The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-01-19
AG RICULTURE.
Tho Apple In New England.

II is& fact that nesrly all the spple or
chards 10 New England are poverty
stricken are more or less cursed with
poor soils n at will not and cannot give the
three great mineral elements OF fertility 10
them nor have the power TO furnish TO
the roots Of the trees with the four
great and essential gases CT the atmos-
phere.
There are three pominent causes why the
apple trees generally bear such poor fruit
and miss bearing every other year. One is
the poverty Of the coil. The second 10 the
needless way the trees are treated In the
setting cut, cultivating, trimming and
pruning In their early growth, and, third,
the depredations Of noxious insects.
Hardly an apple orchard in the eastern
portion Of Massachusetts, can be found that
contains anything but old, crooked, knotty,
rotten-hearted trunks, devoid OF life enough
to bear single sound apple of any size or
quality. l,fa'si wing only on the white
wood under the bark. Some are 20, 30 and
even 30 years old and show their treatment
and age by their appearance. Infested
with twigblisht, scald, bsrrenness, super
fluous in unfertilizsd flowers In early spring
and more than sll, with an abundant crop
Of small apples which are stung at an ear
ly age or unfertilized when in bloom, the
result Of which is they drop of at least
every other year leavipga few to become
the prey Of the coddllng moth.
This condition Of the apple orchard did
not exist to my certain knowledge 80 years
ago. Orchards bore we'll and the fruit was
A No. !, even though standing In grass
land. While many trees and orchards as
we'll we're injured greatly by winds that
prevailed where the trees we're not protect
ed by forests or by themselves, they had
no heartless trunks, but few, IL any dead
limbs and they bore fairly well every year
and the fruit was sound, large and OF good
quality.
Now let US discuss the three causes of
the apple. failure In most sections Of this
end Of the state.
First, the poverty Of the soil. Why is 1t
poorer for the apple than 1t was 30 years
ago? Every farmer OF any age and obser-
walton can plainly Gee, II he, will bat COM
pare bis early experience with apples and
that Of to-day, that the soil after being
cropped in grass year after year, has be-
come poorer and poorer FIR apples ON the
sole account of the grass taking all the
nutriment out OF the soil and away from
the trees. Most orchards are In grass ard
they are never cultivated by blowing or
even by The cullivator. Now grass, even II
top-dressed every year with barnyard man.
ures or commercial fertilizers, cannot en-
dure strain for years without becoming
poorer and so hard and lmpervious that the |
fertility OF both soil ard the atmosphere |
cannot get down to the roots u the trees.
SO you see, when the grass forms an imper-
vious sod, the trees fail to get enough food
to keep the heart OF the trees In healthy
condition. As has been stated, the grass
takes from the soil all the mineral elements
necessary to the life and growth OF the
trees and never returns to the soil anything
Of mineral character as the legumes do.
The effects Of this constant grasi-dfsin Of
fertility necessarily robs the orchard trees
Of nearly ali the elements Of nutrition In
both soil and the atmosphere-bence the
poverty Of the soil.
The second reason, that the apple trees
are 80 poor and the fruit so Indifferent, is
the needless treatment the trees receive at
the hands Of those who try to raise apples.
The apple should be planted Ia the best
spple.tree soil every farmer has on his farm
with the right Kind OF exposure. Two
year olds all the time, should be planted In
big holes and filled IN with leaf loan or the
best Of garden soil and well flrned with the
foot. Two-year Odds grow off better and
more thrifty than older trees. do not
advocate root-pruniDg all kinds Of apples
before planting. That some kinds do bet
ter to be Ioot-pruned is fact, but IL will
not do to treat all 10 10 some loct lilies ard
In some soils. Every yourg apple tree
should be trained from the first, trimmed
md pruned 10 the globu.ar form ard alec
headed back oil the time. This training ard
shs ping should be carried on until the trees
come into beaiirg--tay 8 or 0 yesfs tele
ID New ErQlaud. In the West, urder iffl-
CATION, sppha bear foil al 8 years old ard
peaches ct 2 yesrs old-sll on account Of
be rich adobe soii, irrigation ALd the arid
climate.
The third reason for the spple's Going 30
badly 10. The dfprtdations q ntIious H.
ectf. The poTious intscis that play havoc
with the apple nearly everyshere, are the
,oddiipg moth and hs larvs. the tent cater.
,Iller, fall web-woim, cat ktr worm and the
;urcul!o. Moe, Of these dspisdsiois 'sll to
be groutd, hibernate ard incubste 10 the
Irourd uncer the trees. hence the necessity
Il plo~ifg the orchard twice year both
Ways aud keeping ibe eultIva,or going all
be time among the trees DUNG nen
,rowirg feason.
Chickens ale all right 10 have the run Of
be orchard II certain ilDfs, " 10 oil right
% turn In the sheep sud the hogs 10 elssn
lp the weeds AID the slnd.fslif, but for
,oodpess sake rep the cattle out. Gas
nd spple trs<s don't 70 tofetb<1.