side oI
Long Island; and in onr walks in
the neighborhood we came across
an orchard of dwarf pear.trees,
planted in one Of those moist de-
pressions on high ground so com
mon on Long Island. 1t was well
drained naturally, and sheltered by
woods and still higher ground on
every side except the south. The
trees appeared to be from six to
seven years planted, and were load
ed with fruit evidently enjoying
their moist, sheltered situation, and
endeayoring by every means in
their power tO show their appreci-
alton Of their position; yet they
were nearly all diseased the fruit
although in great quantities, small,
gnarled, and insect eaten, and GER
tainly gave every indication that in
two or three years more they would
die out And why should they not I?
The ground was oyergrown with
couch-grass and all sorts Of thiev-
ing weeds Of the worst character,
some Of them higher than the trees,
which were certainly experiencing
the most ungrateful neglect from
their owner; who, when they at last
succumb, willno doubt, come down
to the Farmers Club, or the Fruit
Growers Association at Whitlock's,
and give a jehmiad on the deterior-
alton and decay Of fruits at the
present day; insulting the memory
of the poor trees whom he so gross
ly injuled and neglected while they
were living -5
Passing through the orchards of
another old farmer who has resided
on the same farm for the past for
ty-three years, he showed US one IN
which some Of the trees must have
been sixty or seventy years old, but
where he had planted trees in the
vacant spaces about forty years
ago. The older trees we're bearing
fruit of rather poor quality, but the
younger ones were nearly all bar |
rem; what fruit did set always drop /
ping off before ripening, This fact .
he considered as fully proving his
theory that fruit was dying out
The trees didn't bear as they did I,
when he was a boy about sixty or
seventy years ago" Why should /
they do so ? The orchard has prob !
ably not had a, coat of manure for
the past fifty years, if indeed it has /
had any since it was planted; and
yet this farmer could grow crops of
grain or grass, not begrudging, as
he told us, fifty or sixty dollars an
acre for mature for his grain crop;
and yet he could not see that his
crops Of apple-seeds were as eX-
lausting to his land as crops Of
wheat or corn. 1t was not that at
all. Did not the old trees bear, and
the later planted ones did not P
We could not make him understand
that might makes right, even among
trees and that the old trees being Il
irmIy established when he made
he second planting, had maintain
I'd their supremacy and ovcrtop-
)ed, and, in great degree, smoth-
cred the smaller ones.
At another house, standing lit
lie back from the roadside, with an
lcre or two OF land about it, we
we're astonished to find some very
arge peach-trees loaded with fruit
If very fine quality. 1t was the
'esidence of a dominic of horticul-
ural tastes, us the well-kept veget-
Lble- garden and well-cared for fruit
rees showed Now, there is not
armer among the dominie's con {
yregation but is mystitied about {
hese peach trees "Peaches don't {
ROW now as they used to when 9
hey were boys; they can't grow {
ny, they will have the yellows and
lie" Why the aforesaid peach !
rees should bear fruit plenteously y
nd keep green, and not die off at 5
nee astonishes them, But the Sc
ret lies only in thorough and as :
iduous culture Hearth and
lone.