Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-02-07
HORTICULTURALISTS.
First Regular Session of the Pilot Point
Society this Year.

First Regular Session of the Pilot Point
Society this year.
CORRESPONDENCE Of the Gazette
PILOT POINT, TEX, Feb. 5.-The
Pilot Point horticultural society met in
regular session at p. m. to-day. This
Is the first meeting of this year. This
society was organized five years ago and
has pursued the even tenor of its way
since. To-day the annual election of
officers was the principal business trans
acted.
The following officers were elected:
President, J C.. Newbury; first vice
president, Col. w. w. Ross; second
president, DR.. Il. n. wylie; secre-
tary, Or. a. NJ Ragland; treasurer,
Mai. J. A. Drye. The society will hold
regular monthly meetings during the
year on the first Tuesday in each month
Col. ". W. Ross, . prominent fruit
grower, gave the society practical talk
on planting and training fruit trees, of
which the following is the substance:
it is no trouble to grow fine, shapely
trees if one understands the principles
underly ing planting and training.
First, as to distance. The large. ma
jOrity of people commit the grave fault
of planting too many trees upon an acre
of ground. OF apples, peaches or pears,
seventy-two trees per acre are all that
should be planted. Plant in rows 2Ox30
feet, the greater width north and south
Thus planted, trees do not cease to
grow even in times of severe
drouth, and the quality of the fruit
is much superior to that grown on trees,
more closely planted. l visited Denton
last summer and desiring some fruit to
eat l thought TO purchase, but was sur
prised to find only poor shriveled speci-
mems on hand. Said 1: ''What's the
matter, have you no good peaches?'
They replied: ''The drouth, the drouth!
has ruined our fruit.
In reality, the trees were too closely
planted. Ny trees at Pilot Point, only
eighteen miles away were supplying fine
fruit. Drouth did not hurt my trees or
fruit.
2. As to the time of planting-by all
means, whenever practicable, plant in
November. It is the best month of the
year to set out trees. They grow in win
ter. The roots begin growth at once and
by the time spring opens they are well
established and ready to make rapid
growth. 1t is serious mistake to post
pone planting till spring as the majority
are in the habit of doing
3. As to the age of trees to plant, I
would advise the selection of well-grown
one-year-old trees. Their roots are
small aid fbrous, so in the right condi-
ton to grow readily. Nothing is gained
by planting two or three-year-old trees,
the opinion of nurserymen to the con-
trarY, notwithstanding Their roots are
large and have TO be cut in digging, are
easily bruised in transportation and
hence start slowly into growth.
f. AS to method of setting, let the land
be thoroughly prepared by blowing and
narrowing. Lay off rows 20x30
feet. Dig holes one and half feet wide
and one and half feet deep. Fill in
good mellow soil till the trees will stand
about the same depth they were in the
nursery. Fill in soil about the roots,
stamping the soil firmly with your foot
as you proceed till completed by slightly
rounding the soil around the stem of the
tree.
5. AS to pruning much the greater
part may and should be done while trees
are growing by careful pinching of buds
that start where it is not desirable they
should grow. 1t is surprising how little
use one has for a pruning knife if this
pinching process be judieiOusly done.