The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-07-09
q. D. NJ. Answered..

d. ~. NJ. AIlSMtfeU.
The following article from Z. H.
Hart, Esq of Federal Point, prac-
tical Horticulturist, will be found in.
teresting and instructive in many re-
spects to those who are cultivating
the soil.
Editors Florida Aaric,eltmlSt
Perhaps the trouble with ~. D.
Ms" Japan plum trees lies in uncon-
genial SOIL Nine years ago l planted
some on low, rich hammock. Part
of them soon died out, being affected
like his, with spotted and dropping
leaves and decaying branches. The
rest grew we'll for time, and even
bore crop or two, but finally became
sickly and went into decline. Trees
similarly affected are often seen on
high, light hammocks, and what lit
tie fruit they bear is defective and
worthless. But trees on the damp,
heavy pine lands, underlaid with clay
or hard-pan, are nearly always free
from disease. In fact, they grow
most luxuriantly, coming into bearing
in three or four years from the seed,
and producing clusters of large and
perfect fruit, containing from five to
forty plums each. If the natural de-
feet in dry, light lands cannot be
remedied by liberal application of
clay underneath and around the
tree, with mulch applied to the sur
face, it is difficult to decide what
treatment would be successful.
There seems to be variety Of
opinions about mulching trees. l
find it necessary, at least on my COM
pact soil, to remove the mulch from
around large orange trees once year,
and go over the ground an inch deep
with a sharp hoe, shaving off the
fibrous surface-roots to that depth,
and pulling out all foul weeds and
briers, after which the mulch is re-
placed More than this dare not
do, for a great deal Of the die back,
5slcascsal t Es:s
and puzzles many growers, is the re-
suit Of too frequent cultivation, and
the injudicious application of crude
and stimulating manure. Small trees
and plants are benefited by often re-
moving the mulch and raking over
the surface. In illustration of the
good effects OF often stirring the soil,
there is story told of two men who
laid wager as to which would raise
the best cabbages. One hoed his
Patch every week, but finding that of
his rival steadily marching ahead, ee
inquired, and found that the latter
went over it every morning before
breakfast Some put forth the OBJ
lection that dews and light showers
are all absorbed by a mulch in times
of drought, leaving the ground dry
underneath. But if the surface were
bare, these light rains and dews
would penetrate 20 such trifling
depth as to be so speedily disslpated
by few hours sun that the plants
would derive little or no benefit from
them. The mulched grouud is cool,
and much moisture is drawn up by
capillary attraction from below, and
kept from speedy evaporation by the
covering. Under this friendly shell
ter myriads of worms, moles and
bugs are constantly tunneling, thereby
assisting in stirring the soil, while an
exposed surface becomes crusted over
and packed hard, besides being at
times almost hot enough to cook
eggs. A hoe laid down for few
moments under July sun gets suffi-
GENTLY heated to scorch the bands of
anybody but blacksmith, and yet
people who don't work will sit in the
shade and write letters about the
cool (?) summer weather in Florida.
Covered ground undergoes chem
ical action that adds to it's fertility.
The late DR.. Mays, of Orange Mills,
said he once tired the experiment of
laying down boards over small
space, which were removed after
some months, and the ground dug up
and planted with corn. A bare spot
of equal size close by was also
planted, but the yield resulting was
remarkably in favor of the former
Bananas thrive much better when
the trash is dug in around them and
oftap cultivation given. Sometime