The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-06-01
THE PARKER EARLE ORCHARD
SYSTEM.

1 will give my actual experience in
setting out a thirty acre apple orchard
last spring. The ground was placed in
perfect state of cultivation, laid out by
having a civil engineer give the right
angles. then with a number of laths
sighted for rows the orchard was plant
ed on what is known as the Parker Earle
block system. The trees are planted in
blocks of five rows running north and
south. trees in these rows twenty feet
apart. The permanent trees are in rows
thirty-two feet apart east and west,
every two middles filled with early bear
ing sorts. These do their most profit
able work early. and by the time the
standard varieties are at their best the
filters should be removed so that the
orchard Will stand 20x32 feet This will
give 115 trees to the acre. There are
avenues of thirty-two feet between each
block.
This system is an aid to cross polleni-
cation. After laying out the orchard it
was plowed with a dead furrow COM
ing where each row of trees TO be plant
ed. AS soon as the trees arrived they
were unlocked carefully, checked and
healed in. A sled holding two water
barrels, with one horse. a boy to drive
and one to distribute the trees passed
down the rows keeping even with the
planters. The barrels contained a sufh-
Gent amount of water and dirt to keep
the roots of the trees covered. They were
not allowed to be taken out until the
planters were ready for them, and care
was taken 10 not bark them on the side
of the barrels. Two rows were planted
at the same time. One man in each row
went ahead and scooped out the holes,
auother followed with a shovel to fill in
afou.lsi the trees.
The man who handled the trees was
the most experienced and trustworthy of
the lot. After getting his position from
another of the men who did the sighting,
he filled dirt in around the roots, being
ofrT1 to mt
placing the longest. to the north TO brace
against prevailing winds. A few shovel
fulS of dirt were thrown around the tree
and the planter tramped this DOWN firm
ly. The one thing that l watched most
carefully was this work, insisting that it
be done well, as L believe that tree
should be set as firmly as a fence post.
Soon after planting all the trees were
cut back, superiuous and low growing
limbs cut off and the whole orchard
thoroughly irrigated. The orchard was
afterwards planted to corn and potatoes
The rows containing the trees were hand
hoed several times. The irrigation re-
ceived by the crops during the summer
was sufficient for the trees.
During the early fall the trees were
wrapped with corn stalks, cut the right
length and put around, usually four TO
the tree, held in place by No. 20 annealed
wires at the top and bottom. This to
prevent girdling by rabbits, keep out
borers and prevent sun scald. 1t is also
protection against barking during cult
walton. The loss during the first year
was ten per cent. of the trees planted,
attributed mostly to not pressing the
earth firmly about the roots. This loss.
however, is below the average. The lost
trees will be replaced this spring. I
have a heavy growth of trees on the
west and have started a hedge on the
south side, and will provide no further
windbreak. The proper treatment for
this orchard would be cultivation with
out crops. 1 do not think, however, that
the difference in results would justify me
in not raising such crops as corn, po-
tatoes, beans and vegetables for several
years to come.-W. L. Park in Denver
Field and Farm.