STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 97 



MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 



On Preserving the Fertility of Orchards by Sheep- 

 Grazing. 



By a. W. Tinkham, Nokth Monmouth. 



The fact that many have failed in trying to dress an orchard' 

 by pasturing it with sheep, is, I think, owing to an error in 

 the start. They have fenced in their orchards and put in 

 sheep enough to graze them close, and the orchards have 

 gradually failed. Now it is evident that the trees should 

 have all the nutritive properties of the soil on which they 

 grow. The sheep rob the trees of just so much as it takes to 

 supply them with all the elements of life, together with their 

 fleeces and the growth of lambs. My mode of proceedure is 

 simply to have a large tract of pasture land connected with 

 each orchard, in which I built a shed. The sheep will leave 

 the most shady lawn and repair to the sheds for protection 

 against winged insects, which are very obnoxious to them 

 during the summer and part of the autumn. I can, therefore, 

 tax as large an area for the benefit of the orchard as I please 

 to enclose ; and by using absorbents, such as dry muck, leave's 

 from the forests, spent tan, or almost any fine vegetable sub- 

 stance, make a large amount of the very best of dressing for 

 the orchard, which can be applied to such trees as the sheep 

 desert, or to any favorite trees which it is desirable to dress 

 highly. Spread about two bushels of this mixture around 

 each tree, and from four quarts to half a bushel of wood 

 ashes, according to the size of the tree. Mulch well with 

 brakes, straw, leaves, hay, or best of all, potato tops. Kill 

 borers and other insects, prune the trees carefully, and a 

 good crop of apples will be as sure as a good yield of any 

 other crop with high culture and good care. 

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