The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-06

Correspondence COUNTRY Gentleman.
Referring to the contribution of a correspond
ent in late issue, describing the healthy CON
dition of the fruit trees in Tolono. H., and tho
country east from that place to Danville, ILL.,,
thirty six miles as being more than half under
water where he passed over am able to report
from personal inspection made within the month,
that the Oldest, largest most healthy and fruit
full apple trees there are to be found in the low
est portions. Only n mile or two east OF Tolono
and within pistol-shot distance of the Wabash
railroad. piece of low, fiat prairie land, is
small orchard where found water had stood
between the trees until vegetation had been
drowned and rotted, and still the trees. fifty Of
which were FaAeuse, were very heavily laden
with fair, large fruit had made good wood
growth, and bore full and healthy foliage. Ten
miles further east, on the side of the salt
fork of the Nernilon, [ found old
orchards planted thirty and sixty years ago The
trees were large and aged, but healthy and laden
with fruit, and rivaled in size and grandeur the
gigantic and venerable burr oaks, black wanutS
blue ashes, water elms, hackberries, bitter nut
hickories, and other trees common to deep, rich
and moist soils, their near neighbors and com
panions for years. 1t occurred to me II forest
trees of the number and variety named a por-
ton of which furnish the most valuable timber
make so large and healthy development on land
always moist, and half the year with their roots
under water. il would not be strange If apple
trees were suited to the same soil and water con
ditions. At any rate, l found the largest
healthiest and most fruitful trees were in every
case situated in a depression which gave their
roots more than an average share OF the over
flow and rainfall.
But in these portions of Campaign and Yer
million counties, as we'll as others visited at
other times, the small or large orchards, crown
ing the elevations near or remote from the farm
houses, where in a large majority of cases in
unhealthy and barren state, the trees having
sparse unhealthy foliage OF so nearly deprived
of it, as 10 suggest the epithet of ''bad-headed.'
Mr.. Whitney. the well known orchards; u Franz
lin Grove, ILL.,, was partly right and partly
wrong when he said, as reported by contempt
rary, "Unless the farmers of the West com
mence to plant orchards of varieties Of apples
which have proved hardy and reliable, it will not be
long before we shall experience an apple famine
in this country In this he is right, so far as
the decay and death of the average orchard is
concerned but wrong in respect to the question
of varieties and location, for [ show him
Baldwins and other supposed tender varieties
aged from twenty five to thirty years, with
spread of more than two rods of limb on each
side, healthy, vigorous and bending under enor-
nous loads of fair fruit, but in every case, with
their feet in the mud, just as sure as their heads
or top are in the sky The Baldwin tree, bear
ing the best of all apples seems to do best where
such noble timber trees as the blue ash, the burr
oak and black walnuts thrive very naturally, too
for birds of feather flock together whether
the feathers are worth their weight in gold or
lead.