The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1896-07-11
FARMER ANDPLANTER.
FEED YOUR TREES.


a.s r t.F ! =
Don't Make the Mistake Of starving Your
Orchard to Death.
The Importance of returning to the
soil the elements of plant food that
are annually withdrawn and consumed
by fruit trees growing in the orchard
will not, we are sure. be contested by
any intelligent reader of Orchard and
Garden. When the period of fruitage
is reached in the growing tree it be-
gins to make larger drafts upon the
soil for potash, phosphorus, nitrogen,
ETC., in order to ripen the seed which
is intended to perpetuate the species.
This continuous draft upon the soil
will sooner or later exhaust the
needed plant food, and the trees
will begin to show signs of dis
tress and stinted wood produc-
ton, and inferior fruit will be
. natural sequence. To avoid this the
intelligent fruit grower begins early
to supply to his orchard the elements
of fertility needed to keep trees vigor-
Gus and productive. The. most noted
triumphs In horticulture in recent
years have come by proper attention to
the food supply for the growing trees.
No sensible man would expect to attain
success in swine or cattle breeding
without giving careful and methodical
attention TO the food supply which Is
to produce the highest quality OF pork
or beef. In like manner the fruit
grower is finding that a properly bal
anced ration is just as necessary for
fruit trees as for hogs or cattle. The
following thoughts and practical OBJ
servations we find in late Issue of
the Rural New Yorker, from the pen
of that progressive and successful
fruit culturist, Mr.. J. III. Hale, who, in
recent years, has planted out the
largest orchard in the south, If not in
the western hemisphere. He says:
"Just what the green crops shall be
when planted, how cultiva ted, and
when and how turned under, are all
local questions that each individual
| farmer must answer for himself.
Ny own practice is that every
bit of land on my farm, when not oc'
cupied by some crop of value, during
the growing season, shall have grow
ing upon it some one or more nitrogen
| traps.
1.-THE strawberry fields, at the Close
of fruitage late in June or early II
July, are plowed and narrowed ant
sown with COW peas, one bushel o
seed to the acre, in drills 214 fee
apart. Or, if the land is dry ant
sandy, sofa beans instead of peas ar
sown, these seeds terminate yer.
| quickly in midsummer, and make yer.
thrifty plants, which, in their earl.
stages. are greatly stimulated by FIRE
quent cultivation, SO that before fros
comes in the fall to kill the tende
plants, they will make an enormou
growth, covering the ground wit
many tons of organic matter
rich in nitrogen. This do not a.
tempt to plow under till frost has s
thoroughly killed and dried out tn
plants that they may be turned unde
without the trouble 1t would be
manage such an amount of matter !
its green state. The one objection
blowing under these green crops
autumn is the liability to the escaT
of nitrogen, and to guard against tn
/ SOW the field to rye or wheat. II
] roots of these plants will catch an
!. hold the nitrogen through late ia
, and early spring. till the ground
ready to be occupied with some MOI
: valuable crop.
: Another plan is to drill in the pei
: or beans three to three and half fe
\ apart, and when well growing late
3 July or early in August, sow Glow
: between the rows The young plan
q will make but little growth for tv
months in the shade of Il
I beans or peas; but as soon as fro
g comes and lets in sunlight, the Glove
v win begin to grow, not only holdir
i. Z. the nitrogen gathered by the 9th
/ plants, but daily gathering from Il
: air more unto itself, as well as wi
: its deep feeding roots bringing up fro
I. the soil below, mineral elements n
= reached by other crops. In Connect
- cut, prefer the Crimson to the RI
q clover, as it comes to maturity sever
weeks earlier in spring, in ample tir
I. Ito be plowed under, SO that the lai
!. is available for all but the Garlic
:. spring crops. Of course, If one C
: spare the land earlier than July, t
q COWS peas or beans can be put in mu
: earlier, and make proportional
heavier growth in tho longer seasc
= while the clovers, being hardy, N
!. be sown late In August and make
=. full growth Of top and root by
III next June. Orchard and Garden.