POPULAR GARDENING. 



October, 



Notes from a Rochester Fruit Farm. 



BY CHAS. A. GnEEN. 



Fall Planting. "ShaU I plant plants, 

 vines and trees in fall or spring," I am asked. 

 My reply is plant both in fall and spring. 



" Bnt which season is usually most desira- 

 ble? " My practice has been to plant in the 

 fall if ready at that season, and I make an 

 effort to be ready, for I know there is usually 

 much to be gained thereby. Early spring is 

 one of the most hurried seasons. We wait 

 long for the frost to disappear and the soil 

 to dry, then when the desired moment ar- 

 rives everything needs attention at once, 

 and as a natural result many things are left 

 undone, and usually it is the plauting of 

 fruits that is thus neglected from year to 

 year. But in the fall there is usually several 

 weeks of comparative leisure, when planting 

 can be done with the least possible incon- 

 venience, and the soil is in the best possible 

 condition, neither too wet nor too dry, but 

 fine, crumbling, and easily prepared. Aside 

 from this incentive comes the fact that those 

 who order trees from a distance have a cooler 

 and safer season for shipment, enabling the 

 shipper to send by freight rather than ex- 

 press, thus saving considerable expense. 

 Nurserymen have more time to attend to 

 orders in the fall, can ship more promptly, 

 and have a more complete assortment of 

 varieties. If, through delays that sometimes 

 occur on railroads, freight is delayed in late 

 spring, it is more serious than delays in fall 

 shipment. But the great gain in fall plant- 

 ing is the early growth secured the succeed- 

 ing spring. This is caused by the plants or 

 trees becoming firmly settled in place, and 

 ready to receive full benefit from the early 

 spring storms, often having formed numer- 

 ous roots before spring planting would be 

 possible. 



While there are many arguments in favor 

 of fall planting, there are some against that 

 season. Trees cannot endure such low tem- 

 perature after being dug as before digging, 

 hence where the winters are very severe it 

 might be best to heel in the trees until 

 spring, covering roots, trunks and branches, 

 but in New York State such a course is un- 

 necessary with hardy fruits. Another dis- 

 advantage is the liability of the frost to 

 heave newly planted plants, vines, and trees. 

 For this reason I do not advise fall planting 

 of Strawberries, txnless planted before Sep- 

 tember 1.5th. Raspberries, Blackberries, 

 Grape-vines, and trees can be made safe 

 against heaving by throwing a forkful of 

 strawy manure over each plant, or about 

 each tree. Or the trees may be banked a 

 foot high about the trunk. 



I often find numerous new roots formed 

 on the trees heeled in during October when 

 removed for planting the next spring. 

 Currants and Gooseberries can hardly be 

 planted early enough in the spring for best 

 results if ordered from a distance. Much of 

 the loss of planting is caused by planting 

 too late in the spring. As I intimated on the 

 start, I would plant both fall and spring. 

 Strawberries, Peaches, Apricots, and all 

 half hardy kinds in the spring, and Rasp- 

 berries, Blackberries, Grapes, Apples, Pears. 

 Plums, and Cherry trees in the fall. 



Low OR High Land Fon Fruit. My ex- 

 perience is in favor of upland, I am not 

 afraid even of the hill tops for trees, though 

 they may be too dry for small fruits gener- 

 ally, but not for Grapes. So far as I have 

 observed the high lands give the most pro- 

 ductive orchards and berry fields. Low 

 lands are apt to lack drainage, and nothing 

 is more fatal to success than wet feet for 

 trees and plants. Low lands are also sub- 

 ject to late spring frosts, which are a more 

 prolific source of failure in fruiting than 

 many suspect. Low lands are apt to induce 

 a rapid succulent growth not favorable for 

 fruit, nor for longevity. Mucky soils are 



often totally unsuited for fruit culture. I 

 have often been called upon to assign a 

 reason for the unproductiveness of orchards. 

 In most cases I have found these orchards on 

 low or level land, and never on hill tops. 

 When a boy I planted a field to Apple trees 

 which was so hilly as to be ditficult of cult- 

 ure. It was the only lot my father would 

 permit using for the purpose. On some of 

 the knolls the soil was as Iiard as a road 

 bed, and demanded pickaxe and crowbar to 

 excavate for planting. To-day that orchard 

 is one of the most productive in the country. 

 It began to bear early and has kept bearing, 

 and the Apples are large and free from de- 

 fects. Necessity here compelled me to plant 

 on the best site on the farm. A friend 

 purchased a farm near Portage Falls, N. Y., 

 partly in the valley and partly on the bins' 

 2(J0 feet above. He asked my advice about 

 planting, and was told to plant on the bluff 

 and avoid the valley. He considered me a 

 lunatic. " Why the vaUey is protected, and 

 is by far the warmest spot. No sane man 

 would plant on the exposed bluffs." He 

 planted in the valley and you can imagine 

 with what success. Fall planting should 

 not be attempted on low wet soU, for the 

 plants or trees would be apt to heave out. I 

 would not advise planting on such .soil at 

 any season. Some writers assert that 

 Quinces must be planted on low lands, near 

 brooks, etc. I would prefer higher soil even 

 for Quinces. With rich soil and frequent 

 shallow culture they will do better with me 

 on the uplands. And yet there are localities 

 where it is claimed that fruits on low lands 

 do exceedingly well. Such localities are 

 exceptional. 



