Norwich Bulletin Newspaper, January 1, 1917, Page 31

, DING IN EASTERN CONNECTICUT Where Apples Are Cropped by Thousands of Barrels and Peaches by Thousands of Baskets 'METHODS OF SETTING OUT TREES, CULTURE AND §PRAY!KG*BXPERIMBfiT.lN GRAFTING Fvgait--smhe ng!_ 1n “led Stgrage—?Sonie Is Exported Good Markets Found for the The modern style of réharding is Tapidly gaining ground in : : New England, and creating local interest everywhere. Here in Eastern Connecticut we: have a few notable examples of up-to- \acres are ‘given over to winter apples. ' He icultivates the or- chards frequently, using both harrow and cultivator, and picks off the superfluous fruit, though not in so large a. proportion as some of the other growers. date fruit gfowing which should interest other owners of land and inspire them to seek to produce good fruit. ‘While there are doubtless 500 varieties of apples grown in of each represent the best general purpose and fancy fruit pro- duced in'New England for the market. In every comparison of fruit the apples of New England have stood the test for quality, beauty of form and color. The West has taught the East how to sort fruit, grade and pack it for the market so-that it will command the highest price; and cold storage:has made it possible for the fruit growers to keep their fruit and retail it when prices are high-and good fruit is in quick demand. reaping for themselves a larger and more assur- ing profit. < The tenderness of the peach and its liability to destruction by heat, hail, drouth or frost makes it less dependable than the apple as a returner of profits and in less favor with growers; but some of our Eastern Connecticut orchardists are shining examples of success in the growth of both these fruits.- A representative of The Bulletin “has visited a few of the live orchardists of Eastern Conmecticut, and submits herewith a brief recital of a few of the revelations this trip afforded: THE OLD ISRAEL PUTNAM FARM., On the borders of Brooklyn and Pomfret is the farm, and orchard of Mr. Arthur Brooks Lapsley and it will serve as .a splendid type of what in our own section, represents successful culture of fruit, especially apples, to which Mr. Lapsley gives the greater part of his effort and attention. He is courteous gentleman and readily gave information re- garding his experience in orcharding. The Bulletin herewith presents a view of a tree from his orchard. in the month of September, when the fruit was at its best. There are about 220 acres in this old Israel Putnam farm, about 50 acres of which are cultivated. The varieties of apples raised are the “Wealthy,” “MclIntosh,” ‘“Sutton Beauty,” ‘%ulu» win” and “Ben Davis” In the average successful year he raises a crop of thres thousand barrels, as in the year 1914. In 1915 he raised but eighteen hundred barrels, and in a good year, all conditions being favorable. he regards a maximum crop as being from five to six thousand barrels. : The best apples are wrapped and packed in boxes; the lower grades and the Ben Davis variety are barreled. The fruit finds a ready market, and Mr. Lapsley has sold his fruit in both Liver- pool and Glasgow. At times he has sold his crop in Boston, at others on the farm itself. His first trees were planted in the Spring of 1901, some in 1902 and the balance in 1908, the oldest trees being fifteen vears of age. The trees come to the grower already grafted, and no other grafting is needed except occasional top-grafting at the farm. Mr. Lapsley has found that his investment pays him thus far about ten per cent., but believes it should be fifteen per cent., “to be safe all around.” He has tried the raising of peaches, but with little success, regarding it as a hazardous crop; telling of an instance where one day he had peaches on the trees worth perhaps, fifteen hundred dollars, which the next day were worth little or nothing, owing to their destruction by a hail-storm. His apple trees are sprayed three times in each season, and the ground about the trees cultivated every fortnight, until August first. From 60 to 70 per cent. of the fruit is. picked off in June and July, in order to promote the growth of the re- mainder. The pruning time is in March or early April, but may be done at any convemient time. Mr. Lapsley is an enthusiast as to the possibilities of fruit- culture in Connecticut, and regards apple growing, under proper conditions, as an enterprise reasonably certain to yield fair re- turns upon the investment of time, labor and money. THE KITEMAUG FARM. In 1910, Mr. Frank W. Browning for a long time connected with banking as well as the industry of paper-making in Nor- wich, purchased “Kitemaug™ a few miles down the Thames river, and developed the one hurdred acres connected therewith where he carries on the successful culture of peaches and apples, and while not the Jargest orchard in the state, it is typical of what may be done by industry and the use of scientific methods in the growing of these highly-prized fruits. This property under the