Thomas County cat., 1889-11-14
ROADSIDE FRUIT TREES.
Some Arguments in Favor Of This Mode
of Planting.

ROADSIDE FRUIT TREES.
Some Arguments in Favor OF This Mode
of Planting.
WHY should not the idea of fruit
tree planting on the roadside be en-
couraged here as it is in nearly all
parts of continental Europe. Our
Downing, in Fruits and Fruit Trees
of America" quotes the following
from Loudon: "In Moravia the road
from Brunn to OImutz passes through
a cherry avenue extending over sixty
miles in length; and in the autumn
of 1928 we travelled for several days
through almost one continuous avenue
of cherry trees from Strasburg by a
circuitous route to Munich. At
this time these cherry avenues ex-
tended eastward hundreds of miles to
the Volga in Russia. In travelling
on the railways almost anywhere on
the great plain east of the Carpathians
we continually pass these avenues as
they cross the track, and ges sue
cessive glimpses through them to a
point far out on the plain. where the
two lines seem to converge. Yet
the climate at any point from
the Carpathians east TO Sara
tov on the Volga is as trying as
that of the north half of Illinois or
Iowa. So far as / know, most of the
cherries found in that part of Europe
are as hardy and fruitful here as in
their natal home. and l believe in
time they will be found on the road
side and on the division lines of
farms as they are in Europe. There
are some arguments in favor of this
mode of planting often urged in
Europe, and which have received
some attention in this country: l. 1t
is urged that the crop is less apt to be
cut off by the late spring frosts than in
crowded plantations. ,. Along dusty
highways it is urged that the blossoms
are not often destroyed by thrips and
other insects, and that the foliage is
less injured by insects, rusts and mil
dews. 3. Fruit trees on the roadsides
and the division lines of estates
measurabiy answer the purpose of
larger growing forest trees in lessen
ing wind sweeps and consequent evap-
Grafton, and at the same time give a
better return in the way of fruit
than those in regular planta-
tions. 4. If streets and division
lines are planted, it encourages
the grading of street borders
and the keeping down of the unsightly
and noXious weeds too often found on
unproductive lands. If it be urged
that we have trouble enough to keep
our fruit trees alive in methOdic
plantations. it should be kept in mind
that the outside rows in the orchard
of given varieties live the longest and
bear the most and best fruit. and that
We now have varieties of the cherry,
plum, pear and apple which are about
as hardy and enduring as our native
box elder or black wild cherry. If
given some care in the way OF culture
and fertilizing during the first stages
of growth after transplanting, our
apple trees as hardy as the Duchess.
our pears as hardy as the Gakovsky,
our p!ums as hardy as the De Soto,
and our cherries as hardy as the
Bessarbian. will. | believe. give more
fruit and better fruit during given
series of years in detached single lines
than in large rectangular plantations
where insects breed. and whe e the
sun heat of summer and warm spells
OF winter give rise among the interior
trees TO sun scalds, blights. scabs and
a host of other ills.-Prof. Budd, in
Farmers Review