ORCHARDING. One of the first necessities in settling a new country, is to prepare for and set out an orchard. Few, however, either do so systematically, or wheu they do set one, eare for it as it should be. Henee the idea of some that fruit will not do well, in many portions of the country, even in localities where there are great commereial orchards yielding bountifully. 'fhe reason of the failures in making the farm orchard produetive is, first, aeeurate knowledge as to varieties adapted to the soil and climate. This can only be learned by experience, elose observa tion, or inquiry from some responsible and practical man. Fortunately there are such in almost every neighborhood. Another souree of failure is the planting of too many varieties. Once the farmer finds the varieties ad apted to his location, let him seleet the best of these, and then if he wishes to experiment with special varieties, do it with individual trees, or else by graft ing a limb with the variety desired.
Very often a variety that is a shy bearer will bear abundantly for years if grafted on another variety. The ex periment will eost but little time and labor. The laying out of the orehard is also important. In commercial orchards particular varieties should be placed in blocks, and also those var ieties whieh ripen in succession in the order of ripening. The commercial orehardist, however, understands this, and also the profit in planting but few varieties. With the farm orchard the same general rule should be adopted, but as this is simply to supply the fam ily's daily use, the earlier varieties of fruit should be placed next the house, and the general supply for winter use farther away. Suppose the fruit garden (that is the proper name) to comprise two acres, and this is not too much, then the first rows may be strawberries, planted three feet apart as to the rows; then currants and gooseber ries, four feet between rows; next raspberries, five feet between rows; next blackberries, six feet between rows; grapes, eight feet between rows; quinees, eight feet; peaches, t welve feet between rows; eherries, sixteen feet between rows; plums, nectarines, and apricots, the same distance, if you ehoose to try them. Next come pears, ten feet should be allowed for dwarfs, and twenty feet for standards; apples, twelve feet for dwarfs, and thirty feet for standards. A single row of strawbenies, of raspberries, and of blackberries, of currants, and of gooseberries across a two acre plot will be ample for any family for using fresh, and for canning. A single row of peaches, one row of eherries, and one-third of a row eaeh of plums, neetarines, and apricots, will be sufficient. We do not advise their planting at all, since the labor of destroy ing the cumuli° will, probably, amount to more than the worth of the fruit; nevertheless this must be left to the discretion of the planter. One row of dwarf pears, and one row of stand ards, will be enough. In prolific years you may have some pears to sell. If blight do not attaek the trees, they will well pay the investment, in the satisfaction of having the fruit, The rest of the orehard may be planted to apples, perhaps one row of dwarfs, the balanee standards, or the row of dwarf apples mav be Waxed next the dwarf pears. We had forgotten the grapes. Allow two rows for these, one full row for Coneords, and another row for sueh varieties as you may wish to experiment with. When plants are wanted by the aere, to find the required number multiply the distanee at which they are to be set by itself, or the distance one way by the distanee the other, and divide into 43,560, the number of feet in an acre. For instance three multiplied by four gives twelve. This divided into 43,500 gives 3,625. The number of plants eontained in an aere. So, we may find the number of plants required for any distanee not given in the table. The following table will show the number of trees in an aere at various distances: Strawberries may be set as close as twelve inehes in the row; two feet, however, is better, if they are to be allowed to make runners. Raspberries may be planted three to three and one-half feet, and blackberries three and one-half to four feet in the row. Currants and go.oseberries, should have three and one-half to four feet of space in the row. Grapes may be planted as close as six feet in the row. The other fruits may be planted in the rowa at half the distance the rows are apart, the supernumerary trees to be removed before they begin to crowd each other. In this plan for a home orchard the small fruits, including grapes, will occupy one-ninth of the plot. If you allow a single row to be filled with plums, nectarines and apricots, thus, these with the peaches, cherries and pears, (dwarfs and standards,) will occupy nearly one-quarter of the field, or accurately, fi ve eighteenths, leaving you about one and a quarter acres for apples. The orchard rows at the same tirne being long enough to afford every- facility for horse cultivation. For small families, and for village gardens this must be modified, yet the same general plan rnay be adopted. It should hardly be necessary to say that the home orchard must receive good cultivation, that is, it must be kept free of weeds. The cultivation, however, should not be deep, simply deep enouffh to keep the surface friable, but