EXPERIMENTS IN ORCHARD CULTURE. 



W. M. MUNSON. 



In accordance with the general poHcy of the Experiment Sta- 

 tion, of conducting practical experiments in those sections of the 

 State best suited to the particular industry under consideration, 

 the orchard of Mr. Chas S. Pope, of Manchester, has for several 

 years been used in the study of orchard pests and, during the 

 past four years, in the study of various cultural problems. The 

 orchard is situated in the heart of one of Maine's best orchard 

 counties — Kennebec — and is much better suited for the purposes 

 hereinafter mentioned than is the Station orchard at Orono. At 

 the outset the writer wishes to acknowledge the uniform 

 courtesy and helpful counsel of Mr. Pope and the faithfulness 

 with which he has carried out the details of the work — often at 

 a great personal sacrifice. 



I. Culture and Fertilizers. 



For a study of the comparative effects of cultivation and 

 mulch, as well as the use of stable manure and commercial fer- 

 tilizers, in the development and fruiting of apple trees, a young 

 orchard of Tallmans and Gravensteins was selected in 1898. 

 The trees were 8 to 10 years old at the beginning of the experi- 

 ment. 



HISTORY OF THE ORCHARD. 



The trees were planted 25 x 30 feet apart as follows : three 

 rows on the south, next to the old orchard, in 1888 ; the next row, 

 1889; rows five to eight, 1890. The soil was a rocky, sandy, 

 virgin loam pasture with an eastern aspect. No cultivation was 

 given and no special attention paid to the orchard, except to 

 keep out the borers and give an occasional mulching, until May, 

 1898, when the work was taken up by the Experiment Station. 



