History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 7

Author: Mitchell, William Bell, 1843-
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago : H. S. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1110

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But I got my setback. On June 27, 1894, a cyclone passed over St. John's, leaving only ruin and destruction in its track. I was told my orchard was all ruined. After two days I went out to see the extent of the damage. No trees in the orchard were broken off, but the side of the trees facing the cyclone was full of sand driven into the bark. All the trees recovered. I did not get off so easy with my little nursery. The fence was blown to pieces and thrown in on my grafted small trees, timbers and bricks, boards, dead chick- ens and lots of debris were lying on them. I cleared the garden and found 30 trees beyond redemption and 15 partly broken off. These were bandaged with grafting wax and strips of cloth. They healed up nicely, made good orchard trees and are bearing fruit today. In July of that year I joined the Minnesota State Horticultural Society, of which I am still a member. From reading the Horticultural Magazine and other publications I obtained all my information in horticulture. I improved my method of grafting, growing trees (also evergreens), of planting, cultivation best adapted to my conditions and in general all necessary orchard work. It saved me many a dollar and much sad experience. Every beginner in fruit-growing should become a member of this society and be guided by the practical instructions of the old horticulturists who blazed the way to success.

My first setback in horticulture did not in the least discourage me, but rather urged me on to try again. From now on I planted some seed from hardy crabs every fall to grow seedlings for root grafting. A hundred grafts or more were made every winter, and planted in the spring. They were kept free from weeds and cultivated. In a few years I had more trees than were needed. The trees set in the orchard were staked to prevent them from lean- ing over to the northeast side, that they would not be sun-scalded. They

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were cultivated just around the trees, mulched in the fall and protected with veneers from injury by mice, rabbits and sun. In a few years they started to bear. But I wanted to do more; I wanted to experiment to try new sorts, and find out myself what could be grown successfully in Stearns county. About 1896 I became acquainted with an old pioneer of fruit-growing, Chas. Luedloff of Cologne, Carver county. He had more than a hundred varieties of apples on trial, as also many plums. He supplied me most willingly with any sort I wished to try. Every fall he would send me scions of 10 to 15 kinds of apples and plums for grafting. He even imported grafting wood from Germany and sent me some of it complimentary. I found much pleas- ure in these trials but with little success.

As the years went by I tried more than 200 varieties of apples, 60 varieties of plums, 35 varieties of grapes and 10 varieties of cherries. I imported 50 sorts of apples, 15 of pears, and 5 of cherries from Germany and the Hon. John Arctander of Minneapolis sent over from Norway a half dozen kinds of apples. Besides these I received many varieties from Wisconsin, Iowa and South Dakota. I tried them all only to find out that these foreign importa- tions as well as the most of the other kinds were not suited to our climate. I tried many apples and pears from Russia, prunes and cherries from Poland, but all with the same disastrous result. From the Bureau of Plant Introduc- tion of the U. S. Department of Agriculture I obtained several varieties of Chinese pears, also apples and other fruits. All of these went the same way, with the possible exception of one or two pears which are still alive. I could have easily avoided all this useless labor, for I had before me the experience of the pioneers in horticulture; but no, I wanted to find out myself; and then, too, these trials are so interesting that one likes to keep on, although he is quite sure he will fail. Not being able to accomplish anything this way I tried it with seeds. I imported a pound of pear seed of the hardiest kind and raised some 1,500 seedlings, half of which I gave to the Minnesota State Fruit Breeding Farm and the other half I planted. As to the results I may say that nearly all suffered from our winter's cold. More than half blighted to death. A few, however, not more than five or six trees seem to be reasonably hardy and maybe will stay with us. Hence I would suggest: Do not experiment, leave this part of horticulture to the expert. As for practical results, I might mention that I have had about 100 varieties of apples and 50 of plums in bearing, but it would have been considerably better to reduce this number to only a few varieties. Among all these sorts there are only some 10 to 15 good kinds and the others are more or less undesirable for one reason or an- other. If I had planted only Duchess, Wealthy, Patten's Greening, Okabena and Anisim I am quite certain that I would have picked more than 1,000 bush- els of apples instead of 800 in 1913.

