Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-09
PAPERS BY DE. GoRDoN-No. 10.
Agricultural Geology of Middle Ten
nessees -



and sink-holes in the rocks below let the
rain water sink down freely to great
depth. All the dirt above the rocks kept
open and porous. There was no close
subsoil to hold stagnant water. linen
fruit-trees could seldom send their roots
down low enough to reach dense clay
holding stagnant water. Therefore, but
few trees died from that cause. Our Or
chards lou1ished for long time almost
without attention or culture. But since
the cane and forest have been cleared
away. end most of the surface has
been o ZEN converted into soft mud by
the tramp of domestic animals and
by the pillow, the soft mud often
thus made has sunk down, and
filed up the holes and cracks,
so as to make the subsol water tight
bed. The spots which have been tramped
and titled the longest, have now the most
compact subsoils. Some localities have
more clay than others, and of course these
soonest become water tight by tillage or
tramping. But the subsoil is everywhere
more compact and more prone to hold
stagnant water, than it was sixty years
ago. At this day, you can hardly fiud a
plat of ten acres of titled land, which has
not stagnsnt water in some spot just
under the surface. This is true of our
steep hill sides, as well as level land. 1t
is plain and truthful history. l have ex
amined many apple orchards, as well as
nv own, and have seldom seen one,
which did not give plain proof, that stag
nant water was killing some trees. And
have seen some orchards, where fully
half the trees were suffering, declining
and dying from stagnant water under
them. Thehistory of orchards in my sec
ton of Middle Tennessee for the last thirty
years, is discouraging. Wehave planted,
trained and cultivated numerous orchards.
When our trees come into bearing, they
for few years bear full crops of excel
lent fruit. But NEST of them soon cease
to grow. They bear less fruit, which is
not so good as the first crops. Moss
soon covers their trunks and large
branches, and their leaves are no longer
of a dark luxuriant green, but are OF a
pale yellowish green color. When they
get to this stage, some soon die, but
others remain for many years bearing no
good fruit and merely numbering the
ground. In almost every orchard, few
trees seem not to suffer from stagnant
water, but they go on growing, bearing
and increasing their crops of good fruit,
till they get to be of large size, being all
the time thrifty in appearance. Il you
will dig hole, in the summer season,
two or more feet deep, near the sickly
looking trees, you will find clay which is
wet. And if the hole is left open for q
day or two, you will find water at the
bottom. But you will find no water I'M
der an old tree which is thrifty. have
tested this matter in cheaper way. l
have jobbed down a crowbar, or long
stone drill, to the desired depth, and then
pulled it from side t. side, so as 10 take it
out and leave the hole open. This
method of searching for stagnsnt water
costs but little labor.
1t lisa notorious fact, that old orchards
do not bear as good fruit as young ones.
The reason is this: Young trees do not
suffer from stagnsnt water, because it
takes several years for them to send their
roots down to the watsr-t tight clay. They
remain thrifty and healthy till their roots
get down into the stagnant water, but
then their roots imbibe the poisonous wa
ter which soon makes them sickly. The
very best authority which can be given on
this subject is John Johnson, of Geneva,
in New York. My recollection is that
some twenty-five or thirty years ago, Mr..
johnson bought up many little farms, so
as to make tract of three hundred or
more acres. Nearly every little farm had
an old apple orchard. Most of
the trees bore sorry fruit or none at all.
Mr.. johnson deeply ditched and thoroughly
underdrained his whole tract of land, the
apple orchards included. The result was,
that the moss fell from the trees, they
put forth new shoots and dark green
leaves, and Lore large crops of excellent
fruit. Mr.. johnson kept an accurate
| journal of all his practice on his farm,
which was published in the Ge7aneset
Farmer and Country Gentleman, in 6
series of numbers, running through pc
j Rod of about ten years, l believe, from
| 1850 to 1860. l am no. certain as to the
date of beginning or ending of his jour
nal. That journal is the best work OF
draining which has been published in thiI
| country. 1t would be worth more Il
farmers of this middle portion of the
State, because Mr. Johnson's practice is il
the Gennesee Valley, a country much
like Middle Tennessee.
But what ought we to do with our or
chards7 The answer is, drain. We haV'
| seen that there are two modes of draining
land, the one subsoiling, and the othe
undertaking. For the cornfeld, subsoi
blowing may be sufficient; but for the or
chard, understanding is also necessary
1t will pay to do both. When about Il
plant out an orchard, suppose the fol
lowing to be the best practice. In tn
beginning, subsoil the whole orchard deep
" up and down hill. Then lay off th
rows up and down hill and subsoil agail
where the lows are to be, so as to plOy
deeply bed about four feet wide. The
Law off the rows across the hill, and the
again up and down hill in the middle o
the beds. Tie trees are to be plante
shallow where the burrows cross. Thu
planted, the trees will grow rapidly, bea
well ms few years, and flourish for lon
time before their roots will get down t
.,agnaat water. But the time will com
when even these trees thus planted wi
need ditching and undertaking. w
then shall have it an old orchard, whic
is declining and bearing small crops 0
sorry fruits. The roots of the trees hav
got down to stagnant water, and the tree
will do no more good if we do not drai
them.
We are now brought to the point o
considering what we can do to make al
old orchard young again. If the reade
will remember what John johnson did
he will anticipate what we recommend
M. johnson ditched up and down hill be
tween the rows of old apple trees. Hi
bitches were four feet deep. Tile tube
were placed in the bottom and the ditto
filed up. OF course he had to cut man
roots in making the bitches. And
would be better always to UNDERGRAD
before the trees get large, and their root
extend across the rows. The di'chn
should be done in winter season, becaus
it will injure the trees less to cut thel
roots then, than in the summer.
Many old orchards here in Middle Tel
nessee, may be renewed and made to bes
large crops of good fruit, by underGrall
ing, 1t will be good economy to dral
them. 1t is worth at least ten dollars,