VOL. LXVI
INDIANAPOLIS, NOV. 4, 1911.
NO. 44
INDIANA APPLE SHOW,   NOV. 6 to 11.
APPLE GROWING  IN   INDIANA.
HOW TO MARK THK HOME ORCHARD PAY.
ty M. W. Richards, Ass't. Horticulturist in Charge of Horticultural
Extension Purdue University.
The area occupied by the home or-
hard is usually the poorest paying spot
on the farm. This is caused both by
tlio lack of interest in the orchard and
by the lack of information as to its
proper care.
Most home orchards are not on a paying basis because, the trees have been
planted too close together; the soil has
become depleted; the orchard is sod
bound; it is never pruned systematically and because it is never sprayed.
These are the five most instrumental
causes in the decline of the average orchard. With these causes remedied
there is no reason why the farm orchard of to-day should not be the factor in fruit production that it once was.
To Make The Orchard Pay.
In this struggle to make the orchard
pay the first work that must be done
is that of finding out just what causes
are most instrumental in the decline of
the plantation. This work can best be
done in the late fall or early winter.
Go out into the orchard and pace oft
the distance between the trees each
way. You will flnd that they stand
from twenty-five to thirty feet apart.
Make a note of this fact. Next examine the last season's growth of the
trees. This is done by looking at the
terminal growth and following it back
to the first set of growth rings on the
twig. The distance from the terminal
bud to this first set of bud scars is the
amount of growth made by the tree in
one season. This will likely be from
an inch and a half to about three
inches.    After  this  is  noted  down
The Condition of the Ground and Trees
Must be examined. As a usual thing1
the orchard is in sod. The grass has
been mowed and removed as hay or is
being pastured off bj meep, calves or
hogs. Our next line of observation will
be directed to the trees themselves.
They will be found in various shapes
and conditions. The majority of them
bave the heads starting about three
feet from the ground. They are so
thick and compact that a bird can
hardly fly through them.
bead Wood Abounds and More is Dying
Nome one has tried to prune them in
tunes past. He has used an ax and
has left long projecting stubs which are
now thickly feathered out with long
s«<ker like branches. No satisfactory
(Top could be expected from such trees
■°r the fruit would have no room in
"hich to develop. After the trees are
Properly sized up we must then  think
ack to the last harvest time. Do you
■^member those small, knarly specimens which    you  were     ashamed   of?
hey Were twiste(j by scab deformed
the curculio, decayed by the brown
iiiul bitter rots ami riddled by the
worm. They were all unsalable and
also unfit for home consumption. Such
will be the inventory of the average orchard when conscientiously made.
This formidable    array    of    causes
survey that the tree tops were generally not much more than elevated brush
heaps. No tree can produce a crop of
flrst class fruit unless the sunlight and
air can get to each specimen. The old
trees  have  all  received  a   pruning    at
CARE OF THE APPLE ORCHARD.
A Well Managed   Home Orchard.
Poorly Pruned Tree.
Well Pruned Tree.
for failure usually discourages the average farmer and he either does nothing or cuts down the trees.
Easily  Remedied.
Any and all of these causes are easily
remedied. All that is needed is a little
well directed work at the proper time.
We have found that the trees are
standing from twenty-five to thirty feet
apart. In orchards of thirty years and
over every other tree should be removed. This will make the trees stand
pretty far apart but these old trees
need the room. Younger trees should
be so thinned that they will stand as
near forty feet apart as possible. When
the trees have been properly thinned
on the ground they should be thinned
!n the air.    We found  In  our original
sometime in their career. These spas-
motic cuttings have been very severe
Heavy pruning always stimulates
wood growth and unless followed up
will cause more wood to grow than has
been removed. The result of these
periodic prunings is a forest of long,
spindly shoots known as water sprouts.
These shoots are worthless and should
be removed.
Pruning  the Trees.
The first work then in pruning, is to
remove all dead and dying wood and
to cut out all water sprouts. This will
usually be enough for the first season.
If we remove all the wood at once
which should come out the next season,
we would get nothing but wood growth
for nature always tries to replace every
branch which we remove with two or
three. The second season we will remove the newly formed water
sprouts      and      all crossing      and
interfering       branches. The       third
saaasaan wa- will begin to shape the
head of the tree. When doing this try
to keep the head low and open. Make
all cuts close to the body of the tree
and protect them with white lead paint.
Prune anytime from Feb. until the buds
burst.
Causes of Failure.
In looking for causes of failure in
the crop we found that our annual
growth was from one and one-half to
three inches In length. This is far too
little growth for an apple tree to make
in one season. We also found that the
orchard was in sod and that the erop
from the sod was being removed. This
small amount of wood growth is due to
the run down condition of the soil and
to the sod bound state of .the trees. In
order to get fruit we must first have
healthy young wood. The only way to
get this wood Is to feed the trees. This
feeding is done in conjunction with the
systems of orchard cultivation. In order to get the most out of the orchard
it should be tilled. Just as soon as it
is possible to get on the ground in the
spring the orchard should be plowed.
Every portion of the ground possible
should be turned. It should then be
harrowed thoroughly and a flne dust
mulch maintained until the middle of
July. At this time a cover-crop of
either eow peas or soy beans is sown.
This crop is allowed to grow until killed by the frost. It remains en the
ground over winter and is then plowed
under the following spring.
Treating the Soil.
This method of handling the soil not
only conserves the moisture but it also
liberates unavailable plant food, and
adds nitrogen and organic matter to the
soil. In locations where the soil cannot be tilled on account of washing, the
orchard should be kept mulched. This
is either done by allowing the grass to
grow and mowing it several times
throughout the season. It is not hauled off as hay but ls allowed to lay
where it falls. This acts as a mulch
and tends to check evaporation of the
soil moisture. Where the orchard soil
does not produce enough mulching material some other form of organic material should be spread over the ground
Much as straw, corn-stover or manure.
i:arn yard manure applied at the rate
nf S-10 tons per acre is the best orchard
fertilizer known. Where this cannot
be obtained a 2-8-10 commercial fertilizer should be applied. When orchards
are handled by either of these methods
satisfactory growth  will  be certain.
After the trees are put In good condition some means must be taken to
keep the fruit healthy. The only means
of accomplishing this purpose is spraying.
Spraying is Done
to control two types of pests—insects
and fungus diseases. Two types of
sprays are necessary for insect control.