The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1883-03-29
Planting Apple Orchards.

So much attention has of late years been Civ
en- To the delicate fruits, such pears, grapes,
etc, that the planting of apple orchards has in
some places been placed in the background. APP
pie trees arc more easy to raise aud more rapid
of growth aud yield more abundantly than pear
trees; they less liable to blight. and compar-
atiyely little skill is required in selecting them
and packing them for market In other words.
they are better adapted TO large wholesale bus
mess. They require less cultivation, pruning.
pinching, thinning and training than grapes.
The large landowner may therefore safely plant
extensive orchards. For the past fifty years,
Notwithstanding the great number of orchards
that have come into bearing, the price of apples
has not fallen; and with the present rapid in
crease of city population, and of consumers gen.
orally, it is not probable that the market will be
overstocked except in abundant years, and even
then the best cultivatOrs and the best packers
who have attained a reputation, will sell readi-
ly all they have. Orchards generally have been
too much neglected; they have often been plant
ed on hillsides, stony lots, and other places
where they cannot be properly cultivated, and
n large number of those planted on good level
land have been entirely neglected; as n conse-
quence, they have grown feebly, and produce
small crops with much imperfect and knotty
fruit. IL cultivated when young, receiving half
the attention that farmers generally give their
corn fields, the quantity and quality would
both be improved and the profits greatly aug
mented. By selecting the most productive of
the good standard varieties each tree will GER
tainly yield an average of ten to fifteen bushels
at moderate estimate, and under good treat
ment twenty, thirty. and even forty bushels TO
each tree not unusual in favorable seasons.
Forty trees will occupy acre, and ten bushels
from each will be 100 bushels per acre A TWEEN
ty-ive acre orchard will at this rate afford 10,
900 bushels-which at only fifty cents per bush
ell, the average price (at this time il is twice
that, will be S50O0-raised with oue-half the
labor that would he expended on a correspond
ing field of corn, for the only expense would be
a moderate cultivation and gathering the crop.
To plant these - would require 900
trees. By going to the nursery they can be
procured for from ten Ia fifteen dollars per 100 and
guaranteed true TO name. and of best class. To
plant these % acres il Will cost to hire all the
labor, say about seventy five dollars at the us
ual wages III the country. The cultivation of
the orchard for several years might he accnm-
panied with crops of potatoes, beans and corn,
and colud thus detract for the time bnt very Iit-
tie from the value of the land, until the ncreas-
ing crops of fruit would afford better return
So long all mankind fond of good fruit.
they will supply themselves if they can at mad
crate prices; the market. Therefore. will never
cease; but if il should, the crop will be EN-
inently valuable to the farmer; 400 bushels of
apples per acre without planting hoeng are
better for feeding domestic animals than ij0
bushels of potatoes or ~ bushels of corn re-
quirug every year planting aud hoeing. Larg.
barn cellars may be nade for storing apples in
quantity, and the surplus above what Is >nld
made into cider or vinegar, fed during The
fall or winter TO cattle and horses.