1882.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



71 



I liat the development of the disease is some- 

 tliing incidental to the growth of the. peach, 

 nnd the Fungi that are found in trees atreclcd 

 with the yellows, are only the effect and not 

 the caii.se of the di.sease. 



Of all the theories that have been advanced 

 in regard to the spread of the yellows, tlu- 

 bee theory seems to me to accord best with 

 the facts. How else can we account for the 

 fact, that if a peach orchard of perfectly 

 healtiiy poach trees is planted a mile or more 

 from any otiier jieacli trees, as soon as the 

 trees begin to bear, tlie disease will show 

 itself, not, however, in regular rotation from 

 tree to tree, as might be supposed would be 

 the case, if the disease was spread by sporadic 

 contagion, by contact of tlie roots, or by 

 means of pruning implements, but jumping 

 about ; sometimes one, an<l sometimes two or 

 three trees in a spot allected ; just as bees are 

 observed to rty, skipping about from one part 

 of an orchard to another. 



But, as I before said, it is not my purpose to 

 go into a tlieoretic discussion, my only object 

 being to bring up practical tpiestions with 

 which we are brought face to face in our daily 

 practice, a proper solution of which is of the 

 utmost importance. 



For fear tliat the points that I have en- 

 deavored to bring out may not be clear, I will 

 recapitulate. 1st.— What varieties will best 

 withstand severe cold? On this I hope I have 

 thrown some light. 2nd.— Why do all early 

 varieties invariably rot prematurely, or are 

 there any that do not? In regard to the yel- 

 lows. 1st — How is it communicated from 

 tree to tree? •2nd. — Will the disease spread 

 otherwise than by actual contact, except dur- 

 ing the period of growth? These questions 

 are very imiiortant in their bearing on the all- 

 important practical questions — Must a tree be 

 immediately removed on showing the first 

 symptoms of the yellows? and must it be 

 totally eradicated root and branch? To these 

 may be added tlie following: If, as is suppos- 

 ed, the disease is a fungus that pervades the 

 bark of the living tree, will this same fungus 

 live in dead or decayed wood or bark, so as to 

 communicate the disease to another tree, the 

 roots of which may come in contact with 

 them. There are of course a great many 

 other practical points in peach culture, which 

 might have been introduced that might be in- 

 teresting to many, but it was not my purjiose 

 to bring up questions that have been often dis- 

 cussed here, and which are, or should be, now 

 considered settled. I think we ought to make 

 some progress, and 1 desire to take a step in 

 advance, and if I (mly succeed in awakening 

 an inquiry that may throw some light on what 

 are, as yet, some dark places in the path of 

 the pomologist, my object will be accom- 

 plished. 



MANAGEMENT OF AN ORCHARD.* 



The suliject upon which I have been re- 

 quested to wtite is one of such vital importance 

 that it is with dillidence I present my views 

 before this Society. I have no new discover- 

 ies to present. My success has been mainly 

 due to paying strict attention to the following: 



1st. Location. 



*Essa5-reud before tlu' Pennsylvania State Hortuiiltu- 

 ral Association, at Hanisburg, by J. H. l-'uuk, Boyles- 

 town, Berka county, Pa. 



2d. Selection of soil. 



3d. Its preparation. 



Ith. Selection of varieties. 



5th. Proper i)lanting. 



6th. .Judicious pruning. 



7t!i, (rood judgnient, close attention and a 

 great deal of labor. 



I will treat of these in the order in wliich 

 they stand, and I prefer giving them just as I 

 have treated my orchard which I planted a 

 few years since, the same for which tlie Com- 

 mittee appointed by the Berks County Agri- 

 cultural Society awarded the premium as the 

 best regulated orchard in the county of Berks- 

 ist. Location. 



Under this head comes the exposure. In my 

 orchard I have every e.xposure; protected on 

 all sides by low mountain ranges, except the 

 northwest, which opens into a narrow valley, 

 and through which the northwest wind has a 

 clear sweep over a portion of the orchard. My 

 choice would be a northern exposure, protect- 

 ed on the north and west by mountain or 

 forest. Trees thus located are less endanger- 

 ed by late frost. 



2d. Selection of Soil. 



This IS one of the most important consider- 

 ations in planting an orchard. Be not gov- 

 erned by price. Better pay $300 per acre for 

 good, suitable land, than take indifferent soil 

 as a gift. In the first it will be pleasure and 

 profit ; in the other, disappointment and loss. 



In describing my soil, I have sand loam, 

 loam and clay loam. The loams are to a 

 depth of two to four feet. We then come to a 

 stratum of micaceous deposit, averaging from 

 four to twenty feet in depth ; beneath this a 

 soft rock strongly impregnated with iron and 

 small veins of plumbago. The clay loam is 

 underlayed with a light clay sub-soil which 

 never breaks. Were I again to make a selec- 

 tion, I would take the same, if obtainable. 

