Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1872-03-06
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
TAKING CARE OF AN ORCHARD.


TAKING CARE OF AN ORCHARD.
Rev. J. F. Wade, writing to the New
York Tribune his experience in bringing
up an old orchard, says:
In the winter of '62 1 rented farm
near Lockport, New York, that had been
rented to various parties for about TWEEN
ty-fve years previous. | will not at
tempt a description Of the condition OF
the orchard language would fail in the
attempt. Suffice it to say some of the
trees were 30 thick with brush aud dead
limbs that MY little boy wohld worm his
way in and saw out hole large enough
fer me to commence Operations. 1
worked every spare hour, trimming. from
March till July. i drew OH (at guess
near two hundred loads OF barn-yard ma
nure, part of it at three different dres-
sings, where the trees were most sickly
and nearest dead Ny landlord severely
criticised me for throwing away so much
on "that old orchard instead of keep
ing it on the fallow. commenced TIE
last of May. plowed the ground five times
that season ii.s. ,imc, very deep, with
a common two horse plow three times
with Hildreth E gang plow, aud narrowed
as my better jud gment dictated. After "a
rain. when the ba,k of The trees was
soaked from It's effects, went into the Or
chard with hired man and boys (three
small ones), with corn knives and hoes,
ground sharp The boys were sent into
the trees to scrape the old bark from the
limbs out of reach of the hired hand and
mys:lf with our hand hoes. The trees
were thoroughly scraped, until, l am
cure, the vile insects were deprived of a
larg. share of their harbors | applied
what soft soap could spare to the trees;
but could 'rly give small share of them
a dressing.
Results: In the fall l picked over
900 barrels of winter apples. that an ap-
pie buyer in Lockport, who had been in
the trade for twenty FIVE years, pronounc
ei the most beautiful lot he ever bought
| put in my cellar for winter use about
100 bushels, besides feeding to my hogs
about half as many unstable sweet fall
apples as barreled. The orchard con-
tanned, as near as could step it off,
about two acres of ground, and near one
third of it was natural fruit and worthless
only for cider. When fall came and the
leaves in other orchards began to look
sere and drop, mine yet looked green and
vigorous as in midsummer and could be
seen for miles The next year picked
800 barrels of apples from the same orch
ard, that | sold for Sl9i per barrel after
putting up about the same quantity of ci
der. From repeated trials, | am satisfied
farmers MI sht raise from four to ten times
the fruit they DO, if they would get into
the habit of taking one half the interest
and care of the orchard they do of their
colts and calves.
wish could persuade hundreds Of
farmers to begin this coming spring to
prune, ,crape and keep the dirt moving in
their orchards, so that the apple moth
and all destructive insects would have no
quiet or rest in all their coasts. Give up
the foolish notion that you must raise a
crop in your orchard. Keep your reed
in the barn or feed it to your stock
Your orchard needs all the strength of
the soil, and liberal feeding besides with
manure