Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 243, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 October 1917 — INSTRUCTIVE HINTS FOR THE ORCHARDIST [ARTICLE]

INSTRUCTIVE HINTS FOR THE ORCHARDIST

Big Tree Is Not Always Most Desirable —Learn to Outwit Disease and Insects. s (By L. M. BENNINGTON.) ) Plant apple trees five or six Inches deeper than other fruit trees. It is a mistake to assume that a big tree will always come into bearing sooner than a small one. If too big the storms may cause them to be seriously injured before the roots have become thoroughly fixed. A tree which is infested with insects will not thrive any better than--a pig covered with lice. The farmer who starts an orchard and has not studied the effects of spraying might as well save his time and expense. He will fall without spraying. ' The Ben Davis makes a brave showing on the city fruit stands, but doesn’t It cause prejudice among the ignorant against all apples? An old broom from which most of the brush has been worn off will remove loose bark from the trunks of trees, and at the same time destroy many hiding places of insects. A tree which is properly sprayed and cared for, however, seldom has any rough bark to remove. Do not let the pears remain on the trees until thoroughly ripe, or they will become soft and mealy.