Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1899-01-14
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
AGRICULTURISTS
home Up-to-Dats Hints About Gull
dvstion OF the son and Yields
Observation-Disclosures Viticuiturs and
Horticulture.
Anent the Apple Orchard.

at a meeting of horticulturists at
hacomb, ILL.,, Prof T. ]. Burrin said
% part: I'VE must, in setting out an
ipple orchard, choose mostly winter
Varieties. 1t has been generally said
that we must choose a high location
Tor our apple orchard, but this is not
10 important as to select land that has
been well-drained to depth of at least
three feet. Fiat lands will produce as
well as hills If they are kept from
standing water. Land that will pro-
luce good wheat will generally produce
good apples.
t'The apple orchard must be well cul-
ivated. No one in Illinois does this
IS well as it should be done, so far as
ny observation goes. Experience has
shown that corn should be cultivated
1t least three times during a season,
but there is less information on how
0ften the orchard should be cultivated.
On our grounds at Champaign we Gull
| tivate about II times during the sea-
Son, and the work costs us about six
dollars per acre per season. We need
| not expect very good results till we
earn to keep the soil of the orchard
In proper condition.
''Trees should be sprayed three or
four times during the season to pre-
vent scab and codling moth. These are
the most important pests. If the fruit
alone was injured by the apple scab the
fungus that does the injury would not
| rank so high in badness, but it takes
the leaves also and that makes 1t the
worst enemy we have to combat, Some
| times the trees, on account OF the
| presence Of this pest, are defoi1ated
weeks before the proper time for the
leaves to fall. The first application Of
| the fungicide and insecticide should be
| Just after the blossoms have fallen and
Just as the leaves are unfolding.
H, Augustine-Is it not a fact that
some of these manufactured soils, like,
| for instance, sloughs that have been
| drained, are unfit for apple orchards?
Prof Burrill.-Yes, sir; and there
will always be some soils that will
not be fit for growing an apple or
chard.
Q.-Has not the foliage much to do
with developing the roots?
Prof Burrill.-Everything
Mr.. Hartwell.-The question of the
adaptation of soils for orchards is an
| important one. We have heard farm
ers say that black prairie soil was too
rich for apple growing and 1 have
| been inclined to think that there was
something in it. But now others say
| that that is all nonsense. l know Oh
one orchardist that says his soil is as
rich as any in the state and that ne has
also piled manure into it. He has a
good orchard. 1t may be that the
great trouble on prairie lands Is that
| the trees are killed by wet feet.
| Prof Burrill.-That brings to my
mind point that will speak of. We
| have been taught that we must stop
cultivation Of our orchards early in the
season, if we would have our trees pre-
| pared to endure hard winter; that If
we continue cultivation, we will get
spongy growth that will be unable to
resist the winters cold. 1 see in look
ing over some of our transactions that
Mr.. Friend does not believe that, and /
think he may be right. 1t may be that
! good soils that are kept in cultivation
the season through, so the growth will
not be checked at all, will be only
benefited by late cultivation. I do not
believe in late cultivation when there
has not been good cultivation al
| through the season. The rich soils
may give US just as compact wood as
! poor soils. I am sure, however, that
the treatment. we should give those
| soils is different from what should be
given upon the stony soils of New
England.
Mr.. Foster.-We naturally lC ok to the
high ground for dry soil, but the dry
soil is not always found there; 1 have
sometimes found the wettest places or
! high ground.
H. Augustine.-Iti is always advisable
to drain both low and high land
Experience in Spray1ng-At Green's
fruit farm we have found by the pres
ent years experience that pears are
greatly benefited by spraying with Bor-
| deaux mixture. The spray should be
applied three times: The first time al
once after the trees have blossomed
and the next time a few weeks there
after. The Seckel pear is particularly
inclined to be imperfect unless sprayed
! but where sprayed the Seckel was
smooth and beautiful The blemishes
on other varieties of pears can be
largely removed by spraying and the
quality Of the fruit is greatly increased
In apple orchards, buyers do not care
to go far to see orchards that have moi
been sprayed, knowing that the fruit
OF such orchards cannot be first-class
One spraying is not enough for apple
orchards, since frequent showers art
liable to occur at the season of the yeal
when spraying is done, which is at the
close of poisoning. We have also
sprayed our peach trees with partia
success, but the spraying not entirely
| preventing the peach leaf curl. There
Is no question whatever that the or
chardist must have a spraying equip
ment in order to market the finest spe-
cim ems Of fruit.-Green's Fruit Grower
| Facts ON Alfalfa.
George L. C1othier, assistant botan
| Sf If tho Kansas Exnorimenf Station