Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-12-14
FARMERS FRUIT GARDEN
A Paper Read by Bailey G. Street
Before the Farmers Institute at
Hesper Last Week.

VIII COuSlueT lOT rev moments the
conditions necessary in order to be sue
eessful, that is 10 have plenty of APP
pies What is the condition of the
average orchard in northern Iowa to
day? If we will take look at hem, the
6rst thought that strikes us is that
they are very much neglected, per-
haps the trees are few and far between,
and standing in bluegrass sod. We
had about as well build shed over a
tree as to let the ground around it get
set with bluegrass, so far as results are
concerned. If the farmers of northern
Iowa neglected their corn crop as much
rs they do their orchards there would
not be much good corn raised. If we
want to raise good crop of corn we
study the conditions necessary to en-
sure that crop, and if we want to keep
that coin, we make the surrounding
conditions favorable to its keeping.
And just so it is in raising apples. One
thing should be borne in mind and
should govern every operation, and
that is this: If anything is worth do
ing at all it is worth doing well, and
that it never pays to half do anything.
Failure | believe is more frequently
due to neglect on our part, than 10 all
other causes combined.
In order to be successful on this lile
four things should be considered:
First, location; second, preparation of
the soil and planting; third, varieties;
fourth, care after putting out.
1t is important to set apple trees on
ME highest land available with slope
TO the northwest, with no protection
ON the north and west. 1t is much
better to have protection on the south
than on the north. Apple trees are
injured more by sudden freezing and
fhawing than by steady very cold
weather. Also they are less subject to
twig-blight, that hardest of diseases to
control where there is a free circula-
lion of air on the'north and west. On
anorthern slope the sun on warm
day in winter does not warm them up
so much as on a southern slope. Clay
soil is better than black prairie soil.
The land should be plowed us early
in the spring as it will work well and
the soil thoroughly worked up fine.
Dig the holes large enough for the
roots 10 be Strengthened out as they
grew formerly and planted little
deeper than they grew in the nursery.
Let the tree stand when set to the one |
O'clock sun, fill up with fine soil and |
pack well around the roots, leaving a |
little loose soil ON top. AS to distance
apart like the plan of setting them
in blocks of three rows, and then an
open space and then another block,
putting the rows IA feet apart and the
trees IL feet apart in the row. Set to
break joints, that Is the first row 6 feet
from edge and the first tree in the Sec
ond row II feet from the edge. Plant
ed in this way they protect each other.
You can drive with a wagon on each
side OF the block and get close to each
sree to get the apples, or to spread fer
flizers and the air can circulate quite
freely through them. The open space
between the blocks to be the same
as the blocks, and may be in closer.
The sooner the tree is set out after be-
ing taken from the nursery and the
less the roots are exposed to the air the
better for the tree. Thence the closer
70 home you can get them, other
saings being equal. the surer you are
Of success.
am aware that when touch on
The point of varieties am liable to stir
mp hornets nest. A very great mis-
ake has been made in the past, in put
ting out kinds that were not adapted
sothis climate. A very good way is
to look around and see what kinds are
succeeding the best near you. We
have some very good apples that do
we'll here and are good keepers, as the
Melinda, Walridge, Northwestern
Greening, Johnson's Seeding, Scott's
Winterell. Care after setting out:
One of the worst things we have to
contend with after setting out is the
drouth, and the best way to overcome
ats effects is to thoroughly cultivate
the soil during the growing season.
Plant to sweet corn or potatoes, or
some cultivated crop, but never SOW
small grain or timothy. Never bark
the trees; keep the surface loose and
mellow by frequent cultivation and |
free from weeds close to the trees, |
either by hoeing or mulching. Buck
wheat is good crop to SOW in an or
chsrd, as it keeps the ground loose and |
porous and relatively moist, permitting
the roots to come up near the surface, /
where most of the heterogeneous plant
food is found. 1t is a good plan to
wash the bodies of the trees ia June
with very strong soap suds, to kill in
sects and keep the bark in a healthy
condition. Keep the ground well en-
riched as we can no more expect to
get a good crop Of apples without keep