Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-04-04
A NEW METHOD OF PREVENTING
BARRENNESS OF FRUIT gBEES
AND DECAY OF VARIETIES.


Sir Charles Lyell in his Principles of
Geology, a work full of knowledge for, and
interest to, the farmer, says that the prOpa-
cation of plant by buds or gratis, and by
cuttings, is a mode that nature does not
employ, and that it merely operates as an
extension of life of an individual and not
as a reproduction of the species. All plants
increased in this way retain nearly the
same characteristics as, the individual to
which they owe their origin, and like an
individual they have a limited existence.
Branches Of peaches, pears and apples after
being favorites for term Of years become
dlsused and are abandoned. They wear
out and horticulturists are compelled to re-
sort to the seed to obtain new and healthy
varieties.
We should be pleased to hear from some
of our experienced fruit growers on this
subject. 1t is full of interest and value,
and its discussion may lead many young
fruit growers to abandon theories which
Will not bear the test Of practice.
We find in the Tennessee Agr;cuItlTit of
the 23d inst, a report on this subject, made
by the Standing Committee on Fruit, to
the Smith county Farmers Club, No. l.
This committee is composed Of DR.. f. Il.
Gordon, T. McClanahan and W. T. Neal
They discuss this question in an able and
interesting, if not novel manner. The re-
port lays down the causes Of the barren
ness, degeneracy, decline and premature
death Of fruit trees, and adds TO the rea-
sons usually given that of old age, and
shows how even old age in varieties may
be obviated. We append 50 much of the
report as may be of interest to our fruit
growers:
The general destruction Of fruit trees,
| says the report, is believed to increase the
| velocity of the winds, which sway and
! bend fruit trees too violently in summer,
| and freeze them too suddenly in winter.
Continued cultivation and Improvement
! of the soil, has been claimed as the cause.
! 1t has been charged 10 exhaustion of
potash in the soil, caused by continued cul-
| tivatiOn.
1t has been charged to various insects,
such as the Aphis, the Curculio and the
Borer.
It has been charged to change of climate.
1t has been asCribed to q change OF soil.
! No doubt all these causes contribute to
the degeneracy of fruit trees, and probably
stagnant water in the sub-sOil does more
damage than any of the others.
There is still another cause, which We
| have never known to be mentioned by any
writer or speaker, and therefore We suggest
it for the consideration Of our Club, and OF
orchard culturists generally. 1t IS old age
We will explain il. You know that every
organized being, whether animal or vege-
table, is created and destined to grow up 70
its ordained size, then to propa gate itself
and then to die. Thus the age to which a
tree is ordained to live, fixes the time of It's
decline and death. The natural duration
Of an apple tree, is between fifty and one
hundred years. Then if your grandfather
planted an apple seed, and produced a tree
and cultivated it TO maturity, you may
expect il to flourish and bear fruit till
it shall reach its ultimate limit OF
life, some time between fifty enc
one hundred years from the planting o.
the seed, and when it shall live TO this ma
tnral ending Of its life you may expect it tC
decline, cease to bear fruit and die. And
you ought not to expect that q suitable eli
mate and soil, appropriate manure and Cul-
ture, could make it live and yield fruit any
longer. Nor ought you to expect that graft
ing its twigs upon young Seeding stock,
would make the twigs become younger
than the rest Of the old tree. If the trunk
OF tree is sixty years old, then its branches
and all its twigs are sixty years old. You
may engraft the old twigs upon young seed
ling stocks, and produce trees which vii
look as if they were young, and every body
will call them young trees. But these seem,
ing young trees are parts of the old tree
from which you have cut them, and are as
old and near the end of their lives as it is.
! They will die about the time when it shall
die. What God has made old, man cannot
make young again.
No doubt some Of our standard apple:
have been cultivated for one hundred years
and therefore they may be Just now deC.in
ing from old age. The old red Limbertwi1
has probably been cultivated that long, aud
has been estimated IS a constant bearer
and long keeper. But II now seldom bears
full crop of apples, and they are knatty
! and hard, having rotten spots before they
are gathered, and most Of them VIII rot be
fore spring. young trees" which are graft;
from the old red Limbertwig, viii not bcal
more than one or two crops Of apples lee.
fore they begin to decline aud produce
scanty crops of sorry fruit. This is be'aus;
the ''youug trees are parts of the old Re,
, Limbertwig. Wherever you md them they
are parts Of the fist seeding Limbertwig
from which so many thousands have beer
cut and grated, aud they are is old as it is
and will Gle As soon,
The same remarks will apply to pears
cherries and peaches. 1t is now vel
known, that budded peach trees are of nC
value, and will not live long nor bear well
while they do live. Ola age may be the
cause Of this lamentable failure.
Then what must we do-what can we
do. to perpetuate our choice variety o
frHits? budding and grating will not dc
II. And if we plant the seeds from choice
tree tn the orchard we will not get young
trees like the old one; because the pollen
from the blooms OF neighboriug trees, viii
make crosses or hybrids, and no pure yari
ety will be obtained in this way. The pol
len of the bloom of fruit trees is very mi
mute. and will blow to the distance of five
or six hundred yards, and set fruit IN tht
blooms of other trees at that distance. i
would be impossible 20 get seed from any