Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-11-17

young. For these, two modes Of treatment
are adopted by cultivators. One is to keep
the top mellow and clear Of grass and weeds
by plowng and narrowing. The other is TO
allow the ground to become covered with
grass sod. Much discussion has arisen on
the comparative merits Of the two modes.
An examination Of the condition of the grow
ing tree will point out the course TO pursue.
IT, as often happens on the rich soils Of the
South and West the trees have too much
rankness and succulence, rendering them
liable to injury from changes of the weather,
it would obviously be important to seed the
land to grass and thus choke the growth.
! II the trees are feeble, indicated by short
and stunted annual shoots, additional vigor
must be impaired by cultivation or manur-
ing, or both The character of the soil and
climate will vary the management in differ
ent localities and regions, and no rule can be
laid down for constant and invariabe adop-
ton. Yet, throughout the Northern and
Eastern States, and in many portions of the
| Middle States, very few orchards will pos.
sess sufficient vigor unless cultivation or top.
dressing is given to the soil. As a general
rule for guidance, in determining what treat.
ment to adopt, the annual shoots may be ex-
amined and if in young orchards they are
less than two feet in length, or in bearing
orchards much less than one foot in length,
they should receive additional stimulus by
manure or cultivation.
The question often occurs and is frequently
discussed, which is the best, to manure
grass surface or TO give clean cultivation
without manure. On very shallow soils,
manure may be the most effective. But
even then, shallow and thorough cultiva-
ton may answer all the desired purpose.
The addition Of moderate top.drcssing to
such a cultivated soil, will accomplish more
than heavy manuring on u sod. The ques-
tion will resolve itself into one Of economy.
Flowing once and narrowing five times sub
sequeutly will not usually cost more than
five dollars per acre altogether. An equal
effect produced by manure would require at
least fifteen two-horse loads. At dollar
per load, and half as much more for draw
ing and spreading these would amount to
more than four times as much as keeping
the ground clean by cultivation. In many
instances the cost of manuring would be
much greater in few possibly less.
In some cases where cultivation is difficult,
manuring may be used to advantage; and
where valuable crops Of several hundred
Iollars' worth of fruit per acre are obtained,
as for example with the best pears, the an
nual cost Of twenty or thirty dollars for
manure would be a small portion Of the net
profit.
Ga soils of moderate fertility, the practice
| ,f 10 MI
newly set fruit trees is one of the most COM
mon causes Of failure. All plants when
I crowded are checked in vigor. Weeds and
grass lessen all garden crops. Indian corn
thickly sown will not bear ears. For the
same reason where trees and grass occupy
the same ground, the evils OF crowded
growth occur, and the trees can not flourish
so well as where they have the sole occu-
, paucy. The exception (partially) is where
the roots of the trees, as they become old,
run far below the grass in the deep, rich ant
porous sub-soil.
. have usually found the shoots OF young
Q peach trees which stood in mellow, clean sol
or with well cultivated hoel crops, as corn
potatoes or beans to grow two and a.half to
three feet in n single year When allowed
! 10 stauu III grass HaNC hS'Nl sSSu nv
7 shoots foot long while the trees were young
y unless within reach of manure or cultivated
ground through their long roots.
Quackery has been defined as the applica
ton of the same remedy to all diseases. L
should never be adopted in the cultivation
I of fruit, but the treatment should vary will
the condition of the soil and locality. Tn,
planter who succeeds well with his trees il
grass, in land of great fertility, or with higI
1 mauuring, should not prescribe grass fol
a orchards in all other soils and places. The
n man who has Il shallow soil, and who has in
- ured his orchard by severely mutilating tn
roots with the plow, because they are al
r near the surface, should not object to the
= thorough blowing of deep soils. Ihave seer
. an orchard which was plowed early in tn
!. spring after lying long in grass, and tn
roots so severely cut that at least one cart
load per acre was picked up aud drawn o.
r after the operation. Yet, as this was don
IS in spring before growing had begun, and a
,s there were plenty of roots remaining deepe
, in the soil, positive benefit was derive
=, from the blowing, the cultivation over-ba
81 anciug any injury by the mutiation OF tn
roots, and greatly increasing the quantit
as well as improving the quality Of the crol
But if this deep and thorough plowing ha
been performed after the trees were in lea
l. or if the soil had been so shallow as to throS
& most Of the roots within six inc hes Of tn
- surface, the result would doubtless have dis
/ astrous.