The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-02-04
Farm, Garden and Household.
MY Orchard,

When 1 came into possession OF my
present home, two years last April, loulo
three dozen apple trees on llght SANDY
loan. They had been set seventeen years
and had attained Il lair size 1of tlle lllhe
they had been growing. The outside trees,
however. were much the largest anu
hoaltbfast. although the whole orchard
had generous space tor each tree. len
of those in the centre OF the orchard ap-
peared to have given up to die. The bark
was dead in spots, or rather in sections Of
the trunk, and on many of the trees the
ends of the limbs were dead. The previ-
ous owner could not account for this con-
dti0n | finally came to the conclusion
that the preceding dry season must have
caused the decay, as the ground was
covered with grass which would appropri-
ate to itself all dews and light rains that
fell, and leave the trees to seek for moist
ure and sustenance in a sandy subsoil
hls view has been confirmed beyond
doubt by the results of my subsequent
treatment. which was to eXtefmlnaIe the
grass and Mt the same time bring the foots
back again where they could obtain nour-
jsbnent. TO secure both of the results at
the same time, | gathered seaweed drift
from the marshes, sods from the bogS and
ull kinds OF trash | could get hold OF, that
would smother the grass and cause it to
nourish instead of tamishing the trees.
Around most of the trees | put loan a
dozen ieet in diameter and six to eight
inches in depth One tree appeared in
hopeless condition, with bark dead all
around the trunk save about four inches;
Top also badly dead | cut the dead bark
away to live bark, cut dead limbs off,
smeared the trunk with manure, wrapping
ii cloth around to keep it in place, and
also to protect the trunk from the sun.
This cloth / took Oft the past fall and
found as fine Il bark all around the trunk
As could be desired | also dug a trench
around the tree, six feet from ii, one foot
wide and about rs deep; cut all exposed
roots smooth, with "A knife. Into this
trench ! put six inches OF fine manure.
mixing it with good loan. The past sea
sons growth has been very vigorous, the
fruit the largest and smoothest seen in
this vicinity.
/ am giving particular account of the
treatment of this tree because it illustrates
what can be accomplished with even an
apparently hopeless case. | have also
gone over most of the least vigorous trees
and cut all the ends of the branches that |
We're not perfectly healthy, The result is |
satisfactory.
dug around several trees during the |
past summer on "A circle AS large as the |
circumference OF the branches, and buried |
half a barrel of fish, a foot deep. Hope
10 hear from them in the future. | will
also state that shells, old mortar, old |
shingles, corn cobs, rotten wood, mulch
from the wood house, trimmings from the
trees cut up, corn stubble, Nc, &c, find
their way into the orchard and play an
important part in reluvenatlng my trees,
which process is being developed very
satisfactorily. Many OF the trees have
borne well the past season and made fine |
growth OF wood
am Of the opinion that an apple tree,
Judiciously treated as to nourishment,
mulchine and root and branch pruning,
can be perpetuated in life and bearing
condition can recall many facts point
lng in this direction.
As YOU have referred to what you term
spots, | will say that one of my trees
bears apples one side sweet and the other
sour. The tree appears like a greening.
had a tree OF like character in Rhode
Island. 1t was planted as greening, and
one side OF the fruit was greening and the
opposite side rich sweeting, unlike any
apple ever tasted.
The past season has been exceptional
with me as to the effects OF pruning. For
several years | have pruned when the
trees We're in full blow This time was
recommended to me by your former edi-
tor, the Hon. Simon Brown The period
referred to has been perfectly satisfactory
until the past season, when | found that
the sap was so thin that it flowed from the
tree as freely as water On examining the
trees | found where pruning was done the
previous year, and from wounds one half
grown over, the sap was flowing and run
ming down the branches, and seemingly
ScuidtnQ the bark Please tell me. you that
can, the cause OF this condition of the
sap | fancy it may be owing to the treat
ment the trees have had the past three
seasons, in connection with the timely
rains we had the past summer, so stimu-
lating their growth AS to keep up an I'M
usual flow of sap late in the season. The
leaves continued green late in the season.
visited an orchard in Mattapoiset soon
after the fruit was set, to see trees and
learn from their owner the result of his
practice of applying sal soda, copperas,
and a decoction OF tobacco, when in bloom.
While going over his orchard noticed a
tree lull OF fruit upon one side and little
on the opposite side. Found, upon in
quiry, that the cause was the putting Of
manure on the side of the tree where the
apples were and none on the opposite side.
Ii was new revelation to me that one
side reap no benefit from it, and led me to
examine a tree, partly around which |
buried some horse feet crabs the previous
year The result was the same in my
ease as in that OF my friend in Mattapoiset.
These facts may be known generally, but
own to previous Ignorance of results
flowing from partially manured trees.
One inference from such results is mani
fest. viz that the roots on the side of the
tree that has food provided for them will
impart nourishment only to the side of the
tree to which they are connected. n. E.
Farmel