Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-10-15
Setting Trees In Autumn.

NcttluS Ill hutuHlHs
In answer to query as to the policy of
setting apple trees in Central Iowa in
the fall of the year, Rural" says, in the
Chicago Tribune:
That will depend on at least two things:
The condition of the soil, and the condi-
ton of the trees. In the first place, to
succeed with autumn setting the soil
must be moist TO take "a tree from the
nursery and plant it in dry ground is but
to insure It's death. The soil must be in
moist condition, and this is not always
the case. In 1864 set an orchard of 500
trees, Just as the ground was freezing in
December, and, the last day of the set
ting, il was difficult to break the crust,
but the air during the day was above the
freezing The trees were banked
up about two feet high against the stems
with well-puverized earth. The result
was that no tree was lost, and the growth
was vigorous the following season. IN
June the mounds about the trees were
leveled down, and a small quantity of
manure added to serve as a mulch. The
trees were of all sizes, from the two-year-
old of half an inch in diameter to those
of three inches taken from an old nursery.
None of them were cut back, only to
form the heads, and no thinning out
of the heads has been permitted since.
In the next place, trees two or three
years old that have been grown thickly
In the rows and been stimulated with
manure and high culture are too tender
to stand the first winters exposure in the
open ground, and will be liable to be
killed down to the line of the earth
banking In planting apple trees, if
~ "a Cset thpm a hand | wnIlI1
lect four to six-year-old trces-those one
and half to two inches in diameter
rather than smaller trees. | am aware
that this is not orthodox with the pro-
fession that prefer TO sell small trees;
but, in practice, the older trees have the
advantage. They are less tender, and
again they are respected by cattle and the
rabbits at least the owner compels the
stock to respect them, while the little,
whip-like trees are left to themselves.
In shipping long distances here is no
choice but to take tn, small
trees; but, now that nurseries are near at
hand in all of our fruit growing districts,
there is no necessity to plant the small
trees; at least they should not be planted
in autumn.
We commit an error In planting late in
spring, as the early planted trees do the
best The ground settles about them
firmly, and the roots take an early start.
At least over half of our spring setting
is done too late, and a large part of this
setting is lost by the dry periods that
follow, and only in rainy season are
they saved. Great care in setting and
mulching may mitigate the disaster, but
cannot fully compensate for the late
setting. As we go South the autumn
and mider winter weather are favorable
for fall setting, and it is much better
than the spring.
Ask Farmer b If we should set apple
trees in the fall and he will give you a
decided answer, and that answer is based,
perhaps, on single experiment. This
kind of advice must be taken with
some allowance; at least, we should
know some of the conditions that
made the experiment failure or
success. In teaching the farmer we
must avoid arbitrary rules and rather
give the rationale of the process. The
culture of the soil and all the operations
of the horticulturist should be based on
the science of rural economy rather than
the hap-hazard whims of illdigested
rules that may or may not be correct.
The farmer who depends on set Of
rules is generally q poor farmer, and
will tell you that luck is everything;
while the man who reflects and has re-
gard for cause and effect depends on
good management, and don't believe in
luck.