The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1916-10-31
HAVE A GOOD ORCHARD AND
BE HEALTHY AND HAPPY
MIR. Douthit Tells How He Handles
His Orchard to Insure Plenty
Of Fine Fruit.

work began three years ago with
the sowing of bur clover in the old
orchard. The trees had once been
we'll cared for by my father, but were
then suffering from years of neglect,
numerous insects and nearly every
other pest known to the Southern or
chardist. The younger trees had
grown unshapely and, as were the
old ones, were badly in need of
pruning.
The first act was to gather all in
formation possible from the leading
authorities in fruit production. Fore
most among the guides has been The
Progressive Farmer and Green's
Fruit Grower. Then 1 purchased a
good hand pump, pruning clippers,
saw. looping clippers, rubber-soled
shoes. step ladder and bucket OF
paint. The entire cost was nearly
S25.
My plan was to save the best of
the old trees until new ones could
be brought into bearing. The CEN
ters Of the trees were cut out along
with the dead branches and twigs
and overcrowded live limbs. Ex-
cess:yely long limbs were cut back
slightly. and all large wounds were
covered with a lead and oil paint.
Care was exercised not to cover
prune, thereby causing an excessive
growth of water spouts. Many
trees were not sufficiently thinned
until the second seasons pruning.
The first year required much more
time and work than last year. ex-
pcrience and thoroughness Of the
previous years work being the cause.
The removed limbs were burned
promptly after being cut.
While pruning 1 kept a lookout for
diseases and pests. There were the
dreaded San Jose scale, trunk
lorer. shOt-hole borer, fire blight,
die-back OF the peach, and few of
the trees had root-knot.
The San Jose scale has been nearly
eliminated by two winter sprays OF
commercial lime-sulphur. have
also sprayed my neighbor's orchard
'or this pest. Painting the trunks
mounding them in early July anC
tearing the mounds down late in Oc,
tober, have about destroyed the
borers. The shot-hole borer is more
stubborn. He persists (not so dis.
astrously, however) in spite of cut,
ting and burning all infested
branches and stimulating growth OF
trees. Fire blight is mean but has
been checked by the removal of dead
twigs as soon as they appear. The
die-hack disease has been stopped
by pruning slightly infested trees
and removal of the worst cases from
the orchard. The trees affected with
root-knOt have been dug up and
burned. A quarantine has been
placed on the corner of the orchard
whert they grow.
With the slipping of the shucks af-
ter the blooming of the peaches
came the necessity for the applica-
ton of poison for the worms. Two
pounds fresh lime two pounds OF
arseUate OF lead and fifty gallons or
water sprayed on with force did the
deadly work. Two weeks later a
combined spray of poison and self
'hoiled lime-sulphur was given to
check the rot and kill remaining .
worms. In the meantime, the apples
had reached full bloom. the petals
had fallen. leaving the blossom end
of the little apple wide open. in
viting the codling moth to come and
deposit eggs. SO poison spray
similar to the first spray on peaches
was applied. Although the calyx
soon closed. it shut in with the worm
enough poison to make it lose its
taste for apples. Eight days later
the apples received combined
spray of arsenate OF lead and self
boiled lime-sulphur to kill the late
worms and give the first blow to the
rot germ.
On June 10, l applied BordeauN
mixture to keep down rot and re-
peated the dose six weeks later on
the apples. j. B. Douthit.
Pendleson, S. c.