1903 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
867 
WHAT IS A WELL-RIPENED TREE? 
Should the Leaves Fall Early? 
Oh, dear, here I am up against another snag! I have 
told you, page 803, about that block of plum trees which 
have not had any cultivation for two years, how thrifty 
they are, etc. Well, I notice they are not ripening up 
their wood properly. They have most of their Summer 
clothes on yet (Xov. 15), while those immediately next 
to them of the same variety, which have been cultivated 
have ripened their wood, thrown off their leaves and 
behaved themselves properly. I know it is not a good 
sign when trees hold their leaves very late; however, it 
may come out all right with my uncultivated trees, but 
I assure you 1 do not like the looks of their behavior; I 
will watch the result with considerable interest. 
W. H. SKILLJIAN. 
We think that Mr. Skillmaii is borrowing trouble 
about those trees. Our observation is that the leaves 
bang longer where the ground is mulched than when 
thorough cultivation is given. We are 
unable to explain why this is so, but 
with us it seems to be a fact. We like 
to have leaves hang to the trees as long 
a.s possible. The fact that they hang in 
this way docs not prove that the tree is 
making new wood. It is the surest way 
for the tree to ripen. Let’s see what 
others say: 
What J. H. Hale Says. 
When I first began raspberry growing 
years ago the old chaps used lo talk 
about canes maturing early, so as to be 
hardy and pull through the Winter all 
right, but I soon discovered, especially 
ameng the tender red varieties, that 
where great damage was done by freez¬ 
ing in the Winter it was usualiy woi’so 
on those early-matured canes. The only 
real live fresh ones 1 could find in the 
Si)ring that were sound clear to the tip, 
were the latest to develop and those that 
had held their foliage up to freezing lime 
in November. Later observation of trees 
of all kinds makes me always suspicious 
of the early dropping of foliage. I like 
to see trees of all kinds hold their foliage 
late in the Pall. I know it means a more 
vigorous and healthy wood and abun¬ 
dant strong fruit buds that arc less like¬ 
ly to winterkill. Now 1 do not mean by 
this that I want to give orchards late 
Fall culture and make new wood very 
late, for this, of course, means tender 
wood that is sure to be injured by the 
Winter’s freezing. Vigorous growth 
should cease in this latitude in August 
or early September, but trees that are 
vigorous and free from fungus pests or 
blight, ought to hold their foliage late in 
the Fall, and the later they hold it the 
better it is for the tree every time. 
Must Have Good Foliage. 
Under normal conditions young vigor¬ 
ous trees especially of the apple and 
peach should retain their foliage green 
and healthful until late in the sea.son, 
this seems necessary to mature the wood 
properly. While we may sometimes con¬ 
tinue growth too late, especially during 
a season like the past one of excessive 
moisture by too late cultivation or by 
the use of an excess of nitrogenous ferti¬ 
lizer I think it occurs but seldom. I refer 
particularly to our eastern soils, which 
are especially rich in the mineral ele¬ 
ments and differ materially from the al¬ 
luvial soils of many sections of the 
West. Our aim in young orchards is to 
promote as strong and vigorous a 
growth as te compatible with the health 
of the tree. Under these conditions 
we have good foliage which hangs on late. Of 
late years I have inclined to the opinion that with 
bearing peach trees a system of cultivation that lends 
to mature the fruit buds early seems to give them 
greater resisting powers against extreme low tem¬ 
peratures. While I am not prepared to affirm this to 
be the case I know this view is held by some of our 
practical peach growers. But the fruit bud of the 
peach is only semi-hardy at the best in this latitude, 
while wood growth seems able to withstand our low¬ 
est temperatures without injury. All fruit growers 
realize the importance of good foliage for good fruit, 
and also that it is very important for the proper de¬ 
velopment of the fruit buds for the next season’s crop 
of fruit. Wo spray thoroughly to accomplish these re¬ 
sults. Many times since I have used Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture on certain varieties of pears that have had a 
tendency to shed their foliage early, I have left check 
trees to observe results. These results have invari¬ 
ably been the same (this season being the only par¬ 
tial exception), the sprayed trees holding foliage late 
and a good fruit bud development, while the un¬ 
sprayed were simply the reverse. We have had a very 
practical demonstration this season in this section of 
some of the conditions mentioned. Owing to extreme¬ 
ly unfavorable conditions, fungous troubles were 
worse on the pear than I have ever known them, to 
which was added a full line of the whole plant-louse 
family, and our best efforts have been only partially 
successful in controlling them. Foliage has fallen 
prematurely in many c.a.ses, and when wc have that 
result we have a poor showing of fruit buds for the 
coming year. I never feel better satisfied with my 
trees than when I have strong vigorous foliage on 
them. J. E. COKXELL. 
Grant Hitchings Wants Leaves. 
In my opinion a well-ripened tree is one whose 
MILLER CELERY CUTTER AT WORK. Fi«. 3^2. Sek Fibst Page. 
