The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-02-24
Orchards Without Money.

VrcHdTus VMtnOut MONels
There are many farmers in limited
circumstances who do not see their way
clear to purchase trees for an orchard.
In many instances there is a mortgage
on the farm which must be cleared off
or it will clear the farm off. Shelter is
wanted for the stock or perhaps more
important yet, better shelter is wanted
for the family. Often in the case of new
farms there is no we'll and no cistern,
the water for the barns being brought
from spring ut distance. There is no
roller to smooth down the surface of the
fields that are to become permanent
meadows; there is no moving machine
to cut the broad acres of grass perhaps
a neighbours grind-stone has to be called
into requisition whenever a scythe or axe
has to be sharpened. Then there is a
family to be fed and clothed taxes to be
paid; school books to be bought and a
host of other pressing wants that require
immediate and every day attention.
None know but the industrious poor,
and none know so well as the poor far
mer, how pressing some of these wants
are. Many little feet go unshod till the
grass is whitened by the frost for want
of money to buy shoes. Many an ambi-
tious farmers boy has to delay his en-
tering the winter school till something
can be sold from the farm in order to
buy his books. The wife of many q
frontier farmer cannot provide her scanty
winter wardrobe suitable for attending
meeting, till the pork is fattened and
sold. Indeed there are hosts of farmers
just commencing to prepare homes,
where the supply of groceries is gagged by
the supply Of eggs and butter. 1t is only
in good seasons or in times of good luck
that such families "can make both ends
meet"-whenever there appears (" trown-
ing providence" some OF the real, present
necessities Of the family are unsupplied.
1t is all nonsense TO talk to man in
such circumstances about spending three
or four hundred dollars in buying fruit
trees. Downing on Landscape Gardening
and Home Adornment is an excellent
book, but not for him. An evergreen
belt would look we'll on the windworn
side of his place, and would protect his
orchard site; but evergreens cost money.
1t is vain to tantalize this man by telling
him that he could get more money from
FIVE acres put in fruit trees than he real
ICES from his whole farm now he knows
that already. He knows, too, that his
little boys and girls are fond Of apples,
pears, plums and cherries; that they are
wholesome food and cheap, when home
grown. He wants and needs an orchard
and knows that the sooner the young
trees are set the quicker will they bear
fp,,,t 10 10
trees from nurseryman, and does not
wish to run in debt in order to obtain
them. How is this man to have an or
chard without money, and without
other price than the labor of himself
and his family?
This is the way: Set apart a small
plot of land in the garden or field for a
nursery. If you can do no better for
obtaining seeds, save them from the APP
pies that are used i'll the family, and OBJ
tain more from the wild crab apples
growing in the woods. They may be
planted the present season, where the
ground is still open, or kept till spring
and then put out. They sould be planted
in drills uniformly straight. The earth
should be finely pulverized, and the
an inch. Nothing is required the first
season but TO keep the weeds down, and
to have the ground soft and mellow
about the young roots. No more skill
is required to raise Seeding apple trees
than to raise a crop of corn or beets.
An hours work, once a week through
the summer and fall, will be sufficient to
tend IA plantation of several thousand
seeding apple trees. man having
advanced thus far towards raising an or
chard will be shiftless fellow indeed,
and very lacking in mechanical ingenui-
ty, If he does not continue the cultiva-
ton OF his young stalks, and learn to
engrait them when they are of sufficient
age.
We lately visited the largest apple or
chard in the West, if not in the whole
country, an orchard producing this year
some fifteen thousand bushels of fruit
This famous apple orchard was started
IN this wise: A fourteen year old boy
came to Illinois about the time of Black
Hawks war. Where his father settled
there were few apple trees, except wild
crabs. Wise men said apple trees did
not do well here, but he did not believe
it,
Young apple trees were brought from
distanceand commanded high prices, but
cash was scarce with him. 80 he started
out to make an orchard with such means
as he had. He saved all the seeds that
ne could, planted them, and tended the
young trees till they were large enough
TO cngraft. His first cions he obtained
with money earned by himself. lie rode
on horseback seventy miles over the
prairies to get the cions and put them
in himself. Every year he continued
to give his spare time to planting, prun-
ing and grating apple trees. The orch.
ard was started to supply a single family,
now it supplies thousands of families.
Undoubtedly the best way to obtain
fine orchard is to purchase first class
trees from reliable nurseryman. SO,
too, it is the best way to obtain fine
stock OF cattle to purchase thoroughbred
animals. But because man is so cir