Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-03-30

straw and potato tops.
Now for the result: | had never gather
ed from these trees more than six bushels
of apples in any one year, and those we're
of inferior quality The trees soon COM
menced to grow. the foliage turning dark
green, while before il was " sicklied DER
with the pale hue Of DEATH" and the fruit
increased rapidly both in quality and
quantity. will now give amount gather
ed in three years ending with 1879: Tree
No. |. Tolman Sweet. in II yielded 10 l-2
bushels; rs, 6 bushels; 70, 8 bushels
tree No 2, variety, winter, keeping per-
feet until Nav. yielded in ", IA bushels ;
in '78. bushels and in 70. IL bushels.
From tree No. 5, Golden Russell, pick
ed in II bushels; in 70 A bushels, and
in '79, bushels, making in all rs l-2
bushels in three years from those three
trees.
Now the point wish to make in regard
TO these old trees is this If the tree is not
too far gone (Which must be determined
by the Owner), it can be most wonderfully
improved by a liberal application OF
manure and constant and thorough taking
care of.
know that our fathers and grandfathers
planted large orchards on the hill sides Of
Vermont, and gathered from them without
any apparent effort thousands of bushels
of apples, but they had the advantage of a
primeval soil rich with the leaf mold OF
centuries; their orchards surrounded by
forests, and rain fall of which we are
deprived.
Seven years ago this spring purchased
of one of nv neighbors forty apple trees
three years old from the stub and
grown upon his farm. Previous to this |
had selected piece of land sloping to the
southeast, and somewhat protected from
the wind by my buildings; had cultivated
it with hoed crops for two years. and
fenced it. | now dug the holes twenty
feet apart each way, leaving the bottom of
the hole mellow and friable. then
trimmed the roots of the trees with a
sharp knife, cutting on the under side with
Il slant toward the end of the root. This
last | consider very important. as without
it there will be dead stub left on the end
of the root, when if the trees are trimmed
in this manner. small. fbrous roots will
Immediately put out around the edge of
the cut.
then thoroughly wet the roots and pro-
ceeded to set the trees, taking great care
to have no space under or around the roots
not covered and closely packed with dirt !;
filled up the hole, treading the dirt firmly
around the tree. then spread at least \
large wheel barrow full of manure around
each tree, taking care that the manure did
not come in contact with the body of the
tree, and thoroughly worked il into the
soil with manure fork.
| washed these trees three times during
the first year with a strong decoction of
We soap and water, and have continued
the washing process and the manuring
each year until the present time. | have
also been very careful to keep them free
from all kinds of worms and caterpilars.
In the month of June each year, have
trimmed the trees more or less rs they
seemed to require, taking pains TO give
the top of the tree the shape of an inverted
umbrella. This process of trimming from
the inside, and allowing the outside
branches to grow admits the light and air
into the body of the tree. Whenever
have trimmed with saw | have always
smoothed the cut with a sharp knife and
covered it Immediately with grating wax.
1t is always my practice to bury dead
calves. pigs, cats and hens around the roots
of my apple trees.
These forty trees all lived until the
second winter, when during the thaws of
early spring the ice settled about the trees,
causing the bark to hurst from them in
narrow strips. Six died from this cause,
and tho har Iiol ho
depredations of mice. To guard against
these two evils. the next fall, Just before
the ground froze. | formed a cone of dirt
about six inches high around the base of
each tree to carry off the water. also
bandaged each tree with common tar
paper, such as is used for sheathng pur
poses, rs a protection from the mice. I
have followed this plan each year, and
have had no trouble from bu sting bark or
mice
A caution is needed about the use of
tar paper. Three years ago drew the
paper tightly around some of the trees
and left it on until May The sun by this
time shone hot in the middle of the day,
and the rays being attracted by the tar
paper scorched the bark of the trees 80
that on the south side the bark was black
and almost dead. at once shaved off the
black surface bark, applied green COW
manure to the injured parts and bandagod
it on with strips of cloth. This is always
my remedy in case of any injury to the
bark. By tying the paper loosely and re-
moving it early have as yet experienced
no more trouble.
Another difficulty had to contend with
was the small green louise at the extreme
end of the limbs. paid no attention to
this trouble until three years ago noticed
that one of my Hampshire Sweets was
turning black and looking very badly
soon found that nearly every leaf and all
of the young limbs were entirely covered
with this louise. The tree had stopped
growing, and looked as though it was
struck with death. When the branches
and leaves were thoroughly wet, l threw
dry wood ashes up through the boughs
from the underside, as the louise is on the
bottom of the leaf, and this entirely
destroyed the insect, and the tree in few
weeks regained its former vigor.
| NEGLECTED to say that have cultivated
my orchard with hoed crops until the last
year, when | stocked between the rows.
but not under the trees. shall continue
the practice of hoeing around the trees
and enriching them.
will now give statement of the liv-
ing trees: Hampshir. Sweet, 7; Golden
Russell, 3; Founding, 8; Hubbardston
Nonesuch, 3; Tolman Sweet, 6; Fanieuse,
6. | have began TO reap the reward of my
labors. In the fall Of '78 I picked from
the Fameuse 1-2 bushel of very fine
apples, and from one Tolman Sweet
bushel. the other trees of this variety not
bearing. In 10 gathered from the Fa-
meuses II bushels, from the Tolman
Sweets, bushels. from the Hubbardston
Nonesuch, 10 bushel and from the Found.
| lings, IL bushels. These apples we're
nearly all large and of superior quality.
Five years ago set out twenty-five more
trees around my buildings and in the gar
den. Ten of these trees being "Tetofskvs."
This last named variety began to bear the
second year after being set, and some of
them have borne every year since. have
treated this orchard as near like the others
as possible. and the trees have all lived,
and are looking very healthy and vigorous.
Three years ago this spring set out an
other orchard of seventy trees on new land,