The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1902-02-06
AN ORCHARD IN GLASS.

Mr. Grant Hitchings, prominent
apple raiser of New York, in speaking
of his orchard, says that he keeps it in
grass continually, but anyone studying
his methods can see that it is not the
fact that his orchard being in grass
that causes the fine crops, but that he
takes such good care of the trees that
they bear in spite of the grass. There
are but two features of his grass plan
which commend it and they are the
grass is cut and left where it falls and
in this manner serves as a mulch, .
and lat the same time / add as much
straw as | can spare as top dressing.
In other words not only is all the plant
food taken up by the grass returned to
the soil but the straw mulch rotting is
added, and the mulch keeps the blos-
SONS back in the spring and holds the
moisture in the summer. Mr.. Hitch
ings says: THE trees from which
these apples were taken vary from five
to one hundred years in age. The
most of them, however, vary from five
to twelve years | have sprayed regu-
larry for the past eight years, but do
not prune at all. In my opinion
young tree is vigorous enough without
pruning, as this only increases wood
growth at the expense of the fruit bud
formation. l spray three times with
bordeaux mixture each season, adding
one-third pound of paris green to fifty
gallons. | make the first application
just as the buds swell spraying a sec
ond time just before the blossoms open,
and a third time soon after the bios
SONS fall Sometimes l spray fourth
time, if it rains hard before the calyx
end of the apple closes, my object be-
ing to encase little of the poison in
the blossom end of the apple if possible.
The underlying principle of the sue
cessful management of an apple or
chard lies in the fact that one must
keep the soil loose and porous, SO that
air and roots can penetrate deeply.
The soil must also be filed with humus
TO hold moisture and maintain bacteria
action. So far as my experience goes,
tanned more successfully and far cheap
er by leaving the orchard in sod rather
than by cultivation.
I'm my orchards from the time the
trees are set, grass is allowed to grow.
For the first ten years it is cut and
raked and placed around the trees as a
mulch. In orchards of ten years
standing or older, the grass is cut and
left where it falls and in this manner
serves as a mulch for the entire area.
| cut the grass but once during the
season, the time depending on the soil
and moisture. If suffering from
drouth, as last year, / cut early in
June, but if conditions prevail such as
we had this season, | defer the cutting
until the last of July. l do not permit
any stock to run in my orchards, as l
want all the grass for mulching AT
tlAN sttilit tiihb A tio oiidM DO
can spare as top dressing. If 1 am
a judge at all the dark green foliage,
bright bark, annual growth, size of
leaves, together with five successive
crops and the present vigorous condi-
ton of the trees, are expressions of
on the part of Nature, at least
in my case, ON this system of apple |
culture.
I'm selecting site for an orchard
would choose sidehill sloping toward
the north The trees should be 3S feet !
apart one way and 2S to 36 feet the
other, varying the distance so as to Sc
lect the best spots of ground in the |
row for the trees. This system will
also help break the force of the winds |
during severe storms / believe it is
better to mix varieties, as they will
set better under ordinary circum-
stances.