Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-01-18

which is only second to selection of
hardy varieties in Importance. If you
plant a field of corn or potatoes you
Will cultivate the crop or you will fail to
get any crop at harvest time. So if you
set out fruit of any kind you must take
| care of it if you get it to grow and
produce fruit. An apple tree or a
blackberry bush must be cultivated and
| cared for just as much as hill of corn
or potatoes must The following rules
are perhaps the most important to the
fruit grower:
/. Set as eally in Spring as possible.
.. In planting be sure the roots are
set firmly in the ground, press the soil
down firmly so the air will not reach
and dry out the roots, and in case of
trees mulch as soon as set to hold the
moisture in the ground
3. Cultivate after every rain if posi-
BILE and as often as once week anyway
4. Keep all weeds down, don't let
them get start at all.
5. On the approach of winter protect
the bodies of trees by winding with
straw, or better yet, make protectors of
lath and wire and put around them
when plants and they will last for
several years. The straw must be
taken off each spring and replaced in
fall.
6. After ground freezes mulch heavily
to hold the frost in the ground as late
as possible in the Spring.
7. In caring for small fruit, Black
berries and some varieties of Raspberries
should be laid down and the tops
covered with soil Oh the approach of
winter. Grapes should be trimmed,
laid down and covered Strawberries
should be covered after the ground
freezes hard, not before. If snow
comes early as it has this year they are
well covered without mulching and will
be all right unless the snow goes off and
leaves them bare for a long time.
There is one Idea [ hear often
expressed which l believe is great
weight with thinking men. It is that
clay land is better adapted to fruit
growing than sandy, whereas the
reverse is true but the grower must
remember that the surface of sandy
soil gets very much better in very hot
time than clay does, so he must protect
the roots by a mulch during the
summer. Sandy soil, well cultivated
and mulched will hold moisture much
| better and at ,he same time never
suffer from too much water as clay does.
[ will close by saying that the secret of
| fruit growing is comprised in two
general rules, namely, Judicious selec-
ton of adapted varieties, and Intelli-
gent cultivation and care"
Mr.. Reads paper was followed by a
general discussion of the subject.
At the afternoon session Mr.. j. A.
Gaynor opened discussion upon the
question "Can the Blueberry be Guilt
vated?" He said that mistaken idea
| prevails that it does not pay to cultivate
any fruit that grows wild, but this idea
has been disproved in the case of the
cranberry, which is much larger and
finer when cultivated. The wberry
and the blackberry grow wild but all
know that they cannot compare with
the cultivated berries. AS to the
possibility of cultivatiEg the blueberry
he could only base his answer on
theory. He believed it could be done
and had no doubts that the size and
quality Of the berry could be improved.
After discussion Of some length a
Horticultural Society was organized and
the following officers were elected:
Pres-A. S. Robinson.
Vice Pres.-Peter Brown.
Sec'y-L. II. Read
Treas.-Mrs. A. S. Robinson.
Owing to the very severe weather the
attendance was much smaller than was
expected and it was thought best to
abandon the evening session. The
meeting adjourned to meet on the
evening of Jan. 30th, at which time the
farmers institute is to be held, when
the evening program VIII be devoted
entirely to Horticultural topics.