IB 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



February, 1910 



pounds sown per acre every two years for 

 a time will insure the growth of these cover 

 crops, which will aid in restoring the soil to 

 its original good condition. 



If the supply of apples is ever again to keep 

 anywhere near the demand, it seems to me 

 that entirely new methods of laying out 

 and planting must be adopted. In the 

 old method of planting trees from thirty to 

 forty feet apart, a large quantity of land is 

 idle and not productive for many years, and 

 only twenty-seven to forty-five trees may be 

 planted on an acre at these distances. 



There has been much discussion, but little 

 actual practice upon inter-planting with filler 

 trees, which is, to plant permanent standard 

 trees 40 feet apart and inter-plant in the wide 

 space left w*ith early bearing varieties at 20 

 feet distance each way. By this method 

 109 trees occupy an acre. I have several 

 thousand trees growing on this plan, and 

 after five years have many of them bearing 

 freely; but I wish here to emphasize the fact 

 that those who attempt this method of plant- 

 ing must exercise eternal vigilance in inten- 

 sive culture, pruning, and fertilizing, or they 

 will harvest magnificent crops of cord-wood 

 instead of apples! Unless trees are headed 

 low, the tops kept down and side branches 

 pruned in, the trees, from close planting, 

 will be forced to grow high, and will produce 

 but little fruit. The planting plan will be 

 as follows for most varieties at 40 feet, 

 interplanted at 20 feet distances; the X 

 represents permanent trees, O the fillers: 



X O X O X O X 

 OOOOOOO 

 X O X O X O X 



After fifteen years, or at such time as 

 experience will determine, the fillers will be 

 removed, when the orchard will be thus: 



X X X X 



X 



X 



My opinion is, that orchards managed 

 under this method will give 100 per cent, 

 more fruit in the first fifteen years, which 

 will not only give more apples for the con- 

 sumer, but will also yield larger profits to the 

 producer. 



WHAT VARIETIES TO PLANT 



It is very important that the adaptation 

 of variety to locality be carefully studied 

 and known before planting trees, for it will 

 save a lot of disappointment, besides loss of 

 time and money. 



We are getting to a better understanding 

 of adaptability to locality, and if the filler 

 system is adopted in planting we must pay 

 very special care to the peculiarity of the 

 variety in that particular region. From my 

 experience I select the following for south- 

 ern New York and New England for per- 

 manent planting for commercial purposes: 

 Rhode Island Greening, Jonathan, Baldwin, 

 Wagener, Hubbardston, Twenty Ounce, 

 Fall Pippin, Red Astrachan. For the filler 

 varieties, Yellow Transparent, Sweet Bough, 

 Duchess, Maiden Blush, Jonathan, Wagener 

 — all early bearers. 



For central New York and New England, 

 some of the above varieties would be included: 

 for permanent commercial varieties, Rhode 

 Island Greening, Baldwin, Northern Spy, 

 Wagener, or Wealthy, Duchess, Mcintosh, 

 King, Twenty Ounce, Gravenstein and 

 Pound Sweet. For fillers, Yellow Trans- 

 parent, Sweet Bough, Williams Favorite, 

 Duchess, Wealthy, Wagener, Alexander. 



For northern New England, Maine, New 

 Hampshire and Vermont ; with a more rigor- 

 ous climate the list of available varieties nar- 

 rows very much. It will comprise Alexander, 

 Wealthy, Fameuse, Gravenstein, North- 

 western Greening, Talman Sweet, Duchess. 



While the Northern Spy is a very high 

 quality apple, it is practically worthless when 

 planted in any Southern belt, as it then ripens 

 prematurely and becomes a fall apple, with 

 none of that crispness and high flavor 

 that characterize it as grown farther north. 

 In Long Island, Westchester County, New 

 York, and in Southern Connecticut, it will 

 decay upon the trees, before ripening, because 

 it is out of its right environment. 



Equally true is it that the Baldwin will 

 not thrive too far north where the trees are at 

 times greatly injured and sometimes killed 

 by the hard freezing. 



