Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-12-09
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF
FRUIT CULTURE.
Drainage, Fertility. Cultivation Breed
ing for Beef-Frozen Butter.--
Stock Notes aud House
hold Helps.

IuiO 10 WIN many
evils, and for those evils numerous
cures are prescribed, usually with lit
tie or no effect, and so the two-fold
evil of harm to the fruit and the in
Fiction of nostrums goes on TO the
determent and no small discourage
ment of fruit-growing. And the evil
will continue, if not increase, till a
more rational course is pursued, name
ly carrying out the principles
that apply, spiting the treat
ment to the condition as cir
cumstances may require; in other
words, giving thorough, intelligent
culture. This is not a panacea, says
Coleman's Rural World, but it strikes
at the root of most of the evils, and
snts fruit culture on a successful basis
a knowledge of the principles that APP
ply is pecess ary to distinguish and di-
rect as circumstances may require,
suiting the culture to the varied de-
mands of climate, sorts of fruit and
soil, and other circumstances of our
widely diversified country, never los
ing sight of general principles that
necessarily apply TO all, which must
be respected or harm will as certainly
result. Experience has demonstrated
that under all circumstances, a dry,
deep soil is the best, stagnant water
not then being able to harm the roots,
or the extreme heat and cold reach
them. This is the first thing to be
considered, yet few avail themselves
of ii. There is considerable trouble
and expense, for most soils must first
be drained and otherwise treated to be
fit for an orchard. This is imperative,
no high success can be obtained
without it. Equally important is
fertility, but with great qualification.
1t is well known that fruit trees, like
other crops, are usually in need of
manure; bat what is less considered, it
is equally important to avoid excess.
There must be enough enrichm ent for
full growth, Doth of wood and fruit
no more less-and this be kept up,
changes being always more or less
hurtful. More growth will result in
immature wood, too tender TO with
stand the cold of winter, or if barely
escaping, not coming out in that
sound condition required for the best
growing fruit. Asto the amount of
fertility, it is not all dependent upon
the quality of the manure applied.
there is the thinning out of the fruit
and wood remaining, supplying thus
far the place of manure. Cultivati ng
and mulching the soil will
also aid The true orchard
ist will avail himself of those
means, and of the manure, IL any,
which is required to secure the de-
sired vigor, which favors the soundest
and healthiest growth, both of wood
and fruit, keeping the balance estab-
lished between them to their mutual
benefit, particularly as to the wood, as
good wood is necessary to produce
good fruit. Such a growth will be
abundantly able, with hardy sorts, to
withstand our severest winters and our
hottest and driest summers, the size,
soundness and quality of the fruit in
creased, with more perfect maturity,
and what our observation has inn
pressed us with as more important
still, is less blasting of the blossoms
and the premature dropping of the
fruit.-The horticultural Times.