Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-01-28
The HERALD.
= =
Mauurlng Orchards.

know no part Of orchard man
agement amo1g farmers that is so
injurious to the orchards as in the
manner Of applying manure to trees
In travelling through the country one
often sees an orchard with huge
heaps of manure close around the
body of the trees instead OF being
spread evenly over the whole ground.
The injurious effect of this practice
has often been explained in agricul-
tural papers, but still the plan is so
common, especially where bearing
orchards frst begin to show the ef-
lects OF age, that fears may we'll be
entertained for the ruin Of many fine
orchards. Unfortunately the life of
the farmer and that OF the orchard
Of his frst planting is so nearly CO.
extensive that he seldom commits
the error Of destroying more than
one orchard in lifetime, and, Of
course, grows no wiser by what be
calls q curious misfortune 10 bis or.
chard, and seeks to lay the blame on
some thing that bad nothing to do
With the failure. Placing the man.
ure around the trees has been aptly
compared TO placing feed Ia q man"
ger and then hitching the hore with
the tail TO tin other words-plac-
ing the TODD where there Is no mouth
20 eat il.
Now the roots or feeders that col>
lect the trees food from the. ground
are not at the trunk, but out in
circle as far as the ends OF the limbs.
Those small roots or feeders may be
compared TO 40 army of small worms
moving outward from the trunk and
penetrating every inch of soil from
the lowest roots Of the surface, and
extracting every particle Of tree food
from the ground as they go. As
long az these feeders can extend out
ward q few inches into rich soil ev-
cry year, the tree aourishes, but
when the supply Of the tree food be-
comes exhausted in any direction the
feeders upon that side Of the tree be-
come famished and the roots depend
ent upon them Immediately begin to
decay.
We Of; on see Il tree thrifty on one
aide and the trunk and limbs dead on
the other. The reason is plain that
the feeders on the deacayed side have
met with some obstacle 10 their fur
Their progress in that direction, or
that tho tree food has been exhaust
cd within their reach. In either
case the result would be The same,
the roots and feeders would be neg
lected and left to decay, while the
whole energy of the tree would be
thrown into the other side, where
food was yet abundant. And the
danger in applying manure to an or
ohard lies ia overlooking this peculi
ar principal in the economy Of veg
stable lie. II the manure il placed
outside the circle Of feeders, they soon
reach il, and all Is well, but if it is
placed inside near the trunk, fatal
revolution in the economy OF the
roots begins. Instead Of drawing
support from the feeders and roots
outside Of the manure are neglected
and left TO decay while the whole en-
ergy OF tho tree is exeTted 10 throw
ont a new set Ct feeders around the
trunk to live on the manure. And
while tho outside roots that held the
rec 20 tirmIy IN the ground are rot
Ing. The manure gives 70 the tree,
through the new set Of feeders, Wig
9rous growth and irnitage for two
and perhaps hree years, and the far
Ger is satisfied that manuring
ground around the trunk Of his trees
is q success. But disappointment is
sure TO follow, for the large roots
have rotted off near the trunk and
the trees arc blowr down one after
another, taking with them only the
little tutt of live roots around the
trunk hat supported the tree from
the manure till the roots could hold
il no longer.-Amsrican Farm Joyr.
nal.