44 
March, 1892. 
ORCHARD 
AA AA KKAXj yVKTT 
GARDE 
Orchard Notings. 
don’t bud the iron-clads. 
OR twenty five years I 
have been trying to 
persuade the orchard- 
ists of northern New 
England and Canada 
that it is not where or 
how a tree is grown, but 
what sort it is. that makes it hardy. Yet 
it has seemed vaiu to make the effort to do 
this in face of an overwhelming prejudice; 
— and quite lately I have realized that in 
this matter I have overlooked a very ser- 
ious point. Never having myself propa- 
gated my fruit trees by budding, but al- 
ways by root-grafting with long cions, set 
deeply in the ground. I have not, until 
very recently, discovered how it has been 
that my hearers and readers, especially in 
Maine, have seemed to think me "way off" 
in this matter. The vast majority of trees 
put out by the great commercial nurseries 
are propagated by budding, because by 
using strong stocks a much handsomer 
trunk can be grown, with no crook half- 
way up, as when a root-graft fails to make 
a sufficiently strong growth the first year. 
But alas! these straight, handsome trees, 
no matter how hardy their tops, are killed 
by the winter’s cold in an hitherto un- 
thought of way. 
NO TREE HARDIER THAN ITS STOCK. 
Years ago, before I began to live upon 
my farm. I used to lose trees in winter in a 
very mysterious manner. In a row, here 
and there, a tree would be found dead in 
the spring, while others of the same kind, 
a rod or so away, were quite unharmed. 
But when I got where I could see them in 
the winter the mystery explained itself. 
These deaths occurred where the snow was 
blown off. leaving the ground bare. At 
that time I found out that the roots of trees 
will not stand as much cold as the tops. 
Now recently I have also discovered that 
when an iron-clad sort is budded above the 
surface of the ground on a tender seedling 
and the snow protection is not sufficient 
during the winter to cover all of the stock 
below the place of budding, exactly the 
same thing happens: — that is the tender 
and exposed slock below the insertion of 
the bud, is killed, — and of course that ends 
the young tree. It seems strange, now, 
that I never thought of that until I saw it. 
It is so very simple and evident, — when 
once it is seen, — that it, must be so. But I 
have to confess that I am so stupid that 
had to see it to know it, — as I did. too, in 
the matter of winter root killing. 
NOT W HERE. BUT HOW. 
Here I am, then, after a quarter of a cen- 
tury of experience in the orchard and nur- 
sery, just catching on to a most important 
fact. In publishing it I feel deep regret 
that so far as my “little candle throws its 
beam,” I must to some extent inflict injury 
upon nurserymen who have made this bad 
mistake of budding the iron-clad fruits 
upon tender stocks. But at least I have 
the satisfaction of know ing that they need 
not do so any more. What hinders grow- 
ing the stocks for budding trees upon for 
the "cold north" from Oldenburgli or Te- 
tofsky, or Alexander seeds? True, these 
are profitable market apples, — too good to 
grind up for cider: — but in some seasons, 
in many places, an over-stock of them is 
grown: and why not evaporate this surplus, 
and save the cores for the seeds in them? 
These seeds would be worth ten or even 
twenty dollars a pound, if, as I feel sure, 
they will produce seedlings as hardy as 
their parents. The apples used for this 
purpose ought to be from orchards where 
only the Russian iron-clads are planted, for 
I fear that crossed seed could not be relied 
upon. But there are now many orchards, 
far north, where at times there will be a 
surplus of early iron-clad apples. These 
are the places to get ironclad seeds. Other- 
wise. stick to root- g rafting , for this class of 
fruits. 
LONG CIONS ON LONG ROOTS. 