But after all, experiments are necessary in a new country, for without them we would not be able to raise apples in Stearns county today. The experimenter finds his reward for the labor in the great satisfaction he has whenever he is lucky enough to bring a new variety to fruiting. Last season, for instance, I had the satisfaction of raising my first pears of three varieties, two kinds of blue plums and one kind of prunes. But the trees, coming from

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HISTORY OF STEARNS COUNTY

Europe, may be dead after a cold winter. I have something better than all these foreign importations-I mean my native grapevine "Alpha." We found it in our woods. The vine is hardy and healthy and of vigorous growth. The grapes are of good size, the bunches growing to 7 inches long by 4 inches wide. The fruit is just a little smaller than the Concord. The quality is excellent, no foxiness or wild flavor in the grapes. The Alpha is ripe and ready for the table the first week in September, but if left on the vines till the end of this month it will become perfectly sweet with just a little vinous taste. This is something of real value, the more so as the vine, when well established, will stand a cold of 40 degrees below zero without any protec- tion. Anyone coming to St. John's may see these grape vines. Parties wish- ing to try the Alpha may get it from Geo. W. Strand, Taylor's Falls, Minn.

My work in horticulture has been considered of much value to the state by such men as the late Professor of Horticulture, S. B. Green of the Minne- sota State University. On two occasions he came to St. John's and looked over my work. He was so well pleased, that the next year I was elected a vice-president of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society for 1907. After that year I was appointed superintendent of the Trail Station established at St. John's University by the same State Society, which office I am still hold- ing. It is my duty to try out new fruits, make experiments and observations of all things horticultural and send in semi-annual reports of the station to the secretary of the society.

I was carrying on quite a number of other experiments. I raised about 50 apple seedlings for new fruits, some were really promising. The two best ones set fruit for the first time last season, but blight got in its work and killed both of them. Some years ago I topgrafted a hardy pear seedling with 12 varieties of good pears. They grew very well, but the tree was finally ruined by canker. I pollenized a few blossoms of a Patten's Greening with the pollen of a long-keeping German apple to get seed for a hardy long- keeping winter apple. The work was quite successful, but the hybrid apples I never got, they were stolen when almost ripe. I did quite a little top- working. Some of these resulting trees are among my best ones. Others overgrew the stock, because the graft was of a faster-growing variety, and again others failed to unite. The scions simply dropped off when the tie was removed. There was not much affinity between the woodcells of stock and scion. I could mention many more such trials and failures but these I think will do to show that in experiments there are more disappointments than suc- cesses. With cherries I did not do much, although I planted some 75 trees. They are not hardy enough and when they do bear a few cherries the birds get them all.

For the last 15 or 16 years I have taken great interest in growing ever- greens from seed. This is not so easy to accomplish as it may appear to many. Even with the closest attention to particulars failures are unavoidable. In order that the seed shall sprout it is necessary to give it forest conditions. For that purpose something like an arbor is built over the seedbed with laths excluding about half of the sunlight. On the well-prepared bed the seed may be sown broadcast or in rows. The seed is rolled down lightly and cov-

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HISTORY OF STEARNS COUNTY

ered with fine sand one-fourth of an inch or with moist sawdust. The bed is now well watered and covered with clean hay or straw. The bed must never get dry. In three or four weeks the seed comes up and the cover is removed. The young plants should not get too much water or disease will set in and all may damp off. To avoid loss weeding every week or ten days is necessary. In the fall the seedlings are covered with straw for protection during the first winter. When the plants are two or three years old they are ready for forest or grove planting. I have raised thousands of evergreen seedlings and lost thousands of them from damping off and freezing. I have now 15 vari- eties growing on our grounds at St. John's. The best evergreens are the White, Norway, Scotch and Bull Pines; the Norway, White, and Colorado blue spruces; the Douglas and Balsam firs, the European Larch, and the White and Red Cedar. All pines do better on sandy land and all spruces do better on good fertile soil if it is not too dry. For Stearns county I would recommend the Scotch pine for a windbreak, as it is one of the fastest grow- ers. If two or three rows of them are planted with the trees only six feet apart they will give entire satisfaction.