Destroying Quack Grass. For years I 

 have been studying the question of destroy- 

 ing Quack Grass, June Grass, and Canada 

 Thistles. I have tried plowing in June and 

 summer fallowing, but the roots of June 

 Grass or Quack would not rot, but kept 

 sending out new shoots. Even where not 

 re-plowed until the succeeding spring we 

 found the roots in the same live condition. 

 To-day, September 8, we begin to re-plow the 

 second time after six weeks of cultivating, 

 harrowing and gang plowing, which has 

 destroyed the roots near the surface. After 

 this second plowing we will continue har- 

 roning, cultivating and gang plowing, and 

 in the worst places will plow the third time 

 just as winter opens, leaving the furrows 

 rough. We expect to subdue this soil so as 

 to be able to plant Strawberries, Raspberries, 

 etc., thereon next spring. We manured 

 heavily before first plowing. The subse- 

 (luent operations have thoroughly mixed the 

 manure, a desirable feature, for manure as 

 ordinarilly applied is not half spread, and 

 where left in lumps it does actual injury. 

 We once destroyed a field of Quack by plow- 

 ing the sod very shallow just as winter ap- 

 proached. No cultivation was given until 

 the next spring, when Potatoes were planted 

 and thorough culture given, the Potatoes 

 being dug early and the soil kept cultivated 

 thereafter. We never fail to destroy the 

 Grasses and Thistles when we plant a field 

 with trees in nursery rows, the frequent 

 culture given giving them no chance to 

 survive. If I were fighting Thistles alone I 

 would simply cultivate the surface of the 

 soil the entire season. I have never known 

 this to fail. 



Propagating the Currant. I cut Cur- 

 rant cuttings the latter part of August and 

 plant as soon thereafter as I can get time. 

 The leaves must be stripped off at this sea- 

 son. When I have no time to plant early 1 

 tie the cuttings in bunches of 100 each and 

 place in a trench dug as deep as the cuttings 

 are long, setting the bundles of cuttings 

 therein butt end up, leaving two inches 

 space between the bundles, then covering 

 the bundles with loose soil, pressing it down 



firmly, until the spaces between the bundles 

 are filled and two inches of earth cover the 

 surface— that is, the butts. If this is done in 

 August or early September the cuttings 

 will have calloused and formed numerous 

 roots by winter. They may be left in the 

 trenches until spring, but should be planted 

 very early in the spring. Larger plants are 

 secured by fall planting, which is done as 

 foUows: The rows are marked three feet 

 apart after the soil has been carefuUy pre- 

 pared, then furrows are plowed in the marks 

 thus made, and the cuttings thrust in so as 

 to leave one bud only above the surface. 

 Then the soil is hoed back into the furrows 

 and trampled down hard. Just before 

 winter we run a shovel plow between the 

 rows, but use care not to cover the cuttings 

 with earth, then draw strawT horse manure 

 and scatter it over the cuttings so as to shade 

 them and prevent heaving by frost. The 

 shovel plow leaves a valley, the center of 

 which the cuttings occupy. Over this only 

 is the manure scattered. In early spring, 

 after freezing weather has i)assed, the ma- 

 nure is removed. By this method the plants 

 get an early start in the succeeding spring, 

 often growing two feet high the first summer, 

 or nearly as large as ordinary two-year-old 

 plants. Nothing is more easUy grown from 

 cuttings than Currants. 



Native Plum Talk. 



D. B. WIER, LACON, ILL. 



The Native Plums 1 have given very care- 

 ful study for many years and have met with 

 some very valuable points, which I think will 

 certainly revolutionize the culture of stone 

 fruits. One of these, now proven beyond 

 any doubt, is that in this place a mass of 

 the Native Plums in fruit have exterminated 

 the Plum Curculio. Practically it comes to 

 maturity in none of them, and if, as now 

 seems to be the case, this insect prefers the 

 Native Plums above all others in which 

 to lay its eggs, the great problem is solved. 



Last winter I prepared a paper for Prof. 

 Riley's Entomological Bulletin on this sub- 

 ject, which he criticises quite freely, but the 

 facts newly observed here this season prove 

 me right in every particular. 



The only secret of having Native Plums in 

 abundance is to have two or more varieties 

 quite near each other for improving the fer- 

 tilization. They cannot poUenize or fertilize 

 their o^vn flowers, a fact which accounts for 

 the many barren trees standing isolated. 

 The fact seems to be that the pollen (male 

 element) ripens, is blown away and wasted 

 before the stigmas (female organs) are ready 

 to receive it. 



Wherever I have had two or more varieties 

 growing quite near each other they fruit 

 every year, and, whenever a variety is grow- 

 ing either as a single tree or all in a thicket 

 of one kind they have rarely matured any 

 fruit. To illustrate. I have had for years 

 numerous trees of the Wild Goose variety 

 growing not near other Plum trees that 

 have never matured any fruit. The same is 

 true of the Miner, except that it has some- 

 times, but rarely, matured partial crops. 

 Yet these two varieties planted alternating 

 with each other have not failed to mature a 

 crop of plums in seventeen years. The same 

 is true of all other varieties fruited here. 



Therefore, to have the Native Plums in 

 abundance plant two or more varieties, the 

 more the better, four to six feet apart in 

 rows, the varieties alternating and the rows 

 1.5 to 20 feet apart. If you plant but one 

 variety you will have little or no fruit; if 

 you plant them orchard style from 15 to 25 

 feet each way you wiU also have little or 

 no fruit. 



The isolated barren Plum trees of the 

 country can all be made to fruit abundantly 

 by top-grafting certain other kinds into their 

 uppermost branches for improving fertlliza- 



