COMMERCIAL ORCHARDING IN NEMAHA COUNTY 175 



In the spring of 1893 I planted fifty acres of apple trees, 500 eac'i 

 of Ben Davis, Jonathan, Winesap and Missouri Pippins. To my mina 

 even today that is a good selection, but I hear some one say, "Why, 

 Ben Davis, why I'd just as soon eat a pumpkin." We forget that the 

 Ben Davis apple and the oottonwood tree were our great friends in the 

 early days of Nebraska, and they are both just as good and useful today 

 as then; it's too bad no more cottonwood groves are being planted. 

 Take one year with another the Ben Davis for a commercial orchard 

 is the money maker and from my experience, always a ready seller. 



The fifty acres I selected was the highest land in Bedford precinct, 

 Nehama county, Nebraska, (highest in altitude I mean), and the old 

 timers said it would never do as the high winds would play havoc 

 "With the trees but they were mistaken for apple trees need lots of 

 fresh air and the late frosts don't catch them like those on the low- 

 lands along the creeks. I marked this ground off both ways with a 

 plow, thirty-three feet apart. This gives forty trees to the acre. The 

 holes were dug with a common drag scraper by going down each row 

 twice. This puts the best black soil on one side of the hole and the 

 sub-soil on the other; then the bottom of these holes were loosened 

 up with spades. The holes looked awfully big and deep for such 

 small trees, two-year-olds, but large holes are needed. They were 

 then partially filled with some of the black soil so that the tree would 

 stand about three inches deeper than in the nursery. Trees were placed 

 in a large tank containing water, same being set on a low wagon, and 

 were not taken out until ready to plant as tree roots should never 

 become dry from wind or sun. Each tree root was carefully looked 

 over and damaged ones removed. Placed the tree in the center of the 

 hole, the plow marks both ways making it easy to get them straight, 

 roots spread out caFefully and black soil sifted among them. Here, 

 to my mind, is the important part in planting an apple tree. 



Take the tree between the legs, lean to the southwest at an angle 

 say 45 degrees, this to prevent sunscald while young, then thoroughly 

 tramp the dirt as it is shoveled in until the hole is filled up. This 

 makes it just as solid as though it had grown there. Two sets of 

 planters can be worked this way, one on each side of the wagon, 

 more trees can be planted and better work done in a day by this 

 method than any I have ever seen or heard of. 



Plant the balance of the ground to corn for the next five years, 

 then smooth the ground down nicely, keep down the weeds by mowing 

 for the next five years, then commence to cultivate with a disc, harrow 

 or plow very shallow. I notice the roots of my trees intermingle if 

 they are thirty-three feet apart and deep plowing w^oiild injure them. 

 If I were going to plant another orchard I would put them forty feet 

 apart each way. 



I am not going into detail as to income, etc., but I will say that my 

 fifty acre orchard is the best Investment I have. Its been a money 



