People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 February 1897 — Making Young Trees Bear. [ARTICLE]

Making Young Trees Bear.

If, is the natural desire of every orchardist to get his trees into bearing condition as soon as possible. Few know how to do this. The common method of giving the trees a great amount of manure postpones rather than hastens fruit bearing. Most young orchards are too rich to oear well, and this is especially true so long as soil fertility is at once available by cultivation. This excess of fertility promotes leaf aud wood growth. Only when it is cheeked will trees begin to put forth fruit buds and bear fruit, and the tree will grow more vigorously than ever and not bear any fruit. Only when the bearing, habit is fully established is it safe to manure freely, and even then mineral iertiliiers should have the preference. For very vigorous young trees old enough to begin to bear, but which will not, severe root pruning so as to lessen the supply of sap may be sometimes resorted to with .profit.—American Cultivator.