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THE ojvb down-to-datb farm paper op oklahoma and ind. ter.
Vol. XV. Now 9.
Guthrie, Oklahoma, Wednesday, June 27.
50 Gents a Year.
I >>>OOOOttCM?OC«5C«X OOOOC«tttO.OO g
>!• Privce Contest Articles.
Subject:—"Horticulture and Gardening in_the Twin Territories"
0rt**S3C8SMMS*SSS S *3*3a^
Note.—The judges will announce
their award of prizes in the next issue
of The Farmer.
ORCHARD PLANTING.
Prize contest Editor Okla. Farmer,
As X have been fairly sucessful in
growing trees in the "New Country" I
will state my methods, i which may be
helpful to some of your readers.
I broke the sod, which In this country
Is called hard black (land, in April, this
was backset in the fall, and the next
spring it was plowed deep, beam deep,
and well harrowed. ^
I allowed it to lay that way until the
trees, which X had ordered (direct from
a northern nursery came.
The trees were unpacked, the bundles
loosened, well healed in and watered.
Then the ground was marked east
and west with a marker 16 ft. apart.
I then took^a plow and made a deep
furrow where we wanted the row,
north and south.
This furrow was made as deep (as
possible by going "yander and back"
in the same furrow.
I plowed this furrow just as needed
so there was no drying out of the soli,
set the trees then plow the furrow for
the next row.
When the furrow was ready, enough
trees were taken ud to fill it,—half
apple and half peach, as I set them
alternately 16 feet apart, intending to
cut out the peach trees after a few
years. ( #
These trees were put in a bucket
containing thin mud, (and carried to
the place of setting which, was at the
intersection of the furrows and the
marks first made. As the trees were
small, only yearlings, t took very little,
and sometimes no digging to get them
in deep enough. « (
One man held the tree while another
crumbled enough fine moist earth to
hold it in i place, and firmed it down
well.
A hoe was then used to fill in dirt—Q,
couple, of feet on each side of the tree,
the remainder of the furrows being
left open Lto catch the0 spring rains.
After the trees (about 200) were all
set out, they were allowed to,stand till
after the,heavy rains in May. W&ter
.had then collected in the furrows left
open, and soaked the ground to a
depth,of several feet.
1 then plowed the ground and threw
the dirt towards the trees, filling up
the furrow, othlng was . planted in
this orchard, but It was kept well cul-
tivated and free from weeds. Each
spring I f followed the same plan, of
throwing the dirt away from the trees
early, which leaves a low place in
the ,row.
After the heavy rains, turn the dirt
back toward the trees as soon as dry
enough , to plow, and keep them well
four months; one peach tree was 6ft.
gan to leaf out after setting, I cut
them well back which caused them to
head, low, and spread well. I had the
finest trees of their age I had ever
seen, but a severe hail storm Injured
them ,so much I had to cut them out
and reset the apple trees, and cut the
peach trees back almost to the trunk.
On this account they are not all
bearing this year, but, I feel sure ^ my
method is a good one, especially for a
country that is inclined to be dry in
the fall.
I measured some of my trees when
they had been out just two years and
Trotting colt bred in Indiana. The serv ice fee of the sire of this colt cost $50
but the colt was worth $150 the day he w as born. The service fee of a scrub stal-
lion at $10 is dear because the colt is on ly worth $10 at birth and it will cost as
much to bring him to maturity as the well bred one.
cultivated. By following this plan 1
lost only six or seven trees, mostly
cherries out of about ^200. .
The year following the setting of
these trees was exedesingly dry, and
very (hard on young trees, but the
ground in this orchard has never been
dry more than two or three inches on
the,surface. As soon as the trees be-
9 in. high, average spread of limbs
7 ft. 7 in.; diameter of trunk 3 in. •
An apricot, tree was 8 ft. high with
an average spread of limbs of 9 ft.
4 in,; diameter of trunk 2 1-2 in.,
which shows that trees will grow in
the ."far south-west," If well .taken
care of. E. E. HORTON.
Neola, Caddo County, Okla. ^
A WOMAN'S EXPERIENCE.
Contest Editor Oklahoma Farmer:
X will write the , experienoe of a
woman raising "strawberries.
She bought two dozen plants from
a ; fruit agent and set them out in the
fall. Next spring but nine were living.
These were "petted," given an abund-
ance of , rich soil and kept free from
weeds. Suds from the weekly wash
were poured around them and the
ground kept liberally (sprinkled with
wood ashes. The plants were set
along the garden path (this path run
through , the\ middle of the garden)
about a foot apart with rich dirt
heaped up around them. Adjoining
were mellow beds,of good garden soil.
These soon became stocked with
thrifty young plants from the runners.
Not,one was disturbed but all kept free
from weeds. Late in the sproingsdflff
from weeds. L/ate that fall, just be-
fore the hard freezes set in, light
mulch was given the entire bed. Next
spring she sold twenty-five gallons vof
starwberries at fifty cents a gallon.
Pursuing the same (course of treatmen
Pursuing the same, course of treatment
that summer as before. She sold
over fifty gallons the next year, after
reserving an abundance for table use.
All the^ work connected with grow-
ing them, she did herself. Her variety
was the Sharpless—a perfect berry—
and one. that throws out only sufficient
runners to propagate Itself—an excel-
lent berry for a novice to start (with.
This is not the scientific culture,of
strawberries—it is only an ignorant
woman's actual .experience and shows
what the strawberry will do for itself,'
if given half a^chance. Since then she
has handled different varieties, extra
early, medium ad late; and twhile ad-
mitting the good points in all, yet the
Sharpless,is her favorite.
The third year wps her "big" year.
She was kept too busy picking ,and
selling to keep accounts. There was
an immense yield , that year, and be-
coming ambitious, she bought new
varieties, set out new beds and had to
"hire."
I st plants in constjuence, and com-
pleted her losses by mulching the beds
with stable manure that fall. The
next year she had a crop of ;clover
instead of strawberries and had all to
begin over again. I would say,- never
put stable manure about your straw-
berry plants.
It is no,trouble to sell fine fruit at
a good prio.
The ideal strawberry season is warm
growing rains,with bursts of hot sun-
shine between.
The best fertilizer is wood ashes,
and black dirt from the hen house
or chip yard.
Eton't attempt too much; select some
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