The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-10
The Proper Care OF Old Orchards.

Amer can Agricuturist.
One of the popular fallacies that still fingers
in the rural districts is that mature orchards do
not need fertilizers. Farmers may be pains
taking in the planting and in cultivatng the
orchard for few years, until it comes into
bearing but, as n rule, after that it is neglected.
and not lnfrequently either pastured or moved,
and the soil is compelled to hear two crops
annually, without manure. until it is exhausted.
Than the cry is raised that lit does not pay to
plant orchards, at best we Only get fruit in
abundance every other year" The folly of this
neglect is demonstrated every year, and the
facts are published abundantly in the agricul-
tural papers, but unfortunately these journals
have quite a limited circulation. even i'll the
farming towns. They are numbered by tens
and twenties, where they ought to be by hun
dreds. On the ole homestead, where the
writer ate apples from the tree and the barrel,
raw cooked and preserved the year round, in
the age of homespun, there was an old tree
famous for its early apples, Seeding, and an
inveterate bearer in alternate years. 1t hap
pened in the enlargement of the garden that the
ground underneath this tree was Dowed ma
nured and planted with potatoes and as result
the bearing year was changed, and we had two
full crops in successive years. The manure
helped this result and the rotting of the sod
thai had been accommodating for years helped
still more. The fact did not impress the
owner much. but it did impress the boy who
helped to eat the apples and turned the CRATE
full grindstone under the shade.
1t is Il well-known fact tina peart and apple
trees that stand in gardens especially in village
gardens which have liberal fertilizing and Guilt
walton every year, bear regularly, and are sell
dom without fruit, except when the frost or hail
destroys it, Men who make speciality of grow
ing fruit for market, and feed their
trees abundantly, get we'll paid for their
labor, and send apples to the city mar
kets by the car or boat-load. The secret
of their uniform success is in the fact that they
feed their trees regularly, and thin out all SUI
perfous wood. aud give the orchard all needed
attention. They do not steal way the food of
the trees in grass or grain crops They are
content with the fruit. There is reason why
the average farmer, who has suitable land for
fruit trees, should not have an abundant supply
of fruit for home use. and for market. 1t is in
the line of his business to raise crops for mar
ket. and to make the manure that is needed to
produce them 1t is in the line of true econ
omy to purchase the fertilizers that are lacking
to grow maximum crops. 1t does not pay TO
grow minimum crops Cultivate only much
land as you can fertiZe and improve by cult
walton. Riches increase with the depth rather
than breadth of the soil turned by the plow
The orchard wants regular feeding mnch as
any other crop, aud fruit growers have learned
that there is economy 10 it. 1t will not be very
difficult for any thrifty farmer to increase his
home made fertilizers and to supply the wants
of his fruit trees.