The Russellville Democrat., 1882-11-30
The Good Care ot the orchard.


 The Good Care of the Orchard.
 A New York apple grower, writ ing to the Farm Journal, says:
 After apple trees come to bear ing. ] lase lound it best to keep in grass and clover about four years out Of five, and pasture with sheep. My mode of treatment is this: My young apple orchards arc kept in hoed crops, and manurea enough to keep the soil in good condition until they have been set about twelve years; at luis age, if they have been well taken care of, and are on suita. ble soil, will bear about one barrel per tree.
 Then give thorough summer fallow, and seed 1t in the fall with winter rye and timothy. Sow clover also the following spring, and turn sheep into pasture when the rye is a foot and a half high. The rye will keep growing up again, as the sheep feed it of, so it will make an ample protection for the young grass. Enough sheep should be kept to eat every apple as soon as it falls. This is the very best way to get rid of the worms, as they are in the apple when 1t first drops, and if eaten up imme- diately, or before they leave the fruit, of course it makes an end of them. The sheep should be taken out just before apple picking in the fall, and keep out until all the good fruit has been secured. Pasture the orchard in thls way for four or five years, depending on the growth the trees are making. The object in blowing is to keep the trees in prop CT growing condition. Six inches is ample growth for the limbs of bearing trees to make per year.
 The fourth or fifth year blow and follow as before and seed with rye and grass again, but pasture also with enough sheep to consume all drop ping fruit. A moderate amount of manure should be applied in the fall, every other year, and spread over the entire surface covered by top, and not piled around the trunk of the tree as many do. The sheep pastunng IS very important, as it is the best way to destroy the greatest enemy the apple growers encounter, tue worms of the coddling moth. Pruning may be done in the winter when the trees are not frozen, or at any time previous to blooming. Ev- cry limb that points inward, and those that touch or cross others should be removed; and where two limbs form very acute angle, one should be cut out, as they are liable to split when loaded with fruit. Prunc so as to form erect and open tops, that sun and air may have free access.
 1 do not consider it advantageous to scrape the bodies and wash with I've or whitewash as some recon mend. This removes a part of the protection that nature designed for the tree, and the sun is liable to scald the trunk To prevent sheep from gnawing the bark, use the fol lowing: Make strong soap suds add one-fourth pound of whale oil soap to every eight pounds O. suds, and into this mixture stir all the sheep droppings it will dissolve till of the cousisIe nee of thick white wash. Apply with hrush or old broom as often as 1t may become washed od. Sheep are much better than hogs for an orchard, as they are more active to pick up every ap- pie as soon as it drops, and it is more practicable to keep them Tn sufficient numbers to affect the desired object. The writer has over fifty acres of bearing orchard and knows from ex perience that any owner of an or chard who will faithfully carry out the directions given above will be many dollars ahead thereby every year.