The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-25
Trouble in the Orchard.

II. c. L.. Luray. s. c., writes: "If
possible kindly inform me through
your AGRICULTURAL columns what is the
matter with my peach trees. MY
grove is three years old and planted
on medium sandy land. My rule has
been TO plant peanuts between the
rows of trees and turn my hogs on
them in the fall. Last summer | put
stable manure around the trunks of
trees several inches deep, which seem
ed TO put new life in them and kept
them green until late in the autumn.
but at present at least 20 per cent
are entirely dead. and the destruction
goes on. Considera BILE grass got i'm
the orchard. So much so l run my
mower through and obtained very good
cutting o. hay. Could it be that the
fresh compost coming in contact with
the trunks and roots hurt them, or
do you think it the grass or if neither.
what What course would you take
with this orchard to bring il out.
what plant in it and what fertilizers
uEG7
H. G. l.. should make a close ex-
animation of the trunks, and limbs of
the trees, II may be they are infest-
ed with scale. cut out small pieces
OF bark, here and there of some of
the diseased trees and examine the
same with a microscope or send a
small box OF the chips to the State
Entomologist. Atlanta. Ca" who will
disc you
1t is quite likely you have the scale.
In another column is quoted some re-
marks uDon treatment of the scale.
Il cannot be said that you have
treated your young orchard fairly. 1t
~ as against II more or less in allow
ing hogs to root about the trees-in
all kinds of weather probably. There
may have been no great amount of dam
age done by placing stable manure
close around the trunks of the trees
but its effects could only have been
bad. 1t MAJ have stimulated the
development of feeding rootlets close
TO the trunk AMI the nitrogen in the
manure may have temporarily re-
freshed the sick or dying tree, but
1t had no lasting good effect but
rather evil. II had a strong influence
IN encouraging the presence of num-
erous insects near the tree. The real
fee ling roots of the 3-vear-old trees
as Il IS tail and within three or four
feet within that line and that much
nearer the tree. That is where ma
nure for fruit trees should be placed
10 have its best effects. 1t is not de-
sirable to put any heterogeneous ma
buit close 10 the tree anywhere IN
four or five feet of the trunk of a
large tree. Root development must
proceed outward.
Then again cutting crop of hay
II ON the land took away some plant
food that the trees evidently needed,
OF course. after the grass had matur-
ed for hay the sDoliation had been
effected, ana it might as well have
been saved. But what it took away
and more too should be supplied at
once by using some good solable fer
ulizer. Where the good of the or
chard is considered the rule is to
NOV whatever grass and weeds spring
NJ about the trees and then let il
remain as a mulch for the tree roots.
rms mulch offsets in a wav the
loss Of food. An orchard is not like
~ TO do we'll unless the soil Is sun
pied with enough plant food for a
crop OF grass as we'll also for the
trees. While the trees are young and
Agrowing Il is desirable TO keep down
the grass by cultivation. but after the