The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1884-07-10
ORCHARDS AND FRUITS.
The Culture Of the Apple in Giles
County.

Ine Ou4tuGs oI Inc APP4s II S4lsi
County.
The following paper is the report
of the committee of the Giles Coun
ty Farmers Association:
The apple will always remain
king of fruits for this climate
should be most extensively planted
and can be made profitable if the
proper soil and location is chosen
suitable varieties selected, good
cultivation given and protection
from stock, rabbits, &c, afforded
SELECTION OF SOIL AND LOCATION.
We think the best class of high
ridge land in this county, freshly
cleared from the forest, or such
lands not exhausted by improper
cultivation, the best location for
apple orchards, especially for the
winter varieties; next best is our
good hillside land and we think
a northern, eastern exposure
preferable to a western. These
high ridge and hill sides in this
county are generally gravelly which
insures good drainage--a necessity
for growing the apple successfully.
There are some sheltered valleys
where the soil is gravelly and well
drained that are very suitable for
the apple. We think growth of
forest trees to the north and west
of the orchard as a protection from
high winds and cold blast very de-
sirable. Soil not rich enough nat
urally or exhausted, by improper
cultivation should be well manured
and deeply plowed before set to the
apple.
SELECTION OF VARIETIES.
For summer we recommend the
Early Harvest, Red June, Red As
trachan, Summer Queen, Summer
Red and Golden Sweet. The Early
Harvest is perhaps the best early
market variety we have, specially
for shipping north. We have a
good many summer and fall apples
that bear well and are desirable
and we would here state that we
have never seen finer summer and
fall apples anywhere than we grow
here ia Giles county. Fall Queen,
Fall Cheese, Seek no Further, Ken
lucky Wonder, Zone of the best for
drying) and Carter are all good
fall varieties. Roxburg Russet, at
the north one of the best winter ap-
piles, as grown here is a splendid
fall apple. For late fall and early
winter, the Lady Finger, Kinnard
Wine and Wine Sap or as some
call it the Black Twig. For win
ter varieties, especially for very
late keepers, we find lt-more diff
cult to select such as will generally
prove profitable and give satisfac-
tion. Many of the old kinds, such
as Timber Twig, Rawle's Janet or
never fail, Turner's Green and
Penn Cider, are not generally ma
turing their fruit we'll and with |
some of them both tree and fruit |
are unhealthy. The Ben Davis is
perhaps the most desirable early
winter we have-a large snowy va
riety-trees very healthy and regu-
lar annual bearers. This is one of |
the best market varieties and ought |
to be very extensively planted |
The Winter Green, or called by |
some Winter Seeding, is said to be !
a Seeding originating in this coun-
ty-trees are fine growers and |
bear well. This variety was very
much admired at a horticultural |
show in Nashville in the fall of
1882. The Spitzenburg is a good |
winter variety if planted on high /
lands. For late keepers we rec
ommend the Shockly, Lever, Yates
and Smoky Twig. For cider, Halls
Seeding and Hew's Crab. We
need more very late keeping ap-
pies to select from and every one
in fruit culture should
be on the lookout for chance seed
lings found growing in our county
and ;some variety may be found
more profitable to US as late keep
ers than any now on the lists.
PLANTING AND CULTIvATING.
We think it best to set apple
trees at one year old from bud or
graft. If well grown they should
be about five feet high 1t
is very little trouble to take up all
the roots and when they are taken
up they should be set in the or
chard Immediately if practicable
and with as little exposure of the
roots to the sun or drying winds as
possible. We prefere the early
spring for planting. The ground
should have been well broken with
a two :horse plow and better if a
subsoil plow was run after the
turning plow before commencing to
plant. Check off each way with
a plow if on level land from % to
30 feet. If on a hill side, lay off the
rows as nearly level as possible and
from % to 80 feet apart, according
TO strength of soil and variety of
apples planted. Upright growing
sorts, such as Shockly and Lady
Finger, can be planted closer than
videspreading trees, such as Pen
mock, Golden Sweet and others.
One year old trees can be set out
very rapidly with the ground thus
broken and laid off. Two hands
one to dig the holes at the crossing
If the burrows in the checked
ground and the other to prepare and
place the trees in the holes and ,
Keeps them straight and upright
while the one that digs the holes
With long handle shovel will Gov
n the roots with fine soil, the one
holding the trees setting the soil ;
With the feet after the filling.
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