REPORTS FROM LOCAL SOCIETIES. 101 



field of ten acres he bought to get an outlet for his drains, and paid for the land 

 with the drains out of the first crop of corn. Before draining it would produce 

 nothing. On another piece of twenty acres, by investing thirty dollars per acre 

 in drains, ho changed the yield from ten to eighty-five bushels of corn. Of 

 course these are exceptional cases. But I know of one instance where an open 

 ditch was replaced "with tile, a main at that, and the whole expense paid by the 

 crop the next year on the land previously occupied by the ditch. 



The main I laid the past summer will change an unsightly ditch into a road 

 on the line between myself and neighbor, giving each more land to cultivate, 

 and stop the growth of a large amount of weed seed. Had it been put in last 

 fall instead of now, the exjjense would have been more than paid by the in- 

 creased yield of a piece of strawberries lying along side, as they were badly 

 killed out by water standing on them late this spring, which it would have 

 carried off. Many such instances could be given, but this is enough. Let any 

 one give draining a fair trial, and he will be convinced it pays, and pays well. 



A. G. Gulley. 



October 14th, 1875. 



GENERAL CULTIVATION OF FRUIT TREES. 

 BEAD BEFORE THE SOUTH HAVEN" TOPOLOGICAL SOCIETY, BY J. G. RAMSDELL. 



Knowing as I do that very many experienced and practical fruit growers are 

 listeners to what may be said on this most important of all subjects connected 

 with fruit growing, it is with some diffidence that I appear before so intelligent 

 a body as an instructor or teacher in practical Pomology. Yes, practical Po- 

 mology ; for of what avail are all the fine spun theories not based upon practi- 

 cal knowledge and experience? 



I need not say to my brother fruit growers that this question of general culti- 

 vation of fruit trees is a very broad one. When we consider that it includes 

 Apples, Pears, Cherries, Peaches, Plums, and Quinces, and in this particular 

 locality, may also be said to take in Apricots, Nectarines, Almonds, and Figs, 

 and nearly every variety requiring different treatment, as applied to various 

 soils and locations, I think I am very safe in arriving at the conclusion that 

 this is most certainly a very broad subject for as short an essay as this occasion 

 will permit. How few fruit growers even among those who make a specialty 

 of it can say in truth that they are doing the best they can in cultivating their 

 fruit orchards. I think it would be safe to say, not one in five. One man 

 may say that he cultivates his orchard thoroughly, but thorough cultivation is 

 one thing and intelligent cultivation is quite another. I have known farmers 

 (and some of us fruit growers are only farmers on a small scale) who may be 

 said to cultivate their orchards enough, but when we look at the trees can we 

 say they have cultivated them intelligently? 



Look at the poor starved trees standing on a thin or light soil with nearly 

 all their surface roots broken off by the plow, and from necessity compelled to 

 depend on still poorer subsoil for their support. Now, let us consider briefly 

 the most important part of all trees, but more especially fruit trees, and that is 



SURFACE ROOTS. 



As a rule, surface roots are totally ignored by the fruit grower. He plows 

 in his orchard the same as he does for corn or potatoes, nor does it enter his 

 head that surface roots are at all necessary for the full growth and perfect 