I have felt obliged to criticise, to some 
extent, the claim made by a western nur- 
sery firm that its trees are grafted upon 
“whole” seedling roots. In a certain limit- 
ed sense this claim is correct. The roots 
they use may be whole roots to begin with; 
and no doubt the men referred to are sound 
in their principle, and make no more than 
one graft upon one root. Yet every nur- 
seryman knows that if well-grown whole 
roots are thus employed, they must needs 
undergo a trimming which will remove all 
of half their substance, before they are fit 
and ready for putting out. But Professor 
Budd, of the Iowa Agricultural College, 
very properly prefers to use the more exact 
term of long roots; — and he advocates 
working long cions upon these long roots 
as a superior method, and one giving to the 
graft that vigorous growth which makes a 
sufficient trunk the first season. He ad- 
mits, of course, that this method calls for 
extra depth of plowing and fertilizing the 
nursery ground, and a considerable addi- 
tion to the cost of digging the trees. But 
against these additional expenses in grow- 
ing the stock he offsets the much better 
growth of the trees, so that the number of 
second grade and cull stock is much reduc- 
ed. By the use of long cions and deep set- 
ting he also gets many roots from the cions, 
thus practically, in the end. getting the 
iron-clads on their own roots. 
DEEP SETTING. 
We have “deep setting” in the creamery, 
and it proves a success there, although in 
old times we used to be warned against 
such a practice with the old tin pan. Now 
it occurs to me that it is just as well to test 
about all the old dogmas, — one of which is 
that we must not set out a fruit tree much 
deeper than it grew in the nursery. All of 
my orchards are set on that principle, and 
I have not much to object against it, except 
that where an orchard is cultivated and 
hoed there is a tendency to suckering when 
the trees get scraped near the junction of 
stem and root. But eight years ago, when 
I first received buds of the Russian pears, 
I could get no stock to work them on but 
seedlings of our common market varieties. 
These were budded as near the ground as 
possible, banked up in the winter, and 
after two year's growth in nursery they 
were set in the orchard with the point of 
insertion of the buds a good six inches be- 
low the surface. These trees have made a 
most vigorous and healthy growth; and I 
consequently see little reason to doubt that 
the budded iron-clad apples on tender seed- 
lings, such as many nurseryman are sup- 
plying. can also be protected by setting 
them down as deeply as my Russian pears. 
It surely is the only safe way to do it, 
where such stocks must be used. — T. H. 
Hoskins. 
Remedy for Apple Scab. 
HOME MANUFACTURE OF COPPER CARBONATE. 
As the precipitated form of carbonate of 
copper is not always obtainable from drug- 
gists, directions are herewith appended for 
the easy preparation of this material at a 
cost much less than the usual wholesale 
price. 
In a vessel capable of holding two or 
three gallons, dissolve 1% pounds of copper 
sulphate (blue vitrol) in 2 quarts of hot wat- 
er. This will be entirely dissolved in fif- 
teen or twenty minutes, using the crystal- 
line form. In another vessel dissolve 1 % 
pounds of sal soda (washing soda) also in 
2 quarts of hot water. When completely 
dissolved pour the second solution into the 
first, stirring briskly. When effervescence 
has ceased fill the vessel with water and 
stir thoroughly: then allow it to stand five 
or six hours, when the sediment will have 
settled to the bottom. Pour off the clear 
liquid without disturbing the precipitate, 
fill with water again and stir as before: then 
allow it to stand until the sediment has set- 
tled again, which will take place in a few 
hours. Pour the clear liquid off carefully 
as before, and the residue is carbonate of 
copper. Using the above quantities of cop- 
per sulphate and sal soda, there will be 
formed 12 ounces of copper carbonate. 
Instead of drying this, which is a tedious 
opperation, add four quarts of strong am- 
moninia, stirring in well, then add suffici- 
ent water to bring the whole quantity up 
to 6 quarts. This can be kept in an ordi- 
nary two gallon stone jar which should be 
closely corked. 
FORMULA. 
Each quart will contain 2 ounces of the 
carbonate of copper, which when added to 
25 gallons of water, will furnish a solution 
for spraying, of the same strength and char- 
acter as that obtained, by the use of the 
dried carbonate, and one that can be pre- 
pared with little labor, and kept ready for 
use throughout the season. 
