Old-time
common sense ideas to help you maintain and enjoy your country
home, garden, landscape and property.
From The Register of
Rural Affairs, 1859
When old trees become feeble, there is no better way of imparting
to them vigor, than by manuring. Instead of adopting the more
common practice of digging a circular trench around them and
filling this with manure, the operation may be performed in a more
perfect and efficient manner by digging narrow radiating trenches
from within a few feet of the trunk, directly from it-this will
prevent cutting many of the roots. The annexed diagram will show
the position of these trenches. These may then be filled with a
compost, made of turf, stable manure, ashes, and perhaps a little
bone manure-the turf to be the chief constituent, say one-half or
two-thirds-and the ashes say one-thirtieth. The bone manure is not
essential, as its constituent parts are in common manure in small
quantities. If this is done in autumn, the roots will be prepared
to penetrate it early in spring, and if the tree is not past
recovery, it may make a new push. The roots probably extend as far
each way as the height of the tree, and the trenches should extend
about as far. They need not be cut very near the tree, as the
roots are all large there, and would be more likely to be injured
and would be little benefitted. The trenches should be only the
width of a spade, and may be two to four feet apart.
