Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-10-03

How TO TREAT FRUIT -TGEEs.-Tn consid-
ering the growth of organisms, the action
of the alkalies is to be looked upon as
scarcely less important than that Of air and
water. Lime is the great animal alkali, and
potash the vegetable one; its old name of
vegetable alkali expressed that fact, and all
the potash of commerce is known to be de-
rived from wood ashes. The Importance Of
potash as q manure has been frequently
overlooked by farmers, who rarely know the
large amount Of this material found in grass,
grain crops, leaves, barn-yard manure,
roots, and fruits. How potash acts in
plants, in conjunction with carbon and Silex,
to form woody fibre, starch, sugar, and oil,
is Yet unknown to chemical Observers; but
the fact of its action is beyond doubt.
Liebig long since pointed out that the chief
cause Of barrenness is the waste of potash
carried off 10y rich crops, especially tobacco,
with no replacement by proper manure.
How many millions Of pounds Of potash
have been sent to Europe from the forests
of America, and in the grain, tobacco, and
hemp! Luckily, one alkali may be replaced
by another, and we have received con-
siderable quantity Of soda from European
sea-weed and in the shape Of salt. Latterly,
nitrate of soda, from natural deposits in
South America, is brought to US at cheap
price.
The point to which We now call attention
is that our farmers and fruit growers have
Ignored, or rather been ignorant of, the i'm
portance Of wood ashes aS Il vegetable stim-
ulant, and as the leading constituent of
plants. Even coal ashes, now thrown away
as useless, have been shown, both by expert
ment and analysis, to possess fair share
of alkaline value. According to our OBJ
scrvation, if the practice Of putting a mix
ture of coal and wood ashes around the
stems Of fruit-trees and vines, particularly
carly in the Spring, was followed as a gen.
eral rule, our crops of apples, grapes,
peaches. etc, would be greatly benefited
in both quality and quantity, and the trees
and vines would last longer. We will relate
only one experiment Some twenty-five
years ago, We treated an old hollow pippin
apple-tree as follows: The hollow, to the
height Of eight feet, was flied and rammed
with a compost of wood ashes, garden mold,
and little waste lime (carbonate). This
filling was securely fastened in by boards.
The next year the crop Of sound fruit was
sixteen bushels from an old she'll Of tree
that had borne nothing of'any account for
some time. But the strangest was what fol-
lowed. For seventeen years after the filling
that old pippin tree continued to flourish
and bear well.
Let US call attention to still another point
of Importance in lruit-raiSing. This is the
bearing year for apples and fruit in general
in New England probably it is also in some
other parts. Now, when such years come,
the farmers rejoice too much at their pros
perity, and abuse it, as nearly all people do
the gifts Of fortune. We should be temper
ate as to the quantity of our fruit as we'll as
Of our fruit juices. BY proper trimming
and plucking, the apple crop in bearing
years may De fGuiccu to Dut little more tiian
half a crop as to number, but the improve
ment in size and price, and in the future
effect, will more than balance the loss.
Next February, March, or April, according
to latitude, let the tree-trimmcr stimulate
and nouriSh his trees and vines with a fair
supply Of ashes, and in nearly every case he
viii have good crop Of fruit in the nom
bearing year. ...