NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



67 



From C'oxe on Fruit Trees. 

 THE PLANTING AND CULTIVATION OF 



ORCHARDS. 

 he first thing to be iletcrniiiied upon iu 

 ting of an orchard, is the [iropor distance 

 e trees : if a mere Cruit plantation be the 

 cl, the distance may be !-mall — it" tlie culti- 

 )u of grain and grass be in view, (he space 

 ■ecn the trees must be >\ ider : at thirty feet 

 t, an aero will contain foitv-eiglil trees ; at 

 ly-live feet, tiiirlv-live trees ; at forty feet, 

 "tj-sevcn trees; and at lil'ty feet, alioiit eigh- 



to the acre — these are the usual distances. 

 ly own plantations, 1 have adopted the vari- 

 dislanccs according to the deptli and char- 

 r olllie soil ; about two thinis of the ground. 



rizing about one hundred acres, arc planl- 

 U 00 feet ; on the remaining (il'ly acres, i 

 : tried 30, 3o, and iO feet ; and as far as 

 i be conveniently done, 1 have planted the 

 3 of smallest growth on the lightest soil ; 

 igeverv circumstance into consideration, it 



probably be found, that forty feet is the 



eligible distance for a farm orchard. It 

 admit sufficient sun and air, in our dry and 

 11 climate ; and until the trees shall be fully 

 vn^ will allow of a protilable application oil 

 jround to the culiivation of grain and grns- 



uch trouble will be saved, and much accara- j 

 I planting will he insured, by marking the 

 of trees by stakes previous to digging the} 

 s. In shallow soil.*, I would recommend 1 

 ing the holes of the depth of two spits ol 

 I, scattering the low er spit at some distance ; 

 supplying its place by an equal quantity ol 

 leighboring surface earth — the depth of the 

 must depend on that of the sub-soil, 

 1 eligible mode, which I have practised 

 success in a large portion oi my orchards, 

 18 lighter soils, is to supply the place of the 

 um of poor earth, by one or two loads of 

 low mud, ditch banks, or good surface soil, 

 round each tree after planting ; ploughing 

 ground for a fallow crop the next spring, 

 a the mud has become completely pnlver- 

 by the frost : the size of the hole should 

 ufficiently large to admit a spade handle, 

 n laid horizontally in the bottom ; affording 

 le space for the expansion of the roots in 

 : rich earth. Well digested compost is use- 

 ound newly planted trees, in still" or cold 

 —both Imie, and fresh stable manure, I 

 found prejudicial in the dry and hot weath- 

 summer ; the latter substance is also fre- 

 tly a cover tor moles and held mice, which 

 extremely injurious in winter, to trees of 

 SIX or eight years old in light soils. 1 have 

 great benetit tVom the application of eve- 

 ind of manure on the surface, and mixing it 

 ually by cultivation of the soil, as the best 

 rity against drought in summer, and ver- 

 in the winter. 



he proper season for planting, will be found 

 ;pcnd on a variety of circumstances — in 

 soils, the winter settles the earth round 

 roots, and best secures them against the 

 ;ht of the following season — it is a time of 

 re to the farmer, and affords an early se- 

 ni of trees from the nursery. In stiff or 

 soils, 1 should give a preference to spring 

 ing, other circumstances being equal — 1 

 planted at both seasons, and have generally 

 i that care and attention ensured a corres- 



pondent success in the growth of my trees. In 

 whatever season an orchard may be planted, too 

 much attention cannot be given to extend the 

 root.sin every direction; to cut oil all wounded 

 parts, and more especially, not to plant too 

 deep ; this 1 believe is the common error of 

 inc\|)ericnced planters : lis a general rule, I 

 would recommend that the tree be placed in 

 the orchard with about ibiee inches of earth 

 over the upper tier of routs, which will make it 

 about two inches deeper than it stood in the 

 nursery ; that the tree, after being partially 

 covered, should be well shaken, to admit the 

 liner particles of (he earth among the librons 

 roots, and that it be well settled, by treading 

 the earth around it — with these precautions, I 

 have never found the necessity of stakes. The 

 tops of young trees should never he shortened, 

 lest it should produce a growth of suckers : I 

 would recommend in preference, that they be 

 thinned, if I'ound loo heavy: if the trees have 

 been long out of the ground and the roots have 

 become shrivelled at the lime of planting, the 

 labor of pouring a pail full of water round each 

 tree, will be amply repaid in the success it will 

 ensure in their growth. 



The looser the ground is kept for the first, 

 and tor several succeeding years, the more cer- 

 tain and more vigorous will be the growth of 

 the orchard — in the luxuriance and color of the 

 foliage of contiguous plantations, 1 have found 

 every stage of culiivation strongly marked : 

 those orchards which have been two years un- 

 der cultivation, exhibit a striking superiority 

 over those which have been but one year under 

 llie plough ; while these, in their turn, surpass 

 the fields in clover or in grain, both in the 

 quantity and size of the fruit : when clover is 

 sown in young orchards, 1 have been in the 

 habit ol digging the earth lor about three feet, 

 at the root of each tree : a man will dig round 

 one hundred trees in a day ; the trilling loss of 

 grass and labor, will be liilly remunerated by the 

 improved vigor of the tree. When the ground 

 can be spared from cropping, four or five fur- 

 rows on each side of a row, will be found a 

 most eligible mode of promoting the growth of 

 a young orchard. 



