Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-07-28
lansasHt tmtelliqemrer.
EVENING. JULY %. 1881.
On the Farm.
RenovatinS Old Orchards.

Renovatang Old Orchards.
W.P. Athertou. of Maine, In Germantown
Telegraph.
l once scraped and washed dozen large
Baldwin trees thirty years OF age. 1t was
considerable work to do it, and yet think
it paid. for there was an evident increase
in growth, hcalthiness and fruitfulness.
Wien was a boy, my father frequently
used to set me to work in the spring, on .
very wet or foggy day, scraping tho trunks
of old apple trees. 1t wasn't very
nice work for the eyes, and everybody that
came along had to give an opinion as to
the benefit or damage resulting from the
operation, and as near as can now re-
member, opinions were fabout equally di-
vided. DO this as it may, my own judg-
ment is that serious injury might result to
a tree from q severe scraping at the wrong
season of the year; but if performed in
the warm months of spring, and a strong
wash of soft soap or whale oil soap, or
potash water, applied then, tho results
would be highly beneficial.
do not know that have anything now
or interesting to write out but for tho
benefit Of your readers, allow me state
what little experience have had in the
management Of old orchards"
One old orchard Oil my place has not
been plowcd to my knowledge for thirty
five years, aud how much longer do not
know. 1t covers one and a-half acres Of
ground, and is so situated rs to receive
over it 4 large portion of the wash from
a road and from the barnyard opposite.
From the latter source, however, the bene-
fit is derived principally in the spring of
the year. But wherever the rising OF the
ground has prevented the wash from flow
ing, frequent tOp-dressings have been ap-
piled, and thus the fertility of the land
and the productivcDess of the orchard kept
up. No suckers have been allowed to
grow up about the trunks of these trees,
except when one is needed to preserve the
line Of descent; and the trees have been
pruned every two or three years. generally
in the month Of November of December.
Another old orchard, a little less in cx-
tent and closely adjoining, but on dryer
to pruning aud top-dressins, tho only diff
Or three times, planted to corn or potatoes
each time, and resecded the following
year with grain crops. To plow piece of
ground two or three times in thirty-five
years is certainly not very often; and to
keep the land from running out it was top
dressed occasionally. sometimes with barn
yard manure and sometimes with COM
post made OF muck, manure, ashes and
lime. 1t was with this compost that the
land was top dressed some seven or eight
years ago, and ifI remember rightly it
followed one Of similar character made only
three years before, but which had proved
very unsatisfactory This one also was disap
pointing in its results; So much 50. that l
determined to plow the ground, and did 50
early in tho fall Of 1877. sowing to winter
wheat, after dressing the land with COM
post of nearly similar make, and about 800
pounds of ground bono added. The crop
of wheat in 1878 was rather light Oh ac-
count of short, pinchins drought, just as
it was heading and filling. No grass seed
was sown, but the clover and other grasses
came in SO strongly and grew so rapidly
after the wheat was removed, that in the
fall everybody thought the land had been
seeded, The land was plowed again, and
there was more grass to turn under than
at the first plowing, when the land seemed
actually hidc-bound.
In the spring of 1879, spread over the
ground and thoroughly worked in heavy
coat OF well rotted horse and hog manure,
and sowed to spring wheat. 1t was sowed
as late as tie 14th of June, and yet was SO
stout ssand lodged SO badly, with quite a
drought following, that large part of the
young grasses were killed out. In the
spring of 1880, sowcd ON a little more
grass seed, and the hay crop that year was
a good one and this yearu 1881 1--WE cut two
tons to tho acre, where few years ago
less than half that amount was cut, and
that of inferior quality. The old apple
trees in this orchard were pruncd in the
fall-in December, think-all the dead
limbs and the majority of the suckers be-
ing removed. They were principally
grated fruit-Baldwins and Russets-
there being few old natives left, and the |
apples on all these trees have been fairer |
and twice the size for two years from what |
they were formerly. Some of the trees
were SO heavily loaded that many of the |
limbs broke down.
L know Of one man near by here who rem
ovated several old trees by digging circu-
lar trenches all about them rs far as the |
limbs extended, and then partly filling
them with manure and replacing the earth. |
lic also mulchcd them heavily. The re-
suit was that the trees bore enormous
crops and the fruit was twice, and in somc
cases, three times its former size. Some |
OF his trees broke down under tho extra
strain put upon them. l have no doubt
that frequent and moderate applications
of manure to old orchards is good thing;
but am not in favor of heavy or excess
i've manuring, as it tends to stimulate the |
tree too much, and a reaction is sure to
follow, if they do not Immediately break
down.
Incredible.
F. A. Scratch lrurgiSt Rufhyen Ont