The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1900-05-23
The Orchard in Spring.
From the PblIaaelphIa E.eeora.

From the Philadelphia gsecord.
Orchards are now managed more in
telligently and systematically than
they were half century ago. Form
erly an orchard was a field that was
expected 10 produce a crop Of grain or
grass with fruit as a by-prOduct. At
the present time the orchard is expect
ed to pay and is given care and atten-
ton. The experiment stations devote
a large portion Of time in experiment.
ing with fruit, and the recent report of
the Hatch Experiment Station is given
exclusively to fruit trees, methods Of
using fertilizers, treatment of orchards,
etc. Although the experiments refer
to Massachusetts, they apply fully as
well elsewhere. A large majority of
apple trees do not make the growth
necessary to produce fruit of large size
and Of fine quality. A large numter
Of trees are grown on land from which
a cop of grass or hay is taken aud but
littls fertilizing material is applied.
Sometimes the land is too rocky to
cultivate. If the land is light in tex
ture thorough and continued cultiva-
ton will be necessary to produce pro-
fitable crops. but in strong. deep soil
no such necessity exists if a liberal
supply Of plant food is applied annual
ly. Choice fruit cannot be grown un-
less the trees are made to produce Wig
Orous growth of foliage and wood. No
matter what the soil may be the trees
must be thrifty or they will be unable
to stand the drain of an enormous
crop, hence luxuriant foliage and
abundant new wood indicates that the
tree itself is strong and in good eondi-
ton, for not only one year bat more,
and the greater the growth of wood
secured the more advanced the tree
and the greater its producing capacity
in succeeding years, but it must be
kept in good condition by the use of
fertilizers.
Numerous experiments made with
fertilizers, applied to both old and
young trees, growing 10 grass, lead to
the conclusion that such trees can be
made to grow with sufficient vigor to
produce large and profitable crops of
fruit. The Hatch Station, after num-
erous tests, found that marked improve
ment was shown in the growth of the
trees only when nitrate of soda was
applied as where all the fertilizing ele-
ments were used. Bone, fish, wood
ashes, potash, etc, were tested, but in
no case was as much growth made as
from nitrate of soda. The explanation |
for this may be that the nitrate, being
quickly soluble, washes down below
the roots of the grasses and is absorb /
ed by the roots of the trees, while the /
nitrogen frO,a fisn and bone or manure,
being slowly dissolved, is largely taken
up by the roots of the grasses, and the |
trees get but little benefit from it. The |
test mentioned is with orchards in /
which grass is grown 1t is probable /
that if fish, bone, manure, etc, are /
applied in the fall and winter the |
nitrogen would be more available for /
the trees than when applied in April /
or May. Young trees in constant eul-
tivatiOn will require less fertilizer than
trees grown with grass among them.
Stable manure should never be applied \
in the spring unless the trees are heav-
lily loaded with fruit OF are making
weak growth. If young trees are on
good soil, and are kept under constant
cultivation, they should receive no 1
fertilizer or manure until they have /
set a crop of fruit. A cover crop of |
peas and barley Cor rye) sown in Au-
gust, to keep the land from washing 4
and to supply some plant food, has
been found of great value in all or
chards under cultivation, the advant-
age of such d cover crop being that it
can be sown late in the season after the /
trees have completed their growth.
1t has been demonstrated satisfae- /
torily that by thinning the fruit on an
overloaded treee there is a gain in
quantity and quality as well as the oh
tanning of higher prices. The results
of thinning are that the foliage be
comes more vigorous and more resist
ant to insect and fungOus pests, the
remaining fruit growing larger and
more perfect in size, color and quality.
The larvae Of the eOdling moth, the
insect which produces wOrmy fruit in
the apple, pear and ounce, and the
larvae of the plum curculiO, that pro-
duees the wOrmy plum and cherries,
are destroyed in the immature fruit /
when it dries up or decays on the
ground, and much less labor is requir-
ed to sort and pack the remaining
fruit when it is harvested. The cost of
thinning is not much greater than
would be the cost of the final picking
and sorting of so much inferior fruit
The best time to thin the apple, peach
and plum trees of their surplus fruit is
Cdtig III July. AnC kAdpC SuOuiu bc II
thinned as soon as the size of the
buuches can be determined, which
may be about the last Of June. The
amount of fruit to remove depends
upon circumstances. In some cases
three-fOurths should be removed. In
the case Of peaches and plums the
fruit should not mature on the branches
nearer than six inches apart il the 1
whole tree is fruiting. With apples
and pears the amount of thinning to
be done must depend upon the size and
vigor Of the trees, but all wormy and /
deformed fruit should be removed even
to the extent of taking the entire crop, l
as such fruit only increases the num-
Der of insects the succeeding year, and /
will not pay the cost of harvesting if
left 20 mature. In vineyards of full
growth from 10 to 20 pounds of fruit
will be all that each vine can mature
and retain its vigOr.