The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1901-07-30
what Shall We Plant 2

From Farmers Review: The time
of the year is drawing near when every
property owner in the great North
west will be asking himself the ques-
ton, What shall l plant in the or
chard7" All, that is the great ques-
ton with the tree planters of this sec
ton. I, for one, would like to have
the tree planters discuss this question
through the columns of the Review.
BY the permission of the editor, l Will
give my experience for the past TWEEN
ty-dve years. / have been trying to
run an experimental orchard at my
own expense. When l first started the
orchard l bought everything in the
shape of fruit tree that was recon-
mended as an iron clad, but they have
nearly all passed away. AS we cut
the dead trees into stove wood, my
boys asked me IL it would not be
cheaper for me to pay $40 a cord for
oak wood than to raise it by planting
fruit trees. | have the consolation
that am not the only farmer that
has been humbugged into buying fruit
trees that die from the bottom up,
for the dilapidated orchards bear me
witness. Who is to blame for this con-
dition of affairs? Well, let us use
little common sense and we will IND
"the niger in the wood pile" In 1871
there were quite a number of good
orchards here. In that year the can
ker worms made their appearance, and
cd trees.
A few farmers sprayed their trees;
these saved their orchards Those who
did not spray lost theirs. Those who
lost their orchards have been replac-
ing, but they have no trees like the
ones killed by the worms. | asked
one Of these old farmers several years
ago where he bought his trees. He
replied, From local nursery. l had
them dug in the spring and had them
planted on my return from the nur-
sery." He told me that they were col
lar grated in the nursery row on
whole roots. These roots were mostly
grown from wild crab seed. This was
before we had any railroad through
here.
This orchard has not been sprayed,
trimmed or cultivated since 1874, and
is not a model orchard because of
neglect. The original owner several
years ago passed over the silent river.
These old orchards that escaped the
ravages of the worms were planted in
1871; most of the trees stand as
straight upright as line. This is
because they are well anchored with
good tap roots. The roots were not
damaged by the hard freeze of 1898
SO. Such trees bore fair crop of ap-
pies in 1900.
The up-to-date nurseryman does not
fool away his time trying to grow
hardy roots to graft hardy varieties of
fruit upon, but sends to France for
his apple seeds and seedlings, because
he can got them much cheaper there
than he can get them in this country.
The roots of these French seedlings
freeze to death during a winter like
1898-99. IN FEBRUARY, 1899, the frost
went down into the earth to a depth
of six feet; this great depth of frost
paralyzed all the roots of French stock
upon my farm, such as Mazzard and
Mahaleb cherry, Myrabolan plum and
choice French apple roots. All of my
apples grown on Siberian and wild
crab roots, cherries on Montmorency
cherry pits, and plums grown on ma
tive wild plum roots, came through
that trying ordeal with colors flying,
with not dead tree. While of those
grown on eastern and choice French
hardy (?) roots l lost thousands of
trees. 1 am so Disguised with this
nursery humbug that l have conclud-
ed to grow my own trees; apples on
hardy roots that have withstood our
trying climate Tor 60 years; cherries
on stock grown from Montmorency.
Wraggs and other hardy cherry pits,
and plums from our native plum pits.
Upon these roots 1 will graft the hard
lest fruit that grows in my neighbor-
hood. Now, brother farmers, let us
have your experience through the COL
umns Of the Review. Please don't all
speak at once.-D. f. Thompson.
Stephenson county, Ill.