Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1901-03-21

CULTIVATION OF Oreh&rd&@
CONDENSED from Farmers Review
stenographic Report of Illinois Horti-
cultural Convention.)
F. D. Voris spoke on the cultivation
OF orchards. In part he said: For the
fret seven or eight years the cultiva
ton can be done in connection with
some field crop. When the trees are
young-from three to four years of
age-we prefer corn to any other crop.
and | might say that this is true for
the first seven years or till the trees
begin to bear. 1t is very important to
Keep the soil we'll broken up in every
county where the soil is not very rich.
The black soil of central and northern
illinois may not need fertilizing, but
even there some of the potash ferti
lizers might do a good deal of good.
Ii were going to buy a harrow for
use In the orchard, would buy an
orchard cutaway harrow We must
Keep the orchard free of weeds and
grass throughout the growing season.
SOW In the fall for the winter cover
crop. You must begin to cultivate
your orchard well early in the season
and keep 1t up through the summer
and early fall. You must do this to
get the best results.
Q-Do you use cover crop?
Al have used rye.
Q.-Have you noticed a prolonged
season OF growth resulting from Gull
ovation; that is, where the trees are
cultivated, do they grow outside of
their season?
A.-No, sir; If the cultivation has
peen Kept up through the summer
Mr.. Van Deman.-Now, the point as
to the continuous cultivation is very
important; for If there has been no cul-
tivation during the spring and sum
mer, 1t will not do to begin 1t in the
fali, as 1t is very likely to bring disas-
ter to the orchard. If the orchard Ia to
De pastured with sheep, it should be
oVer-pastured, so that the sheep will
nave to be fed; that will result in en-
riching the orchard.
Horticultural Observations,
The Illinois State Horticultural So
ciety has arranged an exchange of vol
umes of the State Horticultural Re-
ports previous to the year 1894 Some
people have duplicate volumes but lack
single numbers of other years. Any
that are in position to exchange vol
umes Will confer a favor on other IL
Hnols horticulturists by correspond
Ing with the secretary, l.. r. Bryant,
princeton, Illinois, relative to the
same.
IL Is always difficult to keep sweet
potatoes, but 1t can be done, even out
side of a cold storage house. 1t is be-
leved that SO degrees is the best tenn
perature for this kind of tuber. An
other requisite is dryness. Van Deman
says that in New Jersey the farmers
dig pits where they will remain dry
and store the tubers in these. The po-
tatoes are covered to a depth of sew
eral feet with pine needles, and these
In turn are covered with dirt. The
natural temperature of the soil is
about % degrees in that state, and the
conditions for bookkeeping are very
good.
A tree planter says that the great
est enemy to newly-planted woody
plants is grass. When such plants and
trees are set In holes cut in the sod
they do not generally do well Keep
the sod away and give each tree and
shrub chance to grow. The tree that
is once established and can reach out
and get the food it needs will require
little attention from year to year. Care
should be used not to plant tree too
low 1t should be planted little high
er than 1t stood before. Whether
trees or shrubs, they should be given
room in which to grow. When large
trees are to be set out, especially large
forest trees, it is advisable to steady
them with wire stays and cables. The
stays should not be wound around the
trees, but should be fastened into wire
eyes screwed into the trees. These
stays will prevent the wind swaying
the trees and loosening the roots.
while they are still loosely fixed In the
soil.