The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-10-18
ABOUTW Altering TREES. -The effect

OF the severe cold of last winter are still |
visible in the orchards and nurseries |
throughout The northwest. and the pc
cuniary damage was such as will not
soon be forgotten. But do we know the
cause OF the damage sufficiently To avert
Il like catastrophy should we have an
other winter equally severe?
The principal cause assigned is the
usual one OF too late a growth the pre-
vious tall and the trees consequently not
sufficiently ripened or matured in their
woody structure to withstand the effects
OF the severe cold. OF course such q
condition 81 things would destroy the
trees. Upon close examination into all
the probable causes of the damage the
trees received last winter. | found trees
upon light sandy soil had suffered most
severely. Another tact | noticed, that
the trees Were mostly injured in the roofs,
and the bodies and tops, with the
exception OF u few tender sorts.
hal suffered little or no damage. Again,
the hardest as we'll as the half hardy
and tender sorts were alike damaged
and killed.
| Now, If the trees in their tops did not
I
tributed to late growth or immature
ripening of the wood in the fall, and
consequently this could not have been
the cause of the great destruction OF
orchards and nurseries throughout the
northwestern states. Clean culture in
late summer in the nursery or orchard is
always bad practice, and IS. in more re-
spects than one. almost sure death to the
trees. it followed by severe winter.
Nature is always trying to teach us her
undertaking laws, but we do not always
comprehend or heed her lessons In the
forests the surface OF the ground is cor
stantly mulched by the leaves of Ethe
trees. and it is rare indeed that anv tree
: in the forest is killed or damaged by
winter. but every close observer ha.
noticed tina, forest trees standing along
the road side where there is no mulchin
are either killed or damaged by severe
cold winters.
Another thing almost every man, wo
man and child has observed. is, that il
severe and continued cold weather
: when there is no snow on the ground
E the surface of the earth cracks open. t,
: the depth of from a few inches to two Of
! three ieet. These crevices are some
!. times one two inches wide, but million
: OF them are so small that they can no
!, be seen by the naked eye, though still
G large enough to admit the cold air dow
d to the tree roots and thus damage o
:: kill the roots of the trees. Every on
e knows, too. that the earth can not thu
r crack or check unless the surface is dry
Y and the surface can not be dry when it j
2 kept well mulched. Now. here seem
' to be the whole trouble. whether fruit O
e forest trees are TO be cared for. the su,
i face of the ground should be well coz
n cred with something to keep it from be
2 coming so dry as to crack open by har
e freezing.
IL Cultivation in the nursery should ceas
= after the fourth of July and the weeds
t allowed to grow, and BY the mulch
is these noxious weeds the nursery tree
|. will be saved. The orchard shout
: never be put to grass. not even Glove
j. but it should be plowed in early sprin
1t toogive the trees an early start to growth
,e after this keep the plow out tor anoths
is year. Now the weeds once or twi(
y during the summer, but not later thu
% the FIRST OF August, - the weeds Ii