Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-09-30
Care of Orchards and Preserving the
Fruit

Care of Orchards and Preserving the
Fruit.
AS has been mentioned in a former ar
icle, it is an indispensable requisite, in all
young orchards, to keep the ground loose
md mellow by cultivation; at least for the
first five years. The difference between an
orchard uncultiyated and cultivated one is
greatly in favor of the latter. The cult !
waited trees show a rich dark luxuriant |
foliage, and smooth STEMS and at the end |!
of this time they will even treble the uncul-
tivated ones. "Fallow crops are the best |
for orchards-potatoes, beets, turnips, car
rots, bush beans, and the like" Whatever
the crop grown, it should be borne in mind
that the roots of the tree deman1 roe use
of the ground so far as they ext l. at least
an area of more than the .di4l.leter of the
head of the tree. This space should be
kept clean of crops and weeds. The cult
walton of the small grains in the orchard is
Objectionable, as is recognized by farmers
Wheat, oats, and especially rye, are crops
which in two or three years will force the
least observant orchardist to note the i'll
health and loss of his trees. The reason Of
this is found in the fact that the polished
surfaces of the straw, act as mirrors in re-
fleeing the heat, and the tree kills Dark
spots appear on the trunk, as the result
of this reflected heat, and the tree presents
a sickly appearance and is soon lost to the
| owner by a continuous culture of these crops
on the ground. The heat is very great at
| the maturity of these crops, by reason of
o..
the grain has been removed the stubble re-
fleets enough to seriously injure the trees.
When symptoms of decay or failure in bear
ing are observed, top-dress with barnyard
manure, Stacked lime, mari or gypsum, in
alternate years. Let every orchardist who
desires his trees to remain in healthy bear
ing state manure them as regularly as any
other crop, and he will find that the expense
will be amply repaid. By supplying food
to the tree in substantial top-dressing, the
tree is rendered continuously productive and
will bear annual crops, In common fruit
culture it bears only every alternate year.
Fruit trees which are moss-covered and bar
rem may be brought into fine state of vigor
and productiveness by top-dressing of lime
or gas lime, which is very offensive to in
sects. The stems should be scraped so as
to remove the dead outer bark, then washed
down with strong suds of soft soap. The
washing with soap-suds or solution of pot
ash renders the bark healthy and frees the
tree from the bark-louse and other insects
that have found Judgement in the crevices
of the bark. This should be done in the
month of June when the insect is young
lnsects.-The American tent caterpillar
(disiocampa Americana) is well known in
sect and is generally called 1.-THE caterpillar
NF tla, l.
the apple, depriving the tree of its leaves
when they are most important to the health
of the tree and growth of the fruit, and are
easily managed, if they are not suffered to
increase unmolested. There are various
modes of destroying the caterpillar. When
| the trees are young and small they may be
| stripped off with the hand and washed
| under the foot An effectual method where
| the tree is large is to use a pole with a
| sponge attached to the end, dipped in
| strong spirits of ammonia or kerosene or a
pole with brush of rag attached to the
| end, will serve the purpose of removing the
| caterpillar and the tent. The codling moth
or apple worm, (carpocapsa pomonella) is
an insect introduced with the apple tree
from Europe" 1t appears in the early
worm eaten apples and pears, as O reddish
white grub, and causes thefruit to drop pre-
maturely. In its highest metamorphosis
it is a small moth. This moth, in warm
evenings, about the LIST of June, deposits
its eggs in the eye or blossom-end of the
early kinds of apples and pears" The egg
soon hatch, and the grub burrows itself til
it reaches the core. The fruit drops in &
short time, and the worm, leaving the ap
pie, ''creeps into the crevices of the bari
of the tree" there spins up and changes
| to oh lac Of
terward it issues from the chrysalis form a.
q small moth, to deposit its eggs in the fruit
When the fruit is falling prematurely the
readiest way of destroying the insect in it Ii
to allow swine and poultry to run at large IL
the orchard. The remedy of entrappins
the worms is said to be very successful, b,
hanging and old cloth in the notehes of tn
tree. DIR. Trimble's hay-band system i
very effectual The hay-band is TWISTED
twice around the trunk 6f the tre3. II
make this system better understood, tn,
following rules are given "First, the hay
band should be placed around the tree by
the first of June, and kept on till every APP
pie soff the tree; second, it should be pushed
up or down, and the worms and chrysalide!
crushed that are under it, every week, or
at the very latest, every two weeks; third
The trunk of the tree should be kept fret
from old rough bark, SO as to give the
worms no other places of shelter; anc
fourth, the ground itself should be KEEP
clean from weeds and rubbish" The
philosophy of the hay band system is simp
ly that the worms in quitting the fruit
whether while it is on the tree or on the
ground, in their search for cozy nook, il
which to spin up, find the shelter given by
the hay band just the thing, and in ninety
nine cases out of hundred they will accep
the lure of no other more enticing be in
the way" This remedy has been thor
oughly tested, and found far more effectua
than had been claimed for it by the author
To prevent girdling of trees by rabbits ant
other bark-eaters: First, SCOT and milk ap
piled, as a paint, to the stems as far up
the animal can reach, is used in Europe
1T should be done at the approach of win
ter, on dry day." Coal tar, made at gas
: works, is said to be an infallible remedy
This, if not washed off by the winter rains
should be removed in spring by means @
soap-suds applied with coarse rag, an
will also benefit the tree in addition. Gait
ering and keeping the fruit: Fruit wher
desired for immediate use, ma
be shaken from the tree, wher
however, it is to be kept for winte
use it should be gathered by hand. Della
gathering as long as it is possible to avoi
severe frosts. A suitable lad Ter, ten
twelve feet long should be used in pickin
the apples off the tree by this means til
the limbs of the trees are not split c
broken. The fruit as gathered is put int
tight flour barrels or boxes, and gent
/. shaken down while filling, and the head
:. closely pressed in. They should then b