Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-05-20
The Orchard.

Although many orchards are pruned
IN April and May, experience proves
that 1t Is the most unfavorable portion
of the year for this work. Small limbs
may be cut off at any season of the
year without serious injury, but large
limbs should be cut at season when
the sap of the tree is inactive, and
when the wood will dry and harden:
then the wound can be kept from the
air by covering with shellac, dissolved
in alcohol; or good coat of paint seems
to answer good purpose.
The season is at hand when decis-
ION must be made as to what treatment
the orchard shall receive during the
season; if it Is to receive any fertilizers,
the question of quality and quantity
should be settled at once; and if the
land Is 10 be cultivated, and any crops
to be raised, there is no time to lose In
deciding what crops are to be grown.
Ii must be remembered that it is the
bearing year for the apple orchard, and
that If good-seized fruit is to be obtain
ed the trees must have something to
| iced on, and also that there is nothing
gained by trying to get two crops in one
year from the same piece of land by
the application of only a sufficient
quantity of manure for one crop.
There are but very few crops that
can be grown in an orchard with any
satisfaction or profit, especially if the
trees are large and bear fruit. When
the fruit begins to drop, it is important
that it should drop on land entirely free
from obstructions, and when the fruit
begins to ripen, if it be early fruit, it is
very much injured by falling on cult
waited ground, especially if it be some
what stony land. 1t Is the practice of
some to cover the lane under bearing
trees with coarse hay; but to do this
every year, In addition to plowing and
cultivating, is somewhat expensive, and
unless the trees produce varieties of
fruit that can be sold at good prices, it
will not pay.
There are some soils were an orchard
can be kept IN grass and still produce
good fruit In abundance, providing fire.
quent and liberal dressings of manure
arc applied; but an orchard in grass
almost always suffers when the grass is
cut and the land laid bare to the rays of
the hot sun; it very frequently changes
of them will drop off: if the land is
moist and the grass starts at once the
trees soon recover; but if the land is
dry and the grass does not send up a
second crop, the trees Will not recover
from the injury during the season.
Our orchards suffer more from want
of water than many cutivators sup
pose. The evaporation of moisture
through the leaves OF an orchard of
large trees is enormous; if the surface
of the Jcil is exposed to The hot sun, the
drain of moisture from the earth is 80
great that unless the water is within
reasonable distance of the surface the
roots will not gather it fast enough 10
furnish the leaves with full supply;
but the moment the land under and
around the trees is covered with
mulching of vegetation, thick enough
to prevent evaporation, the roots are
better able 20 collect moisture fast
enough to keep the leaves in vigorous
condition. To test this many expert
ments have been tried. Trees have
been set on dry, gravelly knoll, and
one half of them heavily mulched,
while the other half was left exposed to
the sun. The foliage On the trees
mulched kept a dark green throughout
the season, and did not stop growing
until autumn, while those not mclched
Stopped growing the last of June, and
the leaves turned a light green, and
portion of them turned yellow and
dropped off during drought in July.