THE ANNUAL MEETING. 199 



so far, is enjoyed by the students, and considered of much profit by the 

 professor. 



From the foreman's office we proceeded to visit the vegetable garden lying 

 north of the farm house and bordering upon the turnpike. This had but 

 recently been located in its present position, and the ground was not yet in 

 good condition for the best growth of plants. The season had been very wet, 

 preventing work altogether for days in succession. Everything is planted in. 

 long rows, so that horse labor and hand-cultivators can be used to good 

 advantage. Notwithstanding the unfavorable season, the plants were looking 

 healthy, showing careful management. About twenty-five of the best varieties 

 of potatoes were growing here. The Beauty of Hebron is considered the best, 

 Early Ohio and Burbank's Seedling very excellent, and the White Elephant 

 very promising. 



Adjoining the vegetable garden is the plantation of small fruits for the 

 supply of the boarding hall. In this we found seventy-five or eighty of the 

 standard sorts of strawberries ; also about ten of the best varieties of raspberries. 

 The Doolittle and Mammoth Cluster had rusted badly this season for the 

 first time. They are dug up and burned as soon as the rust begins to show. 

 Five hundred seedling raspberries had been fruited. One hundred and forty 

 of the best of these had been retained for further trial ; also three of the 

 poorest ever seen. Some appear to be extra good, and some have the appear- 

 ance of hybrids. The Black Caps had just been cut back for the first time to 

 about two feet in hight. The excellent practice is adopted here of cultivating 

 until midsummer, and then sowing to oats. These prevent the growth of 

 weeds and grass, and serve as a mulch after the severe frosts of autumn. This 

 garden also contains some eighty sour cherry trees, besides one hundred seed- 

 lings from all sorts. They are all doing well but are not yet in bearing. 



Adjoining these fruit and vegetable gardens on the east is the apple orchard. 

 This comprises eight acres of standard varieties. Some were killed out in the 

 severe winter of '74 and '5. The soil of a part of the orchard is too black 

 and loamy to be well adapted to the growth of trees. They are nearly all 

 doing well, however ; have made a large growth, and occupy nearly the entire 

 space. Some of the trees have been top-grafted, for the purpose of increasing 

 the number of sample varieties for illustration. Among these are twenty-five 

 varieties from the south and an equal number from the far west. 



Returning from the apple orchard, and under the guidance of Professor 

 Beal, we next take a look at the sample orchard of pear, plum, and cherry 

 trees on the high ground in the vicinity of the president's house. All the 

 available ground suitable for the purpose, on the whole place, has been taken 

 up by this orchard. There are one hundred and fifty of the pear trees; thirty 

 standard varieties of five each. Cultivation for the present year had been fin- 

 ished, as it is not deemed advisable to work the ground at all after the first of 

 June. This gives the orchard a rather neglected appearance, but is probably 

 best for the trees. The trees are headed down to the ground. They are mak- 

 ing a very thrifty and symmetrical growth, many of them having the appear- 

 ance of perfect dwarfs. They are pushed forward as rapidly as possible early 

 in the season, being fertilized with salt and bone dust. They have been set 

 four years. There are also about fifty seedling pears. Thirty of these are 

 from the old pear trees at Monroe. They are not yet in bearing. 



There are a few quinces not yet in bearing and about thirty seedlings. 



There are one hundred cherry and sixty plum trees in this orchard, all 

 standard varieties. The cherries are of the Early Heart varieties, except a 



