Show A REVIEW OF FRUIT CULTURE IN UTAH Arrit oVED BY THE DOMESTIC GARDENERS CLUB for some three years past many ot ol the inhabitants of 0 these valleys have bae hae been growing fruit trees to some extent and the results 0 of I 1 their labors are various with some their exertions have been crowned in a great measure with success uc cess while others have not realized their expectation and the outlay and labor has been nearly or quite lost that the apple appe pear peach apricot vium plum herry grape and many small fruits may be successfully cultivated here is 13 evident to the intelligent observer it may be asked why then idas hab not the cultivation of fruit been more successful in answer answers I 1 will say that it is in a great measure for the want of proper management in cultivation there are about ts as many opinions on the subject as there are cultivators and in this peculiar climate under such varied treatment the results result 3 are in many instances discouraging the quer query guery may nay arise what has the culture to do WN anh the damage done by frost in our severe winters in most cases it is the result of improper treatment tile the intense cold of the winter ot of 59 and 60 and the severe frost of the following may blay were exceptions to the former seasons as far as my knowledge extends and it may not bs be expected that like weather will often occur under proper culture the wood of the peach tree and fruit buds may be considered safe from injury any ally winter that the thermometer does not nol no range more than 10 degres below belon zero the gathering of ice or sleet on trees might destroy tb the fruit buds but that has not oc occurred currea here to my knowledge the heavy coating of frost that gathers on the trees in winter is not injurious to the fruit buds the injury that the wood of fruit trees received in the winter of aj and 60 ygo would not have been serious if severe frosts f p had bad not riot followed the next may after the rising of the sap the former injury di colored the wood but the inner bark was unhurt in most cases the last frost injured the inner bark to a great veat extent and thereby the tops of many trees perished on examining the trees that survived bur tur ur it was ascertained that the new wood did not adhere to the old and could be freely peeled from it provin ing that wood may be considerably injured and inthe if the bark remains khurt the tree stands a fair chance to recover and should not be hacked and the bark peeled off because it is loose on the trunk as was done by some to the injury of the tree there may be much knowledge gained by carefully observing the di Terent different treatments which fruit trees receive receil e the health thrift and arld hardness hardiness of the tree is the evidence ev dence of the correctness of the culture this climate is unnatural to trees which is evident from the valleys being destitute of ahm excepting on some favored spots on streams of water the cedar may be an exception cep Ic tion as it is found growing on the benches but it may be considered in a dormant state nine or ten months in the year where the climate is unnatural the cultivator must supply what is wanting by art so that the natural wants of the tree may be furnished there has been considerable written here on the preparation of the ground for the transplanting of trees and it cannot be too strongly In forced on an the minds of the inexperienced that the ground should be dug at least eighteen inches or two feet deep as far in extent as 49 the roots will naturally spread indeed the whole plot should be well dug du to the above depth and have a good dressing dressin of manure t the roots will be better protected from the influence of the sun and the soil in a better condition to retain moisture one tree properly transplanted and cultivated is worth ten that are badly planted and neglected manure should not be put in the hole so as to come in contact with the roots but may be applied as mulching indeed every ei ery cry tree should be well mulched when transplanted and manure mixed with straw cornstalks corn stalks or any litter about the stack yard spread around the trees in a manner will repay the labor by making double the growth that they would without and in some cases eave tave alem from perishing by drought or it frequently lo 10 occurs here that newly planted trees do not take a vigorous start and there being a deficiency of circulating sap the th stock estock becomes sun scalded in jawor july or august in such instances the tree seldom recovers except it is cut down below the injury and a new stock grown from a sprout at the root it would atwould be a good plan to protect the stock the first season from the influence of the sun by winding it with rags or straw from the ground to the limbs but not so tight as to interfere with ith the sie growth of the tree there has been many trees transplanted trani trank planted here on ground with an uneven surface and in irrigating the water gaer has bas been unequally distributed some parts of the soil becoming no flo ded the effect in such cases case is to settle or pack the soil and when the water dries ot off the ground becomes hard bard and does not admit of a proper circulation of air in it the soil heats beats by the sun to that d gree that small or C 63 become scalded the leaves of the tree turns yellow yellowy often nearl nearly white shrivel up and frequently deneh erisa the R g howth of the tree is ig checked an and aad it men becomes worthless tho The of the ground should in the first instance be made uniform 0 so that the water may run freely in in the irrigating channels to every tree without flowing over the he whole of the soil experience teaches t che that th at apple trees should not set more than fourteen or sixteen feet apart thy the they are much bene fitted by their own shade the e peach and apricot twelve or fourteen the plum eight or ten teet feet the peach trees that nave have become large and the fruit small or insipid would be much improved by cutting them back in april to within four or five feet of the ground and let them form new wood they can be kept by this method in a healthy state a much longer time and the fruit will improve att Aft atter after erthe the tree is cut back there will be a great number of sprouts start from the stumps which should be thinned outs out so as to leave leive only a suitable number num berto to form the new top it would be a good practice