WEEDS IN AN ORCHARD.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 325, 15 December 1888, Page 6

WEEDS IN AN ORCHARD.

We had just been having 1 a conversation with an Auckland orohartiisb, in the ourse of which we had expressed the opinion that ib was a good plan bo lay down an orchard of standard trees to grass after a few years, and gr.ize sheep amo first bho trees, when we came across the following wtibten by a correspondent of tho titiral JVeiv Yorker:- " A lew days sinco 1 had the pleasure of seeing and learning of a successrnl method of eradicating weeds. A lar^e, mature orchard overrun with wild carrots, Canada thistles and a score of other weeds, was burned into a bheep pasture : or possibly it might better bo called a shaop yard, as about four times as many oheep were put into the oichard as could bo pastuiod without extra feed. They wero j;iven a liberal allowance of bran and oil-meal with a littlo corn daily. This method was continued for four summers, at the end of which time the orchard had more tlian doubled in the quantity of fiuit pioduced, while tho quality had been much improved. The ground was then ploughed and planted, but no thibtles or carrofcb and but few other weeds appealed. " MrJ. S. Woodward has about 30 acres in apples, which have been treated in like manner,\viththeexeeptionof plou^hin^. He found that ho could keep his sheen cheaper by this method than by hiring pabtuie. And tiow the result, Last year he s-old nearly £1,400 woi th of apples. And fchi^ is nob all : the sheep kept in the orchard were bred early and the lambs sold at a hi»h aveuige price ; and these are not isolated cases."