without disturbing the roots. If weeds appear after the first of July they must be pulled by hand, or taken up with the hoe among the vines and bushes. Among the trees they may be mown if necessary, since late cultivation is injurious to fruit trees, vines and bushes. If an orchard is to be laid out for a given variety of fruit, the sys tem of squares will be found most practicable. The quincunx form has been widely recom mended. Practically it has little advantage, except in situations where it becomes necessary to take advantage of every inch of ground. Hence, the true quincunx, where each plant is exactly equidistant from its nPxt neighhor, is scarcely ever practiced. To lay out an orchard in true quincunx form each tree, must be, rounded by six other trees at equal distances. This will give the greatest possible number of trees upon the ground. Lay out the ground by furrows according to the width of the rows apart, and then run furrows one way, half way between the lines. Thus you will get the correct space for the trees. Now set stakes at every space along the two outside lines and a row of pegs to indicate the first diagonal furrow, plow this and so continue with each additional one until the whole orchard plot is marked. To lay out an orchard square, all that is necessary is to. furrow it out both ways, according to the tance of the trees apart. Where the rows cross will be the points at which the trees are to be set. Now plow two rows apart both ways, and if the orchard has been deeply plowed over the whole ground previously, a very little sighting each way will enable you to get the true position of each tree. It should be cessary to say that this plowing and ing out should be done in the fall previous. to planting. and if the field has been in some crop requiring very deep cultivation and manuring for a year or two previous, it will be found to be so much tlie better. In the case of the home orchard, when a variety of fruit is to be raised, of course the rows will run but one way, and the subsequent cultivation must be only one way. The remarks on laying out an ard apply solely to those intended for only one kind of fruit, and particularly to the stone and pip fruits When the' ground is level or nearly so it is not difficult to get the trees exactly in line. If the ground is uneven or hilly, it will be found very difficult in practice. That they he in exact line, however, matters but little, since it is quite evident they will not keep in line, from inequalities in growth, but if trained to pretty low heads—absolutely necessary in the West—the tops will soon cover any fections. In the home fruit garden, however, the trees, bushes and vines should stand in exact lines one way, and be kept so by staking. Iu the
general orchard, the trees should be staked until they get firm root, and thereafter if a tree inclines to get too much out of line, it may be brought back by judicious staking. The best site for an orchard is undoubtedly one facing north or north east, rather than south or southwest. The best soil is a deep, rich, gravelly clay loam, or lime stone soil. If the subsoil is porous, no drainage will be needed. If the water ever stands for forty-eight hours at a time in holes dug eighteen inches deep, or if there is a hard pan within three feet it should be drained. The roots of the apple and pear like to run deep. The pear especially need not be expected to do well unless the sub soil is dry- and porous enough to admit of the percolation of water. Such a soil will stand both drought and wet. In all the prairie country it has been found advisable to set orchards pretty near the surface of the soil, and . plow to the trees year by year, and both ways until a consid erable ridge is raised, or rather until a pretty deep dead furrow is formed between each row, leaving the trees at last on elevated squares. Many persons have been deterred from this course from the supposition that the trees would suffer from drought. Gardeners, however, well know that a flat well raised, deeply plowed ridge will stand drought far better than land under level culture. Some of our best gardeners on prairie soil now lay up their land to correspond to the width of the rows to be planted, five feet for tomatoes, six feet for cucumbers, and so on up to twelve feet for melons and squashes For directions respect ing the various orchard fruits, the reader is referred to the articles as they occur relating thereto. The following in relation to orchard trees when received from the nursery, or when propagated on the farm will be useful, and to assist this we give illustrations of various forms of pruning for training in the nursery. Fig. 1 shows a standard tree with stem of trunk three or four feet clear of branches. Fig. 2, Low branched standard, with stems eigh teen inches to two feet. Apples on Doucin stock, have usually this form. Fig. 3, Dwarf bush, with stems a foot or more high. The dwarf apple on Paradise stock has usually this form. Fig. 4 shows the usual appearance of a well developed nursery tree, well trained and grown. For fruit trees the soil-should be dry, either naturally or made so by thorough drainage, as they will not live or thrive on a soil constantly saturated with stagnant moisture. It should also be well prepared by twice plowing, at least, beforehand, using