Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1902-10-31
$aSifuItnral.
ORCHARDS IN THE FALL.

During the late fall is the best and
most suitable time for giving attention
to the trees, not only because there is |
better opportunity for so doing, but
also because the pruning of the trees
and the removal of diseased portions
can be done less hurriedly than in the
spring. Neglecting the orchard is the
cause Of trees being improbable, but
where farmers have recognized the or
chards as sources of profit, and regard
ed the trees as something more than
ornaments, or as occupying the ground
from custom, the returns have been sat-
isfactory. The land used for the orchard
is frequently forced to bear two crops
the year, one Of grain and one of fruit,
the latter crop coming because it is
natural for trees to attempt TO bear fruit,
even under unfavorable circumstances,
while the grain was intended for mar
ket. When land is thus taxed Il will
be but few years before it is exhausted,
as it is better to cut the trees down and
give the land wholly to grain than to
leave the trees to reduce the grain yield
and at the same time produce only un-
marketable fruit. Grain and fruit crops
on the same land remove the fertilizing
materials Of the soil very rapidly; yet
farmers seldom apply manure on orchard
land, preferring to use it on other fields.
The orchard must take care of itself,
becoming the prey Of insects and dis
eases, and the trees make but little
growth, or die, when they could, with
care, be made to produce good paying
crops at less cost for labor than grain
A crop Of grain or grass may be
taken from the land occasionally, but
it requires time to establish an orchard !;
hence it is serious mistake to neglect
trees and allow them to become diseased
when the labor Of making an orchard
and the loss Of time waiting for the
trees to reach the bearing stage is con-
sidered When an orchard has becom e
overrun with weeds, or the trees show
signs of decay, the first work should be
to cut away all dead or diseased limbs
aud then pillow the ground, applying 10
bushels Of lime per acre, or rs bushels
of wood ashes, narrowing the land.
Work in an orchard is difficult, on &C.
count of the roots, but it should be
plowed as well as possible, so as to
break up the hard surface soil. Rye or
crimson clover should then be seeded
if in the fall, and the ground plowed
again in the spring, turning the rye
under. Cow peas may then be sowed
on the ground, after danger of frost is
over, and if desired the COW peas may
be fed of by sheep, as the animals will
return large proportion Of the crop to
the soil as manure. With the applica-
ton of manure or fertilizer the orchard
may then be seeded to clover, but no
orchard should be kept permanently in
grass. The proper plan is to pillow the
clover Tor any grass CROP under, and
then grow late potatoes, cabbagos or
some other crop that is cultivated be-
tween the rows and which require ma
nuring. Peach trees thrive best when
given clean cultivation, like corn, crop
Of any kind sometimes doing harm
Clean cultivation, with a mulch crop,
such as rye, sowed in the fall and turn
ed under in the spring, is usually bene-
fetal
Diseases sometimes almost imperoep-
tibly spread in winter No matter how
careful the grower may be he will fire.
quently leave fallen fruit, dead grass,
leaves or any other refuse materials
around the trees in winter. They are
the vehicles Of germs, and as the winds
scatter light substances to other loca-
tons the failure to clean away the re-
fuse from a single infected tree may
cause the spread Of disease over the en-
tire orchard. 1t is useless to cut away
dead limbs and burn them If the spores
of fungus diseases can be scattered broad
cast by materials that could easily be
cleared up and in q short time. Work
during the winter can be done to good
advantage in destroying the borers, and
the eggs Of the millers which produce
worms can be cleared from the trees
in fact, every tree will be benefited by
scraping and washing with a strong So
luton of lye, while planting the trees
in winter with crude petroleum is claim.
ed to be remedy for the scale insect
The trees of an orchard usually show
the effects of good treatment. The
peach, which sometimes appears to sue.
cumb to no cause. will respond to severe
pruning and take on nsw life Many
trees, especially those in old orchards,
are just as they were when first set out
never having been trimmed. They can
be improved by pruning, but it should
be done judiciOusly, and not by going
into the orchard with an ak aud saw to
cut away the tree indiscriminately. Or
chards that have never paid dollar can
be made to give good profits it the same