 All these different soils are not equally good 

 for any one variety of fruit, but each superior 

 for such varieties adapted to it. I have my 

 peach and cherry on my lightest soil. Apple 

 on the loam. Pear, plum and quince on the 

 clay loam. 



3d. Its Preparation. 



When I purchased this tract, the soil was 

 completely exhausted, being farmed contin- 

 ually, and for twenty years receiving no ma- 

 nure. I reversed the usual mode of farming. 

 Instead of plowing a furrow 5 inches deep 

 and 15 inches wide, I put in a strong team 

 and plowed a furrow but 8 inches in width 

 and 1.') inches deep, thus throwing up and in- 

 termixing 10 inches of subsoil with the ex- 

 hausted surface. I then spread 75 bushels of 

 good lime to the acre, and let it lay thus over 

 winter. The following spring I applied 500 

 pounds best dissolved bones to the acre, 

 plowed shallow, harrowed well, and considered 

 it in good condition to plant. 



4th. Selection of Varieties. 



On this depends to a great extent, whether 

 your orchard will be a profit or a loss. The 

 best guide is to select such varieties as do 

 well in your own immediate neighborhood. 

 Do not be tempted by line, showy plates of 

 fruit you know nothing about. If you are 

 not acquainted, ask some one on whom you 

 can rely, who has had experience. Do not 

 plant too many varieties. Select as near as 



you can, trees that are good growers and 

 annual bearers of showy, good flavored and 

 .good keeping fruit. My selection would be, 

 in the order named, Grimes' golden, Hubbert- 

 ston nonsuch, Krauser, Cole, Hays' winter, 

 Smith's cidirr, Hen Uavi.s, Falawater, West- 

 field soek-no-farlher, for winter; Maiden's 

 blush and Duchess of <.)ldenburg, for fall : 

 Red Astrachan and Early Harvest, for sum- 

 mer. Many may ask why I have omitted the 

 Baldwin, llhode Island Greening, Uoxburry, 

 Russet, ^c. My reply is, I can Iniy liiem 

 cheaper than 1 can rai.se them, and if I have 

 plenty of such apples as Grimes' Golden 

 pippin, others are welcome to Baldwins, &c. 

 Of pears. Duchess, De Angouleme, (dwarf) 

 Bartlett, Beurre de Angeau, Seckel and 

 Louise Bonne de Jersey (standard). Plums, 

 German, prune, imperial, gage and Lombard. 

 Quinces, Orange and Ilea's Mammoth. Cher- 

 ries, Early Richmond, Mayduke, Black Tar- 

 tarion and Gov. Wood. I never plant large 

 trees, preferring 2 years old of stocky growth; 

 peaches 1 year old. 



5th. Proper Planting. 



Have the holes dug large, not less than 2^ 

 feet square, and IS to 20 inches deep. When 

 ready for planting, throw the surface soil in 

 below, filling the hole to such a heighth, keep- 

 ing the centre slightly convex, that when the 

 tree is set in, the roots take their natural po- 

 sition, and leave the tree when planted near- 

 ly the same deiith as it stood in the nursery 

 row. Trim off all mutilated roots, and set 

 the tree in place, spreading all the roots out 

 evenly; throw on some loose, mellow ground, 

 filling u]) all vacant places around the roots. 

 When sufficiently covered, press the earth 

 gently but firmly to the roots with the foot, 

 then finish filling the hole. When young, 

 thrifty trees are thus planted, they need no 

 stakes. I have planted 3,01)0 trees in my or- 

 chard and have never staked one, and I have 

 scrcely a-lialf dozen crooked trees on the 

 place. After planting, it a very beneficial to 

 mulch with any loose material, long manure, 

 straw, weeds, leaves, tan bark or even coal 

 ashes; anything that will retain moisture and 

 keep the ground loo.se. This is more neces- 

 sary in sod than in cultivated ground, where 

 the loose surface soil acts as a mulch. 

 6th. Judicious Pruning. 



Here considerable good judgment is neces- 

 .sary. First knov/ for what you are pruning ; 

 do not lop limbs indiscriminately; there are 

 several objects to be obtained by pruning. 

 First we prune a young tree when planting, 

 to assist nature and relieve her from overdue 

 exhaustion; for when a tree is dug up the 

 greater part of the line rootlets are cut off, 

 thus diminishing the supply of nourishment 

 by cutting off from one-half to two-thirds of 

 the last year's growth. You relieve the tree 

 of that much material to supi>ly with food, 

 and you do more. By careful pruning at the 

 proper, buds you start the loundation for a 

 lore round ^yinmelrical lop. By proper prun- 

 ing you can keep up a good, thrifty growth. 

 For this, always prune in early spring and if 

 the work be properly done the tree will need 

 but little pruning in after years. 



7th. Good Judgment, Close Attention and a 

 Great Deal of Work. 



We now come to a question that has caused 