watchful care and supervision of Mr. Browning has been brought fo a high state of cultivation and is known among growers as one of the successful orchards of the country. g The owner's experience in business life pgeves very useful to him both in the raising and the marketing of the fruit. Mr. Browning also carries on general farming. A beautiful and comfortable residence crowns the hill, from ‘whence one may look south the length of the Thames. We were very courteously received by the owner and shown about the 30 acres or more under cultivation The peaches from Mr. Browning’s orchard have become so famous hereabouts that the writer was surprised to learn that the ultimate crop, so to speak, sought by the owner, is the apple crop and his peach trees in disregard of the bountecus yield, he deseribed as “fillers.” Thirty acres are devoted to orchard pur- poses and the number of trees is about five thousand, of which twelve hundred are apple trees. The trees were all “budded” or grafted, when purchased and were two years old at the time of setting out, and hardly, as Mr. Browning said, “bigger 'round than one’s finger.” The oldest of the trees are now six years. They are set out, as are Mr. Lapsley’s trees, in diagonal rows; the apple trees thirty-six feet apart and the “fillers” or peach trees, eighteen feet; the purpose of this arrangement being, that when the peach trees have served their purpose, the apple trees will then have developed and need all the space for proper growth and cultivation. Cultivation is carried on to about July 10th, when the weeds are permitted to grow, the fruit being so far advanced in growth as not to be unfavorably affected thereby. The growth of the weeds and grass protect the trees in their winter exposure. The ground about the trees is fertilized every year; and there being no potash this year, except at prohibitive prices, Mr. Browning said he had used bone, a car load of lime and that nitrogen had béen obtained from what he termed “cover crops” ;:ow-m etg—ralsing them and turning them in for fertiliz- o - The trees afe sprayed first in the dormant seasom, in March or April, a selition of lime and sulphur being used, and later on, the apple trées,” Defore the blossom opens, are sprayed with arsenate of lead, and with this soltion Mr. Browning also uses nicotine, which kills the green lice. The third and last spraying is done wher the ‘blossoms are about to fall. The fruit 18:put through a thinning out process in order that maturing, it may be s'and finer’'and about fifty per cent. of each kind is pi off in the course of the season. for planting the trees diagonally in line, the owner explained that the vate by ramning it once over, instead 1 row, h he nnq- advantageous as a 4 are treated with arsenate of ' In walking through the orchard Mr. writer’s attention to the . vigorous appearance this country, and sgores of varieties of peachés, less than a score - thoroughly and rapidly, because of the admission of the sunlight, whereas before adopting this practice, there was an unevenness about their maturity which has been almost entirely overcome. In 1915, a good year, he raised and sold eight thousand half-bushel baskets of the numerous varieties of peaches grown by him. The varieties are as follows: The Greenshoro, ripening about August first, followed by the Wordell; after them the Carmen, then the Belle of Georgia, which in turn is followed by the Hiley Belle, and last of all the Elberta, the season rumning from August first to September fifteenth. Nearly half of the large orchard is given over to this last named fruit which is the great canning-peach, and remarkable for its size, beauty of color and fine flavor. Some fifteen or sixteen hands are employed in the picking season and a number of our Free Academy boys find.remunera- tive employment on Mr. Browning’s place_at this time, when on vacation. v ¢ Mr. Browning anticipated a smaller yield of the Elbertas in the season of 1916, attributing their scarcity to the spell of ex- treme warm weather in January last, when on two occasions the mercury reached seventy-five degrees in the shade in our own city. The heat “started” the trees in some degree, and the sub- sequent extreme cold prevented the norma! development of the buds. However, aside from the Elbertas, the crop seemed as- sured and the walk through the orchard revealed a prospect of a large yield of this lucious fruit. Among the apples, are the Baldwin, always a standard apple, the McIntosh, Rome Beauty, Spitzenberg, the Wealthy, Williams’ Favorite, Stayman’s Winesap, Yellow Transparent, and that old favorite, the Rhode Island Greening; so that it will be seen that a splendid start has been made in the matter of apple-growing, and as the trees increase in age and in fecundity, the owner may look for large and constantly increasing returns upon his in- vestment. The Elbertas of the 1915 crop were commended by a large Boston dealer in fruit as having been among the finest that came into that market, a few of them