The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-06-14

;rr,r cu,ryx ORCHARDS At NEW LEBANON.
. aas.asrondent of the Gieaner, Lee, Mass,
..no Ia. recently visited the Shakers at New
: eh,non. Columbia county, n. l., gives Inc
following account Of the management OF tnelf
orchards: ~ :,
Every observer who has travelled through
the Shaker settlements has noticed the re
narkable thrift and beauty OF their orchards.
Now, Shaker soil and locations are, In reality,
no better than the sol! and locations elseW hsre,
especially at Mount Lebanon, on the cold SIDE
of a very high mountain, and pretty high up
on its sides there the Winds sigh mourn
fully, and the storms beat with fury, and the
surplus ratns wash-sometime in o way
really rexatious to the patient and pefsever-
ing cultivators Of the seih How they succeed
so well when others fail in fruitegroWisg Is
matter that may properly seek investigation.
The conclusion, or TIE whole matter Is that
they value their fruit trees, and take oil ne
cessary care to keep them in health anu pro
iuctiveness. To do this the ground Il
thoroughly prepared for the orchard before
the trees are set. With them thorough
drainage stands first IN preparing land for
any crop Next, a thorough and deep III
lage. with The application Of coinposts OF muck
limo, or ashes. These muck heaps, while in
course of preparation, are enriched with
soap-suds and other wash from the build
,Bgs, All these things united form tree
food Of IN excellent quality, and the tscc@,
whether old or young, show by thelr lilxu-
rance that they afc we'll provided with
healthy feeu.
Thry usually raise their own trees from
the seed of choice varieties. At a suitable
age, these seedlings are budded or grated
from known and approved varieties. so they
know what varieties they nre settling. IN
short, They make themselves sure OF good
trees by raising them among themseives.
| Sometimes their supply, of these tfees cx-
ceeds the home de1na,,tb and then he Is Il
lucky fellow who Can obtain their surplus.
We lately visited one Of then orchards,
raised and managed rs we tsafe described,
and it presented o Beautiful appearance OF
freedom frosl insects, and vigorous grown.
Though the crop of apples fell considerably
short of last year, the harvest OF pears was
enormous. When we were there, late in
October, they were loosening the sol! uEenha
the trees and applying the tois-dressahEl
They had lust been clearing "a nursery
of trees, raised for their own supply, and
Mr.. =. Stewart, in whose charge the orchard
has more especially been in past years,
showed us rs fine iot of pear trees as can
be imagined, "heeled in F" preparatory to
market. 49,"
Nothing of fertiliZing nature is lost with
the Shakers. At the north family, Elder
Evans has some very fine orchards, one OF
which is on descending ground west of their
buildings, from which iron pipes convey all
the wash and deposit into huge cistern on
the upper edge Of the orchard. Here is de.
posted Il rich amount of liquid Fertilizers;
ready for use when needed by drrught OF
otherwise. From this cistera troughS can
be laid to carry the liquid to each tree, and
be distributed among all.
1t will be seen that fruit-growinS, as prac-
ticed among this people, requires labor and
thought. And now the question comes up.
Does 1t payS The answer they give is that
it does pay, and pay well for the capital III
vested and labor performed. And the why
it does pay is, that from growing the seed to
the full-bearing tree everything is dshe in
the thorough, careful manner That must in
sure success,