Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-02-08
ABOUT APPLES.


that Lancaster county cannot compete with
western New York and some Of the north
western states. in growing apples FOR mar.
ket. Our apple crop Of 1890 was 4 plenti.
full one, but about the holidays very few
good Lancaster county apples could be
found in cur market, while York state
apples, of the best quality. were plenty, at
about two dollars barrel. Owing to the
extreme hot and dry summers that have
been the rule for ten or more years past.
our apples ripened so early in the season
| that they were not to be relied on for winter
| use. Many persons pronounce apple cul-
ture unproiitabie, and III consequence
orchards are left to go down, and new ones
are sparingly planted. It may be ad.
mittcd that. in Il commercial sense, nine
| teenth- h-twentieths of our orchards are !,
failure, but it is, nevertheless, a mistake
! for any one the think that he has i well.
regulated farm on which there is no or
chard. An acre orchard Of good varieties
with ordinary care will one year with
another, without selling dollars worth
of fruit, realize more to the owner than
his average acre Of the farm. 1t furnishes
us with sauce, pies, cider, vinegar, apple.
butter, snts, = supply OF ripe fruit from
early in July to winter, giving comfort
and health to the children and all abou.
| the house also, taking into consideration
the saving of bread and meat and it will
also be quite an item in the saving OF
corn by feeding the scrubs and surplus to
the pigs.
Add all these together, and see if your
orchard dces not compare favorably with
your other acres. But apple culture is not
so entirely discourasing. but that by judi
cious selection of varieties, soil and care,
orchards could be made profitable, com
mercially.
An intelligent farmer in Strasburw town.
ship realized five hundred dollars (actual
sale) frcm an orchard of one hundred and
fifty trees. His selections of varieties is 4
good one, but for his special market pur-
poses his profits would have been better i!
he had only had half OF perhaps one Third
as many varieties.
A good selection of fifty trees for home
use would be about rs follows, viz:
Early Harvest, 2 All Summer, I Red
Astrachan, 3 Benoni, 2 Maiden's Blush, :.
Jeifries, 9 Townsend, Hubbarlston Non.
such, 4 Smokehouse, Mellinger, Rambo
4 Baldwin, 4 Greist's winter, York I'm,
perial, 4 Smiths Cider, 4 Willow Twi:. i
Russets, Sweet.
Ii the fruit is wanted for Il genera! mar
kct during the season the list would be
better somewhat like this:
2 Early Harvest, Red Astrachan,
Bcnoni, 6 MelIinger. Maiden's Blush, 9
SmokehOusc, 6 Hubbarsiston Nons,!ch, s
Baldwin, 6 York Imperial.
Or, if the fruit is wanted for special
market, the list would admit of further
improvement, say:
10 Smokehouse, 10 Baldwin, 10 Ewalt,
10 York Imperial, 10 Smiths Cider, 10
Greist's Winter.
Many years Of observation has shown
that the foregoing varieties are reliable
and valuable. but there are many other
kinds that are equally good.
The rule by which the planter should
be governed is to plant largely OF varieties
that he knows are especially good and
profitable in his own neighborhOod.
In order to be more successful with our
future orchards, we will have to pay mere
attention to the soil and location. Our
dry southern slopes must be avoided us
much rs possible. Northern inclinations
are preferable, because they are not so
much affected by the san and dry weather.
Deep clay loans retain moisture better
than sandy s:ils, an.. therefore should
have the preference.
To grow the special list above given, it
will be of the highest Importance to have
a rich moisture, retentiye soil, Il level bot
tom or Il drained swamp, where the water
may he but few feet beneath the sur
face, but where no stagnant water re-
mains after a rainfall. or Il rather steep
northern slope of a hill.
Any one having such y situation could
hardly iail in having all orchard that
would yield far better returns than the
average crops OF the farm.
Ii these northern slopes, or moisture-re-
tanning soils, arc not available, we must
guard against the effects OF heat and
drought by c'lltivatinS and matching.
Ii all the waite: that falls in our summer
thunder showers could be made available,
our trees would want very little more.
But these fall SO fast, and often last but Il
few minutes, that the soil becomes moist
only ali inch Or two, while the bulk of the
water flows away. Some one has sug-
gcsted that Il basin be ma;le around the
tree BY banking up the earth that would
hold a hogshead or more, into which the
waste water could be turned with very
little labor. The water would soon sink
away and moistcn the earth SO deep that it
would take some time to dry out. The
suggestion IS worthy of consideration.
After the selection of = site, and ti:e
proper planting of the trees, it is important
that We give our orchard proper attention
and care. We do not attempt to raise u
crop of corn or tobacco without manurin.
and cultivating. We sometimes think it
expedient to put $50 worth of manure to
an acre for tobacco. But as the seasons
come around we look for a crop Of apples,
never thinking that the trees too want
manure and cultivation.
Ten dollars worth Of manure to the
acre in the shape Of wood ashes or SUPER
phosphate would no doubt be paying in
vestmcnt, adding not only vigor to the
tree, but also size and beauty to the fruit.
Trees are very grateful for cultivation. 1t
is astonishing what vigor, with the ail of
it will put into trees.
a plot of ground was dug and manurc,l,
md has been annually top-drcsscd for a
ew years for an experimental grape patch.
On this plot stood an old dwarf pear. over
twenty-five years old, a poor, stunted thing.
This. under the treatment, took a new
ease o! life, and is now as thrifty as a
ruit tree can be. Where it is imprac-
icable to continue cultivation, the next |
'est thing is to sow to grass and give lib
'ral treatment afterwards An annual top
lresslns OF a fertilizer, ricl, in potash and |
'hosphoric acid, to the amount
u from two to four hundred |
weight to the acre, would make a
rop of grass and keep the trees thrifty.
he first cutting of the grass could be
made into hay, while the second should be
prcad over the ground where il would act
$ mulch and as a manure. 1t has been
ecommcnded by good authority that a
op-dressins of half cart load of road
rash or earth from bitches, swamps, &C.,
Drp1G 1rnrnI n,cI, fcon -. S;,-i,I,. |