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29 6 



THE ILLINOIS FAKMER. 



Oct. 



desirable. The Black Vandevere that was exten- 

 sively planted at an early day, is in a worse con- 

 dition, hut we can well spare it as it is a worth- 

 less fruit at the best. 



THE ORCHARD. 



Was pet with two year old trees branched at the 

 jsround, that is, root grafted trees that had never 

 "elt the knife after grafting them, were set twen- 

 ty-four feet apart each way, with flat tuliure. 

 and the ground cultivattd in corn for the first 

 five or six years, since then they have been sown 

 to buckwheat and plowed shallow, say two and a 

 half to three inches deep. The buckwheat is not 

 harvested, it grows thin and raiher sickly in the 

 shade, but has a most excellent elfect ly keeping 

 the soil open atd porous, aud serves as a mulch 

 in wiater. There has been no time lost by get- 

 ting the trees up to form a head, and we may 

 safely say that iheir nine year old orchard is as 

 large now as It v^onld have been at twelve, had 

 the usual mode of pruning been adopted. Here, 

 then, is a gain of three years, which, in a coun- 

 try almost destitute of fruit, is an object of no 

 small importance. Our State Horticultural So- 

 ciety has been for years discussing this subject 

 of lower head«i, which most of the nurserymen 

 who have advocated it, have not had the courage 

 to brave public opinion and grow their trees in 

 this manner, but have continued to cater to pub- 

 lic opinion for fear of compromising their sales. 

 We talk of eastern grown whirs that are peddled 

 through the country, but we can assure these 

 same peddlers that they can find thousands of 

 these same whips grown here that will pass for 

 eastern trees without the least suspicion. We 

 have never until this writing been identified with 

 the ultra low headed orchardists, but have advo- 

 cated it so far that we could cultivate under the 

 tree, but here is a proof of its value that cannot 

 be denied or set at nought, it is true that with 

 some varieties, such as Willow Twig, Winesap, 

 and Yellow Bellflower that send out iheir branches 

 at the surface, are too low on account of spread- 

 ing habit, and should have their lower branches 

 about a foot from the ground, so as to allow of 

 the more convenient gathering of the fruit, while 

 the Eambo, English Russet, and the more up- 

 right growers can be headed at the surface with 

 impunity. We do not promise that we will not 

 grow trees to suit the taste of our customers, but 

 our own planting hereafter shall be on this plan. 

 Trees thu; grown are safely protected from high 

 winds, for as the wind cannot get under their 

 heads, the fruit is not thrown off as is usually 



the case, and in this orchard there are but few 

 windfalls, though the trees, many of them, are 

 bending to the ground with their loads of fruit. 

 The same hot wind so mush complained of, se- 

 verely lessened the crop on most but not all va- 

 rieties. 



VARIETIES. 



The Winesap is one of the greatest favorites, 

 but does not produce foil crops every year, and 

 this year is one of the least. Sweet Bough is a 

 moderate bearer, but the fruit is fine — not on 

 the whole considered profitable. The Early Har- 

 vest is also thrown out, and its place occupied 

 with White June, which is a rampant, upright 

 grower, and ptuduces good annual crops, while 

 the Early Harvest bears alternate years mode- 

 rate croj'S only. The Domine is also one of the 

 best paying varieti.,8, and with its long, slender 

 leaves, quite ornamental. The Rambo, on dry 

 ground, is valuable, but in low situations, worth- 

 less. The tree is tender, but with the Minkler 

 Mr. Coe would not part. He says it should never 

 be root grafted with it, while Raules' Janet 

 should always be root grafted. We have fre- 

 quently ob-erved that in top grafting Raules' 

 Janet, that it makes a very slow growth, al- 

 most dwarfi.-h in its habit, and this may account 

 for it. As we shall soon give our views on root 

 grafting, we wdl not pursue this subjeet further 

 at this time. The Rhode Island Greening is of 

 little value with him, although the soil is sandy. 

 The blight is the drawback to Smith's Cider, 

 which would otherwise stand among the best. 

 Willow Tw g is one of the most profitable; it is 

 always hardy and productii^e. Red Astrachan, 

 Early Pennock, Keswick Codlin, a; d Dutchess 

 of Oldenb.irg are profitable summer varieties. 

 White Winter Pearmain, Yellow Bellflower, Lit- 

 tle Romanite and Swaar are all valuable for the 

 winter. 



About four n?iles to the southeast, and more 

 out upou the prairie, is the erchard of 



WtLLIAM C. PEARSAL. 



An old and valued friend of the writer, and to 

 whose grounds Mr. C. had the kindness to drive 

 the committee. The home orchard covers eighty 

 acres on the home farm of five hundred and forty 

 acres ; on another farm, a mile distant, ten acres 

 are also planted to apple orchard — it will thus 

 be seen that Mr. P. has an abiding faith in the 

 value of fruit growing. The trees are part upon 

 the low bead, and part standard high system, 

 but Mr. P. does not hesitate to give a Tfide pre- 



