The Opelousas courier., 1885-05-02
Manuring Old Orchards.

AoS III UAV IuEdI
districts, is that mature orchards
do not need fertilizers. Far
mers may be painstaking in the
planting, and in cultivating the
orchard for a few years, until it
comes into bearing, but, as a
rule, after that, it is neglected,
and not infrequently either pas
tured or moved, and the soil is
compelled to bear two crops an
nually, without manure, until it
is exhausted. Then the cry is
raised that 'sit 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 agricultural
papers, but unfortunately these
journals have quite a limited
circulation, even in the farming
towns. They are numbered by
tens and twenties, where they
ought to be by hundreds. On
the old 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 it's early APP
pies. a Seeding, and an invete-
rate bearer in alternate years.
1t happened in the enlargement
of the garden, that the ground
underneath this tree was plow-
ed, MANFRED, and planted with
potatoes, and as a result, the
bearing year was changed, and
we had two full crops in success
sive years. The manure helped
this result, and the rotting of
the sod that had been accumu-'
lating for years helped still
more. The fact did not impress
the owner much, but it did i'm
press the boy who helped to eat
the apples, and turned the grind
stone under the grateful shade.
1t is a well known fact that pear
and apples trees that stand in
gardens, especially lie village
gardens which have liberal fer
tilizing and cultivation every
year, bear regularly, and are
seldom without fruit, except
when the frost or hail destroys
it. Men who make a speciality
of growing fruit for market, and
feed their trees abundantly, get
we'll paid for their labor, and
send apples to the city markets
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 supernuous wood, and
give the orchard all needed at
tention. They do not steal away
the food of the trees in grass or
grain crops. They are content
with the fruit. There is no rea-
son why the average farmer,
who has suitable land for, fruit
trees, should not have an album
dant supply Of fruit for home
use, and for market. 1t is in the
line Of his business tOraise crops
for market, and to make the
manure that is needed to pro-
duce them. 1t is in the line of
a true economy TO purchase
the fertilizers that are lacking
to. grow maximum crops. Ii
does not pay to grow minimum
crops. Cultivate only SO much
land as you can fertilize aud i'm
prove by cultivation. Riches
increase with the depth rather
than breadth of the soil turned
by the pillow. The orchard wants
regular feeding, as much as any
other crop, and fruit growers
have learned that there is econ
omy iii it. Ii will not be very
difficult for any thrifty farmer
to increase his homemade fer
tilizers, and to supply the wants
of his fruit t~rees.-American
Agriculturist for May.
SILK CULTURE.-Having learn
ed that Mr.. ReVillion had
made quite a success with his
silk worms on a small scale, a
reporter of the Advertiser call
ed upon that gentleman to learn
the particulars of this new en-
terprise. He was informed that
Nh. r.. had received half an
ounce Of the eggs, some time
ago, from Commissioners Lofing.
He had shelves, ETC., prepared
in a small house at Lake Ar
thur, where the eggs were
hatched and the worms fed with
mulberry leaves. Although the