22 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



placed in the hands of tlie sick child to tlie largest and most luscious fruit 

 we feast our eyes upon. The acidulated drink of the lemon, tlie currant, the 

 cherry, or the apple, the fully ripened and richly colored Kareripe, the golden 

 bronze of the imperial pear, the many hucd and richly variegated apple, the 

 strawberry, the grape, the plum, the nectarine, the quince ; each and all are 

 good. I will step eulogy and only say that I believe no picture of the imagin- 

 ation was ever framed in one's mind, however highly cultured the person 

 might have been, of the most lovely place they could imagine — call it heaven 

 if you will — where even the streets might be paved with gold and silver; but 

 the loveliest, the fairest, the best of all that beautiful imaginary landscape 

 were the bordered pastures of flowers, the walks interspersed with here and 

 there an arbor covered with noble vines, laden with ripened fruit, and scat- 

 tered on every side here and there a tree, a shrub, a bush, whose fruit was for 

 the health, comfort, and happiness of all the dwellers there. 



Our main object in gathering here is, as I understand, to impart and to gain 

 instruction from each other. In doing this, I suppose the first thing sought 

 from others is their own practical experience, in whatever branch of culture 

 they may for the time refer to. My principal experience has been in the set- 

 ting, culture, and care of fruit trees, largely the apple, and I will now relate a 

 few facts and incidents that have come within my own knowledge and obser- 

 vation, with some suggestions deduced from these facts. 



No man ever has or ever will live long enough to tell you with perfect accu- 

 racy what varieties or kind of trees to plant and cultivate, as the very best 

 adapted to your soil and lay of land. There are some rules that may be laid 

 down that will be found so nearly true tliat they might almost be called 

 axioms, like this : If a part of your farm lies higher than tlie other, is rolling 

 sufficient to carry off the surface water quickly, not quick enough to wash 

 away the soil, and the land is in good heart, and you wish to plant an 

 orchard, that high rolling part is the land to plant your orchard upon, no 

 matter whether it is situated just where you want that orchard to stand as to 

 location or not. If your object is fruit you will plant there, though it may be 

 half a mile from your house, and you may have to feed some persons living 

 miles from your residence, those who through neglect, misfortune, or perhaps 

 culpable negligence of their own, have no such choice fruit. After all this, 

 which may try your patience and your temper, I will guarantee that you will 

 have more fruit for your own use than if you were to plant upon the level, clay 

 bottomed tract close by your buildings, so level that the water would stagnate 

 at the roots of your trees before your could carry it off, do what you may. 

 Other things connected with fruit growing may vary, as the shifting seasons 

 come and go. Varieties of fruit that have done well for the past decade may 

 not do as well in the years to come. My first practical experience in the care 

 of fruit trees was in the spring of 18539, when after a short lesson in cleft 

 grafting I was sent to graft several thrifty apple trees that had grown up in or 

 near some of the division fences on the farm. ^Vllen I last walked over a 

 portion of that which once was my father's farm, the most of these trees were 

 dead and gone; but two or three were standing; tlicy all made productive 

 trees and bore many bushels of choice fruit. I tliink it a good way to utilize 

 such scattering trees. There is no mystery in cleft grafting; good judgment 

 in placing the cions, a steady hand, and a quick, good eye to properly place 

 in position the graft set are all that is required. 



hsince I came to Michigan I have set out and raised, either to maturity, or a 



