The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-04-01
Ghe 6armer.
Planting Fruit Trees.


At the late annual meeting of the New
York Horticultural Society, held at Ro-
chester, a paper was read by j. S. Wood
ward, of Lockport, entitled "Facts and
Fallacies of Fruit Growing from which
we make an extract, as it is found in Ech's
Magazine. Its suggestions are reasonable
and worthy Of attention and remembrance:
No fallacy is more commonly believed
than that any soil is good enough for apple
growing. The fact is that no land is too
good, and no location too desirable for ap-
pies, and if we can't afford the best soil for
them, We had much better not plant at all.
1t is fallacy in a market orchard to
plant too many varieties.
1t is fallacy in the selection of trees
to give more attention to the development
of body and top than to the root and collar.
1t is popular fallacy that trees may be
planted almost any way, so that they are
got into the ground in comparatively
straight rows. know one instance when
three men dug the holes and planted twelve
hundred trees in two days; in some places
they used a nine-inch post-auger to make
the hole, and though through the aid of a
very wet summer most Of those trees lived,
they have never made satisfactory orchard.
The land should be wen prepared, and the
holes dug not less than one foot further
across than the longest roots extend, and
deep enough to receive the tree to the depth
il stood in the nursery, and the soil below
should be well loosened. The planter
should place the tree in position, taking
care that the rows be straight both ways;
he shoald then, by hand, carefully straight
en- each root, and see that the rich surface
soil fills all spaces between them. With the
same care should the entire hole be filed
and the soil carefully packed around the
roots and body More than half the sub
sequent growth and vigOr of the tree de-
pends upon careful planting.
Another and very pernicious fallaey is
the notion that trees should be planted
close; that the more trees to the acre the
greater the profit. Thirty-six feet, and if
the soil Is especially adapted to orcharding
forty feet is none too far apart. We not
only want the sun to shine on all parts of
the tree, but we want its beneficial influence
on the soil as well; there is nothing so good
TO kin the germs Of disease and to sweeten
the soil and enable it to support the tree as
sunlight
A grave fallacy is the belief that or
chards should be pruned only at intervals
Of several years, and that any novice, how
ever green, can be trusted with the prun-
ing-knife and saw. An apple tree should
be regularly and systematically pruned each
year from the planting, and just enough TO
keep an open and symmetrical head, and 50
that at no time shall it be necessary to re-
move any large limbs
The greatest Of all fallacies is this, that
after having cropped the orchard from
planting TO full maturity, we may then APP
ply all the manure to other parts Of the
farm, and leave the orchard with only the
decayed leaves and weeds to maintain its
fertility.
The quantity Of manure that may be
prORtably used on an orchard in fun bear
ing is hard 10 determined | have never
seen an instance where Thought too much
was used; insiead Of piing i about the
trees, general application Of the whole
surface under the trees Is better.