Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1871-10-19

lead than that of the gardeners. The
more nearly the condition of the farm
approaches that of the garden, the nearer
approach will he made in size and value
of the crops, and in nothing can we learn
more than in their system of manuring,
PREPARING AND PLANTING AN ORCHARD.
In reference to the preparation of the
ground for and the planting of an orch
ard, the G0rleney'S Monthly offers the
following suggestions; "We feel that
the advice constantly given to subsoil,
and mdordrain, and manure, to the ex-
tent of hundreds of dollars per acre, is
too costly to follow, and of little use after
it is taken. If we were going to prcpoye
Il piece of ground for an orchard, we
should manure it heavily and put i'll II
crop of potatoes; then in October man
ure again lightly, and put in rye, On
this in April, we should SOW red clover.
The rye off, we should then consider it
ready to plant trees. For apples, pears,
plums, or cherries, We should mark out
the rows ten feet apart, and for the trees
ten feet from each other. This will be
twice as thick as they will be required
when fully grown, but they grow much
better when thick together; and they
will bear more than enough fruit to pay
for the room they occupy, before the
time comes to cut every other one away.
We say the rows ten feet apart, but every
fourth row should be twelve feet, to af-
ford room to get between the blocks with
q cart.
"Plant as early in October as possible,
but it can be continued until the APP
proach of frost To plant, a hole can be
dug in the stubble just large enough to
hold the roots without cramping them.
We should tread in the soil, and trim in
the head very severely The next spring
we should just break the crust formed by
the winter rains about the tree, and then
leave everything to grow as it might.
The clover will be ready to cut in June
or July. The twelve feet rows may be
done by machine, the rest by hand. Hay
enough will be made to pay for all the
labor for one year and Il little more.
After the hay has been hauled off, bring
back some rich earth of any kind, and
spread about Il quarter or half an inch
thick over the surface of the ground dis
trrbed in making the hole. This will
keep the grass from growing very strong
just over the roots. Keep on this way
annually, every two or three years giving
the whole surface of the orchard top
dressing, for the sake of the grass and
it will be found to be the most profitable
way of making the orchard ground pay
for itself, until the fruit crops come in,
that one can adopt The trees also will
be models of health and vigor, and when
they will commence to bear, will do so
regularly and abrndantly.
"Thc dwarf trees we would plant on
the same system, but six instead of ten
feet apart. Few soils are too ret for fruit
trees. Only in wet soils plant on the
surface and throw up the earth over
them from between, so as to make ditch
or furrow to carry away the surface
water. On the plan of annual surface
dressings which we have outlined, the
feeding roots will thus always keep above
the level Of standing water; and when
they can do this, it will not hurt the
trees, though the tap roots are immersed
i'll water for half the year,