The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-10-18
Apple and Other Trees on Wet Land.

Referring to the contribution of q
correspondent in a late issue, describ-
ing the healthy condition of the fruit
trees at Tolono, H., and the country
east from that place to Danville, H.,
thirty-siX miles, as being more than
half under water where he passed over,
| am able to report from personal in
spection made within the month, that
the oldest, largest, most healthy and
fruitful apple trees there are to be
found in the lowest portions. Only a
mile or two east of TolonO, and within
pistol shot distance of the Wabash rail
road, on Il piece of low, flat prairie
land, is a small orchard where | found
water had stood between the trees until
the vegetation had been drowned and
rotted, aud still the trees 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 east side of the salt fork of
the Fermillion, l found old orchards
planted thirty and sixty years ago.
The trees were large and aged, but
healthy and laden with fruit, and
rivalled in size and grandeur the
gigantic and venerable burr oaks,
black walnuts, blue ashes, water elms,
hackberries, bitter-nut hickories, and
other trees common to deep, rich and
moist soils, their near neighbors and
companions for years. 1t occurred to
me if forest trees of the number and
variety named, a portion 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, it would
not be strange if apple trees were suited
to the same soil and water conditions.
At any rate, found the largest, health
lest and most fruitful trees, were in
every case situated in q depression
which gave their roots more than an
average share of theoverhow and rain
fall
But in these portions of Champaign
and Nermillion counties, as well as
others visited at other times, the small
or large orchards browning the eleva-
tons near or remote from the farm
he lses, were in a large majority of
cases in an unhealthy and barren state,
the trees having a sparse, unhealthy
foliage, or so nearly deprived of
it, as to suggest the epithet of
"bald headed" Indeed, half the
orchards in the black soil counties of
Illinois are in a condition we'll de-
scribed as ''bald headed" Mr.. Whit
neY, the well-known orchardist of
Franklin Grove, Ill, was partly right
and partly wrong, when he said, as re-
ported by contemporary: "Unless tho
farrhers Of the.West commence 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 be is right, so far as the decay and
death of the average orchard is con-
;erned, but wrong in respect to the
question of varieties and location, for
can show him Baldwins and other
supposed tender varieties, aged from
twenty-five to thirty wears, with spread
t more than two rods of limb on each
side, healthy, vigorous and bending I'M
Ter enormous loads of fair fruit, but in
Every case, with their feet in the mud,
uSt as sure as their heads or top are in
he sky. The Baldwin tree, bearing
tho best of all apples, seems to do best
where such noble timber trees, as the
blue ash, the burr oak and blackwell
nuts thrive, very naturally, too, for
birds of afeather flock togetherwhether
he feathers are worth their weight in
!old or lead. L. Country Gentleman.