THE ORCHARD.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 640, 10 June 1921, Page 9

THE ORCHARD.

PLANTING FRUIT TREES. Where the land is thoroughly tilled the tree holes need be but little larger than necessary to< receive the roots without cramping them. Tnrow all tire top soil on one side, and the pover on the other. In planting fill in the good top soil around the roots, when these are covered tramp them firmly, then fiill in the surface, but leave it light and loose. The method of digging large boles in untilled land and planting trees is a bad one, as holes generally become water-log-ged, and the . roots decay, thereby causing the death of the tree. Be sure not to plant deeper than the trees stood in the nursery; rather plant on slightly elevated mounds, as subsequent cultivation and ploughing generally raise the soil round the tree. The frequency of cultivation should not be measured by days, but bv the condition of the soil. It should be done often enough to keep the weeds below the surface. As a mat ter of fact, you cannot cultivate too often. It a hedge or number of shrubs art to be planted the holes or trench should be dug as soon as possible. Jfc is surprising the effect of 1 few weeks’ exposure to the weather has on stiff soils. neglect destroys orchard. One of nature’s strongest laws is that of the survival of the attest. The weaklings, the indifferent, the unfit, all go the inevitable way to oblivion. Only the strong, the necessary, the fit survive in the final analysis. Fruit, especially, is the product of man’s skill, working in conjunction with nature’s laws. The average fruit tiee or berry bush, allowed to go its wav unmolested by man, will shoitly degenerate into a bramble patch or a non-productive thicket. It is only the constant, alert attention of the orcHardist that holds up the productive trait of his trees or his berry patch. Orchards do not “run out” half so often as the man himself “runs out.” Oichards having the benefit of careful, systematic pruning and attention to insect pests will endure for years and years. And many an old orchard which has lain for nearly a generation unproductive and deserted, under the hand of a skilful orchardist, is brought back to profitable production in a season or two of careful systematic work. It is neglect that lavs the orchard low and deprives

u:e farm income of its just contribution; neglect that fails to prune at least once each season; neglect that fails to combat insect^ pests, that fails to remove dead growth promptly and destroy it. One tree that is properly pruned and sprayed will earn you more profit than a dozen that are allowed to shift for themselves. And a dozen berry bushes properly handled will outrank a hunched that have to fight their own battle for existence.