For lawns I would suggest to plant as single specimens, the Colorado blue or White Spruce, the White pine and the Douglas fir.

At the present time we do not know what Stearns county has in store for us, we do not realize its possibilities in fruit growing as yet. But let me tell you, Stearns county, with its many wooded hills and numerous lakes, with its open prairies and extensive forests, is one of the best adapted coun- ties in Minnesota for horticulture. As it is now one of the foremost agricul- tural counties, so it will be one of the best fruit-growing counties in the state. Since we have accomplished so much in a few years, we may confidently and reasonably expect to accomplish more in the time to come. There is no doubt in my mind that we have the land for it. Are you skeptical? Walk out into the woods; there you will find native varieties of all kinds: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, cherries, thornapples, hazelnuts, grape- vines and many others. Now all these native fruits would not grow there if the soil were not adapted to their requirements. As for quality, it is a law of nature that fruits grown at their northern limits are better than the same fruits grown further south. This is why our Minnesota strawberries, for in- stance, are much better than those from Louisiana. "But you cannot change the cold winters, which are so injurious to our fruits," I am told. Yes, this is very true, we cannot change the cold winters, but we can change the fruits so they will stand the winters. This is just the very thing that is now being done at the Minnesota State Fruit Breeding Farm at Zumbra Heights near Lake Minnetonka. And how is this to be accomplished ? By trying to com- bine the hardiness of our native fruits with the good qualities of the culti- vated varieties. Take for instance the plum. The flowers of the wild plum from the woods are crossed by hand with the pollen from a California or a Japanese plum. The resulting seeds contain now the qualities of both plums, hardiness to stand our winters and quality to suit our taste. By planting these seeds we may obtain what we want, a good hardy plum tree that will stand our winters and bear excellent plums akin either to the California or

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HISTORY OF STEARNS COUNTY

Japanese plum. I said we may, for many trials are necessary to find one plum in which both of these qualities are dominant. In this manner the work of fruit-breeding is carried on with all other fruits. Good results have already been obtained, although the work of fruit-breeding has only been carried on for six years. There are now originated new strawberries, black- berries, raspberries, grapes and plums. There are now thousands of hybrid trees and plants growing at the Fruit Breeding Farm; all are tried and only the few good ones will be propagated and sent out to the trial stations for their final trial before they are recommended for general planting in the state. I am now trying out ten varieties of these new plums and one of rasp- berries. Should this work be carried on for a sufficient number of years, it is very probable that Minnesota will be able to grow some of the choicest fruits in the United States.

For the last twenty years I have been active in horticulture in Stearns county. I have studied the different cultural methods, soils, locations, re- quirements of the various fruits, climatic conditions and adaptability of many kinds of fruits in our trying climate. Looking at all these different aspects as necessary knowledge for practical results in fruit culture and knowing that by giving at least its salient points I may do much toward better progress and development in horticulture of our county, I shall now endeavor to give some of the underlying truths or rather conclusions as a guide for others, just as I have gleaned them from any practical work.

The location of an orchard is of the greatest importance. The best place is the northeast slope of a hill. If not available, a northern or an eastern slope is all right. Should there be no hill close to the house a piece of level ground about the premises may be selected. The worst location for an orchard is a southern or western slope of a hill and low ground. Trees need water at all times and will not succeed on a dry hillside nor can they bear wet feet in low places, where, too, they are exposed to all the early and late frosts and the greater difference of temperature between day and night. The orchard or trees in a farmer's garden need sufficient air drainage and at the same time protection from the strong winds and cold blasts of winter, hence a good partial wind-break is much to be desired. We should aim to give the trees the best location available and sufficient protection.