to adopt the shortening in system when the trees are three y years ears old and arld from six to eight feet high it consists in cutting off about one half of the last years yearns growth over the whole of the outside of the head of the trees tree and also upon the growth crowth of the inner branches this may be done cone one any time after cold weather has set in until the first of march fruit trees on dry gravely land are often affected by too great a degree of heat in the soil the effect is to force them to make an unnatural growth the pores of the leaves leavea become obstructed by an overflow of sap hence it is is not properly elaborated the leaves turn yellow and the tree i is checked in its grow growth th I 1 have seen the apple and peach on land in this city that part was in clover claier the other in tillage the trees on the former were in a healthy condition M while hile hiie those on the latter were w ere not in the eastern states it would have been the reverse I 1 have no ilo doubt that if our orchard ianis in lri dry locations were put in good condition and sown to clover the trees would become more inore healthy indeed it would be better than the present mode of culture in this casette case casa the land should receive a top dressl dressi dressing n g m of manure every year or two and the soil 1 t turned arned over once in four or five years and re bown sown the apple tree may be cultivated on the lowlands that have a r rab cb deep and moist soil and may be expected to thrive with ati proper attention if the water does not rise within vi eighteen inches 0 of the surface sui bul face th the e soil should be tolerably free from alkali or salt and arld drained so as not to be flooded in the winter or spring apple trees in such locations would not be injured by heat as they are on dry soil the trees would blossom later in the season arid and be quite as sure to produce fruit as those in higher locations the fruit may not be so large but may generally be expected to be of better flavor and to kee er than that grown on uplands there therb is evidently a grea great difference oil on the high ian lan land or benches in regard to flost frost in the spring and fall fail ard the effect of the cold in in winter it appears that the difference is produced by the east wind which sets bets in soon after sun set these winds coming from the high mountain ranges are very severe in biliter winter wi riter liter and the frost or cold is more fatal in exposed places than in those that are sheltered from those currents of air as may be seen in the seventeenth and arld nineteenth wards in this city and in mother oth er places which are equally as well protected these sheltered locations are arc very valuable for growing fruit when the land is suitable and there is a sufficiency of water from eastern reports it appears that the peach is is more hardy 9 grafted rafted crafted on the native plum stock and putting out the blossoms late escape the spring frosts the native plum thrives and anel bears well worked on the peach and probably is is a valuable stock to work the peach on for this climate the native thorn is 13 a good st stock ack for the pear which appears to be more hardy baraiy when worked oil on it than upon its own stock it is is better adapted to the soil and climate than the quince qu ince i or any other stock that has been tried the stock should be two or three thre eyears years old of thrifty ahr aty growth and grafted at the root on dry land truit trees should be irrigated every six or seven days after dry weather has i set in till the first of september and the i water so applied that the subsoil will be kept suitably damp otherwise the water is is soon I 1 evaporated and the trees receive but little 1 benefit and become sickly the soil at t the he bo batom torm tomm of the irrigating furrows tur rows should be kept suitably loose and the water should run slowly so that it may freely penetrate in I 1 case of a scarcity vf tf is 13 better to keep up the irrigating 0 of fruit trees to the damage ot of other crops crop than to have them checked in in j their grovatt grovv tt if there has not leen been a suitable I 1 quantity of 0 water applied through the summer months to keep up a suitable supply of bails falls the young wood is prematurely ripened rp ened and the tree mee is 13 left nearly hearly in a dormant state to be influenced by the rains in the fall to make a second growth if the rains h id off till ull late in the season and be followed by b a few warm days tile the sap will natu raly be set in motion although the tree may not make any new grom grow th tiles these e t two 0 resu its would world w ouid orid be the same sames in effects effect the sap not properly blab orated and being acted upon by trost frost become becomes thick and clammy claun ciann ny and by severe freezing fre eying the sap vessels are bre ruptured and in the ep or early summer patches of black sl shriveled irive led dead bark appear appears which will destroy a ra pa tor t or tab top atthe of the tree the irrigating ot fruit trees should not bs be alto aito altogether ether ethen stopped by the first of September buta little katr should be ampil applied led occasionally to keep them thein from becoming dry before the fall rains if the general irrigating irrigation has left the subsoil quite quito moist but little wirl be required after except to mature arut with proper cultures culture it is not necessary that fruit trees should undergo a state stat e of drought to cause the youn w wood to ripen open when cool weather comes in autumn the growth ceases ce ases ages the sap tap goes gots down and they are equally as well prepared for rest till another an sp they can be by art water should be used with caution in autumn A very exuberant growth Is ia not desirable as it beldom seldom becomes properly matured and liquid manure or j any other f fertilizer erti lizer should not be applied in the summer as aa it would have a tendency to produce a late growth I 1 on acro account urit of the injured condition of fruit trees there here cannot bea correct judgment formed on the merits of imported or native fruit which 1 came into bearing the past year indeed it will wili i take two or three year years for the tree treet i to recover so as to produce true types of their fruit j those varieties that received the least injury should be selected from for cultivation as aa far as their merits will warra warrant nt L S I 1 |