The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1899-09-09
AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
ACRicULTURISTS.
some Up-to-Date Hints About Gull
tivation Of the Soil and Yields
Observation-Disclosures, v%itlculture and
Horticulture.
Mulchfng Trees.

CONDENSED from Farmers Review
Stenographic Report of Northern Illinois
horticultural C~onvention.)
Mr.. Friend.-I don't believe strong
nulching is worth anything unless you
have rain enough to keep it moist be-
low. The air can escape through the
mulching and the ground cracks open
md gets just as dry below the mulching
as it could get where there is no mulch
ing. I have a place on my farm that l
call the bad acre" When a nursery
man sends me a tree that is not true
to name l plant it on that bad acre.
Among others I have a little apple
tree near where l throw the barnyard
manure. This little tree through the
summer had from four to eight inches
Of dry manure all around 1t, close to it.
so it would serve as mulching if mulch
ing was any good. l have dug that
away after the season was e and
found the ground cracked open. Such
a mulch may keep the smaller rains
from going down to the roots and In
that case it doesn't help the tree a bit.
T am confirmed in the notion that such
mulching as would be applied by the
farmer. is of little value I believe that
the only mulch that is worth anything
Is to harrow and dig up the ground.
Mr.. Hoxie.-Mr. Bailey is credited
with saying. IF you have a watering
pot, throw it away" This gentleman
believes in stirring the soil.
DR.. Humphrey.-There is a differ
ence between mulching all over your
farm and a little local mulch around
trees. Nature makes a mulch In the
forest by the leaves. Nature mulches
your strawberry bed with caves In the
winter. 1 mulch my apple trees, but l
Just mulch them with the potato n
grown in my orchard. l commence
digging the last Of June or the first OF
July and l invariably put the tops OF
my potatoes around the trees. 1t Is a
little local affair and it isn't mulching
the whole ground. I have never found
that it did a particle of harm. u l
believe it has always done good, ana
the trees have fiourished under a llttle
mulching of that kind. am sure IL
| holds moisture because I have exam
ined many times. A little mulch
around individual trees of nearly every
sort I believe to be a good thing ana
so far q, Isknow makes a thrifty ana
lcng-lived growth. l never had but
one calamity. l undertook to feed the
| catalpa as I would feed the cherry n
apple, and the trees nearly died. l
| dwarfed them so they never amounted
to anything.
Mr.. Morgan do not believe IN
mulching trees. I do not care to use 1T
on anything but asparagus beds anu
! pie plant. While on the farm always
tn1ulched my pie plant heavily with
horse manure.
Q.-At what time?
Mr.. Morgan.-In the fall. I always
| did, and I always had the largest, M
| est kind of pie plant and asparagus.
Mr.. Clybourn.-On my place In
southern Illinois I raise peaches. one
of my neighbors raises the same sort
of peaches that l do, but mine were far
superior to his this summer. and the
reason was that I had the ground u
| tivated between the trees and the fruit
| proved to be larger and far superior.
Mr.. Hartwell.-I want to endorse
? Mr.. Morgan. This mulching for saw
!! ing labor is a delusion and a snare.
You cannot save labor by mulching.
Your mulching don't hold the moist
ure as the c%ultivating will.