Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-10-26
ERlI Work in the Orchard.



During these chilly nights many far
draws n sigh Of relief rs he thinks: GAP
pies will soon be picked, and then the or
charl is done fOr Ibis year no more in
sects nor need Of watchfulness.
When warm days come next spring,
and the snow is melted by the smile of
the north h-marchiug sun, the same farmers
wander into the orchard full of hope for
the seasons harvest. Their faces length
gnawed by rabbits, there one broken and
wrecked by ice, another girlled by mice,
and half n dozen black, scorched and, APP
parcntly, dead Such Il farmer then ra-
asserts, as he has many springs before,
that the fatcs are against him, and that,
be as careful and watchful rs you may,
the enemies of the farmer will triumph.
And no doubt many more springs will
come before he learns that due precau-
tions exercised in the fall will avert much
of the mischief of winter
He should know that rabbits delight in
brush piles, and in rubbishy, long ne
elected fence-rows that mice harbor in
similar places, and in leaf-iiIled burrows,
and in the tall grass bent under the shell
ttTluS suON. L HIS liucll ltdrutAi, lc Will
see that all rubbish is removed from the
orchard. This can be the work OF the
cheerless days after the crops are har
vested and one hardly knows what to do
ms nature fingers between Autumn and
Winter. Especial care should be exer-
cised that the bases of the trees are not
surrounded by grass, chunks of wood.
stones or shocks of corn-fodder The
81. L.
wagon, hay-rake and broad tined fork, he
should clean out the hollow places and
the fence-rows where the leaves and
grasses have been left by the winds.
These materials, put upon the compost
heap, or in large piles where they may
be kept moist, will make the very finest
OF manurcs. Leafmould is muck, and
muck is wealth.
So much done, prccaution should be
taken to avert the mischief which may be
wrought by the weather itself. The
crown of the roots where they lose them
selves in the trunk should not be ex-
posed. A neat little heap Of earth, n few
inches high above the base of the tree, is
an admirable protection. Be especially
careful that no surface whterremains over
Winter Inspect the outlets of drains,
| anu II AtCtshilll give bullucc tIuiuluS'
If the orchard is exposed to sweeping
winds, and your locality is northern, it
will be desirable to provide traps for tn
snow that it may shelter the trees. Many
put low, cheap, light, movable fences
through the orchard at intervals at right
angles to the prevailing winds. A cheap
and easy method is to drive three or -four
stakes about each exposed tree at dis
tance Of two or three feet from the trunk,
and to nail strips of boards on them. Ii
corn has been raised in the orchard an1
it has been cut high, the stub5le will often
hold the snow but care must be exer-
clsed that loose fodder and husks do moi
lie about the trees. All this done the
grower should stroll through the orchard
ON the lookout for. weak crotches ant
split or cracked limbs, which are apt tC
occur ON heavily bearing trees. A spill
in n crotch is proof enough that mischie
will be done by ice before Spring. Sucl
limbs should be removed or securely tiet
up.
How TO Pack Apples In barrels.
As a rule all apples raised in New Eng
land are put into -four barrels and no
into barrels made expressly for apples
Cnre should be taken in the selection o
barrels to get those which are good an,
well hoped, with ms perfect heads as pos
sible. Before apples are put into them
the nails inside the barrels should b
knocked down or broken oil with ham
mer or hatchet. This prevents the scar
ring OF the fruit and its early rotting