Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-09-07
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
AGRICULTURISTS.
Some Up-to-Date Hints About Gull
dvation of the Soil and Yields
Observation-Disclosures, vitiouIturs and
Floriculture.
Mulching Trees.


CONDENSED from Farmers Review
Stenographic Report Of Northern Illinois
Horticultural Convention)
Mr.. Friend.-I don't believe strong
mulching Is worth anything unless you
have rain enough to keep 1t moist be-
low. The air can escape through the
mulching and the ground cracks open
and gets just as dry below the mulching
as 1t could get where there Is no mulch
Ing. / have 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 1t on that bad acre.
Among others l have a little apple
tree near where throw the barnyard
manure. This little tree through the
summer had from four to eight inches
Of dry manure all around 1t, close to 1t,
so It would serve as mulching II mulch
ing was any good. l have dug that
away after the season was over 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 bit.
i am confirmed in the notion that such
'mulching as would be applied by the
farmer. is of little value. 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 1t 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 leaves In the
winter. mulch my apple trees, but
lust mulch them with the potato vines
grown in my orchard. l commence
digging the last Of June or the first oil
July and l invariably put the tops Of
nv potatoes around the trees. 1t 10 q
little local affair and 1t isn't mulching
the whole ground. ! have never FOUND
that 1t did a particle OF harm, but
believe it has always done good, and
the trees have fiourished under little
mulching of that kind. l am sure II
holds moisture because l have exam
ined many times. A little mulch
around individual trees OF nearly every
sort 7 believe to be a good thing and
so far as I know makes thrifty and
long-lived growth. l never had but
one calamity. undertook to feed the
catalpa as would feed the cherry and
apple, and the trees nearly died.
dwarfed them so they never amounted
to anything.
Mr.. Morgan do not believe IN
mulching trees. do not care to use II
on anything but asparagus beds ana
pie plant While on the farm l always
mulched my pie plant heavily WIFI
horse manure.
Q.-At what time?
Mr.. Morgan.-In the fall. I always
did, and I always had the largest, nm
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 do, but mine were far
superior to his this summer, and the
reason was that had the ground cul-
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 cultivating will.