Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1898-06-24
agricultural.
Care of Fruit Trees.


Nothing gives a more untidy appear
anoe to fruit trees than suckers growing
about them. Young orchards must be
examined least once q year and have
all the suckers carefully removed. For
young trees, this work should be done
early in the spring. as cutting away any
considerable portion Of growing wood
and leaves has tendency to retard the
growth. From large trees it is better
to take of suckers while the trees are
growing freely, as the work may be
more effectually performed and they will
be less liable to start again. Do not
cut suckers of with knife in such a
way that short stubs are left to sprout a
second time. If the sprouts are small,
they can easily be removed by grasping
them one at time with both hands
A quick jerk will separate it to the base.
My experience goes in favor of training
fruit trees low for several reasons. They
resist storms better, protect their roots
from the effect of drought, the bark on
the trunk is not damaged by the action
of the sun, and the fruit is gathered
easier and more cheaply. Apple trees
budded or grated above ground are
worth more than those grated on the
root, from the fact that they will pay for
themselves by their early fruitfulness
long in advance of the root grated trees.
Orchards should be well cultivated and
attended to in every way to have nice
fruit. To keep of insects apply strong
lye soap to the body of the tree, letting
it run down to the root. have often
tried this, and find it the best medicine
l have ever used If any farmer thinks
that Nature can be cheated, and that
after cropping land until it will no long
err produce anything, it can be set to
fruit trees and made profitable, he will
find himself greatly mistaken We hear
sometimes that a young orchard is on
too rich soil, that the trees are growing
to wood when they should be bearing
fruit. But wait few years and these
backward trees will prove far moro val
liable and long-lived than those set to
bearing because of their own stunted
growth. If thrifty growing orchard
does not bear as it should, dose it pretty
heavily with some mineral fertilizer,
phosphate or potash or, if these cannot
be obtained, give the trees good dress
ing of salt. | am an old fruit raiser
and have been very successful, so let
me give few more items before l close
No greater boon could be bestowed upon
the gardening world than to reduce all
horticultural operations to their first
principles, and to lay bare the causes
why in one case one mode of procedure
is advisable and another in a different
case. In planting seeds for the purpose
of procuring improved varieties. care
should be had not only that the seeds be
taken from the finest existing kinds, but
also that the most handsome, the largest
and the most perfectly ripened speci-
mems should be those that supply the
seed. A Seeding plant will always pos
sess more or less of the character of its
parent, the qualities of which are con-
ceDtrated in the embryo when it has ar
rived at full maturity 1t should, there
fore, always be an object with a garden
err, in selecting a variety to become the
parent of new sort, to stimulate that
variety by every means in his power to
produce the largest and most fully ri
pened fruit that it is capable of bear
ng.-E. j. Reybusn, Eva, Tenn.