6 REASONS FOR PLANTING AN ORCHARD.
First, would you leave an inheritance to your children, plant an orchard. No other investment of money and labor will in the long run pay so well. Second, would you make home pleasant, the abode of the social virtues, plant an orchard. Nothing better promotes among neighbors a feeling of kindness and good will, than a treat of good fruit often repeated.
Third, Would you remove from your children the strongest temptation to steal, plant an orchard. If children cannot obtain fruit at home, they are very apt to steal it, and when they have learned to steal fruit, they are in a fair way to steal horses, &c.
Fourth, Would you cultivate a constant feeling of thankfulness towards the Giver of all good, plant an orchard. By having constantly before you one of the greatest blessings given to men, you must be hardened indeed if you are not influenced by a spirit of humility and thankfulness.
Fifth, Would you have your children love their home, respect their parents while living and venerate their memory when dead, in all their wanderings, look back upon the home of youth as a sacred spot, as oasis in the great wilderness of the world, then plant an orchard.
Sixth, In short, if you wish to avail yourself of the blessings of a bountiful Providence, which are within your reach, you must plant an orchard. And when you do it, see that you plant good fruit, don’t plant Crab Apple Trees, nor Wild Plums, nor Indian Peaches, the best are the cheapest. Seriously, we have often wondered why our farmers did not devote more attention to the cultivation of fruit; it certainly would prove profitable and pleasant. An orchard of an acre or so of choice fruit, properly taken care of could not be the least profitable portion of a farm. Upwards of a hundred bushels of fruit can be gathered annually, and without much trouble from merely a small garden patch. One great point to commence with is to procure good sorts, for it requires no more labor to attend a tree that will bear apples worth seventy-five cents and a dollar a bushel than one producing those not worth more than two shillings. Let our farmers think of these things. But, the inquiry is frequently made how shall we manage our trees, to produce fine flavored fruit in a short time.
First, select good, rich soil, such as will produce 70 bush. indian corn per acre, if not such it should be made such by manuring. You cannot expect a tree to flourish and produce good fruit when there is no strength or food to supply it with proper nourishment. It is too much like building a house without a foundation, or sitting down to dine at an empty dish, there being nothing to support the growth of the tree, no food to supply it with proper nourishment, finally, it dies for the want of nourishment, if not, the fruit which it bears, if any, is small and knotty, having scarcely any taste or flavor. If you want nice, large, fine flavored fruit, prepare your soil before planting your trees and keep it prepared by manuring occasionally. It is unreasonable to expect to raise fruit from a tree when it is half or three quarters starved out, all for the want of nourishment. You may here make inquiry how to prepare your soil. This may be done by putting a heavy dressing of manure on it, then obtain sufficient depth of soil, so as to enable the roots to extend themselves freely and hold moisture without dying out in protracted drought. This may be done with a common plow, letting it run 8 or 10 inches deep, then by means of a good subsoil plow, running it in the same furrow, you will obtain a depth of 15 or 18 inches. This process should be continued until you have all plowed that depth. When you have this accomplished, run your harrow over several times leveling and pulverizing it finely. When you have all this completed your soil will be prepared for planting your trees. If you cannot possibly prepare your soil in this way, you should by all means dig very large holes, say six or eight feet in diameter and a foot and a half deep, working the manure through the soil as you dig it up. This may seem to the farmer as requiring too much labor, but will richly pay him for it in the end. Plant your trees in this soil firmly, leaving the soil a little lower about the body of the tree, so as it may hold the water, if filled up about the level of the soil, the water will run away from the roots and your tree may die for the want of moisture. Every tree should have a stake driven in the ground to fasten or stay the tree, so as to prevent the storms from bending and switching it about. If this is not done your trees will be injured, and will not thrive. There are a great many farmers complaining that they cannot raise any fruit. Truly, how can they expect to raise fruit when they will crowd their trees into small holes, and the soil so hard that you can scarcely drive a stake into it with a sledge, and above all the land starved out, the grass and weeds suffered to grow up at such a rate that you are not able to see the body of the tree. Young trees should be nursed and cultivated, keeping the soil mellow by repeated stirring and preventing the growth of any vegetable for several feet from the tree. A hoed crop is next best to clear mellow ground. A sowed crop, grass or weeds is ruinous to young trees. After you have your trees well set, you should by all means wash them down once or twice a year with soap and water. Say about one quart of soap to two quarts of water—wash from the large branches to the bottom—this will destroy the insects that may be put into the body and limbs of the tree. Many drooping trees have been made healthy by using this wash. If you wish to preserve your peach trees, it is necessary for you to apply this to them twice a year, also frequently pouring reasonably hot soap suds to the body and root of the tree; this will kill and destroy the worm which so frequently destroys your trees. The lie which is left at the bottom of the kettle from boiling hot soap is very good and should always be used to wash your trees. If you wish to preserve your peach trees, you should by all means search the roots and body of the tree, and where you find any gum caused by the worm, remove it by means of a knife, carefully cutting away where any gum is found, and as far as there seems to be a hollow under the bark, then wash the whole stem well, suffering it to run to the roots: It is stated by a worthy gentleman, that by planting tansey around the tree, the worm will not trouble the roots. This is simple enough and worthy of a trial. It is hoped that these important truths will cause the Farmer and others to put them in practice, and it most undoubtedly will be the means of raising improved fruit and will be richly paid for all his labour.