Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-11-28
THE APPLE ORCHARDS.
Why They Suffer so DisastrOusIy---The
Matter Under Discussion.

Matter Under Discussion.
At q recent meeting of the American |
Farmers Club in New York city an in
teresting paper was read by DR.. j. '.
S. Smith on the deterioration of apple
orchards. This paper gave rise to con-
siderable discussion among the men,
bers as to the cause. Various theories
we're put forth. Among them were
offered impoverished soil, the want of
proper culture, the neglect of fruit
growers, who preferred giving their
attention to better-paying fruits, and
the prevalence of curculio--all of which,
without doubt, have done their part to
hasten the deterioration of apple Or
chards, at least in the older portions OF
the United States. One member, how
ever, claimed that in what was formerly
one of the finest apple-producing dis
tricts of Massachusetts he had seen
orchards steadily decaying, although
kept under the highest state of cultiva-
ton, unravaged by curculio, and sup
piled with all the'appliances that sci
ence had made known to the farmer.
In his opinion, the conditions under
which apple orchards had formerly
flourished were changed. In what
these changes consisted he was unable
to state. We are inclined to think that
this opinion approaches the truth, and
inclined to hold the farmer directly re-
sponsible for these changes, which have
reacted against him. 1t will only be
necessary to refer to the wholesale de-
struction of forests in all the older set
tied portions of the country, an example
which is being recklessly followed in
the more newly settled portions, which
are at present secure in the possession
of vast tracts of timber, whose extent
seems to warrant the prodigality. Un'
fortunately the farmers mania fol
clearing" has never been tempered
by knowledge OF the climatic changes
effected by the leveling of forests, mol
has he ever appreciated them as natura
harmonizers of extremes of tempera
: lures, natures own conservative
forces" to use Mr.. Marsh's expression
from whose valuable work, Th'
Earth" are extracted several instances
illustrating the importance of forest
< to the growing of fruit and grain
Three more prominent uses whicl
: forests subserve it is sufficient t.
enumerate : They serve as shelter fron
2 the wind they maintain humidity il
g the atmosphere, and they equalize tn
temperature. This is not the place t.
q enter into the rationale of these facts
5 but it may be we'll to give few illus
q trations of the effects of destroyin
y forests, as observed in Europe, wher
s climatic changes are of more importanc
!, than they are at present to our wild
Il and diversified area. In Italy, it
SAID, the clearing of the Apprentices ha
Il materially affected the valley of the Pc
9 The sirocco now ravages its banks, II
d juring harvests and vineyards, an
g running the crops, the grapes and graf
being swept off by the south and south
west winds. The Department of Al
deche in France, in consequence of th
removal of it's forests, has suffere
10 heavy frosts, which have produced th
, most disastrous effects. The PROVING
y of Alsace has also suffered in the sam
70 way from the stripping of the tree
r from the Vosges. The late springs
al localities of Italy, France and Switze
10 land are attributed to the telling of th
,e forests, and since the cutting of I'll
# woods on the Apprentices the district I
- Mugello has lost it's mulberries, excel
II those protected in the lee of house
ot Dussard says that the mistral. SO fat
lie to vegetation, is "the child of ma
es the result of his devastations," al
i'd Marchand attributes the fact that fru
Iy trees thrive no longer, and that it
to difficult to raise even young fruit tre
F. north of the Alps, to the destruction
i, the forests.
On the other hand, climates that ha'
as been changed bythe cutting of the Woo
n so that fruits would not grow in the1
le have been restored by new plantation
H. and vegetation has fourished again
ID formerly.