having been shipped there for sale. In addition to the cultivation of his own farm, Mr. Browning hired some ten acres lying on the westerly side of the New London turnpike and planted the tract to potatoes, and in the year 1915 raised and sold from this field twenty-three hundred bushels. d There was shown by Mr. Browning a curious and yet to him, very useful chart of his orchard, the work of a younger son, since deceased. On a sheet of wax-paper some two or three feet square is shown in colors, the location of the trees, the different varieties and the like, so that it is possible and a very easy matter to go exactly to any desired spot and to know the variety of fruit there grown. It is an artistic piece of work, displaying great ingenuity on the part of the designer. THE BAILEY FARM IN GROTON. ‘We visited the farm and orchard of the Messrs. Ralph and W. A. Bailey, in the town of Groton, a model one, largely under cultivation and ,with but little fencing to be seen. This sloping land seems an ideal place for the raising of the various crops which the Messrs. Bailey endeavor, and with success, to mature and market in the early season. The younger Bailey received us with great courtesy and described his methods. And extensive bed of ripe asparagus, some four acres in ex- temt, attracted attention and he informed us this was his prin- cipal crop, of which he sent to market in 1915 seven tons.” Mr. Bailey finds a market for the asparagus locally, and remarked that Norwich was an especially good market for it. The re- mainder of his crop he sells in New London, with some small shipments to Providence. - This farm comprises one hundred acres nearly all of which is-finder cultivation; and the orchard contains about twenty-five hundréd peach trees and four hundred apple trees. They are planted in diagonal rows, the peach trees about fifteen feet apart and the apple trees ‘thirty feet, about two hun- dred peach trees to the acre. The oldest of the peach trees are about twelve years, and all the apple trees are six years old; the latter of course. not bearing to any extent as yet, as they are not sufficiently matured. . d In 1915 Mr. Bailey sold between three and four thousand half-bushel baskets of peaches, finding a good local market for all of them. * The varicties grown are the Carmen, the Elberta, Mountain Rose, Chair's Choice, Stimp, Wordell and the late Crawford. For a time he raised the variety of peach known as the May- flower, which ripens in July, but finding them unsatisfactory in many ways, cut out all of these trees in the Spring of 1916, sct- ting out young trees of another variety in their stead. 3 The Carmans, which ripen in August, do very well, and Mr. Bailey finds the early varieties the mast ::mne as_well as_the more profitable. The later. varieties in his' orchard are not doing ISAAC LAMB'S WALKER HILL PLACE. Mr. Isaac Lamb, who cultivates in accordance with the most seientific methods, a small farm of some twenty or thirty acres on Walker Hill, in the town of Groton on the fine turnpike road, was found in the field with his men. Substantially all of Mr. Lamb’s land is cultivated, there being hardly any wood upon the premises. He has at present about six hundred peach trees, and sevent: 0 apple trees, and Of pear trees some twenty odd, upén six acres of ground; and last year sold over sixteen hundred baskets of peaches, his oldest trees being from six to seven years of age. 3 In setting out the trees, he allows the peaches sixteen feet square and the appie trees thirty-five feet. He fertilizes in sub- stantially the same manner and with the same materials as do the other growers; and in cultivating useés the harrow and the cultivator. After two cultivations he “lets the hens scratch ‘round,” and finds that they are vely useful in keeping the ground in good condition, destroying many noxious insects that might otherwise Dbe hurtful to the trees and their fruit. i As yet Mr. Lamb has not raised many apples but informed us that of the vayleties under culture, the Jonathan apple had borne the best of them all, and described it as an excellent eat- ing fruit. . HON. WILLIAM ALLYN’S LEDYARD FARM. The 200-acre farm of the Hon. William I. Allyn, in Ledyard, one of the largest fruit-growers, as well as one of the best known and highly esteemed citizen of New London County, is of exceptional interest. Mr. Allyn’s. orchards cover some twenty- five acres, and he has at present about two thousand peach trees and five hundred apple trees. His oldest trees of the first named variety, are about ten years of age, and the apple trees twelve years old. Changes are made in his orchards at times and the trees are set in different lots of land; he having in apples, for instance, three orchards on one side of the road leading to the house and one on the opposite side. He sets his trees square, rather than in diagonal rows, at a distance of forty feet between apple trees and twenty feet be- tween the “fillers,” or peach trees. In fertilizing he uses the standard