The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-04-24
ORCHARDS IN SOD.

We have printed some articles writ
ten by the editor of the Rural New
Yorker, giving his experience in test
ing the new horticulture. In the last
number he writes at length on the
same subject We commend his
words to the serious consideration
Of all of our readers who cultivate
fruit trees of any kind.
| am often asked about Our sod or
chards. Would l advise a man of
middle life to plant an apple orchard
and expect to get fruit without Gull
t1vat1on! The more my own orchard
grows the more [ hesitate to give a
definite reply One who tries to view
the world with philosophy may we'll
try to learn from any source. A
prize fighter once succeeded in pound
ing championship out Of the body
Of another human brute. A number
OF other "pugs" at once started up
asking him to fight Some of them
were willing to be made to look like
a Hamburger steak in order to split
up the purse" The CHAMP" how
ever, was king for few days and
he waved them aside with wise in
junction, GO and get a record!' Now
this man might pound out "recoru
In half an hour, but years are re-
CURED to get one in an orchard I
am aware that our cultivator friends
have me on this side Of the question.
1t is always safe for man to shake his
head wisely and say, "You wait" The
future may be expected to bring dis
aster to most plans. | wait until [
have that record" before lay down
any definite rules without putting an
eff or an 81 think" in for good meas
ure. But there are others! l give
way for DR.. Fisher, who has a re
cord" older than | am:
"Old Sod. In the spring of 1854
| planted an apple orchard Of fifty
nine trees, nine Of which, from va
rious causes, have succumbed. The
varieties today consist Of eighteen
Rhode Island Greening, eighteen
Hubbardston Nonsuch, twelve Bald
win, one Gravenstein, and one King.
They were set thirty feet part in a
modified form Of quincunx, that is,
each tree stood in center surround
ed by six others, all at equal distances.
In fifteen years the Greetings had
met and the growth since has been
mostly heavenward. Other varieties
are but little crowded. For twenty
five years the ground was kept thor
oughly cultivated. In 1870 some
what sloping pear orchard under con-
slant cultivation for twentythree
years had lost by washing SO much
of the finer parts Of the soil that
it became imperative to stay such
waste. 1t was seeded in July and
August of that year with nineteen
pounds per acre of White clover
alone In 1880 magnificent crop Of
White clover that was feast to look
upon grew and was moved two or
three times, and left to rot upon the
ground. In 1881 a still larger crop
was realized and finding that such
an amount, left where it grew, would
kill out much of the sward under
meath, most of it was placed in a
circle directly around the trees with
the object in view to suppress vege-
tation there. These circles were from
six to ten feet in diameter. | was
SO much pleased with the result that
I,repeated the seeding in another pear
orchard that was nearly level, and |
also allowed the grass which had
begun to grow in the apple orchard,
to grow unhindered This policy has
been followed in each of these three
orchards for twenty-five years. l