Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1899-08-09
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walton on the growth Of apple trees, the
size of fruit and the water contents of
the soil The report says 1.-The trees
in cultivated ground suffered noticeably
less from the drought and hot winds of
summer than those in sod ground The
foliage was darker and more vigorous
in appearance. and there was no yell
lowing and dropping of the leaves or
whiting during hot windy days. both of
which occurred with uncultivated trees
Apples from cultivated land averaged
nearly IA per cent larger in weight than
those from pasture land and over II
per cent larger than those from moved
land. The average percentages of
moisture in the first 90 inches Of the
soil in different portions of the orchard
in the latter part of October were
'Mowed portion, IA; pasture portion,
14.7 portion cultivated till August
II. and portion cultivated the entire
season. 20. 4.
Observations on grass land near the
orchard showed that alfalfa only two
years old took the moisture from the
soil as completely as an old June grass
sod These facts show how very neces-
sary cultivation is in a dry climate.
That the same is true in dry seasons in
moister climates is shown by observa-
tons at the Cornell On. Y. station.
The California station has recently
reported an instance of the beneficial
effect of cultivation on the growth and
fruitfulness of orchards. Aprieots grown
in adjacent fields under exactly the
same conditions. except for cultivation
showed great difference in behavior
See Fig. /, where A represents cult
waited and b an uneutivated apricot
tree in dry season The soil of the re-
gion in which the orchards are located
has Il rather. loase texture. One orchard
was cultivated several inches deep and
the other was uncultivated. During one
season the trees in the cultivated field
made a wood growth of over three feet,
while those in the uncultivated field
made growth Of not over three inches.
There WAS also great difference in the
fruit. The average percentage of mols-
tHre in the first six feet of soil was g. 3
in the cultivated orchard and f. . in the
other one \ recent bulletin of the H
llnols station reports marked benefit
from clean cultivation of an orchard. IL
1890 three rows each Of Ben Davis ana
Grimes Golden apples We're planted, the
trees being set II feet apart each way.
These were divided into four plats. the
first being given clean cultivation and
the second. third and fourth being crop
ped with oats. clover ana blue grass,
respectively Gig p. The same treat
ment was continued each year after
planting. The trees grown on the grass
plats We're decidedly inferior To tbos"
grown on the cultivated plat as reaatj>
height, diameter of trunk viz aass
abundance Of foliage, etc. For Instance.
in the case Of the Ben Dav.a tzeea ii,
diameter of the trunks OF ar.st
the surface Of the soil w rf r-t'.'-
as great in the case of In c.:'i.,,. !
plat as in case of that in gra~e Iii
larly the height If the trees in tn, two
plats averaged 1871 and II feet, and
the diameter Of the tops Ia. and s15
feet respectively In growth and viger
of the trees the clover plat ranked next
after the cultivated, and the oats rank
ed between the clover and the blue
grass plats. Fig shows the effect of
the different systems of culture ON the
growth of apple trees-A, clean cult
walton; B, cropped with oats; G, crop
ped with clover; d, cropped with blue
grass.
The injury caused by growing grass
in young orchards is shown very en-