The best soil is black loam with a clay subsoil of an open texture. The clay should contain about 20 to 30 per cent of sand so that the water can percolate right down deep. Should the clay be so stiff that no water would go through it, but rather accumulate on top of the impervious clay, the trees would suffer from too much water. Some subsoils consist of a hardpan and will not do for trees. The hardpan should first be broken up by a charge of dynamite before the trees are planted on this soil. Some subsoils are rather sandy but contain some clay ; this may make a fairly good location. Avoid all subsoils of pure sand and gravel, for these soils hold no water, it goes right through as fast as it falls. If you must use such a soil, plow the top soil together into high reaches 20 feet wide. This may be the only way for you to grow apples on such a soil.

The land for an orchard should have been in cultivation for a few years

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HISTORY OF STEARNS COUNTY

and its wild nature subdued. If you have a piece of sod land that would be handy for an orchard, break it up and crop it for two years, then, plow it in the fall and make ready for planting in the spring. Order your trees in the fall and heel them in over winter. On a dry place dig a slanting hole two feet deep for the roots, tapering to six inches for the tops. Lay the trees in and put some soil on and between the roots. On these trees you may lay some more. When the trees are all in and the roots covered a little with ground, place some pieces of boards crosswise over the entire trees and fill in the hole with ground and somewhat higher, so that no water will stay there. It is good to put some straw on it for protection, which ought to be removed early in the spring. The trees will come out of their winter quarters in the very best condition for planting and are far ahead of those ordered in the spring. Plant the trees 20 feet apart in rows running north and south and the rows should be 25 feet apart. If many trees are to be planted plow crosswise the proper distance apart and at the point of intersection dig the holes large and wide enough for the roots. If only a few trees are to be planted, the holes may be made with the shovel just as needed for planting, that the ground will not dry out. It is not impossible to plant trees in sod. On steep hillsides trees should be planted in sod to prevent washouts by heavy rains. Dig up the soil the size of a wagonwheel, spade the ground deep, make the hole in the centre and plant your tree. Set the trees about four inches deeper than they stood in the nursery, cut off any broken root in such a way that the cut looks downward. Spread out the roots the way they grew and work the top soil among them. Fill in gradually till the roots are covered about four or five inches deep, then firm the ground solid with your boots and weight. The last two or three inches of soil are kept loose. The ground should dish toward the trees to hold the water from the rains. No subsoil and no manure are used for planting, nor is water necessary, when the ground is reasonably moist; should the ground be dry, then of course water would have to be applied.

After planting, the tops should be pruned. Leave only four strong branches six inches long. The leader, too, should be cut back to grow a low- topped tree and this is of great advantage later. Trees coming from the nursery in the spring should be put in water over night or buried in moist ground for two days before planting. Trees should be cultivated often; should this be impossible put a mulch of straw about them to keep the ground cool and moist. In planting the trees should be well inclined towards the one o'clock sun or should be staked so that they will not lean over to the north- east from the winds and get sunscalded. It is well to put on a wooden veneer or any other shade to protect the trees from the sun, mice and rabbits at all times. In the fall the trees may be whitewashed up to the branches. It is well to look over your trees sometimes, for bugs and worms might get in their work.

This method of planting, which should be done in early spring, may be recommended for all fruit trees. For plums and their hybrids, if not orig- inated from the sand cherry, I would suggest to use a richer and moister soil for their location. If it be a little sandy it would not hurt. For plums a

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somewhat lower ground may be used, provided it is not too wet and is free from late frosts, for plums flower early. Cherries delight in high sandy loca- tions, but the ground should be fertile. Nothing more need be said about cherries, as we have no variety sufficiently hardy in our county.

Grapes prefer a sunny location, a south slope of a hill is the best and should be well protected from the cold north and southwest winds. Only in such locations do they develop to perfection. They require a fertile but somewhat sandy, gravelly soil. Their propagation is quite simple. While fruit trees must be grafted, it is only necessary for the grape to cut off a well-grown piece of the vine from last year's growth about 10 inches long and stick it in the sandy soil up to the last bud. As a rule many such cuttings will grow and make nice plants by fall. Protect them over winter and in spring they may be transplanted in the vineyard or garden. The vines should be set apart at least eight feet each way. The grapevines should be pruned, laid down every fall and covered with ground for protection over winter. The first fall they should be cut back to two buds, the second fall to one foot above ground. The third year they will begin to bear. In the fall one shoot, or if the vine is strong, two shoots may be cut back to three good buds and all other shoots cut away entirely. Do this pruning every year and always in the fall. As the vines grow stronger more bearing wood may be left on, but remember that at least nine-tenths of the wood grown last season ought to be cut away, if you desire nice bunches with large berries. A trellis should be built for the vines to which they are tied in the spring. A fence with three barbless wires set up along the rows of grapevines will do.

