Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-09-10
YOUR OWN FRUIT GARDEN.
WHAT CAN BE DONE EVEN IN A
VILLAGE LOT.

Great Possibilities of Backyard For
Grapes, Berries and Other Small and
Large Fruits-Plants Have Their Sym.
pathies and Antiquities.
The fruit garden comes well within
the range of household economies, says
a writer in the Washington Star. An
acre is none too much for il, yet II may
be brought within the confines of an or
binary village lot. The tiniest back
yard has space for at least grapevine,
dwarf fruit tree and a strawberry bar
rel. Set the vine so it may be trained
over a light trellis shading the back door.
Dig out hole for It at least three feet
square and board the hole all around
with rough lumber painted with coal
tar. This will last long time and keep
the vine roots from damaging drains or
cellar walls, if. every fall, when the sap
is well down. the roots are cut along the
board line with an AK or sharp-edged
spade. Such root pruning, if properly
done. is an aid to health and fruitful
ness.
In the corner farthest from the vine
set the tree. The strawberry barrel
needs all the light and sunshine possible.
1t must be stout and well hooped, other
wise it is not worth while. Begin by
taking out one head, then bore the sides
full of two-inch holes and the bottom
full of half-inch ones. Bury it halt
way, fill with very rich earth, set some
sort of drain in the middle, and let the
earth slope slightly toward the drain.
Plant a strong vine in every hole and
row all around the top. A barrel pre-
pared in May or June and we'll tended,
especially if planted with pot-grown
vines, ought to bear next season. The
main trouble is to keep it we'll watered
In warm weather water it twice day,
before sunrise and late in the afternoon
Once a week give copious watering OF
LIQUID manure. Pick cut all weeds and
enthusiastically lighten the earth with
garden trowel. Protect through the
winter with boughs or cornstalks. In
spring, as soon as the buds swell, water
plentifully and, until the berries are
within a fortnight of ripening, give
LIQUID manure twice week. When the
earliest fruit begins turning white stop
the manure water, but double the supply
of fresh. By renewing earth and vines
every second year after bearing time the
barrel may be kept indefinitely in COM
mission
A plot twenty-five by fifty feet may be
made to yield an astonishing supply of
fruit. Given such dimension in the
brick shape luckily so common, run mar
row paths down each side next the
fences and plant in them grape vines
with roots projecting inward. For SIX
inches around the stems the earth should
be kept light and loose, and in winter
the whole root spread needs a good coat
of coarse manure. Train the vines up
against the fence or on wires stretched
inside it. Keep the canes well shortened,
and summer prune from June forward
rubbing off all but two or three new
shoots. In the fall cut back these. new
canes to sound, fully rippened wood.
All along beside the end fence dig a
trench four feet wide and five feet deep
the whole plot breadth. Board up the
sides stoutly with well-tarred boards,
then fill in first with foot of stones,
brickbats, old shoes, bones and general
coarse litter. Upon top of that put SIX
inches of rotted manure, and cover with
rich earth to within a foot of the top.
Thus, in spite of the boarding which
will keep in the roots, the trees will be
in no danger of starving.
Plant three dwarf fruit trees in the
ditch, spreading out their roots well,
then filling in the remaining foot with
the finest lightest earth. Tramp and
pack firmly, heaping the earth little,
then mulch the whole trench surface
thickly as to keep down the weeds.
Once in six months or so rake off the
mulch, dig up the whole space using
three-tined fork, and never prying out
the roots, replace the mulch thickening
it as necessary, and water whenever
there is even a hint of drouth. Fruit
trees will always be the better for
copious sunset watering, also at midday
or 1 o'clock, if the leaves droop percep-
tibly.
A good tree selection is pear,
peach, a plum or a cherry. Choose a
very early pear and very late peach.
Very early peaches seldom bear fruit
enough to be worth while. A medium
early sort will give more satisfaction.
Keep down all suckers. Dwarf trees be-
ing grated upon other than their own
roots, if alien shoots come up, the bud
ded trunk will die. Summer prune,
which means pinch back all shoots to a
compact symmetrical head, f1attish rath-
err than round. with no branch extending
beyond the trench. Every spring dig
away the earth around the trunks down
to the crown of the root, examine for
borers, and if found dig them out and
burn. Wash the trunks we'll with
strong soap suds the first warm day. If
insects attack the foliage, either cover
them, a tree at a time, with sheet or
burn half a pound of sulphur under
Meath it, or spray well with some in
secticide.
Plants are very human, especially in
their sympathies and antipathies. Thus
it happens that the blackberry vines do
better next orchard trees, even dwarf
trees, than any other among the small
fruits. Therefore, set double row OF
blackberries next the tree trench, plant
ing the vines eighteen inches apart in the
row. and setting them alternate. not op-
posite one to the other. The rows
should have space Of two feet between.
Set posts in the space ten feet apart, and
four feet above ground. Stretch two
wires along them, and tie the canes to
the wires. Shorten in the tips third
every fall. unless a vigilant pinching
through the summer has left them stocky
and branchy. Blackberry vines grow
one year and die the next after bearing.
Thus it is necessary every fall to break
out the dead vines, and tie living ones