the subsoil plow after the common one, at the second plowing. On new, fresh huads, manuring will be unnecessary; but on lands exhausted by cropping, fertilizers must be applied, either by turning in heavy crops of clover, or well decomposed manure or compost, To ensure a good growth of fruit trees, land should be in as good condition as for a crop of wheat, corn, or potatoes. In regard to the preparation of the trees. As a general thing, trees are placed in the ground precisely as they are sent from the nursery. In removing a tree, no matter how carefully it may be done, a por tion of the roots are broken and destroyed, and consequently the balance that existed in the structure of the tree is deranged. This must he restored by a proper pruning, adapted to the size, form and condition of a tree, as follows: Standard orchard trees. These, as sent from the nursery,. vary from five to seven feet in height, with naked stems or trunks, and a num ber of branches at the top forming a head. These branches should be all cut back to within three or foin• buds of their base. This lessens the demand upon the roots, and enables the remaining buds to push with vigor. In case of older trees of extra size, the pruning must be in proportion ; as a general thing, it win be safe to shorten all the previous years' shoots to three or four buds at their base, and where the branches are very numerous some may be cut out entirely. Pyramidal trees, if of two or three years' growth, with a number of side branches, will require to be pruned with a two-fold object in view,viz.: The growth of the tree, and the desired form. The branches must be cut into the form of a pyramid by shortening the lower ones, say one-half, those above them shorter, and the upper ones around the leading shoot to within two or three buds of their base . The leader itself must be shortened back one-half or more. When trees have been dried or injured much by exposure, the pruning must be closer than if in good order. Low-headed standard trees and dwarf bushes must be pruned as recommended for standards, aiming at producing a round, well-proportioned head, with the main branches regularly distributed and far enough apart to admit air freely to all parts. Yearling trees intended for pyramids .may have a few side branches, the smallest of which should be cut clean away, reserving only the strongest and the best placed. In other respects they will be pruned as directed for trees of two years' growth. Those having no side branches should be cut back so far as to insure the production of a tier of branches within twelve inches of the ground. A strong yearling, four to six feet, may be cut back about hart and the weaker ones more than that. It is better to cut too low than not low enough, for if the first tier of branches be not low enough, the pyramidal form can not aftervvard be perfected. Planting. Dig holes in the first place, large enough to admit the roots of the tree to spread out in their natural position ; then, having the tree pruned as above directed, let one person hold it in an upright position, and the other shovel in the earth, care fully putting the finest and the best from the surface in among the roots, filling every inter stice, and bring every root in contact with the soil. When the earth is nearly,filled in, a pail of water may be thrown on to settle and wash in the earth around the roots; then fill in the remainder, and tread gently with the foot. The use of water is seldom necessary, except in diy weather, early in fall or late in spring. Guard against planting too deep; the trees, after the ground settles, should stand in this respect as they did in the nursery. Trees on dwarf stocks should stand so that all the stock be under the ground, and no more. In very dry, gravelly ground, the holes should be dug twice the usual size and depth, and filled in with good loamy soil. If trees are tall and much exposed to winds, a stake -should be planted with the tree, to which it should be tied in such a manner as to avoid chafing. A piece of matting or cloth may be put between the tree and the stake. When the tree is planted, throw around it as far as the roots extend, and a foot beyond, five or six inches deep of rough manure or litter. This is par ticularly necessary in dry ground, and is highly advantageous everyvvhere, both in spring and fall planting. It prevents the ground from baking or cracking, and maintains an equal temperature about the roots. The grass should not be allowed to grow around young trees after being planted, as it stunts their growth and utterly ruins them. The ground should be kept clean and loose around them, until, at least, they are of bearing size. The best treatment for trees that have been frozen in the packages, or received during frosty weather, is to place the packages, unopened, in a cellar or some such place, cool, but free from frost, until perfectly thawed, when they can be unpacked, and either planted or placed in a trench, until convenient to plant. Treated thus, they will not be injured by the freezing. Trees procured in the fall for spring planting, should be laid in trenches in a slanting positions, to avoid the winds; the situation should also be sheltered and the soil dry. A mulching on the roots and a few evergreen boughs over the tops will afford good protection.