Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-10-03
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aAGARDEN
INTENSIVE HORTICULTURE

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INTENSIVE HORTICULTURE.
On farm of nine acres in eastern
New York, E. P. Powell has been try
ing intensive horticulture with the fol-
lowing results:
Each year marked some stage OF
progress, not only in my conception
Of country life, but on the road to-
ward financial success. To renoyate
old treesl to make worn out soil grow
peas and sweet peas; to set new trees
and plants; to work out ideas that
were novel took time-years of time.
OF the twelve sorts of orchard ana
garden fruits that l new raise, exper-
fence has taught me that about three
will totally Fail each year-cut on by
frost or by blight. Yet you see there
will still be nine sorts left each year.
This is where intensive horticulture
comes in ahead of extensive farming,
which takes account of only two or
three crops-al of which may fail In
a single year, and leave you short Of
food. and cash.
After ten years the balance sheets
would read something like this. Rasp.
berries, net, $3.50; currants, $100;,
cherries and plums, 500; apples.
$500; pears. 800; blackberries, with
gocseberries. ounces and grapes,
500; miscellaneous-incl eggs.
chickens, honey anu surplus trees
sold, 5000. Here is a snug little in
come of 81 $50. Now you may knock
out Of this estimate any three of the
above items that you please, as tho
contribution to fungcH and insect en-.
emies. droughts and other hindrances
to horticulture. Only bear In mind
that the raspberry failure will never
be complete; and the apple failure,
with proper care. will rarely decrease
the crop one-half. In other words,
we are sure Of an annual surplus of
from 5000 tor 81, 200.
H. Perhaps best of all from every
standpoint has been my experience
with plant breeding-tha is, creating
new things and improving the old.
Calling the bees into alliance, to pol
lenize my flowers and cross varieties.
in the garden and orchard, soon
found Eat it was possible not only
to be grower Of what others had
originated, but to be plant creator
myself. And now 1t has come about
that my nine acres are conspicuous
for new fruits. new vegetables and
new flowers, originated by hybridizing.
Hundreds OF new crosses have been
thrown away as not eminently ahead
of old sorts; but we have one currant
that stands in the bush a third larger
than Fay, while the fruit is Of the
largest. or 400 varieties of beans or
iginated, half dozen crosses are Of
value to the world. Seeding grapes
include some of great promise; and
the story is the same with berries of.
all sorts. 4
LIFE OF FRUIT TREES PRO
LONGED.
American consuls to Germany, IN
recent reports, advise this Govern
ment of some very important discov-
cries relating to horticulture. Thus
far, results have demonstrated their
value. They refer to experiments
tested for the purpose of prolonging
the life of fruit trees. A solution. Of
the sulphate of iron Is used, and this
was at first injected under the bark
of the tree so as to cause 1t to go
into the sap flow or circulation. Sub
sequently it was. found best to inject
the fluid through an opening of the
bark at the neck of the roots. Anaiy-
sis of the tree sap has shown that
the iron fluid penetrates deep in the
ground, flowing through the roots and
the new branches or new wood to tae
very top of the tree, though, singular
enough, examination shows that the
fluid does not enter the old wood of
the tree. The whole process is for
the purpose of reinvigorating and
thus prolonging the life and increas-
ing fruitage of the trees, and is much
the same as that of anemia of the
grapevine for the same object.
These scientists are now conduct
| ing further experiments looking to-
ward the use of fluid to be injected
into fruit trees for the purpose Of de-
stroying the bacteria which causes
pear blight and fungus diseases which
kill trees, thus with some fluid to cir
culate in the sap flow to at least neu-
tralize the effect of the bacteria to
which these diseases are traced.
These tests proceed on the basis of a
knowledge of both the causes Of de,
cay and death. much as medical
science proceed In the matter of 7hu.
man disease, viz: first finding the
cause of decay.
In the instances relating to fruit
trees, as in human ailment, certain
species of bacteria has been found to
be the cause, and to reach 1t. they are
injecting into the circulation; the kind
Of fluid that will arreststh ravages
OF these bacteria. indianapolis News.
A CLIMBING PLANT FOR THE
FARM.
The ampelopsis veitchii, or Japan
ivy, known in this country as the Bos-
ton ivy, is one of the best climbing or
craapinu vines we have for the farm