Farm, Orchard, Dairy and Garden. 



APPLE ORCHARD. — The following 

 directions, if carefully attended to, will 

 insure complete success in growing an 

 apple orchard. 



The number of trees or acres embraced 

 in our plan for the apple orchard is not 

 a matter of so much importance as the 

 particular manner of preparation of the 

 soil, and the planting and cultivating of 

 the trees thereafter. 



Observation demonstrates clearly the 

 fact that there is not one first-class apple 

 ■orchard in the country. The result is 

 that universal disappointment prevails 

 among those who have engaged in grow- 

 ing the king of all fruit. 



For illustration, our orchard shall con- 

 tain from ten to one hundred acres, as 

 circumstances shall determine. The se- 

 lection of the location will exert more or 

 less influence on the successful results 

 when profit is a primary consideration, 

 therefore we recommend the highest 

 ground in the particular locality, or the 

 TDank of the Missouri or Mississippi rivers. 

 The immediate border of any consider- 

 able lake will do equally as well. 



The land must be broke not less than 

 twenty-four inches deep, which can be 

 done with a plow and sub-soil plow at a 

 moderate expense. When the sub-soil is 

 not sufficiently porous, the entire plat for 

 our orchard must be completely under- 

 drained with tile. The drains must be 

 so close to each other that the most com- 

 plete and thorough drainage will be in- 

 sured. 



We recommend only the very best trees, 

 three years old, from the bud or graft. 

 Plant thirty-five feet apart, after the ground 

 has been put in the most complete culti- 

 vation ; set the trees as near the surface 

 as the circumstances will admit. If neces- 

 sary, stake each tree to hold it in an up- 

 right position. The uniform formation of 

 the head should be carefully observed, in 

 order to give symmetry and convenience 



to the orchard. We recommend that the 

 lower limbs should not be nearer than six 

 feet from the ground. The lower branches 

 of the tree should be above the team with 

 which we cultivate the orchard. 



If you plant only the most sound and 

 healthy trees, and the ground is prepared 

 as we have suggested, there will not be 

 one failure to live. 



The trees must be washed with strong 

 soap suds, soft soap or weak alkali, from 

 the ground to the limbs, commencing with 

 the first of May, and the washing to be 

 repeated three or four times, at intervals 

 of one month apart. The washing and 

 scrubbing process must be continued year 

 after year, or as long as it exerts a healthy 

 influence on the tree. , 



The trees must be wrapped with straw, 

 commencing at the surface of the ground 

 and up into the first limbs. The wrap- 

 ping must be done in November, and the 

 straw can be removed after the hard frosts 

 are past in the spring. 



We now come to pruning, which must 

 be done sparingly — in fact, exercise care 

 in pruning; as understood by many or- 

 chardists, we positively prohibit it. Trim 

 only enough to admit the light of the sun 

 and a free circulation of the atmosphere. 



The ground can be cultivated in corn, 

 potatoes or vines for the first five years 

 after the trees are planted, without disad- 

 vantage. If in corn, we recommend, in- 

 deed insist, that it shall be hogged off. 

 The fertility of the soil must be maintained 

 and kept up equal to its virgin condition. 

 After the trees have attained a size when 

 it will be no longer profitable to cultivate 

 in corn, then red clover must take its 

 place. The clover will make pasturage 

 for hogs, whose presence are wanted in 

 the orchard, to assist in destroying the 

 curculio and other enemies of the insect 

 tribe which prey on the apple tree and its 

 fruit. 



The orchard should be grounds fre- 



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