The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-12-25
MANuRINe FRulT Trees.
A Matter Requiring the Exercise of Judg-
ment in Selection and Application.


ground intended to produce corn, pota-
toes, small grain and garden vegetables
are the reverse of beneficial to fruit
trees. They have been taught that the
fertilizers in general are on farms and
productive of all sorts of diseases in
fruit trees, bushes and vines. They
attribute the presence of black knot and
fungus to the application of manure.
They believe that strictly healthy trees
are only found on land to which no
stable manure was ever applied or on
that where the stable manure has been
decomposed and taken up by quick
growing plants like corn. small grain
and clover. They accordingly plant
fruit trees on land that is too poor to
produce ordinary field crops. Some
refer to the trees in forests as afford
ing evidence that sound, vigorous trees
are produced on land that has never
been fortified arti6cialiy. They do not
take into consideration the fact that
these trees have required a century OF
more in which to attain their present
size, nor do they ask even half of that
time for fruit trees to attain size that
would enable them to produce good
crop of apples or pears.
Most haye observed that wild apple
and plum trees are of very slow growth.
They have seen some whose size has in
creased but very little for thirty or forty
years. Many of them appear to be at a
complete stand-stin.n They have also
observed that the fruit-trees in nursery
grounds make very rapid growth, and
that the ground where they stand is
highly manured, resembling in respect
to the liberal employment of fertilizers
the land occupied by neutrality-suspicious..
They have also noticed that the trees
that remained to these nurseries, for
lack of purchasers, till they were too
large to transplant were very produc-
tive, as well as vigorous. The attention
of many has been called to the Vigor,
rapid growth and great productiveness
of apple, pear, cherry and plum trees
in village gardens where large quanti-
ties of manure were annually placed on
the ground Many have also noticed
apple and pear trees of remarkable size
standing near barnyards or near the
outlets of drains leading from sinks.
These large trees are ordinarily very
productive, and their fruit is generally
very large and fair. The trees them
selves exhibit no appearance of disease.
They continue to grow, although they
were planted out many years ago and
have produced annual crops of fruit.
These observations should convince
any person that fruit trees are more
vigorous and productive when the
| ground where they stand is well sup
| piled with fertilizers such as are fur
nished land intended to produce ordi-
nary field and garden crops. Persons
who plant fruit trees desire returns from
them as soon as possible. They may
wish to have their heirs supplied with
| fruit, but they are not averse to having
! some for themselves; they are well
| aware of the fact that the principal cost
of obtaining bearing orchard consists
in the loss of land that is withdrawn
from cultivation. The sooner the trees
can be made to attain large size, and
to produce crop of fruit, the less win
be the loss from land that yields no an
nual returns. If apple, pear, plum and
cherry trees could be relied upon to pro-
,.duce crops two or three years after they
are set out, very few farmers would
hesitate about planting an orchard. 1t
| is the long delay that discourages them.
A system of treating fruit trees that
would insure their bearing at very
early age would result in greatly in
creasing the number and size of or
chards, and would make the larger
fruits very common in few years. The
| prospect of immediate gains is sure to
stimulate persons to timely exertions.
That fruit trees require large amount
of food is obvious. The tree itself takes
from the soil much material. When a
| large tree is cut down or removed the
ground where it stood is found to be in
very poor condition Its former site is
a bad place in which to plant another
tree of the same or of different species.
The ground long occupied by an orchard
under the ordinary management is gem
orally found to be in very poor condi-
ton TO produce ordinary field crops. It
must be well MANFRED or devoted to
what are known as "resting crops, y
such as clover and grass, before it will
produce good corn or small grain The
plant food taken from the soil to pro-
duce an annual crop of apples is enor-
AaOos. holASlS bIetS nave Uee1 KNOWN
to produce on an average twenty bushels
per year for a long period. It is OBJ
vious that such trees have robbed the
soil of most of its fertility for the entire
distance traversed by their roots. If nc
new nutriment is afforded, the trees
must cease to grow and stop producing
fruit. The trees can not move in search
of food as animals, birds, fishes and in
sects do. The food must be brought to
them, or they will die of starvation OF
become victims of disease.
| While it is obvious that fruit trees
INST be fed, considerable Judgment must
be exercised in the selection and appli.
cation of it. Green, unfermented stable
manure must not be employed. Stable
manure, however, if thoroughly fer.
mented, is excellent 1t is Improved
by stirring it during one entire season,
and by forking it over two or three
times. A compound formed of stable
manure, forest-leaves, muck and turi
is also excellent. Ashes and air-slacked
lime is also highly beneficial. Good re-
suits are often obtained by incorporat.
ing these fertilizers with the soil bv
! means 0f tha emo l1ino, fork VIA, ~, Z.