Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-06-05

should, with clean culture make an annu-
al growth Of eighteen inches or two feet OF
well ripened wood
After the fruit buds have formed and tho
tree is in bearing, the danger Of too luxuri-
ant growth is 10 a measure passed and we
may then apply manure more literally, as it
will then 60 to form fruit instead Of wood;
and we cannot take off repeated crops Of
apples without exhausting the SOIL IL is
essential, therefore, that our bearing trees
be literally supplied with manure, which
should always be applied on the surface in
autumn after the trees have stopped growing
never in the spring. 1t often happens
when manure is applied late in the spring
that we do not have sufficient rain to wash
II into the ground until the latter part Of
the summer, when it starts the trees into a
vigorous growth late in the season, too late
for the wood 10 mature before winter. When
manure is applied in autumn the fall and
spring rains will wash it into the ground SO
that the tree will get the benefit Of it early
No the spring makes its growth earlier in the
season aud natures it before winter. For
the same reasons, the ground should be cul-
tivated and tho weeds pulled after the trees
have stopped growing in the fall, or very
early in the spring, avoiding much cultiva.
tion after the middle Of August until the
trees have perfected their growth in Octo-
ber.
The severe pruning Of trees that are
growing thriflily frequently causes unripe
wood. Taking off considerable portions Of
the limbs and leaving the roots entire acts
on the remaining limbs in the same manner
as excessive manuring, forcing them to
make larger growth of wood than they
can ripen. If trees are not neglected when
young they will need but little pruning and
that should be performed while the branches
are small. All standard trees should be al
lowed to take their natural form and only
those bra inches that fork, crowd, or are weak
aud unhealthy, should be taken out. The
pruning of tree that is established and
growing thriitily is very different thing
from pruning tree when it is transplanted,
which is correct practice, for then the roots
are more or less mutilated by digging, and
we only prune to restore the balance be-
tween the branches and the roots.
Some varieties Of apples mature their
wood much earlier in the season than others,
and these are usually hardy and of northern
origin. Although in favorable soils and with
the advantages Of shelter VIC can raise most
of the popular varieties of apples with
more or less success, there are but very few
varieties that will give satisfaction, in most
locations, when fully exposed to the winds.
The following varieties have proved the
hardest and most productive with me in an
unsheltered location;
For summsr, Tetofsky, Red Astrachan
and Sops of Wine. For winter, Duchess of
Oldcnburg, Irish Peach apple, Brunswicker,
Emperor Alexander, and Autumn Strawber-
ry. For winter, Fameuse, Tolman Sweet,
and Golden Russet on gravelly soils but
not succeeding so well on heavy soils the
English Russet and Pomme Grise, the last
very small apple but of excellent quality.
In somewhat sheltered location and on n
favorable soil the Pound Sweet and Craven
stein should be added. The Pound Sweet
is our best early winter apple aud the Grav-
enstein is without exception the finest flavor
ed fall apple in cultivation although the tree
is somewhat tender. There arc also several
OF the newer varieties which arc hardy but
it is too soon to judge Of their productive
ness and general value. The Rhode Island
Greening, Spitzenburg, Sweet Bough, and
RoxbuTy Russet, which are the leading
mark ct varieties in Massachusetts and West.
ern New York entirely fail With me. The
Baldwin, Northern Spy, Yellow BellAower,
aud Lady apple, also fine market varieties,
are somewhat harder and presume may
be grown on high ground (not in Valleys
that is sheltered from the wind, where the
soil is favorable but they are rather tender
for general orchard culture. All varieties
that are somewhat tender succeed better
when grated standard high on hardy native
stock, than they do when grated at the
ground.
The advantages of shelter from the pre-.
vailing winds by hills and belts of forest
trees, are not as well appreciated by our
fruit growers as they should be. Forests
modify tho abrupt changes of climate acting,
in measure, like large bodies Of water, re-
tarding vegetation in the spring until the
weather is sufficiently warm to prevent inju-
rious frosts, and proonging the season in
the fall aud, by the large bodies Of stiff
air which they contain, they modify the ef-
fects Of cold winds.
With the destruction of our forests the
Indian summer has become almost thing
of the past, and many varieties Of fruits
which formerly Aourished, can no longer be
cultivated except in sheltered places. We
cannot restore our forests but it is often the
case, in selecting site for an orchard, that
we can take advantage Of tho shelter afford
ed by hill or a sugar grove and in some
cases we may preserve from destruction
some of the sheltering belts Of timber still
remaining. A mere hill without trees on
the top does not protect the adjacent ground
to any great extent the wind pours over it
as water pours over a dam but with forest
trees on the top, the wind is broken into jets
and the protection extends for a considerable
distance.
have frequently observed a difference
Of ten degrees, during our excessively cold
spells, in the temperature OF locations not q
mile apart, and due entirely to the effects
of shelter from the cold winds and higher
elevation. 1t may not generally be under
stood, in view of the fact that the tops Of
mountains are always colder than the vel
leys, that moderately high ground, if shell
tered from the wind, and always in calm,
clear weather, is warmer during the night
than the valleys; excepting, of course, those
valleys where the climate is modified by
large bodies of water, as is the case in the
valley OF Lake Champlain.
All farmers must have noticed that after
cold nights in the spring or fall, tender veg
etables suffer from frost in the valleys while
on the hills the injury is less or nothing.
Experiments have been tried by horticultur-
lists at various times which prove that the
temperature of the air increases during the
night up to the height Of about l64 feet,
varying much as the weather is clear or
cloudy, but always greatest in clear, still
nights and averaging about 6 degrees for