The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-05-13
Horticulture.
MANAGING AN APPLE ORCHARD.
Commercial Fertilizers, Root Injury, Rab-
bits and Other Matters.

Commercial Fertilizers, Root Injury, Rab-
bits and Other Matters.
Correspondence of The Progressive Farmer.
Harry Farmer is a good writer,
and as rule he thinks closely and
well but he mistakes in supposing
that fruit trees in cultivated fields
die and refuse to bear because the
humus has been burnt out by the use
of chemical manures. More trees
die from the improper use of the
plow and single tree around and
near them than from all other causes,
unless we may except the ravsges of
worms. The writer's orchard of
apple, peach, plum and few other
fruits has been in cotton and corn
alternate years for more than ten
years, the corn crop manured with
lot manure supplemented by bone
and potash, the cotton crop with
complete chemical fertilizers. The
lot manure was mainly pure straw
and is pat in drill sparingly, and in
passing the trees, I usually throw
around each small quantity of bone
and potash but the blowing is done
by me or my son, and the trees do
not die.
THE TAP ROOT.
It is claimed by some that the
longevity of a tree depends on the
tap root, that these support the
woody parts and the surface roots,
the fruit and foliage; but never
saw a tap root of tree of much size
or age that had many fibrous roots
such as are used by the trees TO take
up food. Hence, conclude that
these tap roots are mainly there to
give strength to the tree to enable is
TO Withstand storms, and that the
hbrous roots near and just below the
surface take up the greater part of
the food upon which the tree sub
sists, and the various parts have no
choice as to whether it is taken up
by the lower roots or those near the
surface. Il is food they want, and
they do not fuss over the route over
which it comes.
INJURING THE ROOTS.
Now if this position is true, just
in the proportion that you injure or
distend these surface roots, you out
off the trees chance for food, so it
can easily be seen that tree can be
starved to death or so nearly 80 as to
render it unfruitfuI. Most farms
are cultivated by careless or indiffer-
ent plowmen, and the results COM
planned of usually follow.
Harry Farmer admits that when
crops are grown in orchards which
are laid by early the trees bear bet
ter and longer of course, because the
root disturbance is less and the time
for overcoming it greater.
The buds which make this year, g
fruit are formed the previous season
but usually after the trees drop their
fruit hence, any late disturbance of
the root system must interfere with
the development of the fruit buds
for the succeeding crop, and oorre-
spondingly lessen the vitality of the
tree; that the frequent repetition,
year after year, of such disturbance
will necessarily destroy it's vitality.
In former years, orchards we're
allowed to crest" each alternate
year, and even if the disturbance
had been as great, it was not so often
and had better time TO renew.
SHOULD ORCHARDS BE CULTIVATED?
The writer is of the opinion that
orchards should not be cultivated
after they get we'll into bearing, or
If they are cultivated the plow should
be raised as it approaches near
enough TO touch the roots
Ii il claimed that fruits grow
larger in orchards which are Guilt,
waited, but keep better when grown
in those not cultivated. This is
reasonable the growth of all plants
is more rapid under cultivation, and
of course develop larger fruits; but
the texture of the fruit is not as firm
as in those which take more time for
development, and this is why they
keep better. Moreover, the absence
of all root hindrance assures a f1rmer
texture.
KEEPING OFF RABBITS
Another correspondent recon-
nends the use of grease TO keep of
rabbits. This will keep them of of
a oertaintv. as the rabbit is strictly q