The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-12
Care of Orchards,


The following remarks were made at
1neetingsof the Farmers Clubof Mont
,gomery County Ohio. The President,
Mr.. Dinner, called attention to. the num-
Der. of old orchards IN the western town
ships of. the. county, and said it was q.
great mistake not to plant new orchards
and dc fright 8: : = =. ,r r. {. 50
= DR.. Gish asked what course should be
taken to- make fruit more fertile. He,
said that in and in breeding had been
carried on so long that fruit, especially
pears, are seedless. Roses had degener-
ated also, so that we could not get seed
from them. ~.ss't - 's'--'. 81
MIR. Dinner did not know as to roses,
but he was certain there was no failure in
fruit. and fruit trees that received proper
,fulfure. In Michigan and New York.
they fight the curculio and canker worm,.
and they have thrifty, productive or;
schards.s He has just planted I, 500 ap-
ple-trees, $50 of them the Ben Davis,
sHissapples paid until two OF three years
age Where the trees were set out with
plehty of room they did we'll, but where
chose to fences or otherwise crowded the
crops were not so good. We do not
feed the trees enough. They should be
set out at-least thirty feet apart, so the
roots can spread with the top. Then
they should be fed by fertilizers Mr..
Waymire says he fed his Bellf1ower apple
trees with surface manure, and that they
produce we'll every year. So am salts
fed that all of our orchards would do
well if they had been planted with more
room, and were properly cared for. Turn
hogs in the orchards, when there are
windfalls to eat the rotten apples and
worms, then in two or three years
there will be no coding worms or curcu-
lios. Orchards around here were planted
by your fathers, and you have all had
the money out OF them. Now, why not
plant young trees, start new orchards for
your children's benefit, the same as you
have profited by these old trunks?
Plant this fall. Select big stalks rather
than tall trees. Buy from reliable nur-
series, plant right, put corn and potatoes
between, but not wheat, oats or grass,
for young trees want to be thoroughly
cultivated until they bear. Do not turn
in the cows or calves to break them
down. Feed the trees and you will have
big crops.
Henry Waymire said: 81 expert
mented in my orchard, and have profited
by it. My trees had not borne we'll for
ten or fifteen years except little knotty
fruit, until four or five years ago. After
a hard winter determined to cut them
down. l advised with my wife about it,
then thought would spare the trees one
year more. dug around the trees fol-
six or eight feet out, and around -four
OF them spread manure, leaving two
others without fertilizer. The mex
spring all bloomcd out alike and apple.
began to show on all, but the fruit soor
began to drop from the two that l ha6
neglected, but the others were loaded
down with fine Bellfower apples, so mucl
SO that one split in two and was ruined
Since then l feed them manure ever,
year, turn the hogs in until the fruit be
gins to get good, and have plenty o
apples every year, and this season hav
as fine crop in quality and quantity a
ever had. l am satisfied that there ar
hundreds of these old orchards starvin.
to death. A man adjoining me bough
farm with a pear orchard on it. TIL
trees looked bad and blighted He re
placed the old with new soil, fortified
and in one season he has increased tn
yield and improved the looks of his OF
chard. Another neighbor has tiftee
acres in orchard that blue grass ha
stasved out, so that he has not an appl
to-day as big as hen egg, while hav
more than l want, and am getting on
dollar bushel for what l will sell, RICH
at home It's just like the pigs. Neg
lect them and they do not flourish; car
for them and feed them and they fatter