Vol. LXII1. No. 2866. 
NEW YORK, DECEMBER 31, 1904. 
$1 PER YEAR. 
THE MULCH METHOD IN APPLE CULTURE. 
An Account of Its Starting. 
CHANGING CONDITIONS.—A few years ago 
many of the apple orchards of this State were in sod, 
and were largely non-productive, or only moderately so. 
Following this period there has been a marked improve¬ 
ment, apparently caused largely by the breaking up of 
the sod, and by the cultivation of the land, together 
with thorough spraying. At the present time many of 
the largest and most successful growers practice thor¬ 
ough tillage early in the season, followed the latter part 
of July or early in August by seeding the land to a 
suitable cover crop, the legumes usually being preferred. 
It is often difficult to give the orchard the care required 
by such treatment on account of the length of time and 
amount of labor required to perform the work. Espe¬ 
cially is this true on those farms producing in addition 
to the apple crop large quantities of hay and 
grain. It is usually the case that several 
crops require attention at the same time, and 
while one is being cared for the others suffer. 
'1'he labor problem is also becoming more 
serious each year. The price of farm help 
is steadily rising, while desirable employees 
appear to be on the decrease. The amount 
offered for the apple crop is sometimes so low 
that after paying the heavy expenses con¬ 
nected with the care of the orchard, picking 
and marketing the fruit, etc., there is little if 
anything left for the owner, and in some cases 
the fruit is grown and sold at a loss. 
LOWERING EXPENSES.—These condi¬ 
tions have directed inquiry along the line of 
growing the fruit at less expense. It is true 
that sod treatment is cheaper than tillage, but 
the sod treatment of the past was usually 
not successful. A few men, however, have 
been carrying on a sod treatment that is dif¬ 
ferent from the old method, the only one 
with which some of us are familiar. One 
of these men in Onondaga County has already 
been heard from, and is well known to many 
of the readers of The R. N.-Y., not only on 
account of his vigorous advocacy of the sod 
system, but also from the fact that during 
the past 10 years at the Syracuse State Fair 
he has competed seven times for best collec¬ 
tion of 10 varieties, winning first prize six 
times and second prize once. In 1903 he ex¬ 
hibited 20 plates, receiving 20 prizes. In 
1904 he received 25 prizes on 30 plates. 
These facts are sufficient reason for making 
a study of the conditions under which such 
fine prize-winning fruit is grown. 
SETTING IN TIMBER.—During the past 
year the writer has visited Grant G. Ditchings, whose 
farm is located about 10 miles south of Syracuse, and 
has watched his methods. It may be of interest to de¬ 
scribe briefly one of his newly set orchards. It is located 
on the western slope of the Onondaga Valley, on a 
moderately steep hillside, which in 1902 was covered 
with a heavy growth of timber. During the Winter 
of 1902-’03 the trees were cut and the brush burned. In 
the Spring the land was marked off into rows, and two- 
vear-old apple trees were set among the stumps, which 
had not been removed. The rows of trees were fairly 
straight, but it was sometimes necessary to vary the 
distance between the trees in the row to dodge a stump 
or to jump a sink hole. Some of these trees were rather 
low-headed when purchased. Others, however, were too 
tall, and the entire top was removed, a new head being 
formed from buds below. Most of the trunks were from 
one foot to 20 inches high. The same Spring the trees 
were set the land was seeded down with a mixture con¬ 
sisting principally of Kentucky Blue grass, A good 
stand was secured, and by the time the underbrush has 
decayed there should be a first-class sod. Fig. 429 gives 
some idea of the appearance of this orchard on May 10, 
1904. It certainly looked like a tough proposition, and 
those trees appeared out of place among the stumps 
and second-growth underbrush, berry bushes, etc., which 
had sprung up. But the trees were all alive, and the 
color of the foliage was perfect. 
TREATMENT OF TREES.—To protect the trees 
against mice or rabbits strips of wire netting about a 
foot high and wide enough to encircle the trunk were 
placed in position, requiring no further attention for 
several years, or until too small for the trunks, at which 
time they are replaced by larger strips. In 'the Fall of 
1903 the underbrush was cut, the operation being re¬ 
peated the Fall of 1904. The trees passed tlie severe 
Winter of 1903 and 1904 without injury, making a most 
satisfactory growth the ensuing season. Fig. 430 shows 
the condition of the orchard at the close of the second 
season’s growth (photograph taken September 30, 1904). 
