Delta chief., 1885-10-14
Fruit culture In Delta County.
Paper read before the Delta County Horticulture
Society by W. s. Coburn.

Mr.. President, ladies and gentlemen: 1t
has been requested that should write an ar
tice upon the subject of Fruit Culture. You
are all no doubt, well aware that it is sub.
ject upon which II great deal has been said and
written, and still as time passes on more is
being learned about the cultivation and
propagation of fruit every year. My own
experience of late years has been quite short
and limited, it being only two years last
spring since l set out my first fruit in Colo
RADIO, and should | advance the methods we
used twenty-five years ago in the hills OF
Southern New Hampshire and Northern
Massachusetts | fear you would consider
them rather antiquated, and perhaps Old
Fogy ideas. However. as We all believe in
improvement and progression will give you
the methods l have followed for the past two
and one-half years for what it is worth, hop.
ing that those who are entirely unacquainted
with the planting and cultivation of fruit
may learn what little know about it. While
theoretical knowledge is no detriment, prac-
tcable knowledge is II decided benefit and OF
more value than all the theories that the
wisest men can advance.
First it is quite essential to obtain good,
straight, thrifty trees, shrubs and plants,
which you cannot ALWAYS do from the fruit
agents who canvass the county twice year
as regular seed time and harvest. i will
say one thing more. that i think some OF you
have already found out by sad experience
and that is, when you do get good, straight.
thritty-looking trees, you will find that they
have been dug with Il machine, set so narrow
and shallow that there is only IA few very
short roots left. Such trees set with the
greatest of care and given all the atten-
ton possible, have all they can do land in
many cases more) to struggle along and just
live, without making any growth to speak OF
the first year. / would much rather have
good root without much tree than otherwise,
and would rather pay twenty per cent.
more for good trees with plenty of roots from
twelve to fifteen inches long. 1t is impossi-
BILE with so short an experience TO recon.
mend any particular variety of apples. But
will say, out of the ten varieties set out two
years ago last spring they have all done as
well as could be expected and withstood the
winter well as trees do in Missouri or Kan.
sas, and out of the ten varieties of standard
apples, the Red Astrachan, Early Harvest,
Duches of Oldenburg and the Emperor, of
Russia frnited this year; also out of four
varieties of crab apples, the Hyslops and the
Transcendent fruited. One of my Tran.
scendent crab trees ripened 3Oi apples and
one limb OF this tree, about the size of a COM
mon lead pencil, broke down with the
weight of 33 apples before they were more
than one-tnrd grown. Last year i had
about peck of peaches from four trees,
ripened in October. Instead of being early
Crawford, what l ordered, they were a very
small, late clingstone. From past expert
varieties of the peach.
or three varieties of the plumbs the Minor,
Weaver and Wild Goose all have done well,
and Withstand the winters perfectly.
OF three varieties of cherries. the Early
Richmond, May Duke and Black Tartarian,
the two former have done remarkably we'll,
while the latter is a southern cherry, with
only two out of ten living. do not believe
that we can depend upon this cherry i'll this
climate and at this altitude.
Of three varieties of the pear, the Bartlett,
Jersey and I.eConte, the two former have
also done well, while the latter is a southern
pear and have but little confidence in be-
ing able to raise them successfully.
Grapes are no doubt n success, when plant
ed in good soil and proper attention given.
All small fruits such as currents, raspber-
ries, blackberries, gooseberrles and strawber-
! ries, thrive beyond my expectations. There
may be other places in the U. s. where the
current is just as prolific as it is here, but !
doubt any place being any better.
have now told you what l know in the
way Of fruit trees and what success ! have
had in bringing some Of them to bear, and
now l presume you would like to hear how l
planted and cultivated.
In the first place laid out my ground for
apple trees twenty feet apart each way
peaches, cherries lad plumbs fifteen feet
apart each way. Dig holes at least three
feet across aud thirty inches deep, then fill
top, with the center a little crownng.
few old bones scraps of old leather, are
great advantage to the trees, if you have
them to mix in while filling up the holes
before setting the trees. ] then set the tree
with every root extending its full length in
their natural course, then fill in earth and
tread down by degrees until the hole is full
and trife crowning. As soon as a row OF
trees was set the water was turned on. In
my opinion no shrub or tree should be set in
mud, it is better to set them dry and then
turn the water Immediately, the earth
will then become wet and settle down
around every root more ike 1t natur-
ally grew. We now have the orchard set,
and while great many think the work done
and all they have to do is to wait and gather
the fruit, think the work and attention has
just commenced. Plant your orchard in some
crop that needs cultivating. Plow the trees
the same as potatoes or beans. Most farm
ers have more or less chic kens and pigs, and
sometimes kill dog or eat and occasion.
ally hawk or a rabbit, and instead Of let
ting them lay around, just make practice
of burying them around the roots of your IA
vorite trees. Keep this up until your trees
begin to bear and see if you are not well paid
for your trouble.
do my principle pruning in May and
or even the first of August, if find one that
is not growing to suit me. Keep all water
sprouts coming up from the roots of the tree
punched or pulled off at all times. Do not,
by any means, sow small grain or grass
among yOur trees while they are young, and
j doubt the praprIety of ever seeding an
orchard down in this country.
Plant raspberries, blaekberries, gooseber-
ries and currents four feet apart each way,