Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-05-08
written for the HERALD
Apple Culture.


There il no branch of farming from
which so much money can be realized
from the amount of time expended, as
there can be from fruit raising.
In the planting of an orchard, II
person is considering only economy, ~ Is
undoubtedly, the cheapest way to raise
trees from the seed. There are two reas-
ons why many fail in this. One IS, that
thew will not devote the time to the nur-
sery that the trees require. They plant
the seed i'm an out of the way place, and
then leave the little trees entirely to
themselves. or only hoe them once, hop
inc they will grow well, and then are
disappointed in the fall to find only
few little stunted trees deep down among
the weeds.
Would they thus neglect their corn
fields? Certainly not. Where then is
the difference Just here: that the
cornfield brings in profit the first year,
while from the apple trees none is eX-
pected for several.
The second reason of failure is from
a lack of knowledge of fruit culture;
If / can offer any suggestions which VIII
be of benefit to any one, the object OF this
communication will be accomplished,
for the farmer can raise fruit if he will
only take the pains to inform himself in
this branch of husbandry.
The first thing to be done is to prepare
well the ground before planting the
seed. Rich, mellow soil should be chos-
en-, and planted year or two with some
light crop which can be kept entirely
free of weeds. This is far better than
green-sward. Then in the fall, manure
your ground thoroughly with fine ma
nure from the yard, and do not be afraid
of getting it too rich, for the larger the
growth made the first year, the better.
Just before the ground freezes make
your trenches to receive the seed, nearly
foot deep, and put severl inches OF
manure in the bottom, having the
trenches about the same distance apart
that you would corn rows, SO you may
use a horse and cultivator if you wish.
Then if convenient, go to an old fash
Toned cider-mill, which brushes the APP
ples-for a crater mill Injuries many of
the seeds so they will never sprout-and
ret your pumice, taking it before it has
been thrown from the press, for it al
lowed to remain in a pile any length of
time, it will heat enough to kill the
germ-and spread it on the top of the
manure in the trench to the depth of an
inch. Then cover lightly with EARTH
pressing it down thoroughly, so the
trench will not fill with water and freeze
during the winter, and your work is done
till the seeds terminate.
The next spring the weeds should be
removed from among the little trees by
the time they are an inch high. This
may be done the first time, by using on
Nv the hoe and hand. Afterward the
cultivator may be used if desired These
trees should be hoed ten or a dozen
times during the summer, or so many
times that no weed shall reach the hight
of an inch. In the fall, before the
ground freezes, these little trees should
be taken up carefully, and sorted, max
ing two assortments, the one to contain
those that have made the largest growth,
and the other all that remain. The
reason of this is that the larger ones
will do to graft one year from the next
spring, when they are two years old,
while nearly all of the others will have
to grow another year. After being as
sorted, the trees may either be buried in
the ground, or carried into the cellar and
covered with earth If they are remov-
ed to the cellar, care must be taken to
keep the mice from them or they will be
entirely ruined.
If you serve your trees thus, your
ground is ready to be planted with apple
seeds again the same fall the trees are
removed, or it may be plowed and ma
nured ready to set out the trees again in
the spring and then you save them
from all danger of being killed by ex-
posure to the cold of winter, and they
will come out of their winter quarters
as fresh as they were in the fall,
In the spring, when you get ready to
set out the trees, the trenches may be
dug and the manure put In as before,
only they should be dug deeper, so there
will be no need of bending the roots, and
it would be a good plan to cut off the
roots of the larger ones a few inches,
and they will spread more than they 9th
erwise would. In setting out the trees
care should be taken to set them upright
and as near on line as possible. They
should not be set nearer than ten inches
apart, for they will crowd each other
when they throw oGt branches ii they
are.
The weeds should be kept down this
year the same as last, and great care
must be taken not to scrape the bark
from the trees with the hoe, for it makes
a wound that cn be seen for long
time.
When the trees become fully leaved
out you should go over the nursery and
strip off every leaf within six or eight
inches of the ground, by moving the
hand downward over them. This and
the hoeing are all that will be necessary
to be done the second year.
AS soon as the snow is gone in the
spring, the grating should be done, and
the departure of the snow may be hast
ened very much by sowing sand upon
the crust the last of March.
Every tree should now be whip-graft-
ed !. e., they should be cut off within
few inches of the ground quite slant
ing and the edge of a knife driven
straight down across the middle of the
stalk very little, not enough to split it,
but only enough to turn back a thin
shaving. Then the scion should be cut
the same way, slanting it on the side OPP
posite the bud, and leaving two buds on
The shaving of the scion should now be
made to fill the slit in the stalk, by plac-
ing the two slants together having the
bark unite upon one side, or both, and
driving lightly on the end ofthe scion
with the knife Then the wax should
be drawn out into thin plaster and
wound from the bottom to the top of
the splice, covering every mite of the
wound. Before the wax hardens too
much it should be covered by winding a
piece of rag around it. The rag should
be thin and rather tender so ii will give
as the tree grows. For this purpose an
old WORKOUT calico dress, torn into strips
three-fourths of an inch wide, is the best
thing. This will prevent the scion from
hpinU broken off NV tho wind at tho
place of union with the stalk, as they
are liable to be after they have grown a
foot or two in length, and before the
union has become strong. Plum are far
more liable to break off than apple
scionS