All fallow crops are most favorable to the 

 growth of orchards, at every early stage of their 

 cuhivalion — Indian corn, potatoes and vines, 

 are preferable to oats or barley ; and these 

 again are more favorable than winter grain : 

 Buck-wheat is among the most beneficial crops 

 for the promotion of the autumnal growth of 

 trees — Clover is by many farmers believed to 

 be injurious to young trees ; its tendency to 

 check the growth of trees will be ibund, 1 be- 

 lieve, to be in proportion to the air and moisture 

 which its greater or less vigorous growth may 

 keep from the roots ; light and heat, appear as 

 necessary to the iV)ots as to the branches of 

 trees — clover, whi\e it occupies the ground, 

 must prevent cultivation ; so i'ar I apprehend it 

 will be found pernicious, but probably not in a 

 greater degree 'than any other luxuriant and 

 deeply rooted species of grass, absorbing the 

 moisture, and exhausting the strength of the 

 soil, which covers the roots of small trees. In 

 the arrangement of an orchard, both conveni- 

 ence and heauty will result from jilanting each 

 kind in distinct contiguous rows, tiome cultiva- 

 tors pay particular attention to continue in llie 

 orchard the aspect the tree maiulained in the 



1 nursery : I have sometimes irdopted the piactice 

 I with-^ut much confidence in its efficacy; nor 

 I can I think it probable, that trees gro\v ing in 

 close rows, not much exposed, in the nursery, 

 I can by any habit so limited in its duration, Ir. 

 I affected by any permanent contraction or rigidi- 

 I (y of tiie bark, or sap vessels, which arc the 

 I only efl'ects 1 have ever heard ascribed to (he 

 inlluence of aspect, on tiie stems of young trees. 

 The prevalent winds of our climate, are from 

 the north west: in light soils, their violence 

 will soinetimes give an inclination to newly 

 planted trees to the south-east: this may easily 

 be remedied by setting up the trees while 

 young; and when they have attained a large 

 growth, it may be overcome in a great degree, 

 by cutting off the leaning branches, and by free- 

 ly pruning the leeward side of the tree. 



Moss is a plant produced by poverty and neg- 

 lect ; it is very prejudicial to trees, and shnujit 

 be carefully removed : this can be readily done, 

 by rubbing the trees in damp weather v.ilh a 

 bone, or the back of a knife ; good cnltivatiou 

 will generally prevent tlio growth of moss — • 

 white-washing the stem, not only cleanses the 

 tree of moss, hut destroys many kinds of lice 

 very injurious to fruit trees ; it is followed by a 

 cleanliness in the bark after it has been dissolv- 

 ed by rain, and promotes the lieallh and vigor 

 of the tree whenever applied. 



To preserve Grapes on die rines till zi-inlcr. — 

 About September, when grapes are nearly ripe, 

 procure some bags made either of crape, mus- 

 lin or white paper. 



Select some of the best bunches, and with a 

 [lair of sharp narrow-pointed scissars, cut off 

 all small unripe, rotten, mouldy, or imperfect 

 grapes, especially those eaten by llies or wasps. 



Inclose each bunch in a bag, and lie the bag 

 fast with a string, so that no insect can get into 

 it. In the miildie of a fine day in October, gath- 

 er them, wilh a p>iece of the shoot to them, and 

 hang them up in a dry warm room. 



Dip the end of the shoots in melted rosin or 

 seal.ng-vvax. Examine them frequently, lest 

 they should get mouldy or rotten. 



To preserve Apples. — Dry a glazed jar perfect- 

 ly well, put a feiv pebbles in the bottom; fill 

 the jar with apples, and cover it wiih a bit of 

 wood made to fit exacliy ; and over that, put a 

 little i'resh mortar. The pebbles attract the 

 damp of the a[>[dcs. The mortar draws the 

 air tVom the jar, and leaves the apples free 

 iVom its pressure, which, together with the 

 jirinciple of putrefactiou wbicli the air contains, 

 are the causes of decay. Apples, kept thus, 

 have besn found quite sound, lair, and juicy, in 



Birds Eye Maple. — Perhaps it is not general- 

 ly known to our farmers in this section of our 

 country, that this beautiful wood is becoming a 

 very valuable article oi' Cabinet furniture. The 

 superb cabins of the New York Packet ships 

 are finished with th.s wood and m.ihogany, and 

 for richness and elegance are not to be surpas- 

 sed. 



A passenger on board of one of these ships 

 was informed l)y the captain that it was wilii 

 difficulty he procured sufficient in the city of 

 New York to npish his cabn. and of a price es 

 cecding that of mahogany. — Hallu-wdl Ga:. 



