Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-10-19
FRUIT AND FRUIT TREES m NEW
ENGLAND.

So far a. my own state (Maine) IL con-
cerned, the same conditions, however,
prevail largely. think all over New
England the present season has been
DISASTROUS to fruit and to fruit trees.
Ordinarily poor sruiting season entails
only the loss OF the crop Of fruit, bat the
preseut year sees not only trifing
amount Of fruit, and that OF most In
ferior quality, but there IL also apparent
\ severe injury done to the fruit trees.
A winter more than ordinarily trying to
fruit trees WAS follow ed by cold, wet
spring, and cold, vet summer. A
hundred or more OF dwarf pear trees on
my own place came through the winter
safely and started out vigorously at the
opening Of spring. That vigorous start
WAS all that they have done for the sea-
son. Hardly one out OF the hundred
has made an inch Of new growth. They
have simply been at standstill sll the
season, few dying. AL the young sp-
pie trees have acted nearly In the same
wsy. Many have not made one inch OF
new growth, the few leaves put forth
early In the spring being the only ones
that have been seen the whole season
through. All these trees have thus sp-
psrently received severe shock by the
inclemency of the weather. How great
ly they have been weakened, and what
the effect viii be on next years fruit
crop, remains TO be seen. Ii IL natural
TO expect that, unless the coming winter
be very favorable. many Of these weak
ened trees will be dead before spring.
That this is an "of-' fruit year In New
England ride through the country will
eisi demonstrate. A carriage ride OF
some three hundred miles, taken in Au-
gust, through some Of the best farming
counties OF Maine, showed almost barren
orchards everywhere. should per-
hsps, make an exception In the csse OF
pears, for many OF the standard pear
trees are well loaded this year; but so
far the fruit appears greatly lacking in
flavor, due, no doubt, 10 wet, cloudy
weather. only warmth and sunshine
eau give the highest favor 10 fruit. On
my own place the small fruits were al
most a total failure. What little fruit
there was to gather was soft and flavor
less, for the reason just mentioned. On
the whole. then, We have had n most
disastrous fruit year. AZ lS96 was .
great fruit year, II WAS foregone con-
clusion that the crop Of ls9. would be
smaller In many localities much smaller
but this time we have conjunction OF
the uou-besring year and OF very un-
propiticus weather. This leads natural
ly 20 the query as 10 whether nature has
really fixed an irreyocable Law tina, one
year shall see full harvest OF fruit and
the next meagre harvest: IL certainly
Il natural 10. orchards 10 bear 10 this
way. Can they be Induced 10 change
their habits. 10 the extent, at least, of
bearing = medium crop every year. To-
stead Of big one one year. which ne
cessitStes lying BY for year TO recuper-
ate their strength
Next year Is the season for big crop
OF fruit and low prices the country over.
l. there anything Que may do TO lessen
the crop of is9s aud TO secure profitable
one In lso9, when prices would nsiurai-
ly be good sgain? May ideas have been
advanced along this line, combination
of two appearing 10 me 10 give the best
promise of desired results. These are
thinning the frui, severely on the bearing
year and fertilixing The trees heavily
with manure, rich In potash. late In the
same season. Thinning the fruit will
keep the trees from over-expenditure of
strength, while late fertllixing during
the same season will give the trees
great stimulating duriog the folloaiog,
or non-oearing, year. Fertilizer applied
In the spring will hardly have much ef-
feet on that seasons crop, but. applied
late in the previous season. the result
should prove highly ben. ficlJ.
sm very certain that much can be
In this way TO equslizs the
crops of fruit, aud thus make them mole
profitable. The trial Il certainly worth
masiug. on IA nall scale, at least, when
another season comes.
After freezing weather arrives put 4
lot OF refuse hay between the rows OF
making IL six inches deep
when IL has settled, bringing IL we'll up
around the bushes. Mice will by this
time have gone into winter quarters, so
that no harm will come from the mulch
on this score. The hay Will help bring
the canes through tn. winter In good
shape. and next summer IL viii mulch
the ground aud aid 10 bringing big
berry crop. Then, when the hay decays,
4, will be all worked into the soil, en-
riching il and making IL OF mechanical
texture finely suited for growing small
fruits. This point IL worth remember
ing.-New York Tribune.