The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-06-26
Orchards Of All Sizes,


While an orchard Is young, and
growth and development are wanted,
the cultivation should be thorough. To
get some profit from the manuring and
cultivation, 1t is well to cultivate some
early and low growing crop between
the trees, such as early potatoes, early
cabbayes or sweet potatoes. The main
difficulty with the sweet potatoes is
that they are apt to hold the ground
too late, when the cover crop for win
ter should be sown.
Cultivation should never continue
later than the middle of July, for by
that time the summer growth is COM
pleted and the wood should have q
chance to ripen and not be stimulated
into aa untimely growth by. late cul-
uvation. Then sow crimson clover
among the trees as the winter cover
crop, to be turned under in the spring
for the benefit Of the trees.
Then II the trees are carefully watch
ed during the summer and undesirable
growth stopped with the finger and
thumb, q great deal of pruning will
be saved and the growth that would
have gone to make the needless wood
will go elsewhere. The so-called water
sprouts that often choke the center of
the tree and rob the fruiting branches
of growth, are Often allowed to have
their own way during the summer, and
have TO be cut out in the fall. 1t is
greatly better to prevent their grow
ing by rubbing them out as they ap-
pear, and thus not only save labor but
increase the growth of the more USE
full parts Of the tree.
Watch the pear trees closely for
blight. No spraying will avail with
this, and the only thing is to cut it
out into sound wood. But do not wait
until the entire limb is affected and
the leaves turn black, but watch the
ends of the shoots, and when any
shriveling of the bark is seen, cut out
at once well beyond it, and every time
you cut, dip the blade of the knife in
a solution of carbolic acid to avoid
the transfer of the bacteria to new
wood. The infection always takes
place in the early spring, and if faith
fully cut out there will be no more
infection during the season, unless
you get some bacteria transferred to
the growing tissues by pruning out
the diseased wood. Go through the
peach orchard and look for gum at the
base Of the trees, showing that the
borers are at work. Scrape away the
earth and cut out all the damaged bark
and the borers, and draw the earth
back again. The curculia will be at
work en- the peach and plum fruits and
the only way to combat him is to jar
the trees frequently and gather up and
destroy the insects and bitten fruit.
Large growers use broad frame COW
cred with cotton cloth, like an inverted
umbrella, to catch these in. 1t has
slit on one side to that is can be
moved around the tree. 1t is a good
plan to allow the poultry to have the
range of the peach and plum orchards,
so that any insects that fall will be
eaten.
But the regular tarring should never
theless be kept up until the fruit shows
signs of ripening. The American va
rieties and some of the Japan plums
are more resistant to the attacks of the
curculia than the finer European varie-
ties. With the later a daily jarring
is needed.
Cut out the old canes from the dew
berries and blackberries as soon as the
crop is off, and a better growth Of the
young canes will be had by so doing.
But do not allow too many young canes
to start. Get three or four good canes
and keep the others chopped out. The
young canes of the dewberry can be
allowed to trail on the ground, placing
them in along the rows out Of the way
of cultivation. Let them remain on
the ground until the next spring, as
they will be less damaged by the win
ter than if tied up. Growers have fin
ally settled on the plan OF tying each
hill to a stake Instead of training them
on wires, which are apt to chafe and
injure the canes.
If you want to increase your black
cap raspberries, the tips of the shoots
should be fastened to the ground to
root. The red raspberries are better
grown from root cuttings made in the
late fail and buried through the win
ter in boxes of sand to plant in the
spring. Root cuttings of these and
hlacI,berriee are far better than suck
ers for that purpose.-Indianapolis
News.