WEST MICHIGAN FRUIT GROWERS' SOCIETY. 105 



Holland; C. Russell, Grand Haven; H. H. Holt, Muskegon; J. G. Ramsdell, 

 Grand Traverse. 



J. G. Ramsdell, of South Haven, read the following paper upon 



"HOW SHALL WE FEED THE ROOTS OF OUR FRUIT TREES AND PLANTS ?" 



The chief object aimed at in this paper is not to attempt to interest the 

 fruit growers of western Michigan in that hidden mystery of "how plants 

 grow," or to solve the question of the chemical changes of Nature's great 

 laboratory, but only to give my experience as to the results of several years 

 of successful as well as unsuccessful fruit raising. I think you will all agree 

 with me that the raising of poor or inferior fruit and forcing it on the mar- 

 ket is the greatest drawback that has ever cursed the business, and should be 

 classed with other abominations, such as oleomargarine, shoddy, and adulter- 

 ated food. 



Nearly all fruit trees and bushes whose roots are protected from excessive 

 freezing in winter and the extreme heat in summer, and stand in a well- 

 drained soil, will be a success, if properly cultivated and not robbed by straw 

 crops, until they have borne two or three heavy crops of fruit. After this 

 time it becomes almost impossible to cultivate the orchard or fruit garden so 

 as to obtain the best results without resorting to some system of feeding the 

 roots. To be able to do this properly, and without injury to the trees or 

 bushes, depends very much upon the distances apart each kind of fruit has 

 been planted. Of course there will be different opinions among fruit grow- 

 ers in this matter, but after long experience and observation I am satisfied 

 with the following distances: Apples, 40 feet each way; peaches, 16x16; 

 standard pears, cherries and plums, 20x20; grapes, 16x24; blackberries, rasp- 

 berries, currants and gooseberries, 5x8. Strawberries I cannot advise about, 

 as I only raise enough for family use. 



These distances may seem too far to some, but they are not so necessary on 

 account of the crowding of the tops of the trees or plants, as for the purpose 

 of giving room to cultivate the ground in the right manner and not to inter- 

 fere with the feeding roots. All fruit trees except standard pears and apples 

 depend much more on the surface roots than those that go deeper into the 

 soil; therefore the question arises, how shall we cultivate the ground thoroughly 

 and continuously for years without injury to the roots, and at the same time 

 put the ground in a condition to obtain the best results? Of course this im- 

 plies not only the thorough tillage of the soil through the season, but the 

 application, from time to time, of some fertilizing material. Perhaps it would 

 be safe in this connection to state that we, the fruit growers of western 

 Michigan, are only novices in this matter of applying special manures or fer- 

 tilizers to trees and plants. How often do we see the fruit grower drawing 

 out green manure from the barn-yard and piling it around his trees and 

 plants? It may do some good in a few instances, but often results in actual 

 harm. It certainly is a great waste of material that ought to be applied in a 

 more economical way. 



From general observation among fruit orchards and gardens, I am more 

 than satisfied, that, in order to grow first-class fruit for market, we need not 

 only fertilizers and thorough cultivation, but a system that will not involve 

 too much labor and expense but give the fruit grower the best possible returns 

 for the labor expended. Perhaps one of the first questions to be determined 



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