Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-11-09
Preparing the Soil for an Orchard.

Many people do not think that an
orchard needs any special care. They
10 not grow fruit as they grow other
crops, for which they carefully prepare
the soil and carefully cultivate for the
purpose of making the crop better and
more abundant. The orchard, in too
many instances, is set out without care
and never has any are-zafterward. 1t
IS true that an apple orchard will often
10 well even under such neglect, but
care in the preparation of the soil and
good care afterward will pay line per
cent. of profit for all the time and labor
that is expended. The subject of drain.
age will be the very first to present it,
self in the consideration of site for ar
orchard. Everybody knows that wet
land will not answer; and nobody would
select a low wet field for an orchard
site. Many times, however, portion
OF a field which elsewhere is all right
for an orchard, is too wet for trees, ano
it is folly to plant trees on that portion
unless it is drained. 1t is of no use tc
think that, perhaps, they will amount
to something, even if they are not as
good as the balance. of the field will pro.
duce. Either drain or do not plant the
trees; and whenever drainage is at
tempted for an orchard, or for other
purposes. it should be thorough and
systematic. No fruit grower should be
content with surface drainage. Under
draining is expensive, and much more
so than it ought to be, but as we have
said so many times. it will pay to under.
drain. On our level iprairies we car
hope for success in apple culture only
by thoroughly draining In many por.
lions OF the West, as we all Know. the
soil is often too wet to- grow anything
Millions of dollars are lost every veaf
because drainage has not vet been as
.extens.Vely adopted as its merits woulS
Having selected the site with q view
to dryness, put the SOL in good condi.
.tion. remembering that when the soil il
not too thin, it may pc plowed deer
With good results. The orchard shoule.
never be set on uncultivated land; and
that 80 many orchards have done rea.
sonably well by setting the trees in Z,
space dug in n pasture, is no argumefii
that this is the way to set trees. Thor
,oughly cultivate the son, and when II
loan DO done just as well as not, cult.
vate It deeply, as we said before, al.
though we do not attach 50 much i'm.
portence 1Qtyench blowing or subsoii
ihg as some do. The roots will pene.s
nate anyhow. and will at least in
measure prepare the soil for the use OF
the tree. II there Is in the ground ir
available. shape what the tree wants, the
roots will find it, ~
Whetheror not to apply manures viii.
depend upon the condition of the soil.
and no inhexible rule can be laid down.
Il must aforementioned that trees are
great feeders. If the soil is worn outs
lime with clover as a green manure, will
prove very valuable? II on such soils.
from twenty-five to fifty bushels Of
Stacked lime are applied 90 the clover.
It will both improve the clover, and act
Directly upon the soil itself. No one
thing will do as much to prepare a field
Of comparatively poor land foran or.
chard as clover. 1tsroots penetrate deer
into the earth, and disintegrate the son
besides drawing up a. vast amount OF
hidden treasure. Wood ashes will be
found valuable either when the soil. il
being prepared or afterward Besides
these, composts and stable manures are
valuable at least in bringing un soils
that are comparatively poor. II there
IS a necessity for planting such soil i'm
mediately, thoroughly decomposed com,
post, mixed with the soil. should be an.
piled about the trees, but the entire sur.
face of the field will also have to be
MANFRED afterwarfi several times. Fresh
stable manure should never be placed
about the young trees.
Now we come to digging the holes for
the trees. If the ground is well pre.
pared, as we have indicated, the holes
need not be very large either in width
or depth. Some lay great stress .upon
wide and deep holes. but such holes are
Q matter of great expense, and when
they are not needed, the expense should
not be incurred If the field is in grass
the holes should be wide, about as wide
IS the field. We think. And where :
few trees are TO be set in grass, why Of
course. -mAka the-- holes large The,
holes prepared, take the tree, and care
mlly examine the roots, cutting away
mats of fibers and any roots that nre
bruised or ragged Now set them ont
spreading out the roots carefully. and
packing the soil about them iirmIy.
Then cultivate for several years.-West
erB RHrak. II