The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1909-09-24
Wkav kjwy - Fsuie Issss.


fhis i 90 q the intricaes pesh1s0s
With which tAe hsrtiesltsrist ~ 70
deal. particularly in starting yssag e.
ehards. The past winter has tanght rs
some new lessons concerning this nat-
ter IN Colorado. which to ssns sxtsnt
appear to contradict previo0s idsas
along this line. Thus. it is ussally csn-
sidered that = winter daring witch
there is plenty of preeipitstisn in the
form of snow or rain, should snebte
trees to come through the season With
the minimum of injury. for 1t y se-
lieved 70 be not merely . matter OF
cold that kills the ordinary hardy trees
10 much as it is the drying out Of the
soil and the roots and twigs. During
the past winter many trees were in
jured or killed outright. although there
was m unusual precipitation Of soss-
ture in most parts of this state. Chsr-
ries in particular seemed to suher
most. Many of these trees were from
four to five old from setting and after
leafing out in spring the foliage soon
turned yellow, wilted and died. Somf
trees failed to leaf out At all. but the
branches became dry, cracked and gum
oozed from the trunks and larger limbs
The explanation for the prevalence Of
this trouble, however, apparently rests
not 70 much on the severity of the win
ter season as a whole, but on the fact
that the first severe cold came earlier
| in the season than usual and while the
trees were still full of sap. 1t has
been frequently noticed that trees fully
ripened will go through severe winters
with little or no injury, while those
which have made late growth almost
surely suffer. This may even occur. to
some extent, on the same tree in cases
where late or severe summer pruning
has caused the growth of strong sprouts
which do not get properly ripened at
the tips. The latest, softer growth
usually dies back at the tips.
The principal means of avoiding win,
ter injury to any tree, that cannot be
laid down or otherwise protected, Is to
cease making new shoots after they
will have time to fully ripen and harder
their wood. This may be brought abou
under irrigated conditions by Withholding
water towards the approach of autumn
as it stimulates late growth of wood
which is apt to be too tender to escap'
winterkilling. This is particularly true
of the cherry which seems to demand
less water for successful growth ant
ripening of its fruit than most othel
fruit trees.
The cherry orchard should be cult
waited in most cases not later than tht
middle Of August and it is better tt
stop stirring the soil by the first of the
month.
In cases where the orchard is situated
on a naturally moist soil so that the
trees re.inclined to make late, soft
growth, it may be found advisable tt
sow some cover crop as oats or rye,
which will take up the moisture and in
duce earlier ripening of the trees
Such crops should been sown late r
the summer and will not only serve te
abstract excess water from the soil but
will also furnish protective cover te
the soil which will prevent drifting,
will tend to hold the snow and wher
plowed under in the spring will furnish
some vegetable matter in which our
soils are often deficient.
After all danger of growth is past
in late fall or nearly winter it is advis,
able to irrigate the orchard, if possible,
and thus avoid the early drying out of
the soil, which is apt to occur in open
winter.
A late attack by the cherry leaf slugs
is often considered of little or no ac-
count SO far as the trees are concerned.
This is not the case, however, for the
full maturing of buds and twigs de
pends SO largely upon the leaves that it
is never safe to allow them to be per-
manently stripped from the trees.
Rev. Wright Will Stay.