The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-01-21
ORCHARD PLANTING.
How Trees Should be Trained in Kansas
Some Valuable Suggestions.
IATTICA, n. V, Nov. %.

ATTIcA, n. Y, Nov. %.
EDITORS REPUBLICAN DAILY JOURNAL:
While spending a few moments in
your Office, during my late sojourn in
Kansas-not an ideal land-but my real
land of beauty and fertility, surprising
all others known to me, Il few words
passed between us about the setting out
of fruit trees, especially the apple, in Or
der to prevent their leaning, which very
often, in process of time, becomes ruin
Gus to many orchards. And since my
return home, see that you have MOTTO
ed those remarks in the Journal.
Now, as those remarks of yours are not
so full as / think they should be, and as
have been an observer of those lean
ing and falling trees for sixty or more
years, / desire to give my ideas more
fully, not to proffer advice to such 60
ahead farmers as yours, but in the hope
that / may add a mite to arrest this
downward progress. / have noticed
that it is with you as it is with us here,
the leaning of trees is to the northeast,
with you a little more to the north than
with us. This is owing to the more gen.
eral winds coming from the southwest.
To be sure we have periodical winds
blowing in other directions, but they
are of short duration. The great, and
almost continual pressure of our winds
and notice, you will find that the gener-
al leaning of our fruit trees is in that
direction, and that many, very many
trees are PROSTATE with the ground.
Now, as to the means of preventing
this; it should be done when setting
them out, and my method is this: All
trees, if straight and the top equally bal
anced-if four to five feet high or over
the top should be left leaning at the
top one to one and half feet south
west. There is no danger to thus lean
them, for you will very soon find that
those continued southwest winds will
bring them back to an erect position, if
not more. If tree is crooked, the con-
cave side should be southwest. This is
an important matter, to be strictly at
tended to. It is hard to bend the tree
back if the concave is next the wind,
but very easy 10 cause it to continue to
incline with the wind, if the back or
convex of the crook is toward the wind.
Don't forget this idea, if I have been
able to make you understand it. 1t
costs nothing but thought and practice.
Another thing: If one side of the top is
heavier than the other, and cannot be
equaliZed by trimming, put the heaviest
side to the southwest, if it be on the
concave side; if not, at all events, keep
the concave to the southwest. Some
times it is necessary to have reference to
the roots in setting out trees. As a gen
eral rule, long, strong roots should be
put to the southwest, as they will take
strong hold, and aid in holding the body
in its place. This, however, may not al
ways be done, reference should be had,
in such case, to the crook of the body,
and side weight of the top.
Our old orchards in this country will
soon cease to be; and our people are
largely engaged in putting out new ones.
And in travelling over our country no
| tice that these young trees, especially
| those that have been set out for four
years or more, are, nine-tenths of them,
leaning badly to the northeast. The
weight of the trees, added to the force
of the winds, will soon weigh them
down to the ground.
Much of this trouble and waste of
time and trees Gas most of those that
fall to the ground will be lost, might be
avoided aud saved by an observance of
the suggestions | have made above.
The subject is certainly an important
one, more important than many pFoba-
bly, are aware of. And if my sugges-
tions shall have any weight or effect in
arresting the evil, | shall be amply re-
warded. a. S. STEVENS.