RENOVATING THE SOIL NEAR FRUIT TREES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3778, 24 August 1883, Page 4

RENOVATING THE SOIL NEAR FRUIT TREES.

The soil around and beneath fruit trees, Bays a correspondent of the American Garden, become impoverished by producing animal crops of fruit, just as a field becomes -run down,'as farmers express the idea. When our country was first inhabited, and fruit trees Avere planted, the fertility of the soil avus so abundant that bountiful crops wero produced every season. It avus of rare occurrence that a tree Avould bear only every other year. But after the trees had yielded many crops of fruit, the far-spread-ing roots were unable to collect a sufficient quantity of material to form a crop of fruit and;'produce a crop of buds also in one season. A great many young orchard's fail to yield even a small crop of fruit once iii two years, for the simple reason that the soil has been exhausted of its fertility.

What can be done to render such trees productive . As a general rule, there is a sufficiency of carbonaceous materal in the soil, except Avhere there happens to be a large preponderance of sand. Experience teaches that, Avhen fruit trees are standing whore the roots have access to a generous supply of clay, the crop will be more abundant, and the trees will yield fruit a longer time than Avhen tho earth i.s composed principally of sand. The same is true Avhen trees are groAving in a light mucky soil. In case the soil i.s of a light, silicious, or carbon-

aceous character, the first important step will bo to apply a generous dressing of clay arotind tho trees, as far as the longest branches extend. If tho land i.s in grass, tho entire surface should be ploughed, or thoroughly dug up, to the depth of several inches ; after Avhich, scatter chip manure, street gleanings, ashes, lime, old mortar, the accumulations of the hennery, privy, tho scrapings of the manure-yard, and any garbage that may have accuniulaten near the back door of t)tc kitchen. If the ground be completely covered Avith coal ashes, or the sAvcepings of blacksmiths' shops—so deep that no grass or Aveeds can grow beneath the tree —the OAvner Avill have the pleasure of seeing, the folloAving season, a bountiful crop of luscious fruit on a tree which hitherto may have yielded nothing but knotty, gnarly, aud unmarketable specimens. Every fruit tree, and every terry vine and fruit-producing bush needs potash, or soda, or both. Consequently, if ashes in abundance be placed Avithin reach of tho roots, the hungry mouths at their extremities -will find and take up the desired elements. If one has many trees and Allies, and only a small quantity of ashes, it will pay him to purchase crude; potash by the cask, dissolve it in Avater, and spread the solution around his trees andA-ines, or break the hard mass into small pieces, and scatter them thinly all over the ground covered by the branches. It is a great mistake to pile fertilizing material of any sort close up to the body of a tree. In large orchards on light soil, one of the Avisest and most economical modes of commencing a renovating system will bo to go with teams, during the Avinter (or at any other convenient time), to some clay-bank, haul the rough earth, and spread it around the trees. Frosts, and rains, and shoav Avill soon melloAV such apparently barren earth, and its valuable elements of fertility—the bud - producing and tho fruit-forming material —Avill soon pass doAvn to the roots, where they will be taken up and appropriated to the production of fincfruit. It Avill sometimes pay to haul good clay several miles for this purpose. In many parts of Ncav Jersey and Long Island, Avhere the soil is so sandy that fruit trees barely Ha-o, a few bushels of marl, or a wagon-load of muck, spread around a tree, are often tho means of producing a bountiful crop of fine fruit. I have known excellent results to be produced simply by spreading around each tree tAvo Avaggon loads of hard, hea\'y, someAvhat gravelly earth, dug from a hill. If the proprietor of fruit trees can have convenient access to sawdust, spent tan-bark, or the rough hay from salt meadows, it Avill be profitable to imdch every tree sufficiently to subdue grass and Aveeds. Winter is the most convenient season to attend to such work.