sorts. Mr. Allyn ploughs his orchard early and cultivates the sround about the trees with the harrow and cultivator several times during the early season, doing this some five or six times before allowing the grass and weeds to grow about them. s The varieties of peaches raised by him vary but little from those of the gentlemen already mentioned; and his crop which begins to ripen in August, extends in point of time, to October. He sells his apples and peaches, largely in New London, that city being easy of access. His best varieties of apples are the Baldwin and McIntosh, in his judgment, and he has some three hundred trees of the former kind in bearing, together with thirty of the McIntosh and forty more coming on. The picking season begins with him in September and extends through the Autumn, and the first fruit gathered by Mr. Allyn from his trees was in the season of 1914, when he marketed in New London and vicinity, some three hundred barrels of apples. A rather curious feature in their packing is to pack and sell them in peach baskets, rather than in boxes or barrels. When asked his reason for this custom, Mr. Allyn said it~ was convenient, and in addition had the advantage of displaying the size and quality of the fruit. While on a day’s tour of three or four towns in Wihdham County, all within a short distance from Putnam, it was our privilege to see and examine some of the best orchards in every way, in that section. A couple of miles south of Putnam, Mr. Wheaton has a fine, thrifty orchard of peaches in splendid condition. The owner has a reputation of being an exceptionally successful grower of this fruit. THE HOPPIN-CLARK PLACE, SOUTH POMFRET. On a model farm owned by Mrs. Courtland Hoppin and Miss E. J. Clark, in South Pomfret, and occupied and managed by Mr. Everett E. Brown, is a model orchard, an example of what may be done with trees of great age, if carefully tended. The place itself, originally known as the Clapp place, is at- tractive, and an extensive business is carried on by Mr. Brown, who has an excellent herd of Jersey cattle and chickens of a fine strain without number. The orchard itself, is but some five acres in extent; small it may seem in comparison with others which have been noted but upon these few acres he has some ninety varieties of apples, and in addition, some of the trees are from eighty to one hun- dred years of age, all of which have been renovated, conclusively demonstrating that mere age does not destroy the fecundity of the trees, inattention and neglect of proper treatment being far more potent factors in this direction. Mr. Brown is constantly grafting in new sorts of the fruit upon” his oldest trees, and finds “mulching” a successful method of fertilizing, though he uses some of the regular market fertili- zers as well. —_— ' Among the varisties which he raises for marketing pur- 8 not Zoms 5% the Bridmin the Sk S, Shosard Susitings et -Apple buyers visit this farm yearly, but at times Mr. Brown 'flldl it more profitable to put his apples in cold-storage in Prov- idence,. as he -8id in 1915, awalting better prices than were quoted in the picking season, packing the greater part of the fruit in barrels and some of the finer sorts in baskets or boxes. JOSEPH E. STODDARD’S SNUG LITTLE ORCHARDS. In the same town, lies the 79-acre farm of Joseph E. Stod- dard, of which about six acres are given over to 'the growing of apples, and tiree acres to peaches. There are about two hundred young apple trees and thirty- five old ones, the latter having been set out from thirty to thirty five years ago. The young trees are growing and are in flourish- ing condition, having been set out in 1914, The peach trees, numbering some four hundred, have borne but one crop, and in 1916, the year’s yield will be much lighter than before because of the warm weather of January last, it having started the. buds, which were nipped by the extreme cold weather following. From the first bearing, one hundred and twenty-five baskets ‘were gathered. There were picked from the thirty-five trees in 1915, three hundred barrels, and five other trees yielded sixty barrels—fifty number one’s and ten number two's. His peach trees he re- gards as a temporary feature. The variqys sorts of apples grown In the Stoddard orchard are Baldwins, MclIntosh Reds, Russets, Rhode Iuiliad Greening: Sweet Bough, Early Transparent, Gravenstein, and Norfhern Sp brinéipally the McIntosh Reds; all of these being grown on the old trees. He has also, some few trees of another variety, known as the Early Harvest. In the new trees he has twenty-five varieties, and looks for a fine yield from them eventually. In peaches he grows the El- bertas largely, but has other standard kinds as well. From the Stoddard farm to Woodstock the drive was over excellent roads and through delightful scenery; and on our a rival we visited the historic home of Dr. George E. McClellan. DR. McCLELLAN’S PLACE IN WOODSTOCK. Dr. McClelian’s place, of two hundred and fifty acres, 1s lo- cated on the