Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-08-15
MULCH SYSTEM OF
FRUIT GROWING IS
SUCCESSFUL HERE
Three Years Tests Demonstrate
it Is Practicable in Thur
ston County.
KEEPS MOISTURE ON TREE.
Old Ohio Farmer Tells of Differ
ence Between New and Old
Horticultural Methods.

QOT TGlCulCuTdl MeLQOOS.
Did you ever hear of the mulch sys-
TEN of horticulture?
Have you ever tested it?
If you have, you are using 1t today;
if you have not, it will be we'll worth
your time to investigate it and to test
it, for the experience of years of sue
cessful orcharding in the Central and
Eastern states has demonstrated that
it is the best system.
1t is system, however, that is prac-
tically unknown in this section of the
country and just at present THE WASH
INGToN STANDARD Is arranging for q
series of articles from an Eastern or
chardist, a recognized expert ON the
subject and the largest apple grower
of Central Ohio, which will explain it
to you fully. AS soon as they are
available they will be published in
this paper.
"Mulching" can be applied to the
growing of pears and other tree fruit
just as well as to apples. 1t has been
tested in Thurston county, SO far as
the last named fruit is concerned, by
an old Ohio farmer who had seen 1t
used successfully in his native state.
This man is N, H. Fleming, who owns
a ranch south of Tumwater and whose
address is box SO, R. f. d. No. 2.
Olympia.
Mr.. Fleming came to Thurston coun-
|ty but three years ago, in September,
1910. but he has experimental with
the mulch system on the trees in his
small orchard and has found 1t Just 90
successful in Thurston county as 1t
was in Central Ohio. Discussing 1t in
letter to the STANDARD this week, Mr..
Fleming said:
At home ON the little Lake Shore
farm near Olympia.
trust the readers of THE WASH
INGTON STANDARD will not begrudge me
the space to tell them of the modern,
progressive system of horticulture fol-
lowed throughout Central Ohio and
many other places. Let me say at the
outset that lived on farms in Ohio
for more than 20 years before l left
there and came to Olympia in Sep
tember, 1910.
The old method Of growing fruit
trees was to plant them in plowed
ground and trim them high, and con-
tinue to plow and trim the trees high
until they began to produce fruit In
a few years they grow SO high you
cannot reach the most perfect fruit
from the top of 20-foot ladder.
Along about 1855, however, came in
what call the progressive" or mulch
ing system of horticulture, which told
us to plant the trees in land seeded to
grass, or, If the land was bare, to seed
it when starting our orchards. Then
as soon as the grass began to bloom
we were instructed to NOW swath
with scythe along each row of trees,
placing the mown grass around each
tree and continuing to NOW until we
piled enough grass around each tree to
completely smother all grass or weeds
near the tree. Machines can be used
to NOW between the trees instead Of
scythe. il desired.
SYSTEM" trees are grown low down.
The mulch retains the moisture and
as it decays 1t adds to the fertility Of
the SOIL The old method said: I'VE
must plant our ground and raise some
thing to SELL" but the mulch system
tells us not to plant our trees on land
we want to plow, for the trees are In
the way and liable to be damaged by
plOwing too close.
Wherever this mulch system has
been introduced 1t has been univer-
sally adopted Try it on some of your
most backward trees and see how 1t
works. The writer has tested 1t and
also seen it practiced. with the most
gratifying results. Today l have
few trees that are doing fine with this
treatment. My orchard is only small
one, containing about 80 trees l seed
ed it to clover this last spring and
new the clover stands IS inches high
in light crop Of wheat.
What should be used for mulch?
Any green vegetation you can get. but
clover is preferable. If you want to
see how the mulch system works, come
out to my ranch, box SO. r. F. D. No.
2, Olympia. and | will show you, for I
am prepared to demonstrate 1t to any
one who wants to investigate.
Mr.. Fleming says he has discussed
county ranchers but was unable to
convince them and decided to show
them by actual experiment. He is
more than satisfied with the results