NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb. 



SETTIBTG AN APPLE OHCHABD. 



The setting of an orchard by any one, young or 

 old, is a -work of too much importance to be done 

 indifferently, or without that careful consideration 

 which any work demands that is to remain for fif- 

 ty or a hundred years, and that is to stand both 

 as a work of utility and beauty. Few persons who 

 })lant an orchard can reasonably expect that all its 

 profits will accrue to themselves ; for if it is well 

 done, it should last seventy-five years, at least, 

 and if it is poorly done, there will be no profit 

 from it. They work, therefore, for another gener- 

 ation, and that work ought to be done so as to el- 

 evate, beautify and make profitable, — that in the 

 end, the earth shall be so fruitful, and all material 

 things so blending and co-operating ■« ith it, that 

 the mind itself shall be drawn into harmony, and 

 this fair land of ours tmly become the garden of 

 of the Lord. 



It is with this view of the matter that we shall 

 reply to the inquiries of oiu- respected correspon- 

 dent in the following letter : 



Dear Sir : — I wish to put out an orchard the fol- 

 lowing sprmg on the soil here described ; a pino siu-- 

 face soil from six to fifteen inches in depth, imdcr- 

 n?ath which is a subsoil of gray and red clay, 

 termed in this section, "hemlock soil," compact, and 

 very retentive of water. I wish you, throiigh youi- 

 columns, to give adxicein regard to setting the trees, 

 and answer the following questions. 



1. How far apart should the trees be put ? 



2. "Wliat method is best in making the root bed ? 



3. Would you fill in the bottom Avith small stones ? 

 An early answer through your colmnns will 



oblige greatly an old reader and subscriber. 



Colchester, Vt., Jan., 1860. A. a. 



As the wi'iter is evidently going to work con- 

 siderately in his enterprise, and desires to do all 

 things well, we will allude to one or two things 

 before making a direct reply to his first question. 



The thrift, continued prosperity and profit of 

 an orchard, like other crops, will depend, mainly, 

 we think, upon the condition of the soil upon 

 which it stands. If the soil is "compact, and very 

 retentive of water," little profit will be likely to 

 a ccrue from it, whether devoted to an orchard or 

 any other crop. The fii'st step should be to drain 

 it, and if the labor to do this is found too 

 heavy and expensive, commence upon one edge 

 of the piece'*to be appropriated to trees, and drain 

 the water off to the depth of three or four feet, if 

 it is practicable. After this, plow a foot deep, or 

 two if you can, manure highly, and work it in in- 

 timately with the soil. When this has been done, 

 the field is ready for the reception of the trees. 

 Now comes the question as to the distance apart 

 which they should be set. This depends much up- 

 on circumstances. If one is a young man, has a 

 large farm and plenty of team to do a good deal 

 of plowipg, with manure to cover many acres, forti/ 

 feet apart is not too much for the ti-ees. Under the 



most favorable circumstances, the branches of 

 these trees would never meet so as to obstruct 

 their growth, or in any manner to interfere with 

 each other. If the land under them is kept prop- 

 erly cultivated and manured, they would proba- 

 bly cover its whole surface, and the results Avould 

 be all that ought to be expected from a good or- 

 chai'd. If, on the other hand, it is desii-ed to plant 

 an orchard on hiily and rocky land — where apple 

 trees often thrive the best — and where plowing 

 and the application of manvu-e v.'ould be quite ex- 

 pensive, we should certainly advise to occupy a 

 less breadth of soil, and place the trees thirty feet 

 apart, or even thirty feet one way and only tweii- 

 ty-five the other, with the view of shortening them 

 in a little after the lapse of t^venty years, if theu* 

 brancHes should meet, rather than encounter a 

 soil so expensive to work. In the case, also, where 

 a person has a decided taste for the cultivation of 

 apple trees, and wishes to occupy a considerable 

 portion of his time in that particular item of farm 

 industry — and where he does not keep a strong 

 team of oxen or horses, and is limited in his ma- 

 nurial agents, — ^but still wanting a considerable 

 number of trees, avc should advise to set them 

 within thirty feet of each other. 



The second question of om- correspondent, — 

 '^What method is best iji making the root bed']" 

 has been pretty nearly answered in what we have 

 already said about the prepai-ation of the land. 

 But, briefly, we would suggest to lay out the field 

 at whatever distance is thought best, then dig the 

 holes five or six feet in diameter and eighteen 

 inches to two feet deep, thi-owing the black soil 

 on one side, and the yellow or subsoil on the oth- 

 er. When this is don3, return the black soil to the 

 bottom of the hole with any old, well-decomposed 

 manure, and the bed for the tree is ready. The 

 centre of this hole should be the exact Ime in both 

 directions, and while one person holds the tree 

 steadily in its proper position, another should 

 carefully single out ail the small as well as the 

 leading roots, making them radiate in every di- 

 rection, and cover them with fine and rich black 

 earth. The space under the base of the tree 

 should also be filled with soD, so that no roots be 

 left to gather mould and then decay. The tree 

 should be set at the same depth in which it grew, 

 and some excellent orchardists say with the same 

 side to the sun. The black earth may now all be 

 returned to the hole, and then the subsoil, which 

 completes the work. A good tree set in this care- 

 ful manner will make more growth in six years, 

 than one of the same quality indifferently set will 

 in ten years, and the probability is that in the 

 course of fifteen years it will many times repay 

 the cost of the extra care it had received. 



In reply to the third inquiry, we would say, that 

 if the surface abounds with small stones, and the 



