Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-05-20
Horticultural Notes
BY Frank Sirnons
Life or Death.


Early spring growth Of vegetation
in North Dakota is heat, life, vigor,
productiveness and success. Late
growth is sickness, disease, lack OF
vitality, non-productiveness, death
and failure.
If you wish to succeed in growing
trees, bushes, vines and plants sue
cessfully and cause them to be load
ed with fruit every year, cause them
to make an early and vigorous growth.
If you wish to raise in North Da'
kota those fine fruits that tree agents
induced you to buy by showing you
splendid pictures OF the cultivated
fruits, cause them to do the same as
our native bushes and trees do.
Start their growing as soon as pos
sible in the spring. All our native
fruit trees and bushes are covered
with leaves before the cultivated var
ieties have woke up in the spring.
Our native fruits make an early, Wig
orous growth in the spring and rip
en-, their wood, bark and buds for
the winter. You will see they have
formed their buds even to the tips of
the twigs long before our first frost
in the fall and are all ready for their
long winter sleep. No amount of rain
can induce them to start a fall growth.
Not so with the cultivated kinds
They are still putting forth new
growth as can be seen by the tips of
the twigs.
And when the early frost comes
they are killed off as far back as the
bark will peel. This loosening of the
bark is caused by the sap passing
down the tree between the wood and
the bark. Freezing and sudden thaw-
ing of the sap is. sure death to the
tree or bush. Any late growth In
North Dakota is sure to be caught
by an early frost and the tree, bush,
or vine killed back perhaps to the
ground.
In this wa~ very often every bit of
the trees brain is destroyed and there
Is no attention paid to putting forth
new buds in the spring. Although
the root system may be all right next
spring the tree cannot grow as it's life
element is destroyed by the frost and
the sudden thawing.
Last fall I had many kinds of cul-
tivated grape vines that had quit
growing new wood and had ripened
their buds ready for winter. A heavy
fall of rain came and upon examining
them few days after the rain
found they had started to make new
growth. The buds that should have
remained dormant until spring had
put forth little leaves as If it were
then spring.
When the first frost came it found
them In a growing condition and it
killed them to the ground. Not so
with our native wild grapes growing
near them. Years of natures cleo
ton had weeded out by death all
those found growing when the early
frost came. The tree that makes an
early, vigorous growth has no incli-
nation to make fall growth as 1t
is busy storing for the next years
seed. Those that fail to make an
early, vigorous spring growth will
surely be found growing late in the
fall and will meet certain death.
How are we to cease an early
spring growth?
By early cultivation. Harrow or
cultivate as soon as the frost is out
of the ground q little on top. Pillow
deep between thegrows as soon as the
frost is out Of the ground. Don't be
afraid of a late spring frost as the
sun beating in the minute packets
OF the cultivated soil will fill 1t with
sufficient heat to stand OF the frost.
But for this stored heat we would
have frost every morning during the
summer. The writer has yet to note
any great damage done by late spring
frosts. Not so with the early fall
frost. Harrow your grain and corn be-
fore the clouds clear away in the early
spring after each heavy rain and you
will harvest big cr0n M ::