El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-02-06
Examples of Results Accom-
bIished in Two Years in
ELPaso Yard.
REPLACING THE
BERMUDA GRASS
Palms the Latest Ell Paso
Yard Plant; They Thrice
Here Without Danger.
BY G. A. MARTIN.
1.-THE season is here for planting
trees and shrubbery. It is time

1.-THE season is here for planting
trees and shrubbery 1t is time
right now to begin making ar
rangements for putting. them out.
FL Paso is as favored as any city in
the country for the growing of trees
If they are given the proper water
and care. and it seems to be particu-
larly favored for the growth Of fruit
trees.
Peaches, plums nectarines and
grapes do particularly well here and
they bear quickly. and it is just as
easy to set out fruit trees as il is
10 set out the nonbearing tree, there
fore, the best tree for the back yard
Is fruit tree or group of grape
vines for an arbor. They will in due
time afford the required shade and at
the same time produce enough fruit
70 more than pay for their keep. The
shade tree merely gives shade in re-
turn for its care. The fruit tree fur
nishes both shade and sustenance.
That fruit trees grow rapidly and
thrive well in FL PasO, is evidenced
by the many beautiful orchards in the
valleys above and below FL Paso and
IN numerous yards in the city where
property owners have tried to grow
them. James l.. Mari has had extreme
~ good results from his back yard
fruit trees on San Antonio street and
is, perhaps, the pioneer in this line
OF work. However, in the past few
years, with the growth of the residen-
tial suburbs, many of these back yard
orchards have been put out with sur
prisingly fine results
Some Personal Experience.
Personally, / have had splendid re-
suits with fruit trees. Three years
ago next month, I set out Il nectarine,
peach and plum trees, and u grape
vines in my back yard at 2911 Bliss
street The trees were then a year
~ = d
large as basebalis from two of the
trees and from one nectarine tree we
gathered p delicious nectarines, about
the size Of the average peach. The
late spring freeze had caught the rest
Of the trees while they were blossom
ing. Thus, In two years after the
trees were put out, they were prOduc-
ing and they had grown tall enough
to shade the entire back yard All the
trees lived the first two years, but
one OF them died last year from get
ting too much water 1t was located
near the hydrant and the water rot
ted the roots The other II trees are
fine, healthy specimens.
Grapes Prolific Producers.
OF the i grapevines set out II lived
and all bore big crops of grapes last
year. There are four different varie-
ties in the arbor and all were prolific
in their production of fruit.
The peach, plum and nectarine trees
cost me IS cents each, set out in my
yard, at the time L bought them, and
the grapeviues cost 25 cents each. 1t
will be seen that it is inexpensive to
put out fruit trees, and, besides af-
fOrding a shade and adding beauty to
place they are a great pleasure and
are profitable in that they supply in
few years enough fruit to meet the
preserving needs OF an entire family.
More than fifty glasses of jelly were
put up from the grapes from my arbOr
last year and we had grapes from early
in June until the first of September
for the table. By mixing the varie-
ties, they ripen at different times and
the fruit remains longer in season.
Not Hard TO Grow.
These trees received no unusual at
tention. They were well irrigated
twice a week and were fed with
shOvelfun Of manure about twice
year. They were set out in gravelly
soil, without any other attention being
paid them except the addition of
small amount Of manure-too much viii
burn and kill the roots A soil with
gravel in il is considered better for
fruit trees than one that has no gravel.
Trees must have drainage; too much
water viii do as much harm as too
little.
Fruit trees are not the only thing
that grow well here, however. Roses
grow splendidly, especially the climb
ing variety and practically any KIND
Of shade tree will grow, unless 1t is
tree rum NEAg " aim NAAAAAa-IC ~
from a very high altitude; these will
not thrive here.
Grass in Winter.
Bluegrass, clover, and Australian
grass are coming into use quite
good deal for Ell PasO yards. These
are green throughout the winter and
have this advantage over the hardy
Bermuda, which is green only in
spring, summer and early fall. Blue
grass and clover are rather hard to
start, however. I tried planting some
Australian grass at my new home on
Montana street last November, and ii
has done well and is now growing
prettily, ike a patch of winter wheat.
The SHOWS did not harm it, but on the
contrary appear to have benefited it.
The frost did not do any damage. In
the yard Cf Miles j. Murray, adjoining
mine, grass Of the same variety sOwn
last July had reached the stage where
it completely covered the yard by the
time winter arrived. 1t has remained
Bermuda grass in surrounding yards
was yellow and dead.
If this grass viii stand the summer
and the bluegrass and clover have
withstOOd the summer heat and drOuth
in past years-it should prove a great
boon TO 81 Paso and the Southwest
for it means green yards the year
round.
The Palm Does Well.
The palm as a yard decoration is
the latest El PasO acquisition. It has
passed tie experimental stage and is
now an established I'll PasO shrub. For