For the owners of small farms outside of 

 city limits, and for suburban gardens, the 

 list of varieties may be more varied, and 

 some of the especially delicate kinds more 

 difficult to transport long distances may be 

 planted. Among some of these are: Early 

 Harvest, Jefferies, Chenango Strawberry, 

 Fameuse, Porter, Yellow Bellflower, all 

 very choice. There are a few very old 

 nearly extinct varieties that are of exceed- 

 ingly fine quality, and that may be quite gen- 

 erally grown. They are Richard Graft, 

 Knickerbocker, Yellow Swaar, and Esopus 

 Spitzenburg. Some newer varieties of very 

 high quality that are being introduced are 

 Cox Orange Pippin — a rare English apple, 

 Delicious, King David, and Winter Banana. 



The foregoing varieties, tabulated accord- 

 ing to their season, would be as follows: 



Early Harvest 

 Red Astrachan 

 Chenango Strawberry 



Williams Favorite 

 Sweet Bough 

 Yellow Transparent 



Duchess, Early Wealthy, Late 



Maidens' Blush, Late Twenty Ounce, Late 



Porter, Early Maiden Blush, Late 



Richard Graft, Late Knickerbocker, Late 



Mcintosh, Late Fall Pippin, Late 



Alexander, Early Gravenstein, Early 



Jefferies, Late Pound Sweet, Late 



Fameuse, Late Duchess, Early 

 Cox Orange, Sept. to Jan. 



Jonathan 



R. I. Greening 



Northern Spy 



Swaar 



Yellow 



Wagener 



Baldwin 



King 



Esopus Spitzenburg 



Talman Sweet 



Northwestern Greening Winter Banana 

 Hubbardston King David 



Delicious Yellow Bellflower 



This list represents the best out of a very 

 large number of varieties, and which may be 

 grown over a wide territory. ' 



For the individual with a small holding, 

 who wants the luxury of real apples, the dwarf 

 tree, as yet but little understood, furnishes 

 most favorable material. These trees may 

 be made to fit any space and may be planted 

 closely, thereby making it possible for the 

 amateur, on a small plot, to have a success- 

 ion of good varieties over a long season. 



All of the varieties named above may be 

 grown as dwarf trees, which may be pur- 

 chased for about half a dollar each, and 

 in a short time — three or four years, with 

 good garden care — ■ they will be supplying 

 fruit for the family. Just think of it! 



PRUNING AFTER PLANTING 



With this class of tree, as also with stand- 

 ards planted on the intensive plan outlined, 

 pruning becomes a most important factor. 



The instruction often given to prune a 

 tree whenever the saw may be sharp is ill- 

 advised. Why do we prune? There are 

 several objects in view: to give proper form, 

 to stimulate growth, to check growth, to 

 stimulate early bearing. That standard 

 trees may be made to closely conform to 

 habits of dwarf trees is being proven by 

 pruning at certain times, and in certain ways. 



At the time of planting the tops should be 

 pruned back one- half and the roots one- third. 

 The second year, prune only to give the trees 

 best form. The third year begin to prune 

 top branches down one-half of the annual 

 growth, to form low heads. Thereafter, keep 

 up this top pruning and prune side branches 

 one-third. If the trees make strong, vigorous 

 growth, do the pruning at such time in 

 June whenever there are signs that the term- 

 inal buds are ready to form, which indicates 

 that the annual growth is about made. 



At this period the active flow of sap will 

 be checked, and diverted to spur and fruit 

 bud development. The ideal trees of the 

 future will be those that develop the largest 

 possible system of fruit spurs on the low-er 

 portions of the branches, rather than in the 

 tops, and this may be done by judicious sum- 

 mer pruning. 



If the pruning is done too soon a second 

 growth will start, and while this is the Euro- 

 pean practice, we do not want to follow it in 

 our country, for labor is too costly and diffi- 

 cult to obtain. If, however, fruit spurs do 

 not freely form on the lower branches, espe- 

 cially of dwarf trees, earlier pruning should 

 be done, and the second growth from the 

 end buds pruned off later. 



This system of pruning should largely 

 increase the yield of apples and, on the 

 interplanting or filler plan, which carries 

 so many more trees to the acre, if the foun- 

 dation is laid early for prolific and early bear- 

 ing, a great increase in the quantity of apples 

 to the acre should be obtained. At five years 

 from planting, I have had to thin apples, 

 to half the quantity that set, as it is not wise 

 to allow young trees to bear too much fruit. 



If the trees do not make from twelve to 

 fifteen inches growth annually, then it will 

 be well to prune them in March when the 

 wood is dormant, as this will have the effect 

 of stimulating growth. Under those con- 

 ditions summer pruning should be omitted. 