CELERY HILLER. Fig. 323. See Fikst Page, 
fruit buds and wood tissue are well stored with vi¬ 
tality. This vitality is furnished by the action of 
sunshine on the leaves, and it follows from this that 
the longer you can hold your leaves and the more 
sunshine you have the more vitality you will have 
stored up in your trees. In proof of this I have ob¬ 
served, when the above conditions were well-marked, 
that the fruit of that season was well developed and 
also the set of fruit the next season was better. Also 
varieties having very healthy foliage whose fruit is 
gathered early will store up sufficient vitality after 
fruit is picked to insure annual crops. The Holland 
Pippin is an apple of this class, and the Clapp’s Fa¬ 
vorite is a pear that behaves thus. By stimulation in 
the Fall there is danger of forcing late wood growth. 
This would absorb the vitality needed to harden the 
wood formed in the Spring and should certainly be 
avoided. It is only natural for me to claim that the 
mulch method avoids this danger much better than 
to cultivate late or plow under successive nitrogenous 
cover crops, which would tend to keep the trees ac¬ 
tive too late in Fall. gkant g. iiiTCHiNGS. 
New York. 
Two Jersey men Talk. 
Most of us think that a well-ripened tree holds its 
leaves in a good thrifty condition until the cool nights 
come in the Fall, and we also know that a tree cannot 
go into the Winter in a worse condition than when 
the leaves fall too early and second growth occurs. 
It is also just as bad for a tree to be in a luxuriant 
state of growth when heavy frost occurs, causing 
leaves to drop while tree is full of sap. This seldom 
occurs in the orchard, but does occur in the peach 
nursery, especially on wet land. This is often called 
^winterkilled, but is more hurtful to the trees. One 
great object of spraying is to hold the leaves so the 
tree will ripen up right and perfect its 
fruit. We all know how necessary to 
the raspberry plant it is to hold ffic 
leaves late in the season. If you want 
productive trees you want the leaves, 
fresh and clean as late in' the season as 
possible. 1 . ELACTiWELL. 
It seems to me that a fruit or any oth¬ 
er tree holding its foliage late in Fall 
gives sure evidence of health and vigor 
The season has much to do with the 
time. A severe frost in September or 
early October causes a tree to ripen its 
wood and leaves to fall. This has been a 
peculiar season here. Roses were picked 
from open ground November 1!), while 
many fruit trees, especially pears, b 3 g?. 3 i 
to lose their leaves in July where not 
sprayed, and even when sprayed leaves 
dropped in September, the result being 
that fruit buds were forced in bloom all 
along on account of open season from 
August to October. This, of course, 
means that the fruit crop under such 
conditions was of no value this year, also 
means there can be no crop next nor 
even the year following unless blight is 
controlled and the foliage is kept in 
healthy condition up to at least Novem¬ 
ber 1. The practice of stripping the 
leaves from a nursery tree to make It 
ripen its wood, so as to be in condition 
for shipping by October 1, is not to be 
commended. Trees, I think, are much 
like animals; certain individuals can un¬ 
dergo more hardships than others, and 
retain their vigor. A well-ripened tree 
is one that retains its foliage as late in 
the season as weather conditions permit. 
D. EAIRD. 
What New Yorkers Think. 
I will not say that I know what is al¬ 
ways required, but / helievc that the early 
falling of the leaves is not a sign of per¬ 
fect development but rather of a want cT 
vitality in the tree, and yet so much is 
dependent upon climatic conditions and 
infiuences that hinder or develop growth 
near the close of the season that no fixed 
rule can be laid down. I prefer to have 
my vines and trees hold their leaves late 
believing it to be a sign of health and 
vigor. WALTER V. TAEEH. 
I am rather of the opinion that you arc 
right, but when we get a hard frost I like 
to see them get down. When they drop 
early I think it would indicate some 
trouble. t. n. wilsox. 
I think you have covered the whole 
ground, at least I agree with you in 
every respect. It shows the good 
health of the trees. albert wood. 
I am glad when my trees carry their leaves into 
the Winter, and the orchard that has leaves on now 
I expect will bear a good crop next year. Yet when 
an orchard that ripens its leaves early bears a crop 
they usually color better than an orchard with rank 
foliage. This past season the orchards that have been 
neglected for several years and had a small amount 
of foliage on have had by far the best quality of fruit. 
Orchards with rank foliage were an ideal breeding 
place for the aphis, and they made the most of their 
opportunity. I will not cultivate my apple orchard 
any more until I change my mind, but will use ma¬ 
nure, straw and Alfalfa. o. ai.hs. 
WINTER VETCH.—One of my neighbors has grown 
WTiiter vetch on a small scale, one to two acres a year 
for two years past. This year’s crop of hay was about 
tour tons to the aci'e, while beside it was mowing grass 
that did not cut one ton on four acres under the same care 
and feeding. Ground is high, dry, gravelly laom but very 
poor. I want to try the Spring vetch suggested by an 
Oregon reader on page 819. n. p. c. 
Burlington, N. J, 