A close view of one of these trees is given in Fig. 432, 
showing the new growth of from 18 to 24 inches. 
LI 1 ILE PRUNING DONE.—One of the features of 
Mr. Hitchings’s system is the slight amount of pruning 
done. None of these trees has been pruned since they 
were set. Seldom is the knife or saw used, and then 
only to remove branches tending to cross each other, or 
to remove smaller ones where crowded. Branches are 
not cut hack unless to retain the symmetry of the tree. 
Judging a two-year’s development, the growth in this 
orchard was nearly perfect. An examination of some of 
the trees showed plump fruit buds, while there were 
abundant indications of formation of fruit spurs that 
should result in some fruit the season of 1906, if not in 
1905. The varieties in this orchard include McIntosh, 
Wealthy and Northern Spy. Mr. Hitchings is not at 
all doubtful as to the success of this orchard. Past 
experience under his conditions and treatment has con¬ 
vinced him that he is making no mistake. Fig. 433, 
page 923, shows a Northern Spy orchard within a stone’s 
throw of the newly-set orchard which was planted in 
the manner just described, the trees being set in 1895. 
Although the Spy is well known to come into bearing 
slowly, yet these trees began bearing fruit when set four 
years, and in 1903 many of the trees bore from five to 
six bushels each of large, highly colored apples. 
COST AND RETURNS.—It is possible and perhaps 
probable that the methods employed by Mr. Hitchings 
may not succeed under different conditions, but they are 
worthy of careful study by apple growers who wish to 
start an orchard, and who have naturally rich land to 
begin with. It is not the total amount of fruit produced 
that decides the profit or loss. The entire cost must 
first be considered. For instance, a tree may produce 
fruit to the value of $15, while the cost may be $10. By 
some other method a tree may produce fruit to the value 
of only $8, while the cost may be only $3. 
The net profit is the same in either case, and 
in addition there is a saving in time ami labor 
in the latter case which must be considered. 
The question of the economical production 
of first-class apples is important. The New 
York Agricultural Experiment Station is in¬ 
vestigating the subject of soil management 
for the apple, especially in regard to sod vs. 
tillage treatment. It will doubtless require 
several years of careful work before anything 
of value may be obtained along this line that 
may apply to the varying conditions in the 
important apple growing sections of this 
State. o. M. TAYLOR. 
New York. 
A WESTERN MAN AND EASTERN 
FARMS. 
I am a single man 33 years old grown up 
on a farm in Wisconsin. I have been farm¬ 
ing for the past six years at my own risk, and 
am finding it just about impossible to get 
hired help that is willing to earn its wages. 
I have come to the conclusion that it would 
be better for me to make a change some way, 
to get rid of this nerve-destroying problem 
of bothering with hired help. I have been 
reading about the abandoned farms in the 
East as described in The R. N.-Y., and am 
thinking of coming to the East to buy one of 
those farms some time in the future, but do 
not think it woidd be advisable to do so until 
I know more about eastern ways and climate. 
What would be the chances for a person of 
my ability to get a position as working man¬ 
ager on a farm whose owner cannot spend 
much time looking after hfs farm himself, 
and who is willing and able to pay a reliable and steady 
man good wages? Where could I get information as to 
where such a position might be had? I shall in all 
probability be open for an engagement in about two 
months. r. 
Wisconsin. 
R. N.-Y.—This is a fair sample of letters which come 
from various parts of the West. They indicate what 
we have for some time pointed out. The best land 
bargains are now in eastern farms. This man has a 
good idea of the best way to make the move. There 
never was a better time to talk about the possibilities 
of eastern farms and to advertise them. 
STONE WALLS.—Where stone., are as plentiful 
as they are on this farm, it seems a good way to utilize 
them as fencing material. We thought seriously of 
fencing our orchard in this way, digging out the stones 
in the land we cleared from year to year and building 
a substantia] wall with them. A double wall, four and a 
