Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-08-29
AGRICULTURALHINTS
ROADSIDE ORCHARDS.
Europe Has Many of Them which Are .
Source of Public Revenue.


Europe Has Many of Them which Are .
Source of Public Revenue.
Land is not yet so rare in this country
that we are obliged to cultivate that
along the borders of our highways, but
the time is not far distant when condi-
tions here in this respect will more
nearly approximate those of other
countries than they do at present, and
we may then learn a lesson from the
thrift of some of those 'effete despot-.
isms." In an article in La Nature
paris, March 14), Emmanuel Ratouin
tells how the roadsides in many parts of
Germany have been made to yield
rich return to the state or to municipali-
ties by being planted with fruit trees
We translate part of his article below:
I'm foreign countries orchards of
frdit trees along the roads have given
the best results. In Wurtemburg, Sax
ony, Bavaria, Hanover, the grand duchy
| of Luxembourg and in Austria the fruit
| tree roads have brought in important
sums to the treasury. In Saxony the
| fruit tree budget is especially satisfac-
| tory, and the benefits realized by the
state under this have been estimated at
| nearly 100000 francs ($4oO, OOO) for tine
| last fourteen years.
TN Wurtemberg the planting of for
est trees along the roads has been en-
tirely given up. A law has been passed
| applying to all fruit orchards and sys-
tematizing their working. The owner
| of the neighboring land takes charge of
| the orchard and the road officials see to
their protection and care. This serv-
ice is very well organized and does its
work economically. 1t has been estab-
| lished under almost identical condition
| in ha Po1a fe nd n RaVaria In
these localities each ,oadman has his
corresponding 'sylvicultor.' Every ia
cility is given to these agents for in
| creasing their agricultural knowledge.
They are placed under the surveillance
| of rural inspectors, who direct their la
bors. This special corps is recruited, in
part, by competition. These road
sylvicu1tors' pass an examination and
follow courses of instruction. They
sometimes are given the necessary
funds to complete their studies.
1.-The course of study that is offered at
Landschule, in Basse Riviere, has given
| the opportunity of enlisting men es-
| pecially adapted for the care of trees.
| In Austria, Moravia and Bohemia the
orchard roads, which are very numer-
Gus, are in general planted with plum
trees In these fertile plains there are
orchards of considerable size along the
| borders of the roads. The trees are
| set about six meters 90 2-3 feeD apart;
| they are the object of exceptional care,
| and it is not rare to see, especially in
| the region of Hradisch, young apple
| trees covered with straw up to the
| middle of their trunks. The old apple
trees are carefully cleaned and painted
| with whitewash to preserve them from
| moss and from fungoid growths. At
| Dressing, in Moravia. along the roads
| the acacia alternates with the cherry
| and the apple.
In the Tyrol, where the culture of
fruit trees is highly appreciated, the
| road orchards are numerous. 1t is not
| unusual to find in these regions, es-
| pecially at Hoffgarten, orchards of 1000
| to 1000 apple and pear trees And not
| only are the carriage roads utilized
| thus, but the railway companies have
| fallen into line. Many of them have
| planted the edges of their embank-
| mcnts and the spaces left between their
| tracks and the neighboring properties.
1.-THE efforts made by foreign nations
| in this matter of road orchards can
| scarcely be described without speaking
| of the grand duchy of Luxembourg,
which is the chosen land of the fruit
| tree. The efforts made by the govern
ments of the grand duchy to develop
| fruit culture are most interesting and
remarkable. Nowhere have resources
been better employed and encourage
| ments better distributed. The state has
| esta blished agricultural service,
which has for its special object the fos-
| tering of agricultural work and the di-
| rection and execution of most of such
| public work the planting of fruit
trees, drainage, irrigation, experiment
/
| etc.''-Literary Digest.