1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



59 



For tite NeiD England Farmer. 

 BENOVATIOM" OP OLD APPLE TREES. 



In your article aoout apples you speak of re- 

 newing an old Hunt Russet apple tree by cutting 

 away the dead wood, thinning the top a little, and 

 raising a mound of good soil a foot high around 

 the trunk, dressing with manure and ashes every 

 other year for si.\ yeai'S. This statement of yours 

 rectdled some facts that have passed under my 

 own eye and experience, with this diflerence only, 

 that no dressing whatever was used, simply filling 

 up about the trees in all cases save one, which 

 Avas a very old and large pear tree. I ne\ er could 

 arrive at the true age of the tree, but sufficient to 

 ■warrant the conclusion that it was from one hun- 

 dred and fifty to one hundred and seventy-five years 

 old. It is over two feet in diameter, and probably 

 was fifty feet high before filled about with earth, 

 and cut ofif at the top. In the first place, all the 

 roots were cut off on the south side within eight 

 feet of the trunk. The following year the roots 

 on the west were cut within twelve feet, and the 

 year succeeding a cistern was dug close up to the 

 south-west side of the trunk, thus most thorough- 

 ly depriving it of near one half of its roots. I 

 filled up around the tree, in grading, over four 

 feet, with material excavated from the cellars dug 

 around it ; not having a doubt but it would die 

 from the severe usage meted out to it. 



As there were many dead limbs, I concluded to 

 cut out some of the principal branches, and all 

 dead wood. I was surprised the next year after 

 the pruning, at seeing the vigor of the new wood, 

 and in succeeding years finding quite a generous 

 supply of fruit, of greatly superior quality to any 

 it had produced for many years. 



I have not been advised of its present condition, 

 but two years since it was as vigorous as at any 

 time since the heroic treatment it had received, 

 fourteen years previous. One of my neighbors 

 was grading his lawn, and wished to raise the 

 grade around a favorite apple tree. To avoid 

 injury to the tree, he had a wall built the proper 

 height and several feet from the tree. This wall 

 remained a few years, and the tree seemed to be 

 failing, and fears that it would soon die were ex- 

 pressed to me. I suggested that the wall be ta- 

 ken away and the space around the tree filled in 

 with good loam to the grade of the surrounding 

 ground. This was six years ago. From that 

 time to the present, the tree has grown vigorous- 

 ly and borne fruit liberally every year. Four 

 years since, I graded a lot for a lawn on which 

 were eight or ten apple trees. The trees were in 

 and around a basin that we filled up to the depth 

 of two feet. Four of the trees were filled around 

 from one to two feet deep. These four trees have 

 outstripped the others in making wood and fruit. 

 A few inches of soil were taken from four of the 

 trees, which effectually finished them up in two 

 years. Here are facts that may be of practical 

 use for some wishing to perpetuate old trees. 

 No extra manure was used in any of the above 

 specified cases. 



So much confidence have I in the results of the 

 filling around old apple trees with good loam or 

 muck, or both, that I propose trying it on a larg- 

 er scale than heretofore in the spring. Having 

 about two dozen old trees, I am loth to give up 

 •without an effort to save them. I propose compost- 



ing muck and loam around them to the depth of 

 a foot, with strong faith in the results being ad- 

 vantageous to them. Such results as you report, 

 Mr. Editor, together with my limited 'experience 

 in the same direction, might, with propriety, lead 

 to the inquiry whether, in many cases, it would 

 not be more for the present interest of some to 

 look after their old trees before resorting to young 

 ones that require so many years to arrive at a 

 bearing state. o. K. 



Rochester, Dec. 20, 1862. 



Remarks. — The above contains valuable facts 

 and suggestions. The writer states that he has 

 other articles for our columns. We are gratified 

 to learn the fact, and trust they will come in good 

 time. 



For the Ifetc England Fanner. 



RENOVATING THE SOIL— CROSS 

 PLOWING. 



How to renovate soils without the aid of ferti- 

 lizers, and in the most economical manner, should 

 be the study of every progressive husbandman. 

 Many of our fields are so situated that it is next 

 to impossible to get manure to them, and then, 

 again, say what we may about increasing the crop 

 of manure, it must, at the best, be limited. 



What brought this to my mind at this time, 

 was the editorial in the Farmer of the 18th, enti- 

 tled "Cross Plowing," and more especially, in the 

 second paragraph, where you refer to "vegetable 

 and animal matters buried in the soil, as aliment 

 for crops ;" and again, where you state that the 

 quantity of decomposable matter turned under (in 

 summer plowing,) was fully thirty tons per acre. 



The system of what may be termed summer fal- 

 lowing, formerly very extensively practiced in this 

 region, for the raising of winter grain, was found 

 to prove highly beneficial to soil in two ways. It 

 gave clean land, tending decidedly to eradicate 

 foul weeds, and to keep up the fertility of the soil 

 without manure, at a cheap rate. The course 

 usually was, to plow under a crop of grass or clo- 

 ver in June, and allow it to be undisturbed a 

 month or more, and then to give one or more cross 

 plowings previous to seed time, which was usually 

 the first of September. By this course, a full crop 

 of winter grain was ordinarily had, and the soil 

 was in good tilth for re-seeding with the winter 

 grain. Care should be had, however, to have the 

 ground thoroughly pulverized by repeated plow- 

 ings and harrowings, previous to the seeding. 



Another course adoi)ted by a neighbor of mine 

 — successfully, I should judge — was to ])lo\v earlv 

 in June, as in the other case, and about the 2()tK 

 of the same month to sow a crop of buckwheat, 

 with only one plowing, allowing the sward to lie 

 undisturbed through the season. Buckwheat, as 

 well known, has a very good effect upon heavy, 

 stubborn soils, tending to render them more fria- 

 ble. The succeeding spring, plow as early as the 

 season will allow, twice — the last time crosswise, 

 if practicable, and by thorough harrowing and till- 

 ing, see that the whole is well decomposed, when 

 it is sown to oats or some other spring crop, and 

 re-seeded. 



The advantage from this last course, is, that a 

 crop is taken from the soil both seasons that the 



