Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-01-12

Bismarck, N. D., Jan. 20. ~ Can
fruit growing be made to pay in the
Dakotas? Under certain circum-
stances and conditions, it undoubted-
ily can, but he who would succeed
must be prepared to labor both with
his head and his hands, for eternal
vigilance and hard labor are the price
of fruit in the Dakotas. do not
believe the time has yet arrived for
planting large commercial orchards
in North Dakota, but every owner of
farm should have small orchard
composed of apples, plums and all
varieties Of small fruits. Also, every
owner of a town lot should have
few fruit trees and at least small
& bed Of raspberries, Strawberries,
currants, etc.
The first requisite for successful
fruit growing is thorough prepare
tion of the ground, and unless this is
properly attended to you will waste
!. your sweetness, also your labor and
money, on the desert air. 1t is not
so necessary to make the ground rich
with manure as to have it in fine
mellow condition. If the ground is
made too rich the result will be
rank, sappy growth, almost sure to
winterkill. l am, myself, in favor Of
planting trees quite close, not more
than fifteen to twenty feet apart,
as they more quickly shade the
ground and are a mutual protection
from the hot sun and nigh winds so
prevalent here about the time fruit
ripens. Farther east such close plant
ing would be poor policy, but cir
cumstances alter cases, and we must
adapt ourselves to conditions as we
find them here. I believe in heading
trees low. Nature grows nearly all
wild fruit in this section in the form
of a shrub, and we must initiate her
in this respect. The advantages Of
a lowheaded tree for this climate are
obvious: The wind does not shake
the fruit of, the trunk being pro-
tected from the hot sun does not
sunscald, and last but not least they
are not so likely to winterkill as a
tall-bodied tree.
In my opinion, fruit trees, and all
small fruits as we'll, should be thor
oughly cultivated and be kept free
from weeds from spring till fafl. y In
the fall apply mulch about the trees.
This must vary according to the size
of the trees, large trees requiring
more tnan small ones. The mulch
may consist of ALMOST any material,
such as leaves, straw, etc. have
found horse manure a good material
| for this purpose. "a.
II presume will be pardoned if /
insert here a little of my own per-
sonal experience in fruit growing. |
have planted my apples twenty-five
feet apart each way with one row of
plums midway between the apple
rows. These are planted twelve and
one-half feet apart, with a plum tree
alternating in the apple rows, max
ing the trees twelve and one-half feet
apart throughout the orchard; and,
in order to get some returns from
| the cultivation required till the trees
arrive at bearing age, have planted
all kinds of small fruits in rows six
| feet apart among the trees. When
the trees attain size enough to make
i 1t undesirable to grow the small fruit
will remove it, but will continue
the cultivation. This may be con-
| sidered too close planting by some,
but with care and extra cultivation it
will give better returns than larger
amount of ground run over and only
half cultivated.
1 have tried many varieties of an
pies, including all the crabs and
many of the standard apples. From
these have selected as best, in the
Il NASSA AAoAAASo' WnISASy lNO. ~, LIS
taline and Minnesota, for crabs, and
Duchess of oldenburg and .Patten
Greening for standards. Many other
varieties may prove valuable in some
localities, but the above list may be
depended on for this latitude. OF
plums ] find Surprise, sanderson, and
a plum Of my own originating, known
at present as Millett's No. 1, to be
the only ones SO far tested, of much
value for this section. De Soto is
too late and seldom ripens before
frost. All varieties of raspberries
/ grow here, but all varieties do not
alike produce paying crop. Loudon
is much the best of the old tried
kinds for this section. OF the newer
varieties Eaton bids fair to be re-
merkable berry, being very hardy,
wonderfully large, enormously pro,
ductive, and continues to bear abun.
dainty till killed by frost. Also the
Sunbeam, originated at the South