The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-03-06

ouG the IerGIEzlDg proper ties from the
soil and the ground is rendered sour.
Hence a scarcity of wasps and bees ie
really bad sign fer a coed corn crop.
l have often observed an apple, pear,
plum or cherry tree TO have second
crop Of blossom By this sign many
predict death in the owners family
This is a true sign of death-not of
human being, but OF the tree itself
Some two or three years ago nearly all
by cherry trees of the Morello variety
bloomed in September. Now they are
ali dead. OF about twenty large trees
have not single one living In the
year Of their blooming the crop Of
cherries was plentiful, but inferior ID
quality. The trees then shed their
leaves and then there were blooms and
a partial putting forth of leaves, not
ron the buds on the tgigs, but from
the terminal bud. What oautad the
decay and death of the trees. / am ab a
loss to know. The Heart cherries have
not been aft -cted
When l took possession of the place
Whereon I nov reside there was
thrifty apple and peach orchard. In
the middle OF the orchard there was
row of "Prior's Red EAch season
the trees budded aud bllomed as the
others on each side Of it. The leaves,
coon after obtaining their growth,
would begin to Yello Y and be fecked
with dark rusty and black spots. Trees
altogether never bore bushel OF ap
pies during their whole lifetime. The
disease, If such it is, has spread over
most Of my contiguous orchard Many
trees have died prematurely. Meme OF
those attacked mature toe apples per-
tecoly, the apples being of inferior
quality and size, II this disease keeps
on sprea ding and there is a succession
from year 80 year of killing frosts il
will be little worth while to plant
orchards
1 nave seen printed a prediction thst
there will be a bountlful fruit crop
this year. o. this there is no Cer5ainty.
Our climate within the las 55 ears
has undergone a change. In 1887 on
the cold Saturday in February t3e
peach crop was killed IN the Oud the
apple crop was unInjured. There was
no miss in a fruit crop till 1845 wnen
the entire crop OF fruit was destroyed
in Nay. Five years later all was killed
then no c|ean n iss of fruit crop till
after the war. For the pas, 80 years
the fruit crop has oftener failed IN tnis
part of the State than otherwise. 1t
has generally been destroyed about the
9th of May The indications are tnat
che trees will bud and bloom late Ehis
year Should the peaches bloom in
April, the fruit will nearly all drop off
before it natures,
Owing to tee scarcity OF truis for the
past few years, i: : " be that the cod
ling moths may not be so numer ua.
However, should they increase from
ear to yaar, as they have done for the
past ten years, those who attemps to
raise fruit will be compelled TO resort
to spraying their orchards. Nursery
meu will have TO introduce a stock of
trees OF smaller gro With; this they can
readily do by grating from fruit
bearing twigs, using the terminal buds,
thus producing early bearing trees,
which will check their gro With. Psacn
trees can readily be hea1ed back every
year. Then the trees can be snrayed
Bat with our collosaI trees 25 tc 80 g t
high, spraying cannot be dJne Snouio
the seasons so change, however, that
the frosts will not kill our fruit and
our nurseryman introduce trees that
will grow smaller and our fruit grow
ers or farmers use spraying machines
and apply insecticides, then. AID MT
till then, can good marketable 5ples
be raised In this section.
Fruit growing here will not pay 81
long as killing frosts happen so fire. =
uuently. B. E. WHITE.
Alamance Co., N @.