Raspberries and blackberries may be propagated by suckers or root divi- sions. Currants and gooseberries are generally grown from cuttings just like the grapevines. But the cuttings are made as soon as the leaves drop off about the middle of August and planted at once. They will be rooted by late fall and may be transplanted next spring or better grown another year. They should be planted four feet apart in rows and the rows six feet apart. Mulch- ing is a good thing for them. Raspberries and blackberries should be laid down and covered. The land may be of a sandy nature but rich in plant food.

Strawberry plants should always be obtained from nursery men, unless you want to grow them yourself from plants that were never allowed to bear fruit. The land for strawberries should be made extra rich, as they are great feeders. They prefer a sandy loam. The rows should be about four feet apart and the plants in the row about 18 inches. Take care to spread out the roots well in planting, which may be done with a spade, and just so deep that the crown of the plant is on a level with the ground. Cultivate frequently but do not allow them to bear the first season. When the runners appear, spread them out so that the new plants will grow about six inches apart. Keep the walk between the rows free from plants and weeds. The path should be at least a foot wide. Late in the fall the strawberry beds are to be cov- ered with clean straw or marsh hay. In the spring this cover is raked off and partly left in the paths. The plants will now grow vigorously, bloom and ripen lots of fruit by the end of June. Strawberries need much water just when the berries are about ripening. Should it not rain frequently, water

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must be applied rather freely. After the berries are picked, the bed is mowed, and the leaves removed and burned. Strawberries may bear a second year. For that purpose plow and harrow between the rows, leaving of the old bed only a strip one foot wide. New runners will soon grow new plants and the bed may be treated as the year before. After the second year it is better to plant a new bed.

There are many people in the county who like to experiment a little for themselves in growing fruit trees from seed. Some have already tried it, but for the greater part the results are not satisfactory, for the new fruits do not come true from the seed. As a rule they revert back to some of their worthless ancestors. But many times very good fruits may be grown that way and this work should be encouraged. The seeds should be taken from the finest, well-colored and best apples of its kind grown in Stearns county. Only the most perfect seeds should be planted 11/2 inches deep in October. They will come up in the spring. When the little trees have grown five or six leaves, they should be transplanted at least a foot apart in rows and culti- vated. Those that grow a straight, vigorous, strong and clean stem with large thick, glossy leaves are the ones to grow seedling fruit from. The others are no good, but may be used for rootgrafting. As this work is of much value, the Plant Breeders' Auxiliary was started a few years ago and affil- iated to the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. Any one interested may join it. To encourage this work many premiums are offered for new seedling apples and other fruits annually by the State Fair and other premiums from $100 to $1,000 by the Minnesota State Horticultural Society. Has this grow- ing of seedling trees ever been tried in Stearns county? Certainly, quite a number are doing it. I for one am at it and I know of a lady not far from Richmond who has grown and fruited 40 apple trees from seed.

Every one interested in horticulture should know how to graft and grow his own trees. This is easy to learn and saves him many a dollar for nursery stock. I would suggest to get Professor Green's Amateur Fruit Growing. You may have it for a premium, if you join the Horticultural Society. This book will teach you not only how to graft and grow your own trees, but everything a fruitgrower should know. I can give here only general directions. Sow the seeds from hardy crabapples in the fall for growing the seedlings. Late in the fall next year take out the strongest ones, cut back the top and roots a little, pack the roots in moist sawdust and keep them in a cool cellar. Cut

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History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 7

Author: Mitchell, William Bell, 1843- Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Chicago : H. S. Cooper Number of Pages: 1110

Author: Mitchell, William Bell, 1843-
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago : H. S. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1110