The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-02-29
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Unhealthy Orchards.

! the following extracts: "When fruit
trees are found in cankered and moss
covered condition the reason generally as
signed is, that the trees have passed their
prime and are decaying from age; or if
this theory be contradicted by the known
age of the trees, then that their roots
have worked down to a cold, dead soil
| that can afford them no proper nourish-
ment. Neither of these reasons affords
satisfactory explanation, for the great ma
| jority of trees said to be past their prime
are capable of renovation, and it is well
known to every close observer of nature
that the instinct of elf-preservation, if
we may be allowed the expression, is
quite as strong in plants as in animals.
The roots of plants search out and find
the soil that suits them as skilfully as the
ferret follows the rat and the American
trapper his game. OF course there are
soils so thin skinned that they afford
no sufficient nourishment for fruit trees.
but with trees planted in ordinary good
orchard land it is not the roots that are
at fault, but the bark. No amount of
nourishment supplied to the roots will
serve to renovate our decayed fruit trees
without some specific remedyapplied to the
bark. When the bark has been allowed to
get into an unhealthy state it fails to sup
ply to the head of the tree what is neces-
sary for growth and fruit bearing. Moss,
lichens and other parasites that feed upon
the stems and branches consume for their
own support the sap as it rises, and in
this way deprive all other parts of vi
tality. This does not occur all at once;
for some few years, perhaps, feeble
shoots are sent out along the stems and
at the extremities Of the branches, but
these seldom survive a second season, for
no sap is forthcoming to support them.
While the head of a tree is thus gradu-
ally dying, the roots may continue in a
perfectly healthy state and perform their
proper functions. Let the trial be made
with some few trees in the condition de
scribed, and | venture to affirm that with
most of them the roots will be found
healthy. We can no more expect to find
tree healthy and capable of bearing
good fruit whose bark is infested with
parasites than we can expect to find
human being healthy with skin foul
from leprosy. Trees left to themselves,
with their barks preyed upon by MOSES,
lichens and the innumerable insect
blights that feed upon vegetable juices,
will sooner or later die after living un-
healthy lives. Having stated the wrongs
of our orchards it now remains to point out
the remedy. This is found in petroleum. or
rather that preparation of the natural oil
so called which is known in commerce
under the name of paraffin-the oil now
so commonly used in our domestic lamps
for it is with this particular oil that
my experiments on fruit trees have been
made. have never tried crude petro-
leum, and therefore cannot say whether
1t would serve the purpose as well, but
with regard to parafin have no hesitl-
ton in affirming that it can be used with
the most beneficial results. | have tried
1t upon apples, pears and plums-all the
ordinary orchard trees except cherries
some of the trees dressed were so foul
with moss and lichens and bore such
manifest marks of decay that they seemed
fit for nothing but to be cut down for
firewood. Such marvellous results have
come under my own eyes from the appli-
cation of paraffin to the bark of fruit
trees that | cannot withhold from Others
the benefit of my experience. 1t should
be stated that the discovery of this in
valuable property in paratfin was purely
accidental. About five years ago an old
apple, as usual, was infested with the
American blight, as it is popularity called,
Eriosoma. The ladybird, which is the
natural enemy of this particular blight,
had not appeared for long time, and
the blight was on the increase. The tree
appeared gradually dying and from its
situation / was reluctant to cut it
down. On former occasions |
had recourse TO the ordinary
remedy-the common oil brush but not
having common lamp oil at hand, it oc-
Cured to me to try whether paraffin
would have the same effect 1t was GER
tainly not without some misgivings rs to
the injury that might occur from the use
of so powerful and penetrating an ingre-
dent that Iapplicd this sort of oil. How
ever, the tree was in eytremis; it could
not from appearances last very long, and
the experiment was | considered, worth
the risk with this particular blight, which
was showing itself almost in every crevice,
and for which the other sort of oil was,
at the best but "a doubtful remedy.
About pint of parafiin was put into "A
wide-necked bottle, and, with house
painters brush, the tree received full
dressing wherever the least blight was
observed. From the ease with which the
oil flowed from the brush and the extent
of tie blight, had not finished the dress
inc before the entire surface of the bark
of the trunk and the main branches Of
the tree had been more or less brought
under the influence of the paraffin. An
traces of American blight were obliter-
ated by the process and in very few
days the moss and large patches of
lichens, which were thickly spread in
all directions. turned black and died.
This dressing was given, as far as re-
member, about the end of the summer of
1879. 1t passed from memory until early
the following spring, when it occurred to
me to examine the tree and ascertain
whether or not any injury had been done.
found the outer bark somewhat dis
colored, and perhaps little
more crisp or brittle than
usual, but the inner tissues