Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-05-03
Farm, Garden and Household.
How My Friend Go, hi. Orchard.

must begin, says a Tribune CORES
pendent by saying, my story dates back
some fourteen years, and would not
write it but think it may suggest the
means of procuring trees, to those who
are now unable Tor think themselves SOY
to buy of the nurserymen trees old
enough to set in the orchard. My friend
was poor. He began life without means,
and marrying at the age of %, he had
nothing but his head and hands on
which to rely for a living He taught
the district school winters, and did such
farm labor as was wanted in the neigh
borhood during the remainder of the
year. His wife had inherited a small
home-a comfortable house-and some
farmland adjoining, but there was no
orchard, and the door-yard was desti-
tute of trees. Ornamental trees were
wanted, but the orchard was the first
and important object to be attained
but how? Their small earnings left no
surplus, after paying current expenses,
that could be spared for anything but
pressing present necessities. The agents
of the nurseries frequently called, but
uniformly received the reply, eve
them. Finally it CHANGED that an agent
more enterprising than had previously
called, offered to take my friends watch
for anything he had to sell. Here was
a chance to get trees, but the watch was
poor affair, worth but SO, and would
pay for but few trees of the age and size
usually sold by nurserymen. The diff
Guilty was solved by my friend deciding
to take nursery stock-seedling that
had been grated but never set in the
nursery, at 81 per 100. He made his
own selections for his thousand trees,
and on receipt of them planted in nur-
sery form. They grew finely, not more
than five per cent. dying. At two years
old he transplanted 800 to the orchard.
The remainder were cared for, and at
three years old were offered for sale to
his neighbors, he only reserving enough
to make good the losses in the orchard.
The sales from the little nursery ran
through some three years and amounted
to 500. Now after IA years we will look
at some of the results. My friend now
has an orchard of 300 trees that is now
admitted by all to be the best of its age
and size in this part of the country
The sixth year after the receipt of the
trees the orchard began to bear, and
one Baldwin had two bushels of apples
Since that time there has each year beer
a good supply for family use. Twoyears
ago the orchard yielded a surplus above
the necessities of my friends family
which, by the way, is not small, there
being now five children in the brood
that was sold for $50. There has beer
sold from last years yield 1875 worth OF
apples, and there now remains an equal
amount unsold. And all from the old
watch, worth only $40. My friends
wife says l must say the first silver fol
her table was paid for from the first sale
from the orchard.
PlOughing.
The question of deep versus shallow
ploughing is receiving new notice o.
late, the shallow ploughing theorists
perhaps itshould he said also exemplarS
seeming to be gaining new acccssions
But in all that has been said and writ
ten, and in all the practical testimony
adduced, we have seen no reason to dis
trust or abandon what experience has
taught us to be the true practice il
ploughing, to wit:
l. Deep ploughing is useless on light
porous soils, unless there is stiffe,
sub-soil with which the surface soil ma,
be intermixed to produce profitable me
chanical effect.
2. Except in the case where it is de
sirable to mix stiff subsoil with ligh
surface soil, a trench plough shoulC
never be used in deep ploughing.
3. 1t is a positive gain to all stiff
tenacious soils to plough shallow in fal
and follow with subsoil plough, lift
ing but not inverting the earth as deel
as may be; and on land intended TO
corn or potatoes, where stiff clay soil
are cultivated, this subsoiling may b
done proftably in spring.
4. We do not recommend deep trencl
ploughing Chat is, inverting the soil
IN spring, under any circumstances.
this is done at all, it should always b
done in the fall. Nor do we recommen
using plough in preparing the see
bed in spring for grain as rule
two. horse steel-tooth cultivator is fla
better, because it pulverizes and CON
minutes the earth more thoroughly.
Narrowing Wheat and Grass.
The Elmira Farmers Club, compose
of good farmers, decided at recer
meeting that wheat is greatly benefite
by being narrowed in the spring whe
the ground is neither wet nor dr.,
Where put in with drill, the ridge
will be leveled and some of the plant
will be destroyed, but enough more wi
appear to make the work highly prof
able. Grass is especially benefited b
narrowing, though manure should h
added. One member stated that piec
which did not produce 500 lbs. of ha
to the acre, being sowed to clover an
timothy and narrowed in, produced
good crop. The narrowing has the e
feet of hoeing, and old seed long do
mant for want of proper seed-be
terminates, and good stand is secured
The Club agreed that in seeding Ian
the best results are obtained on groun
IN oats, and that barley and buckwhe,
are both unfavorable.
Mice GircIlins Trees.
P. E. b.. Railway, N. j., has your
apple trees that have been badly pnay
ed by mice, and asks how he shall tre
them. = He should cut branches of gree
wood from the tree, of length requi
ed to connect the bark above and belo
the gnawed space, sharpen them at eac
end In the shape of wedge, drive
narrow, sharp chisel into the bark abo'
and below the space, and press each Ell
OF the shoots firmly into cuts made |
the chisel. Then wax the gnawed spa
well, or bandage it about with fresh &C