PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 31 



It is^true that the failures of the past few years have been many and 

 discouraging, and some of them beyond our control. But these may not 

 occur again in a quarter of a century. 



It is also true that we do not now see, nor can we hope for, the immense 

 crops that the early settlers had almost for the asking. 



The Lord was good to them, for they needed help. But he never 

 designed that the earth should bring forth spontaneously forever. 



It is not the design of this paper to go into detail as to the best method 

 of growing apples, but to stimulate our zeal and brighten our hopes for 

 the future. We already know much better than we do. Still, we need 

 "line upon line," and I may here emphasize a few of the more important 

 points connected with successful apple-growing. 



The first is the stock to plant, and this may include the matter of vari- 

 eties. One of the most common causes of failure is bad stock — stock 

 propagated from old, worn-out, or diseased trees, black-hearted or nearly 

 lifeless from careless handling, and, worst of all, not true to name. 



Here allow me to digress long enough to say that this latter is a crime, 

 and as fruitgrowers we ought not to rest until a law is passed to prosecute 

 such criminality. We may now, in some cases, get the stock replaced; 

 but even when this is possible, what satisfaction is it compared with the 

 blasted hopes? A neighbor some years ago bought 1,800 peach trees. 

 Not five per cent, of them were true to name, and the most of them worth- 

 less, so that he dug up the whole orchard. He did not even get the trees 

 replaced. 



Some years ago I bought a lot of grape vines for Worden. They turned 

 out Concord. The former have been selling in our market at four to six 

 cents, the latter at two to three cents per pound, a difference of 2f cents 

 per pound, or fifty dollars per ton, So far this is all the satisfaction I 

 have had. I might add many more such cases, many of which are the 

 result of rascality, pure and simple. 



At present our only partial remedy is to deal only with the most reli- 

 able nurseries, with no agent to come between, unless it be an honest 

 neighbor. 



As to varieties, no rule can be laid down. What we must jhave are the 

 varieties that are most productive, healthy, and hardy, of high color, fair 

 size and flavor, some of which must be good keepers. 



The locality and soil will also have to be considered. But, whatever the 

 variety or location, the soil must be strong and good. 



My father was always a great lover of fruit, and among the first things 

 he did, on coming to Livingston county, was to set an acre to apple trees. 

 These did so well that he set six acres more in an adjoining field. W^hen 

 they came into full bearing he sometimes had as many as 300 barrels in a 

 season, and one year sold the large crop at $4 per barrel. He thought if 

 a small orchard paid so well a larger one would pay still better. So he 

 set out ten acres more in a distant field. The soil was also distant, for in 

 a windy time a warranty deed would not hold it. But there was an- 

 immense marsh near by, and he hoped by the use of muck and lime and 

 barnyard manure to make the frisky sand forget its habit of dancing 

 around and producing nothing. And the trees did grow well for a few 

 years, came into bearing young, and produced a few light crops, then 

 stood still a while and quickly turned into a sheep pasture. In the other 

 orchards, set forty and fifty years ago, many of the trees are still standing- 



