Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-08-19
The 9arnt aud fireside.
APPLE TRRE CULTURE FROM SEED.

I wish to relate my experience in propagating
apple trees fron the seed Some twelve years
ago, becoming somewhat discouraged in at
tempting to secure fruit from purchased trees,
owing to their early death, concluded to try
the experiment of raising my own trees. The
result has been exceedingly gratifying. A
moderately rich piece of land, about two rods
square, was prepared for sowing the seed, by
plowing it deep and fine, and laid out in rows,
about three and one half feet apart. In these
rows sowed pomace from the cider mill, COW
ering it about two inches deep. The following
Spring, the young trees appeared inprotuslon.
These I thinned out to six or eight inches,
leaving only strong, healthy shoots. The
ground was kept well cultivated and free from
weeds, by the use of the cultivator and the
hoe The first season the trees made a growth
of from twelve to fifteen inches. The second
season the same method OF cultivation was en-
ployed, and the trees made a thrifty growth,
being in the Fall as large as clay-pipe stems at
the base of stock. The following Spring Sc
cured the services of an experienced CRATER,
and, with my assistance, the entire lot OF trees
was grated in one day, by the method known
as splice or lap grating. A large per centage
of the gratis grew, and after remaining two
years in the nursery rows, receiving good cul-
tivation in the meantime, they were transplant
ed in the orchard, without the loss OF single
tree in transplanting. I now have just COM
ing into bearing as fine and thrifty young or
chard as can be found in the county, beside
supplying my neighbors with many trees, all OF
which are doing much better than trees from
the nurseries, set out at the same tlme
Some of the advantages in raising ones own
trees are the following: When young trees are
brought from distant nurseries, they are, IN
the majority of instances, set out in soil OF a
nature entirely different from that in which
they were raised-a circumstance which, COM
bined with the difference in temperature and
the delay which often occurs in resetting them,
is, in my opinion, prolific cause of the great
amount of complaint we hear about purchased
trees not doing well On the other hand, trees
raised in a soil and temperature like those Of
the place where they will be transplanted, the
roots not being allowed to dry and wither,
from long exposure to the air are acclimatlzed
and consequently harder and more certain to
thrive. Again, it is far cheaper to raise ones
own trees than to buy them. With little
care at the outset, and few days work each
season, while they remain in the nurseries, five
hundred or thousand nice trees can be raised
with but little expense. In fact, the outlay
will not approximate to what would have to be
paid for the same number of trees, if bought,
and the result will be far more pleasing-to
the orchardst 1t may be superfuous to add,
in this article, what every tree grower already
knows, that to make fruit growing success,
the trees must receive constant care and ire
quent cultivation, after the orchard is once es.
tablished. Ihave no hesitation in saying that
trees raised at home, and properly cared Tor,
will abundantly pay for all ohe labor and eX-
pense of raising them.-Janaes f.. McCteltan,
in the Rural Nea9 Yorker. ~