The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-11-27
MAKING ORCHARD TREES MORE
FRUITFUL AND LoNG-LIVED.
R. H. Price, Texas Agricultural Expert
ment Station.

K. II. Price, Texas Agricultural Expert
ment Station.
Tree growth in the South is different
from tree growth in the North. In the
northern part of the United States
there is one well defined period of tree
growth The principle taught there,
to cease cultivating late in summer, so
that tree growth may cease and the
wood ripen well before winter, is often
necessary where freezes are sudden and
severe. In nearly all the extreme
Southern States there are practically
two periods of growth in one year.
Tree growth begins the first of March,
and goes on till about the 155h of July,
when dry weather usually checks it.
Fruit buds form, and the trees rest till
the last of September, when the fall
rains start tree growth again, and fre
quently many fruit buds are forced out,
which Of course are killed. The fruit
crop for the next year is then ruined.
However, if they are killed very early
in the fall a second crop of fruit buds
will form, and this is decidedly weak
ening to trees. If the fruit buds do not
start in. the fall the sap is kept so active
after this period of rest that they are
easily forced out during warm spells in
February or March.
In noticing the appearance of pear
blight for several years, after the bloom
has been killed by an early spring
freeze the blight is almost sure to fol
low. l know Of a large Kieffer pear
orchard, by the side of large LIE Conte
orchard, which blooms about two
weeks 4ater than the LIE Conte, and
usually escapes the freezes and the
blight, but the LIE Conte has been hurt
twice severely by the freezes when in
full bloom, and now the blight has al
most killed it. Prof. Burrill in 1883
discovered the cause of the pear blight
TO be due to a germ disease known as
n1icrOcOccus 0mylOUOrus. Ny observa-
tion leads me to believe that it is much
more apt to attack a pear orchard after
the bloom has been killed by a freeze
than otherwise, which fact has led some
to attribute the injury to frozen sap.
Il would seem best to have one season
of growth, and to keep the growth up
all summer and late into the fall by
cultivation or by irrigation, so that the
period of rest would throw the trees
late into spring before blooming.
An important circu instance which
seems to confirm this theory took place
on the horticultural grounds here last
year. Near the machine shops stand
two rows of dwarf pear trees, compris-
ing about 40 trees of Bartlett, Howell,
Duchess, and other varieties. For
want of better place, the warm water
drained off from the boilers between
these two rows of trees. Consequently
strong, healthy foliage was kept On the
trees till it was killed by a sudden
freeze the 23d of January. AS a result
the foliage fell off and the trees went to
rest that late in winter, so that they
bloomed late in spring and set heavy
crop, while the bloom on other trees
was all killed. 1t would seem if the
tree growth could be kept up all sum-
mer and fall by cultivation, Or by irri
cation, that it would throw the resting
period entirely in the winter, and the
trees would bloom so late as to escape
the early freezes, and possibly the
blight. The freezes in Southern Texas
are seldom severe enough to endanger
the life Of tree, even if the sap is not
really dormant