Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-01-25

Varieties Of Trees and Small Fruit,
For One Acre Lot on a Farm,
Isaac johnson.
By giving me this topic it must be
understood that this is for plain, prac.
tical farmers. 1t is meant that You
shall have fruit to use, to sell, to give
away. And by a good selection OF
varieties and good care you can get
from this acre more health, more COM
fort, more dollars, than from any por-
ton of the farm. You all have heard
the old saying lone apple day keeps
the doctor away; one apple at night
knocks the doctor in the head
L Will ask your attention while | H.
lustrate how from one acre you can
get fruit for the family supply the year
around. This fruit farm you measure
on twenty rods long and eight rods
wide. If you raised corn or potatoes
on this Land last year and it is rich
enough to bear about 60 bushels of
corn to the acre, then there won't be
much to do. If the ground is poor
and run down, put on a heavy coat of
manure, pillow shallow, and harrow
well. Put on another coat of manure,
pillow deep, and harrow again. The
Following varieties l have selected are
picked from hundreds of varieties and
have been thoroughly tested and tried
Tor the last twenty years and found
perfectly hardy, good bearers of fine
fruit. Mark out the ground in rows
10 feet apart north and south, and
plant in the first row 20 apple trees, 8
Tetovski, 3 Yellow Transparent, A
Duchess, 2 Peterman Sweet, 8 But
ter Pippen, 3 Charlamoff, and 2 Martha
Crab. In the second row plant 10
Wealty, Longfield and Plum Cider.
In the third row plant 10 N. w. Green
ing, and 10 Malinda. In the fourth
row plant 10 Walbridge and 10 assorted
hardy trees. The fifth row plant in
plums and cherry trees, 26 plum trees
and cherry trees, 6 Andersons, G
Rockfords, 6 Surprise, 3 Wyant, 3 De-
Soto and 3 Miner; Early Richmond
and 2 Wragg cherry trees. Ten feet
from the row of plum trees mark out
one row for blackcaps, so Older and sc
Gregg, feet away mark out one for
currants and gooseberries, 25 cherry
and 20 Red Dutch currants, and &c
Downing goOseberries and the last
rows plant i'll Strawberries. In the
first row. plant 100 Crescent and 1OC
Warfield; In the second row plant 1OC
Bederwood and 100 Lovett; In the
third row plant 100 Haverland and lOC
Samples. Have your apple and plum
trees set firm and let them lean to the
one O'Clock sun. Cultivate the trees
until about the first of July and have
them protected from mice and rabbits
by wrapping with wire screening.
The blackcaps must be thoroughly
cultivated and mulched with coarse
manure. This will keep the ground
moist and clean. When the new shoots
are hfteen or eighteen inches high
pinch back. This will cause lateral
branches to grow which in August OF
September should be set in the ground
for new plants and by doing so the
canes are found not SO liable to be in
Jured by hard frost during thu, winter.
The lateral should in the spring be
cut back to twelve or fifteen inches in
length. The currants and gooseberries
must be well cultivated and kept clean
from weeds. If they are attacked by
currant worms dissolve half pound
OF white hellebore in 20 or "a gallons
OF water and apply with a sprinkler a
few times in the spring. In planting
out Strawberries you should always
use new, strong plants for setting,
never let the roots be exposed to the
sun or wind. Let one man insert q
spade in the ground to depth of six
inches and lean forward to open the
hole, while man or boy takes the
plants and spreads the roots out in
shape, and inserts in the hole. Have
the dirt well packed about the roots
always have the crown of the plants
just even with the top of the ground,
neither above or below. Cultivate
once week wet or dry. Runners
should be trained to fill the space be-
tween the hills and half way to the
middle of the row. When the ground
is frozen cover with straw or still bet
ter, wild slough hay. All strawberry
plants are staminate or pistillate
(male or female) and pistillate varieties
must have staminate varieties planted
side by side. Many have failed to raise
good crops because they do not under
stand this law of nature.
You will notice that have planted
rows OF Strawberries In the LIST row
are 100 Crescent and 100 Warfield,
which are pistillate and in the I'd row
is planted Bederwood and Lovett
which are both staminate that is per.
feet flowers. The staments or male
organs surround the central cone of
pistils, each one having another which
furnishes the pollen which is carried
by insects or wind to the pistillate
flowers. In the third row are 100
Haverland and Sample, these are both
pistillate. Never take but one crop
from the same bed. Plow up as soon
as through fruiting. have left room
Tor three rows more on which you
should grow some hoed crop. -