Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-07-19

one to dig the holes at the crossing
of the burrows in the checked ground
and the other to prepare and place
the trees in the holes and keep them
straight and upright while the one that
digs the holes with long handle shovel
will cover the roets with fine soil, the
one holding the trees setting the soil
with the feet after the filling. Trees
should be set but little deeper than
they are at the nursery. We cut them
back to about three feet when planting
out. If trees are over one year old the
whole top should be shortened back
to two or three buds to each limb.
On hillsides where the rows are laid
off but one way, which we think is
best, measure with suitable pole SO as
to have the trees from Is to 80 feet
apart, the one holding the trees
being careful to have them in line one
way along the furrow. The land
should be cultivated in plowed and
hoed crops for several years after plant
ing out. Cotton, corn, peas and pota.
toes are suitable crops to grow in a
young orchard, and we recommend the
stock pea of such varieties as run the
least to be planted on the apple row.
The pea should not be suffered to run
on the young trees.
TRAINING AND TRIMMING.
The training of apple trees should
be done when young, say for the
first three or four years of their growth
by cutting out branches that are inter
ferng and rubbing each other and cut
ting back branches that are growing
too rapidly and injuring the shape of
the trees; after the trees are four or
five years old if they have been well
trained they will need very little trims
ming except to cut off broken and de-
cayed limbs and keep off sprouts from
the roots or on the body of the trees.
We think more orchards are damaged
from injudicious trimming than none
at all. Its very damaging to trees to
cut off very large limbs, and when
they are cut off the wound should be
covered over with grating composition
or something to exclude the air from
the wound.
Rabbits are great annoyance to
the fruit raiser, especially to apple and
pear trees. 1t is safer to tie up the
trees to the height Of one or two feet
every fall with grass, weeds or old
rags, or any other covering of the
kind. This is a sure protection. No
stock should be pastured in apple orch.
chards except hogs. When there is
plenty of grass so that sheep will not
bark the trees they may be admitted.
After the trees are ten or twelve years
old it will not pay to cultivate the or
chard for any other crop, but it should
now and then be plowed, bushes and
briers kept down and hogs and sheep
allowed the run of it during the sum-
mer and fall. Clover would be the
best for sowing for pasture and if the
trees are not too thick, shading all the
ground. Stock peas are excellent for
sowing broadcast and when the peas
ripen, turn on the hogs to consume the
crop on the ground.
GATHERING, KEEPING AND MARKETING.
The Early Harvest apple should be
gathered when some of the fruit COM
mences to yellow and carefully placed
in barrels. The whole crop can thus
be gathered at one time and shipped
to northern market. Perhaps this is
the only early apple that it would pay
to ship. The summer and fall apples
can be used for drying, evaporating
and canning. 1t is poor pay to make
them into cider for vinegar at the pres.
ent price for apple vinegar. For late
keeping apples there will always be a
good market, if we can construct
houses that will keep them cool enough
in the fall when first gathered and save
from very severe freezing weather. If
well preserved until March and April
they bring good prices.
JAS. Z. ALTERNATELY, Chm'n
Over-Fat Fowls.