Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1891 — THE ORCHARD. [ARTICLE]

THE ORCHARD.

Too Large Orchard*. Many of the largest orchards the present season produce absolutely nothing.* It Is becoming plain to even the most enthusiastic fruit growers that this is a business that requires more close attention than any other branch of farming, and unless well cared for the results are disappointing. Orchards should never be more than one acre in ten on a farm, else they will be likely to suffer from lack of manure when they reach the bearing age. Young trees often grow well without fertilizing, but the materials for fruit cannot be produced from air and unfertilized soil fjr many years in succession. The protection cf fruit from insects and from blight also demands close attention or’all other labor caring for and cultivating the orchard may be 'lost. A Remedy for Pear Blight, A New Brunswick, N. J., correspondent of Garden and Forest writes: The orchard of Mr. J. M. White, of Middlesex, N. J., contains some 1,200 trees, and in the season the spraying was begun with a Nixon cart-pump, throwing two strong streams. With this cart and threfi men, with a boy to lead the horse, the entire orchard was sprayed thoroughly in four hours. The first spraying was with a mixture of London Purple for insects, and carbonate of copper with ammonia for the blight fungus. One Clairgeau tree was left unsprayed, and from this the leaves fell very early and the few pears soon followed. They were small, blotched, and cracked so mnch as to be worthless. The surrounding trees of the same variety retained their foliage well, Jnd, as this was an off year, prices were high

and profits great. Mr. White saved several hundred dollars on his Clairgeau pears alone. The Duchess and other vat rietJes were also benefited, as may be inferred from the fact that their owner secured an unbroken list of first premiums at the State fair. The case is simply cited to show that the time has come when spraying machines of some kind must be adopted as regular implements of the farm. It should be under- 1 stood that they can be used for the potato field, as well as the orchard and vineyard.