Part 65 (1/2)
What Frisky is Telling the Veteran Horticulturist.
CHAS. F. GARDNER, OSAGE, IOWA.
I am your cunning little squirrel, and as you have named me Frisky and have adopted me as a regular member of your family, I will tell you some little things I know about horticulture, or more properly, forest tree planting.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Our squirrel.]
My ancestors from way back through geological ages have all been lovers of nut trees and especially conifers. If you knew of the great districts covered with valuable timber that have come into existence by reason of our planting of nuts and conifer seed, you would be very much surprised.
While we gather large quant.i.ties of seed for use as food during the long, cold winter months, each one of us secretes several thousand seed annually, widely scattered, in good places for trees to grow. The most of these scattered seeds remain in the ground and germinate where they were planted.
My grandfather on my mother's side has told me that some of his relatives in Scotland were once accused of doing considerable injury to plantations of firs and pines by gnawing off the top shoots, which you know make pretty good eating for a hungry little squirrel. Wasn't that a great thing to make a fuss about? I believe my grandpa knew as much as you do about the real existence and natural history of the mastodon, the megatherium, the paleotherium and the pterodactyl.
In the planting of forest trees we were a.s.sisted by birds. I will name a few who helped us the most in this northern lat.i.tude, or, as you call it, ”the blizzard belt.” You showed me the other day two beautiful oak trees, on your grounds that were planted by crows. Bluejays are great seed planters, also mourning doves; and the wild pigeons, now extinct, were great planters of many nut trees. Almost every variety of birds has a.s.sisted us in the planting of the seeds of trees, bushes and, in fact, all plants that bear valuable fruits or nutritious seeds.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Chas. F. Gardner at his best.]
While I think of it, I will tell you that I was born in a beautiful nest, made of moss, twigs and dry leaves curiously interwoven in the fork of a tree at a considerable height from the ground. I had four little brothers and sisters. We loved each other dearly and had a good time all cuddled up in our sweet little home. I wish you would let me go and visit them sometime this summer. Now if you have no objection I will take a little nap.--Frisky.
Top-Working.
O. W. MOORE, VETERAN HORTICULTURIST, SPRING VALLEY.
From my experience in fruit growing I have come to the conclusion that the best method to apply in starting a commercial orchard in this section of country would be to gather apple seed from d.u.c.h.ess and Hibernal apples and plant them, in order that we might grow hardy seedling roots to be used in making root-grafts. After growing these apple seedlings one year I would graft short pieces of their roots to long Hibernal scions, plant them out in the nursery row and grow them the first year as a whip or single shoot. The second year before growth starts in the spring I would cut those whips back to the height where I wanted to start the head of the tree. After growth starts rub off all the buds except from four to six at the top, these being left to form the head of the tree. The trunk of the tree below these buds should be kept clear of all growth at all times.
By this method we get uniform trees, as the heads, or tops, are all of an equal distance from the ground and all run very nearly the same size.
Now we have those trees two years old in the nursery row, and as a foundation for hardiness we have done our best. We have taken seed from our hardiest apples to grow our seedling roots; we have grafted Hibernal scions onto those roots, which is supposed to be the hardiest apple wood that we have. Still there is one point that has not been touched upon, and that is, that it is not to be supposed that all of those seedling roots from the seed of our hardiest apples will be hardy. You may ask why? Well, because mother nature does not do business that way. We hear now and then the remark, ”He is a good mixer.” Well, if any man or set of men can beat mother nature at mixing they will have to do better in the future than they have done in the past.
But remember that we have the Hibernal as a scion above those roots, and that is the best apple wood to root from the scion that I know of. Some may ask, why not use the Virginia crab? I answer, for the reasons above stated, as I have tried both.
Our trees are two years old now and are ready to be planted in the orchard where they are to remain. Grow them in orchards one year. But if from drouth or some other cause they do not make a satisfactory growth, grow them two years. Then top-work their four or six limbs about six inches from their forks to any kind of apple that you wish to produce in a commercial way--but leave all small growth below those unions the first year. The second year cut everything away but the scions.
If the planter will follow the above methods I am willing to stake my reputation as a fruit grower that he will have an orchard that will stay with him and give satisfaction.
Very many apple trees, especially seedlings, when they come to bearing age are found to be worthless or nearly so. If those trees are taken in hand at any time under ten years old they can be readily top-worked to some good apple and completely changed in two years' time. The first year work center limbs or leaders, leaving the lower growth to be worked the second year. The third year by cutting everything away but the growth of the scions we have the tree changed over to a better variety of fruit. As to the size of limbs to graft I have always made it a point to never work limbs over one inch in diameter. But from one inch down to whip-grafting size, limbs from three-quarters to one inch, we set two scions. The wound heals sooner with two scions than with one. If there is too much growth in a year or two, cut a part of it away just above the union.
Evergreens.
JENS A. JENSEN, ROSE CREEK.
Why not grow evergreens in the place of willows? When I came to Mower County if there were any trees planted they were willows, a few Lombardy poplars and Balm of Gilead.