The Tipton advertiser., 1877-05-17

narily or years ought to give an or
chard a fair start. do not believe,
however, that an occasional plowing,
or even an annual plowing of an or
chard of any age will damage it: pro-
vided it is plowed sufficiently shallow,
as not TO injure the roots, and early
enough in the season to insure good
hlanketiHg of vegetation for winter
protection. OF one fact we are conf
dent: that more orchards are injured
by too much cultivation than suffer
for the want of it, and any kind OF
cultivation, or cropping, or pasturing,
or other treatment of an orchard that
produces late fall growth, or leaves
the ground naked for winter, sooner
or later will destroy the orchard. An
orchard under this treatment may slip
through mild winter, or succession
of such winters; but when one of these
dry arctic winters comes along and
they are liable to drop in upon Us at
any time-the naked earth will freeze
and crack open to great depth, and
the thirsty winds will shrivel and dry
up the body and limbs, and drink, and
lap, and suck, every drop of moisture
from about the roots of the trees We
are supposed to have some very hardy
kinds of trees in Iowa, but we very
much doubt whether we have a single
va.iety, or whether even the wild
crab will stand such treatment.
Orcharding in Iowa ought to be re-
duced to system. We want to take
into account all the surroundings; soil
and climate, everything necessary to
the life, health and productiveness of
the tree. Consult nature in her plan
of raising trees, and assist her. in pre-
tectiug our orchards, as we do in pro-
tecting oar dumb beasts. Nature has
clothed the horse and OK with coat
Of hair an 1 the ten Ter sheep with a
great fleece OF wool, as protection
against the inclemency ofthe weather;
and we further assist nature by build
ing for thenl .ortable she,liing ana
warm stabliug.
FORM oF TREES.
w prefer low-toppel trees for the
following raa,ols: The apples are ea-
sier pickei; less Of them are blown off;
the tree j. less liable to dlmage from
heavy winds. the low top protects-the
body from sun scald, such rs is often
founi on high topped trees the shade
of the tree i more directly over the
roots, and in some degree prevents
evaporation from about them. We
prefer dense tops. aud With the excep-
prevent bad forks, are opposed TO al
most every system Of ofprnning, ancient
or modern. We do not believe in the
old fashioned plan of cutting off large
limbs, or in the modern system Of
pruning very large limbs to the top,
leaving little brush on the end Of
ing those limbs and the body exposed
to the burning suns of summer, and
the chilling, dry winds of winter. If
we would let nature form the trees, she
will make low dense top; and this
kind of a top is a better protection to
a tree than "A grove of some rods from
1t; for the same reasons that "A blanket
will better protect yorr body and
limbs if wrappe closely around them,
than II hang ~ 1T distance to the
The theory, when nm or
char has beaom uathrifty, ofcutting
off a part of the limbs, to throw more
vitality into the remaining limbs, is
most certainly erroneous. The leaves
are the lungs of the tree, they throw
off oxygen, and absorb carbon, they
are the labrdtary wherein the sap il
fitted for fruit, and wood, and bark.
Just in proportion n you cut or the
limbs, YOU diminish the number Of
leaves al l hence lessen the capacity
Of the tree for growth Of fruit, or in
other words impair its vitality. How
would You estimlte the physicians
skill, who woald cut OF some Of his
patients fingers, or toes or Il hand, or
foot, in order to throw more vitality
into the remaining members.
Oae Of the most important aud at
The same time most difficult lesson we
have to learn in successful fruit rails
ing in Iowa, is the influence of elm
ate on our fruit trees. We can readi-
y appreciate the fact, that our fertile
'oil, and genial summers produce
very large and handsome fruit, and
hat our dry and sunny autumns give
hem higher coloring, and richer
lavor than is found in the Eastern
States or anywhere else In moister eli :
mates; but it seems difficult to under
stand why it is that the samel treat
nent of an orchard that is practiced in
Eastern or Middle States won't do
lust as well here; and why the same
legree OF cold that seems to kill our
trees does not hurt the same varieties
in New York or the New England
States. 1t was the general opinion in
1867 that it was the extreme cold of
those winters ruined our orchards.
After the destruction of the winter
Of 1923, the most careful inyestiga-
ton has resuitedin theconclusion that
in the general destruction of those
there was another clement
that played As heavy a hand a. the
low mercury, and that was the dr0aH
Of those seasons. The hydromoneter
testifies against the climate, as well rs
the thermometer. | find i'm the ad
dress of J. l.. Budd, on meteorology,
in its relations to the fruit and timber
of Iowa, in the report of
1874, the following, which is to the
point:
"For period of twenty years the
average rainfall, by the tables OF Prof.
Parvin, is A 21-lOO inches, including
snow reduced to water in inches. The
extremes of rainfall are in this period,
"A 1890 inches in 1851, and 23 35-lO0
inches i'm lS55-the summer immedi-
ately preceding the destructive win
ter Of 1856. For three years preced-
the terribly destructive winter of
IS ~ a ~ L 4 r r.