1871 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



116 



rary trees become large and tlieir branches crowd 

 upon the other trees, cut the crowding limbs off, 

 and gradually raise their tops higher, giving them 

 more space, light and air, and so continue by de- 

 grees trimming them oft', until you find it cvenluuUy 

 necessary to rumove tliem, then do so. The aver- 

 age growtli of their tops will be about one foot in 

 diameter each year; so the temporary trees may 

 remain 15 years and the secondary 22 years before 

 crowding very much ; then by removing those 

 limbs and elevating their tops, they may remain 

 several years longer before cutting them down. 

 When the temporary trees are removed, your or- 

 chard will present the appearance of Fig. 3, with 

 eighty-five trees twenty-two feet apart; and when 

 the secondary trees are remove<l, it will appear like 

 Fig. 3, witli forty-nine trees thirty feet apart each 

 wa3', and then lie your permanent oreliard. 



Having once planted out an orchard, keep it 

 clean afterwards by fr<'quent cultivation, particu- 

 larly around the trees, until they come into bearing, 

 which will be in about five or six years from trans- 

 planting with those early bearing varietie.s. You 

 maj' raise jiotatocs, beets, beans, or any hoed crop 

 amongst the trees, but no wheat, corn or oats, or 

 any high growing crop. After the orchard has 

 come into bearing, sow down to clover and blue 

 grass, and let it form a sod and remai)i so. 



Let your trees head low, from twelve to twenty 

 inches from the ground, and keep them clean of 

 water sprouts and suckers, but do no other pruning 

 whatever, unless a limb becomes broken, then re- 

 move it. Be careful of the spray and irregular 

 groining hriinrjws, for it is there where you will find 

 your first fruit. Wc have seen over a dozen of fine 

 large apples on an irregular limb, when there was 

 not another ajiple on tlie tree for several years af- 

 ter; but after the trees come into general bearing, 

 this spray and irregular growth will have fulfilled 

 its destiny, and must die ; it may then be removed 

 without an injury. If the trees overbear, thin out 

 a portion of the crowded fruit in the thickest por- 

 tion of the trees. When any of tlie branches cease 

 to grow, and they have fulfilled their purpose, it 

 may be necessary to remove them, but not before. 

 This will not be likely to occur the first twelve or 

 fifteen years, except in rare in.stances, and in a few 

 of the under branches. 



Keep a close watch for the round headed borer, 

 {Sa2)erda Vivitta). This insect deposits its eggs in 

 the month of June, sometimes 

 July, in the bark of the trees, 

 near the ground, and the grub 

 works its way down and around 

 in the solid wood, where it 

 passes its first j'car beneath the 

 bark. The second year it is 

 much increased in size, and 

 THE BEETLE. penetrates a little deeper, do- 



ing much more damage. The third year it arrives 

 to its full size, about one inch and a quarter in 

 length; it then gnaws its way up through the solid 

 wood about six inches above the ground, where it 

 cuts its way out horizontally, in the month of June, 

 the perfect beetle, about 

 three - quarters of an 

 inch in length, with two 

 TUE LARV^. longitudinal stripes on 



its back, and beneath mealy white. It is shy, and 

 keeps generally concealed by day ; but at night is 

 active depositing Its eggs, generally in neglected, 

 weedy trees, rarely if ever selecting those mounded 

 up a few inches high and kept clean, as it always 

 deposits its eggs near the ground. 



But there is another flat headed borer (clirymhatk- 

 rit fcmoratta), which deposits its eggs in the trunk 

 of trees some distance above the ground, and also 

 in the branches. This insect selects the south and 

 southwest side of those trees generally diseased or 

 injured by pruning, sun scald, or from injury by the 

 previous borer. As this insect is simply a scaven- 

 ger, feeding and living on decay, it will never 

 trouble a low headed, uupruned, healthy tree, taken 

 care of. It does not thrcnv out saw dust like the 

 previous borer, but packs it tight after it; therefore 

 not so easily detected. These borers nuist be cut 

 out with a sharp, strong knife, and when deeply 

 imbedded, hooked out with a flexible wire. The 

 trees should be examined every year in August or 

 September, particularly for the round headed borer, 

 which may be easily detected by the saw dust it 

 throws out near the ground; and by drawing away 

 the earth several inches around, may be easily cut 

 out. Washing the trees with .soap the latter part of 

 May is considered beuefieial as a preventive; if not, 

 it will add much to the smoothness, health and 

 beauty of the trees. If trees are banked up about 

 a foot high with earth in May, and thj weeds kept 

 away from around them, you will not find much 

 trouble with the round headed borer ; and if your 

 trees are kept low headed, uupruned and healthy, 

 you will never know there is a flat headed borer. 



Hybridizing the Apple.— Russian Apple and 

 Loal' Structure) etc. 



By J. L. BuDD, SnELLSBuno, Iowa. 



Contiuued from page 96, April No. 



We have here a wide range. About nineteen out 

 of twenty of the hundreds of varieties described 

 by Downing, are so manifestly defective in leaf and 

 habits of early maturity that we will not refer to 

 them. The few varieties, as the Red June, St. Law- 

 rence, Saxton, Gros Pomier, Ben Davis, etc., in the 

 " iron clad " list will surely enable us to grow an 

 abundance of apples upon our most exposed prai- 

 ries. But let us think a moment. Supjiose any- 

 where upon a dry, open prairie in northern Iowa 



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