main street of Woodstock, and on the farm are three orchards of some thirty acres in extent, all devoted to the growing of apples. Except for a new orchard, the trees in which Wwere set out two years ago, the trees are all old ones, having been planted by Dr. McClellan's father, who died at his home at the age of ninety-five years. The trees were in fine bearing condition, He has some four or five hundred trees, including the new orchard. On coming from New York to Woodstock, he found _himself confronted with an apple crop, still.on the trees, of two thousand barrels, and the problem of how to gather and market the fruit. However, by sending to Worcester, he obtained men enough, the crop was safely gathered and successfully mar- keted in the larger cities, there being no local market worth mention. The apples grown by him are of the standard varieties: Baldwins, Russets, and many other sorts, among them tk “Sheep’s Nose” or Gillifiower apple, so highly prized by some consumers. His methods of cultivation vary but little, if any, from those of other srowers of apples. The Doctor is a, firm bellever in frequent cultivation in the proper season, spraying and extensive fertilization. As to the early fruit picked off from the trees, no percentage was given, but it is hig custom to do this when the fruit appears too thick in the clusters as they form. This year, 1916, because of his inability to give his orchards the attention they should properly receive, and through failure to find anywhere the hands needed by him, the doctor is not looking for a large crop, and believes it may fall considerably below the average of former seasons. In cultivating, cken are used to drag the harrow, and after harrowing the cultivator is brought into use. No- peach trees are used as in many other orchards as fillers, the few peach trees on the place providing fruit only for the family and their friends. Mr. Bowen has upon his beautiful homestead, next door, an extensive orchard, covering considerable territory, and Mr. Har- rison also has a good-sized orchard, which he successfully con- ducts in the same town. Too much credit cannot be given for the =fforts espended by the faculty and officlals of our State Agricultural College. In many ways they are making constant and intelligent effort to improve conditions and methods of orcharding, bringing to their tasks a degree of scientific and practical knowledge that is sure to produce in the end, if there be any end to their labors, im- proved conditions in this great industry. GRAFTING EXPERIMENTS. Mr. George S. Brown, of the Attawaugan Company, the well- known writer on fishing, bait-casting and kindred topics, has conducted some interesting experiments in fruit-raising. His place is too small, possibly, to be dignified by the name of erchard, but he is an enthusiast upon the subject of grafting- in fruit of various sorts, and upon one tree he raises Red As- trachans, a summer apple, the old-fashioned Spicer and Pound Sweets; all of the different sorts doing well in the way of bear- ing. On another tree are crab apples, Golden Sweetings and Peci’s Pleasants, and in 1916, the third year after grafting, the fruit, with the exception of the Peck’s Pleasants, is in fine con- dition. Brown, as an experiment, set out a tree of “the Spicer " an apple without seeds when ripened and coreless as weil. Neither does it blossom at all, having a small bud which never opens. It was a novelty merely, and Mr. Brown finding the fruit undesirable for eating purposes, grafted in successfully with Baldwins and Cogswell Pearmains. Mr. Brown, as a result of his experiments, gave the opinion that no matter how poor your tree, graft-in, and in three years’ time you can have any desired apple; the truth of this statement being corroborated by the experiences of the growers already mentioned, who have orchards composed largely of old trees. There was a general compiaint of the shortage of potash on account of the war in Europe. We believe that with the numerous agencies, county and state, now laboring in this direction, Eastern Connecticut may be once more known as the home of fine fruits and that they who grow them will reap results both pleasurable and profitable withal. In orcharding it is plainly shown that the apple-growers for profit agree pretty well upon the most dependable varieties, al- though in quality the Baldwin and Ben Davis are far apart. And in establishing orchards the good cropper has to be borne in mind if good resuits are desired. For instance, the differ- ence in the bearing ability of the Baldwin and the King of Tomp- kins County is so wide that more money can be made marketing Baldwins for one dollar a barre] than'the latter for two dollars. In many parts of the country the Ben Davis apple is a joke, but as a keeper, a good looker andsa last survivor it is toothsome and welcome when the better fruit has been consumed late in spring. history of man runneth not back to a time when the not prised as a fruit and held in popular esteem.