The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1908-11-17
TAKING CARE OF ORCHARDS.
Protect Your Fruit Trees from
Rodents This Winter.

Rodents This Winter.
In protecting fruit trees from rab-
bits and other rodents, l first clear
the vicinity of the base of the tree
of all rubbish. Then | remove some
OF the dirt from around the base of
the tree. After that l take a strip
of cloth 30 inches long and IL inches
wide and begin as low on the trunk
OF the tree as possible, wrapping the
trunk tightly with the cloth, drawing
it a little diagonally Upward as l
wrap. If it is started right it will
lnclose the trunk Is or 20 inches high.
l b fasten the strip and put back
the clean dirt around the trunk of the
tree. l have found this to be a good
way to protect the tree from. rabbits
and mice.
Wire screen will do as well or bet
ter, but it is more expensive. 1 have
occasionally had rabbits bark trees
early in the fall, and have had a large
per cent. of nursery stock and young
set trees ruined by mice in the early
fall, ven before frost, says a writer in
Farmers Review, but only in times
of drought, and that on land that was
trashy, weedy or grassy. 1 think they
gnaw the bark for the moisture
they obtain in it, rather than for the
food.
| have never been annoyed by the
mice On clean nursery land, as no
rodent will tarry long where he has
no shelter. The rodent naturally
seeks shelter on weedy or grassy
land and will live on what he can find
in the vicinity. l have had trees that
were newly set in the orchard and
which were mulched with manure,
barked six inches below the surface
of the mulching. So 1 believe that
a man should either keep the land
clean or protect the trees from early
fall till late spring.
AS to the age at which trees are
most likely to be attacked, 1 find that
the younger the tree and the tenderer
the bark, the more likely is the tree
to be attacked. If the bark of a tree
remains tender, no tree, whatever it's
age, is immune from the attack of
mice and other rodents. In orchards
where the ground was covered with
rubbish, grass and weeds l have seen
trees ~ to Is years old ruined by
both rabbits and mice.
Pear trees and apple trees are most
often attacked by rabbits and mice.
Then come the peach and plum trees.
The bark on the latter trees becomes
rigid earlier than the bark on apple
and pear trees and that is why the
plum and peach trees are not so often
attacked.
For protection, my neighbors have
used strips of cloth, wire screen, stub
BILE or cornstalks tied around the
trunks of young trees. The latter is
a protection against the rabbits, but
l think it is a harbor for the mice.
The strip of cloth is as effective as
anything l have tried and much the
cheaper. 1t is easily applied and
costs about nothing, as any old cast
of clothes will furnish the material
l know of no one using the liquid
wash here to protect the trees against
rodents.
For the other enemies of fruit trees
l use a wash consisting of a pretty
strong solution of soap and water for
both trunk and branch. l find that
this keeps the tree healthy and Wig
orous, and induces a strong growth.
In climates or regions where deep
SHOWS fall and lie for long periods,
the trees should be protected above
the snow, as in times when the snow
stays for long periods is when the
rabbits do the greatest damage.
Thorough and clean cultivation for
both the nursery and newly set
orchard will always be worth the
labor applied. Success is not possible
in the orchard if careless methods are
followed, any more than if careless
methods are followed in other kinds
Of business.