Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-10-27

Now is the glorious, golden time of
the year when one may not only har-
vest ones fall and winter fruit, but
perchance bring to book those some
what foxy individuals who promul-
gate such wonderful new varieties of
fruit! In thinking of the catalogues
Of SeedSmen and nurSerymen, | am
disposed to parody a famous saying of
a famous president as follows: Some
seed catalogues lie all the time; all
seed catalogues lie some of the time;
but all seed catalogues do not lie all
tue time!" So that, after all, some
times it is we'll to follow them. But
the perpleXing question is when; and
now is the season of yerification, in
so far as fall and winter fruits are
concerned. For this reason it pays
amazingly well to go to the agricul-
tural fairs. Judged by what one
sees there, and by what our pOmolo-
gists at the agricultural colleges say,
the famous old Baldwin apple has a
lively rival in Sutton's Beauty. 1t
is firm in flesh, quite highly colored
red, spicy ii flavor, and is vouched
for as good keeper. An excellent
fall apple of which most people know
little is the Mother, dark red, not
unlike the old Sapsovine (Which rip
ems in August, but with a higher
flavor. Unlike Sutton's Beauty it is
in it's prime in October
Plant, or prepare to plant, an
orchard.-if not a large one, a small
one. 1t passes belief-the extent to
portunities in this respect. The very
rocks, which are such a curse in the
fine cultivation of land, supply to the
roots of trees needed nutriment. This
is not a conjecture, but a fact abund-
antly demonstrated by chemistry.
Both the feldSpar and mica, which so
largely enter into the composition of
our rocks, have in them large in
gradients of both potash and phos-
phoric acid. A constant process of
detrition goes on through the opera
ton of summer rains and winter
frosts, and thus the roots of the tree
are directly nourished. In planting
the trees take great pains. One is
safe in saying that at no single point
in the whole course Of farming opera
tons does extra care so richly pay as
in setting out the tree. Let me il
lustrate: Some eight years ago my
hired man set out in the edge of my
garden half dozen apple trees. The
ground had been well cultivated, but
he took no extra painS,-Simply dig
ging the holes deep enough to admit
of the roots, and filling in with loan.
That same autumn l set out 25 addi-
tiOnal trees, taking more care. | dug
my holes about two feet deep; was at
the pains to bring good loan from
neighbOring field to put into them, and
sprinkled a few quarts of ashes and
bone dust into each hole Mark the
result; these trees on the average
have twice the diameter of trunk as
those first planted. In other words,
the growth has been three times as
great, and the bark is cleaner and
the whole tree much more "stocky."
Remember in planting a tree that you
will never again have a chance to get
under the roots. In trees set out
last spring / was at the pains to put
about a peck Of coarse bone at the
bottom Of all the holes where trees
were to be set out. If those trees
should last so years l believe they will
always be the more hardy and thrifty
by reason of this bone, and the extra
cost was next to nothing. Do not
forget the great advantages Of, at
least, preparing your holes for your
trees in the fall. The tree actually
planted in the fall will get a much
earlier start than in the spring,-will
save, in my experience, fully four
weeks of growth; and your apple
trees will need no extra protection
during the following cold weather
Qn the case Of plum and cherry trees,
1t is advisable to heap some loan
about the trunk of the tree to a depth
of possibly foot. With this precau-
ton taken they will probably survive
extremely cold weather. But if one
has a preference, as some have, for
spring planting, l would still advise
digging the holes in the fall and part
ly filling them with the richest fer
tilizing material which the barnyard |
supplies, taking pains in the spring |
to remove it, lest the roots of the tree |
burn. If this is done the rains and |
melting SHOWS Of the winter will |
soak into and through this dressing, |
thus richly impregnating with the |
fertilizing elements the soil beneath |
the roots of the tree. I tried this ex-
pertinent year ago, ana the trees
set out this last spring in these holes
have done extraordinarily well
Experiment
At the annual meeting of the state
board of agriculture Of Connecticut
asst spring, Prof Roberts Of Cornell
station very truthfully re-
marked that every farm should by
good rights be an experiment station.
One thing is certain,-that expert
nents on ones farm are entertaining
Ind help make work seem like play.
This past summer experimental in a
'ow of Eclipse beets in the use of !
wood ashes one-half the row, and
commercial phosphate on the other.
II course, the phosphate is much the s
more expensive article, and | put on
he wood ashes more freely for this :
eason. The part of the row where
he wood ashes were put developed |
lore slowly, but in the end very near
Y as satisfactorily as did the part |