The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1877-08-03

ent. only as suggested on the score of
appearance.
We now come to the main purpose
for which this paper is written, viz: 10
ask the question why il such special
benefit manifest from shading our
orchard soils used ia fruit growing
during our hot Summers While al
mitting the great manifest benenis oi
the buckwheat OF of the wees growth
10 the latter part of the season, most
of our orchardists have accounted for
it by supposing that it acted in il way
Of partial Winter protection. But this
cannot be, as with weeds or buckwheat
the benefit is about as evident il the
crop in Fall be removed from the
ground. Thomas Meehan-one OF the
leading scientists and horticulturists OF
our country-gave Us the right solu-
ton OF the question many years ago.
He said if we place large fiat stone
under and orchard tree, we will find
the next Summer that the surface
feeding rootlets-which are nitrogen
feeders-wilI come up to the very sur
face of the stone; while only foot dis
where the soil is exposed TO the
suu-these rootlets will not come near
enough to the surface to come III con-
tact with the bunus which holds in
reserve the free nitrogen comingto the
earth in our frequent Summer show
ers. He also told us that the apple
tree standing il a corner, with elder
bushes, raspberry canes, or blackberry
brambles at its base, was always
healthy and vigorous, when the trees
blessed with good culture were feeble
and fruitless.
We forget that while we have Win
ters reminding us of Greenland. we
have Summers with an average tenn
perature higher than the south OF
France, and with an air at times as
dry as that from the Sahara desert.
Our soil is dark colored and where
fully exposed to our July, August and
early Sertember suns we cannot won
der that the nitrogen feeding roots fail
to come near enough to the surface to
perform their Office in storing properly
the cell structure OF the tree. The
buckwheat among the rows has a pc
culiar tendency to keep the soil cool,
and the surface feeders come up near
ly as close to the surface as in the case
of the fiat stone.
If this be called theory it will be
found in practice of kind such as has
given the writer crop of over three /
thousand bushels of apples in sea
son when neighboring orchards of the
same age had little if any fruit. Yet
1 do not wish to be understood that the !
buckwheat growing will insure health
and fruitfulness to varieties of the ap- |
Pile, pear, cherry, or other fruits not
adapted in leaf and cell structure to
other exigencies of our climate, as ex
tremes of aridity, humidity, l'eat and
cold. The idea is that even the Rus
sian apples, and the crabs. will not
maintain perfect health. and bear
abundant crops, without the surface
be kept cool in Summer. We want
hardy varieties adapted to our inter
continental climate and in addition we
want the conditions of Summer treat
ment to be such as to perfectly store
,lIe cell structure of the tree, not only
% enable it to endure the Winter but
% bring crop of fruit the succeeding
summer. A tree may live through our
Winter and yet not have sufficient nu-
riment stored in the cell structure to
lold and perfect crop of fruit.