The Portland daily press., 1879-12-08
Errors in Planting Orchards

l. "
errors in planting orchards. There has been
enough said and written on this subject to
enable every man who wished to plant fruit
trees or an orchard to do it Understandings,
if he has needed only what has been said. as
the result of good Judgment and experience.
But we need cline upon line, and preceptt
upon precept." For the benefit OF many OF
the readers of the Maine Farmer, | need not
say word about the folly of sending to New
York or elsewhere out of our State for trees
to plant an orchard. They know already ny
losses and disappointment (though some
have been successfully the folly, and cannot
be persuaded to try it again. But there VIII
ALWAYS remain the novice in tree planting,
who, for the want of thought and knowl-
edge of facts, can easily be mesmerized by
tree agents with gaudy pictures OF fruit, no
better than those with which our markets
are already more than supplied. Such men
are ready to repeat the process which has
brought failure to thousands of others, and
need to discuss the subject carefully before
they act. Let us go back a century and
watch the process of the pioneer settlers in
our State. We do not find them planting
imported trees, no matter how thrilling the
cost, but planting the seeds of those varieties
which were their favorites in the country
when they emigrated, and when the trees
grew to size suitable to set, were carefully
same nature, only few rods or miles from
where the seed terminated; being able TO
select such a time, as in their Judgment
seemed most favorable, and many who are
now living in the vicinity OF their labors,
can testify to the vigor, productiveness and
longevity of those trees, saying nothing OF
the excellence of their fruit. Now when we
| see such processes and results, are we not
led to say, how strange that plan should
ever have been adopted for obtaining trees
| to plant our orchards which has sent millions
| of dollars from our State? And is it not
passing strange that the business continues,
| notwithstanding the failures, losses and dis
appointments of thousands. do not care
to echo the cry, ''PatrOnize home Industries,
but wish to call the attention OF your read
ers. who may be about to purchase trees, to
the fact that in territories comprising por-
| lions of Androscoggin and Kennebec county,
| and within radius of ten miles may be found
| twelve nurseries of Seeding trees, some OF
which are already too far advanced to trans
| plant with success, also nursery in Fairfield
| of two acres of seedlings: but were they
| planted in the places of trees, imported and
| planted on the same territory i'll the past IL
| or Is wears, using the same care that the
| early settlers did in transplanting, other cir
cumstances being the same, would have
| given better satisfaction than those import
| ed. Now this is no guess SO; but II any
| one doubts the above statement, let HIM
| come to my place in Monmouth, and Will
show him Maine trees grown from the seed,
| budded and planted in orchard form, out
| doing imported trees.
| We have two orchards on soil alike, hay
| ing the same culture, one was planted IL
| wears ago with "a imported trees years old
| from the bud, of which have died. The
other orchard was planted with trees whose
| seed was selected from smart hourishing old
Seeding trees, of which Friend Swift OF
| Pennington, speaks, (sprout trees) and
| planted ID years in nursery farm, budded
| when years old, and the third year from
the bud, was planted s years ago in orchard
| farm, and have lost only one out OF thirty
trees transplanted. The trees of the latter
| have been in bearing two years and are
nearly as large as those of the former, which
| have this year Just commenced bearing,
| proving conclusively, that Maine budded
seedlings are the most profitable trees to
| plant, being smart growers and early bearers,
| the assertions Of tree agents to the contrary
| Notwithstanding. In conclusion, then what
| trees shall we plant? Does not our Judg-
ment say those grown nearest the place we
| wish to set our orchards, on account OF
| adaptability of soil and climate, on account
| of cost and convenience of transplanting and
getting better trees at lower price, also the
| satisfaction of seeing better tree doing bet
ter work and earlier Therefore plant seed
| lings or natural trees in fall OF as early as
possible to work the soil in spring, and don't
| fail to graft them the first spring to such va
rieties as best suits your location and mar
ket Then YOU will avoid the multiplicity
of kinds, (no better if as good as old and
| tried sorts,) coming to light and being dis
seminated by tree peddlers with gaudy pic
| lures. of whose names and merits few know
| anything. All nursery men graft their trees
when they transplant them. We have prac-
| ticed it for years with much better success
| than to let them stand year or two having
| too much top for their roots. But be sure
to get healthy, well ripened scions, and
| there will be few failures. Ii you cannot
| graft when planted, and the trees have large
| tops, being out of ratio to roots, cut off at
| or 5 inches above where you would graft,
and cut again at the proper place the next
| spring and graft. Ii you cannot wait or
| do not want the trouble to grow your
own trees from seed. go to the near
est nursery and select or decide as to
size of trees you will set, and dig holes
of good size to receive the roots well.
| Then take your team to the nursery and as
| sist and persist in care to preserve all the
roots possible in taking up In cloudy day,
avoiding windy weather and keep the roots
from exposure, and plant in soil made rich
| and kept so. Mulching assists trees in very
| dry seasons by preventing evaporation OF
moisture from surface of soil about them
| Corr Maine Farmer.