The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1906-04-06
APPLE ORCHARDS
Will It Pay to Plant Apple Trees in
Southeast Missouri.

! 7 AhNlNtsI'lN NJ RsENitS AM ttRELNii 'tl II
FARMisGtOS, Mo, MARCH 500, 1890.
Will it pay to plant apple trees in
Southeast Missouri: As a paying
proposition | will answer you, eyes"
and "no.n If you will plant the
RICH, varieties, on land that i, suitable /;
avoid wet land and have it somewhat
elevated above the surrounding country
so as to give it good air and drainage,
and plant wo-year-old trees headed
low, say 10 to 20 inches, and never
prune Cf you commence pruning you
will have to keep it up), aud cultivate
well the first four years; put the land
in vegetables, vines or corn, and at
least two crops OF COW peas in the fifth
o. sixth year you cultivate, then seed
down to clover and NOV the land once
or twice a year, you will raise apple
trees which will bear three full crops
! out OF sin, aud that is as often as a
tree should bear to live long In adj
dltion to cutivating the orchard in
crops the fist five years, you should
take your hoe and give them at least
Two good hoeings around the trees,
then put around the trees about pint
of strong wood ashes aud II the land
is poor and worn out, put shovel Of
manure around the trees, but never in
the hole where you plant them, as that
/ is almost certain death. DO not plant
any deeper than the trees grow in the
nursery, and only plant few Kinds
that have done well in your neighbour
hood. For winter sorts will mention
the order OF my choice varieties that
seem TO do well almost everywhere
Ingram. Winesap, Ben Davis, Gano,
York and Imperial. 1t would be well
TO plant only two or three of these va
rieties. For late fall and early win.
ter the Jonathan and Grimes Golden
do we'll.
/ will mention here that one of the
most important things to understand
is, when to gather the fruit. II you
let it hang on the tree until ripe, you
can never keep it, If you want apple,
to keep, gather as soon as the seed,
begin to turn black. Gather the Wine.
sap or Jonathan as soon as a part o.
the apples on the trees begin to turf
pink; if you leave them hang unit
they turn red or almost black, you can.
not keep them. Gather the Grimes
Golden when perfectly green. You
will see occasionally an apple that i,
turned yellow; then is the time to pick
them. We have no trouble keeping
Jonathan and Grimes until the middle
of February.
Now, if you will observe these rule'
you can raise apples; and il you viii
plant enough TO attract a buyer, you
will make plenty of money. hav,
been little slow to recommend thu
planting of apple orchards in Southeas
Missouri, but after waiting and watch
ing and seeing six seasons 80 by,
certainly do recommend planting, pro-
yided you follow these simple rules.
am sure will be criticized, but al
right. What know | have Learned
by hard experience. | am well awar,
that good many advocate plowin!
and pruning, and did for 50 years
but do not now. II one half the Liant
in st. Francois county that is suitable
for apple growing had been in bearing
orchards, it would have netled tn
farmers from $50 to $500 per acre
according to the care tie trees ha
when small.
| gathered fruit from all over tn
county for the Worlds Fair, and wi
say never saw finer fruit in my life
and when shown side by side wit
fruit from all over the country, said