The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1877-01-18

half starved for water. and the intense
cold finishes the job.
If this is the true theory, the all i'm
portant problem to SC live, is how to best
protect our fruit tire ees from these ex-
tremes of drouth and cold. One method
is by groves or belts of timber, another
is by low dense tops as already indicated,
and still another, and as we believe, the
most effective of all, is by mulching;
which may consist of straw of any kind,
or of weeds and foxtail, or Of a good
crop of clover, or of clover and timothy.
Mulching is Natures plan of raising trees,
both in temperate an d intemperate eli
mates. Mulching retains an even mols-
ture both winter and summer, keeping
the earth mellow and porous, permitting
the easy ascent Of moisture in times Of
drouth, and its rapid descent in times of
excessive wet Mul lching prevents deep
freezing, and in this way enables the roots
to supply the tree with sap as rapidly as
the wind absorbs it from them.
Our gardeners and florists everywhere
avail themselves of the benefits of mulch
ing in protecting tender shrubs, vines,
monthly roses, and many of our finer flow
ering roots.
Selecting of hardy varieties is suiting
the tree to the climate. Mulching or
Fotherwise protecting the tender varieties,
is modifying the clii nate to suit the tree.
With low, dense tops and generous
mulching, I am confident that we can
raise all the valuable, tender varieties that
we have heretofore regarded as forbidden
fruits.
The annual mulching with which ma
ture supplies our forests, besides the ben
efts already enum Grated, supplies the
soil with all the vegetable pabulum neces-
sary for the growth of timber. Is not
mulching the safest cheapest and most
suitable fertilizer that can be applied to
an orchard?
While on the subject of manuring or
chards, | wish to 81 Enply state that moth
ing in my experiene ee or observation will
justify the extensive use of strong manure
in an orchard. l h ave seen orchards on
thin Ohio soil, and on rich Iowa prairie
thus treated, and have heard some brag
ging on the results but sooner or later
| have seen those S anne orchards come to
grief, and so general has been the rule
that 1 would no mo re put a wagon load
of strong manure about an apple tree
than l would give a valuable horse sack
of wheat at feed. Manuring our prairie
soil, already too r ich for Jan orchard, is
worse than carrying ''coals to Newcastle" !"
or "iron to Pittsburg." What we want
for safety and profit, is healthy, moder,
ate, even growth of trees. Orchards
grow and flourish in the Eastern States
on very thin soil, and with little or nc
manure bear abundance Of excellent fruit
and where not butchered by trimming,
live to a venerable age. An apple tree
cannot be grown in night, as a mush.
room; nor in a single season, as a corn
stalk. There is no similitude between
them. Make "haste slowly" is good
motto in raising an orchard. The long
lived oak is of slow growth.
In regard to the various insects, and
other enemies to the orchard, we shoot
the rabbit, trap and poison the gopher,
poison the mice with arsenic in corn,
meal-using about a pound of arsenic to
a half bushel of m cal. Put tablespoon,
full in a paper package, place these
packages pretty thick along the out
side rows for the convenience of mice
that may visit the orchard-one package
to eight or ten trees is enough in the in
terror of the orchard; place them under
some kind of rubbish. 1t is not necessa-
ry that they should be close to the tree.
This is a sure and inexpensive remedy
for this Pest.
THE BoRER.
The best remedy for borers is to dis,
troy the eggs by W ashing the trees with
strong lye, or thih hnish soft soap. The
last days of June, after they get into the
tree, cut them out with sharp knife.
CANK Err WORM.
| have had som pleasant experience
with the canker worm. For two or three
years previous to IS. / had observed q
few canker worms in my orchard, but
they never made d respectable showing
until that year, when l found them spread
over about 5000 trees I procured a
force pump with hose and sprinkler at
tached, quantity of potash, made q
strong lye; and sprinkled few trees eff,
fectually, lat least SO far as killing the
leaves was concern ed The worms lei
themselves down from the limbs on the
grass, summed themselves awhile, then
made for the body of the tree, went up it
and went to busin ess, and for anything /
could observe took the whole thing as q
joke. The lye did not kill a worm
Next l bought box of Paris Green;
mixed half pound in barrel of water
and with this kind of medicine sprinkled
about 700 trees; killed good many
worms, but they had already commenced
going into the ground, SO that this exper
iment was not entirely satisfactory
During the summer of rs, l learned tha
John Smith of Des Moiues had uset
arsenic with complete success. In thu
spring of rs, | procured $50 lbs o.
arsenic, dissolved the arsenic by boiling
put it on the trees in the same manne
as the lye and Paris Green. If thu
arsenic is pure article, one pound il
enough for $50 gallons of water, at frs
We used it stronger than this, but scorch
ed the leaves and fruit somewhat; il
twenty-four hours after the trees wer
sprinkled not living worm could b,
found. This remedy was applied wher
the worms were about half grown, anc
before they had done much mischief -
The wholesale price of arsenic is 81 to
cents per ponnd. Two men with team
and wagon can sprinkle from 500 to 1o0(
trees per day. This is an inexpensiy,