The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-01-20

not appear to be urgent The aggre
| gate loss in neglected orchards is ap
palling.
A new Maine orchard Of fifteen acre'
| about which reports are made has beer
brought to point where 1000 apple
trees pay at the rate Of $500 an acre
net. The trees are Mcintosh, Baldwin
Gravenstein, Wealthy. Duchess, Rhode
Island Greening. Spy, Hubbardston and
King. The trees are now eight years
old. The orchard has been thoroughly
cultivated every year from April Is tC
Aug. 1 with a double disk harrow and
a springtooth harrow. The above tools
have both wide extensions which al
low them to work close up to trees
and keep the horses well clear Of limbs.
Trees have been carefully pruned ev-
cry winter and sprayed four times In
the season. A crop of rye mixed with
crimson and white clover is seeded
Aug. /, and so far excellent returns
have resulted from heavy crops Of
green manure. A high grade Of COM
mercial phosphate is sOwn broadcast
In May, and two tons of lime to the
acre are applied In July and thorough
Iy worked In,
The lime and the phosphate are
sowed by one man, who has Scotch
sowing sheet around his neck which
holds forty pounds of lime, and this IS
sowed broadcast with both hands. A
respirator and goggles are worn, and
in this way the lime can be sowed over
every inch of ground without any in
jury to branches from machinery.
With one boy on the dump cart, one
man puts on all the lime in this way
in a day and half. All the trees that
are bearing are thinned twice. Last
year at seven years old large number
of Mcintosh, Duchess and Wealthy
were heavily loaded. and this year
there was full crop. All the trees
are kept low headed and pruned to al
low passage for orchard tools. A num-
Der of western fruit growers have been
at the size of trunk and
limb growth for such young trees, and
it has been hard to convince some Of
hem that the trees are only eight
years old.
The fancy apples at present are sup
)lied to private parties, and a New
York trade will be worked up One of |
he principal helps has been the use
If the same steady team and teamster
or number Of years. A majority of |
do not realize the irrepara-
lie damage to young. tree as the re-
ult of heavy iron tool laundering
nto it.
The orchard is laid out on a side hill
acing the southwest. No cultivated
rops have been grown between the
ows, and every ounce Of benefit has |
cen forced into the trees, which are
II object lesson for admiration to the
Of automobiles that pass
ally. One word as regards renovat-
lg old orchards, of which there are
lany all over the country. Three years
go an old orchard of sixty trees that
ad not for years borne well was plow-
/ up and given the same treatment
5 the young trees, and now the old
ees have just yielded a paying crop.
any old orchards can be rejuvenated
Id placed on paying basis in short
der
Numerous instances can be cited of
ccessful fruit growing in the central
est. The lake climate is favorable
apples and cherries as we'll as fruits
Some of the finest cherry
ID apple orchards in the country exist
both sides of Lake Michigan and
50 in the Lake Superior region. When
e trees are properly cared for these f,
ops run from $500 to 5000 an acre.