Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1873-05-02
St. Johnsbury, Vt, May 2, 1873.
NOTES IN THE NURSERY AND
ORCHARD.

We hear from various parts Of the state
sad accounts of damage to young trees in
nurseries and orchards, both by the breaking
of limbs from the heavy snow, and by the
depredations of mice, which seem to have
been unusually numerous, and to have work.
ed and wintered well under the heavy coat.
ing of poor mans manure" Mr.. Closson,
Of Thetford, writes us that " cold weather,
mice and snow have done much damage |
have suffered most from snow. Some thou |
sands Of my trees have been very badly |
broken, and many of them, three years old,
not only have their branches stripped off, |
but bodies in many instances broken" We
hear also Of nursery in the south part of
the state losing 10000 trees by mice. We
understand that Mr.. Bryant, of Derby, has
also suffered considerably, but to what ex.
tent, OF in what way, we are not informed.
These are heavy drawbacks on the profits
Of the nursery business, and those who know
the value of homegrown trees should take
these extra hazards Of tree growing in cold
and snowy country into consideration, and
not quote western prices as a criterion for
Vermont nurserymen. Homegrown trees
will always cost more, and must be sold for
more than Western trees. But if grown by
honest and careful men they are well worth
the difference in cost.
Perhaps leaf from our own experience
will be useful to some of our readers. We
have " learned by suffering" as all of us
have to in one way or another, what are the
troubles that environ the nurseryman and
orchardist, but being, like Mr.. Grant, "a very
obstinate man." we have stuck to it and
worked out by degrees some preveDtives and
remedies that serve our purpose well. First,
we protect ourselves from mice in the or
chard by tying common aths around the
trees in the fall, covering the trunks from
the ground to the lower limbs For large
trees old barrel slaves answer well, and are
worth far more for this purpose than
for fuel. A set will last some time and
may be left at the foot OF the trees from
spring till fall, or gathered up, according to
the peculiar ideas of neatness and order pos
sessed by each individual We value this
plan as means Of keeping the hot sun from
the bark Of young trees in winter, almost as
much as on account of the protection from
mice We have a notion also that, if put on
before hard frosts in the fall, it would. pre-
vent the splitting of the bark which destroys
many trees, and usually occurs in conse-
quence of an early freeze, when the wood is
full of sap. But VIC have never got the job
done early enough yet, to test this point.
In the nursery, we have successfully pro-
tecled our trees from mice by blowing around
the block Of trees with heavy plow, going
two or three times in the same furrow, throw
ing the earth outward and then stalking a
row of wide boards all around, upon the top
of the bank of earth thrown out by the pillow,
Deep as the snow was last winter, there was
no time but what the edges of these boards
were above the snow, and although there
were thousands upon thousands of mice in 4
clover field upon one side Of and Immediately
adjoining the nursery, not a tree was touch.
ed, except a few at one point where
one board was about three inches mar
rover than the rest. The mice will not
travel except under the snow, and any tight
barrier that will reach above it seems to be
perfect protection.
The principal loss we have suffered the
past winter has been from the breaking Of
branches by the settling snow. Perhaps tel
per cent Of our trees have been rendered un
marketable this season by this injury, AMI i,
many cases the frozen snow chung so tightly
to the trees that not only were branches bro
ken, but buds were torn out and the bark
below them stripped down. We think ",
should have suffered much more severely haC
we not, just before the snow began to thaw
had ashes scattered literally on the surface
along,the rows Of trees. This dirtied thu
snow, drew the sun, and caused melting t,
90 on close to the trees much faster than be
tween the rows. Had we not had so it'll
sunshine, and so many light SHOWS to cove
the ashes from time to time, we believe thi
plan would have been perfect success
il not necessary to use ashes for this pur
pose; any kind Of fine dirt will do as well
the darker colored the better
Winter-killng in the nursery destroys
great many trees, especially in those wher
an attempt is made to grow the less hard
kinds. Last winter, when the thermomete
fell in Vermont to 3d., and liz some place
even to 459 below zero, was YER
good test Of the resistance of trees to dr.,
cold. As soon as the trees leave out we vii
give list showing the relative hardness q
the different varieties in our grounds durin
the past winter. To all appearance we hay
lost very few trees, and the roots, (all til
common apples are on apple-not crab
roots,) seem to be remarkably free from il
jury, as we might, indeed, expect, since tn
ground has been scarcely frozen at all.
But there are several other kinds of viii
ter-kiling, and some Of them are much MOI
destructive than dry cold, even when as il
tense as during the past winter. We wi
mention four other ways in which apple tire,
may be destroyed by the climate in wiute
First, by the cracking OR splitting of th
bark. This usually takes place in const