The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-01-23
Paper Read at the
Recent Farmers In
stitute by Mr.. F. E.
Brooks. - - - -

Celn IN tne nursery.
Set the trees at about the same
depth in the ground as they stood in
the nursery row. In filling the holes
work loose soil closely and firmly
around the roots
For the first two or three years the
ground between the rows may be
planted to some crop requiring thor
ough cultivation, such as corn, mel
Ions or potatoes, giving each tree as
careful attention as that required by
hill of corn; but never under any
circumstances SOW down a young Or
chard to grain or grass.
Lack of tillage is ruinous, and if
the trees are stunted while young
after care and attention will not over
come it for years, if ever.
A striking example of the baneful
effect of planting trees in sod ground
came under my notice the past season.
In the spring of 1897 some one-year-
old peach trees were planted in a
meadow; that year and the year fol-
lowing the grass was cut and removed
from the field. In the spring of 1899
the sod was plowed under and 100
more oneyear-old peach trees planted
in the same block.
From that time on the orchard re-
ceived cultivation and good care,
both paintings sharing alike in this
respect.
The past season the orchard bore
its first crop of fruit, the trees being
five and three years old respectively.
The tive-year-old trees were irregular
in size, deficient in foliage and more
than half of them smaller than the
younger trees. The three year-old
trees in every case producing the
most marketable fruit.
1t is true that excellent results are
often in sod orchards, but because an
o richard does well in sod does not
prove that it might not do better in
tillage. As a rule it thrives in spite
of the sod and not because of il, and
the man who cites his orchard as an
example of contrary fact cites an
exception and not rule.
Not only do most untitled orchards
become weak and stunted through
starvation but they are more subject
to insect attack and disease, though
Il Unfortunately these two scourges of
the fruit grower are by no means con-
fined to sod-bound orchards, and in
nothing is the skill of the orchardist
shown so much as in his manner of
combating these pests.
The injury done by insects alone to
the fruit interests of the country is
past all reckoning, and it is necessary
for the successful fruit grower to ac-
quaint himself somewhat with their
habits and life history that he may
be able to fight them intelligently.
Many of them can be controlled by
spraying and for the intelligent en-
ployment of Insecticides it is neces
sary to comprehend the nature and
manner of feeding of the various
species of injurious insects.
l would not continue to plant fruit
trees if this means of spraying to con-
troll insects and disease were not
available. /
| prune annually and for several
reasons head my trees low. Nothing
pays better than the thinning of two
thirds of the green fruit from oyer
loaded trees.
After an orchard has been four or
five years planted, my practice is to
give clean tillage until about the
first of July when l SOW to cow peas.
The pea vines are allowed to lay on
the ground until spring when they
are plowed under. thus supplying
humis and nitrogen. Potash and
phosphoric acid are added in the way
of commercial fertilizer.
In closing | cannot do better than
quote from L. H. Baileo, of Cornell
University:
"The American farmer has more
help from teachers and experimenters
than other farmers have.
"a fundamental idea of our agri-
cultural colleges and experiment sta
tions is to reach the very man who
tills the soil. The teacher and the
farmer are in most intimate contact.
AS a consequence the fruit grower
qui ckly assimilates new methods. He
is bold and confident. He feels that
he controls his own destinies. He re-
ceives help at every doubtful point.
1.-The result of all this is that the
general tone of agricultural business
is rising and the farmer is feeling
more and more independent because
he knows that he can receive aid and
advice in his perplexities. Even those
persons who depreciate the colleges
and station are nevertheless greatly
dependent upon them, for they share
the general mental uplift and par
take of the new ideas which diffuse
from the teacher and experimenter