90 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



only for cider, one-third are partially merchantable, and the remainder are 

 passably good, lie expressed the belief that the consumer suffered more from 

 the failure to produce sound apples than the grower, and declared it to be for 

 the interests of the former to attend the meetings of this Society, and use their 

 influence to suppress the apple pest. 



At the April meeting Mr. DeCou read the following paper on 



OECHAED CULTIVATION : 



Me. President — I find myself called upon to illuminate a subject without 

 anv oil. In bringing this subject before the Society, I did so for the reason 

 that I knew nothing about it, and I wished to learn from the practical experi- 

 ence of others. How late in the season should ground be cultivated in an 

 orchard, or 'around fruit of any kind? Now, it is the most easy thing in the 

 world to stop cultivating ; in fact, too easy. But while we have the subject of 

 cultivation before us, would it not be well to take into consideration how early 

 to commence? If stirring the ground in the spring will start trees to growing 

 any earlier, should we not, to avoid late frosts, wait until the buds begin to 

 open, and then hurry them through a period of a few days, when there is the 

 most danger? "When only growth is wanted, I would commence to cultivate as 

 soon as the ground is fit to work. In raising a crop of corn we find the more 

 thorough the cultivation, the sooner the crop matures, and no amount of culti- 

 vation will make it grow any longer ; and so with fruit, cultivation will increase 

 the size and hasten the time of ripening, but will it extend the time? Now, 

 the question is : Will trees and vines stop growing at the proper time? If not, 

 why not? I have noticed trees in a very hot, dry time in summer stop growing, 

 but when fall rains came, they would start and grow until frost came and win- 

 ter found them very tender. Can this be helped by proper cultivation? I 

 think it can. I find by the record of the fall of 1869 that late cultivated trees 

 were injured most by early frost. I cultivated a young orchard quite late that fall, 

 and lost a good many trees, but laid it at the time to early freezing. In look- 

 ing over the reports of the State Horticultural Society I find but little said on 

 this subject. I think the subject important. If every member of this Society 

 would investigate for himself I think before the next Centennial we should be 

 able to say to our trees and vines, " So long shalt thou grow, and no longer." 



Then followed a general discussion of the topic and kindred subjects sug- 

 _ sted by Mr. Do Cou's paper. 



Mr. John Suttle. — Late cultivation of trees causes a late growth. I would 

 not cultivate after August, as then the trees go into the winter too tender. Any 

 woody plant can be started into growth by cultivation. 



Mr. Harvey Smith, of Georgetown, Ottawa county. — I quite agree with Mr. 

 Suttle. Late cultivation induces late growth. I am opposed to the practice. 



Mr. Sala Smith of Grand Rapids town — All botanists and horticulturists 

 know that there are two growths, annually, with woody plants. There is a 

 growth in the fall whether trees are cultivated or not. Cultivation increases the 

 growth, and hence trees arc more liable to injurj from the cold ; when the 

 growth of the trees and fruit is slow, and apples mature later, they will keep 

 much better. I have plowed my orchards in the spring and in the fall and 

 could not see any difference as to the trees enduring the winters. The Golden 

 Kusset will endure more extreme winters than oak grubs, as I have observed. 

 I regard any cultivation or practice as beneficial that will retard the develop- 

 ment of fruit. In cultivating my orchards I generally plow late in the fall. 



