Vol. LXIV. No. 2891. 
NEW YORK, JUNE 24, 1905 
WEEKLY, *1.00 PER YEAR. 
FRUIT GROWING ON ROUGH LAND. 
A NEW USE OF OLD PASTURE. 
Promising Industry for New England. 
CARE AND CULTURE.—As to the care of the trees 
up to the fruiting age, Mr. Barnes says: 
“We have sometimes grown certain crops for first 
two or three years among the young orchard trees, but 
that has not been our common practice, simply aiming 
to give sufficient cultivation and fertilization up to 
bearing age necessary to give us the desired growth and 
vigor in the tree. We calculate that such land has nat¬ 
ural fertility enough in it to grow a good tree to time 
of fruit production when once it has a good strong 
to the tree at any desired depth. The turning of these 
plows gives better tillage for the trees than the spring- 
tooth, as it turns trash and humus into the soil, while 
the spring-tooth drags such trash out of the orchard. 
NEED OF HUMUS.—I asked Mr. Barnes if he is 
not afraid that under this system the humus in the soil 
will be used up. I have little fear of this under my own 
plan of cutting grass and weeds and letting them remain 
on the surface. If Mr. Barnes is to continue plowing 
the orchards lie could use one of the “cover crops,” 
which are stoutly advocated by many peach growers. 
Mr. Barnes made the following statement about the 
culture : 
“As to adding humus, we think that on one of our 
to bearing size. We are very much inclined to attempt 
such a policy with one of our orchards we are com¬ 
mencing to plant this season.” 
THE FERTILIZER QUESTION is a complicated 
one in these orchards. A big, high-headed tree is not 
desired. They aim to avoid too great a growth of 
wood, and an experienced grower can usually calculate 
about how much nitrogen the tree will stand. In feed¬ 
ing 30,000 peach trees on these steep hills it becomes an 
object to use concentrated fertilizers, and thus save the 
work of hauling useless bulk uphill. Last year nitrate 
of potash was sold at less than $70 per ton, and Mr. 
Barnes used this and acid phosphate on all the orchards 
—old and young. The young trees had been killed to 
A PICTURESQUE COLONIAL KITCHEN IN OLD NEW ENGLAND. 
Fig. 204. 
hold of the soil; therefore we aim to get the tree grow- 
ing vigorously as soon as possible, tilling the ground 
sufficiently to give the tree full possession of such part 
of it as it needs in its growth made each year. The 
first and second year only a small part of the ground 
is needed, while at bearing age the whole land should 
be wholly subject to the requirements made. After this 
we aim thoroughly to cultivate the whole ground and 
feed strongly.” 
Spring-tooth harrows have been used largely in the 
past, but now Mr. Barnes has found an orchard plow 
made by the Syracuse Plow Company which does ex¬ 
cellent work. It is a steel frame mounted on wheels, 
and carries three small plows which can be worked close 
orchards we did destroy the humus in the soil by ex¬ 
cessive cultivation. We have endeavored not to repeat 
that experience. The last few seasons we have used 
gang plows on this orchard, plowing lightly and turn¬ 
ing under the trash growth that starts up very vigor¬ 
ously. I believe that with the aid of these plows we 
need have no fear of badly damaging the humus supply, 
provided the soil contains enough of it to begin with. 
1 he growing of some nitrogen-storing plant and adding 
humus at the same time also is something we have 
never tried to do in our orchards, but with the contin¬ 
ued increase in prices for nitrogen, as we buy it, we are 
asking ourselves if we can add this to the soil in a 
practical way while we are growing the young trees 
the ground by the severe Winter, and several thousand 
of the older trees had been killed outright. Mr. Barnes 
thinks they turned disaster into success in the treat¬ 
ment of these frozen trees largely by the fertilizing. 
'I'he young trees revived and made an excellent growth. 
I he nitrate of potash was easily and quickly applied—• 
a good-sized handful being ample for a large tree. This 
year nitrate of potash is higher, and a combination of 
unleached wood ashes and fine ground bone is being 
used. The trees will be watched carefully, and if they 
show evidence that more nitrogen is needed nitrate of 
soda will be added. An expert can quickly tell from 
the appearance of the leaves when the tree lacks nitro¬ 
gen, and the nitrate will often show itself in 72 hours 
