Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1882-04-13

have sufficient encouragement to enable
them to get the new habit thoroughly
formed they will have no disposition to
return to the old. but will continue to
produce crops as regularly in the odd
wears as they had heretofore done in the
even ones
To undertake to change the bearing
wear of an old orchard is something of
3 task. but not so great a task but that
il would pay in the long run. With an
old orchard the first thing TO be done is
to remove the blossoms or small fruit.
\ liberal dressing OF manure should be
applied to the ground to induce vigor-
Gus growth, and il would be all the bet
ter if applied the fall before as the late
fall and early spring rains will assist in
carrying the fertilizing matter down to
the roots. If applied late in the
spring it will be of but little use the first
year. Different varieties will require
different treatment, or rather varieties
that are not very profuse bearers Will
require more vigorous and thorough
treatment than those that are. For in
stance. the Famuse or snow apple is a
very profuse bearer, and if the blossoms
are removed the coming spring, the
tree well pruned and manure applied
early so as to get the benefit of the
spring rains, il will be very certain TO
bear "A fair crop the next year, and very
probably full crop. But treatment
Tor single year will not be likely to
fully established the habit. If the few
blossoms that appear the following year
are removed, it will be likely to get the
bearing habit so thoroughly established
that ii will be likely 10 continue without
further care. With varieties that are
not so profuse in their bearing habit it
is frequently necessary to resort
to more heroic treatment. With
such trees, after removing the
blossoms or small fruit, some time
between the middle of June and the 10th
of July, if the tree is growing vigorous
~ Out not otherwise), a cut should be
made entirely around each of The limbs
cutting entirely through the bark. A
second cut should be made about n quar-
ter of an inch from the first and the in
tervening section of bark carefully re-
moved. A new bark will be formed in
n short time but the downward flow of
the sap will be arrested and the forma-
ton of fruit buds SO encouraged that
trees so treated will be very certain to
be covered with bloom the following
spring. To confirm the habit it may be
necessary to repeat the treatment. With
old orchards, containing large trees, few
farmers will want to spend the time
necessary TO effect the change, but with
Young trees it is but little trouble to re-
move the blossoms, and by giving them
the treatment above described for few
years thoroughly establish the bearing
habit in the odd years, and thus double
the value of their returns. If the ring of
bark is properly removed no harm will
be done to the trees, even if repeated in
alternate years for long time. 1t is =
fact that the bark can be removed from
the center body of a thrifty apple tree
during the latter part of June or fore
part of July without any injury to the
tree. By taking one-half or any part of
the top ola tree and giving it the above
described treatment, the part so treated
will have its bearing changed and the
tree made to produce a crop of apples
on one or the other part each year
Cor. Springfield (Nass.J Republican.
Tho - I'll