374 



ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



In a communication from President Barnard, in regard to early 

 picking, he says he had heard it stated that the little Pomme Grise, a 

 winter apple, if picked early would keep well. He tried it ; picked two 

 barrels in September and put them in the cellar immediately ; looked 

 them over in December and found them half rotten. The experiment 

 was not satisfactory at all. 



Mr. Drayer had kept apples in fine condition, in bins, in the ground. 

 He sunk a box a foot or more in the ground, covered it with boards like 

 an inverted V; covered this with hay or straw and a light covering of 

 earth ; and if weather gets very cold, put on an extra covering of manure, 

 which he takes off as the weather gets warm. Apples treated this way 

 kept very well. 



At this point considerable discussion took place in regard to varie- 

 ties, mode of planting and general treatment of an orchard. 



Mr. Miner wanted to know something about the russets. He thought 

 he had the Roxbury Russet; it bore very well. 



Mr. Merrick said the Roxbury Russet does not grow well in this 

 country, according to his experience and observation; the tree is tender. 

 The Perry Russet, also the English Russet, do very well here ; the 

 American Golden Russet and the Pomme Grise are the best russets. 



Mr. Bloom's experience with the russets was the same as Merrick's. 

 He considered the Pomme Grise one of the very best; tree hardy^ a 

 good bearer, and fruit keeps well; quality best; rather too small to be 

 popular. 



Mr. Mellen has a Northern Spy that bore its fruit for the first time 

 at the age of twenty-three years ; he objected to both tree and fruit. 

 The trees seldom bear, and when they do the fruit is only third-rate and 

 does not keep well. With him the Northern Spy is a failure. 



Several members said the Northern Spy for the last two or three 

 years has spotted or scabbed very badly, which spoils it for market, 



Mr. Burton gave his experience in girdling the trunks of trees and 

 the limbs to induce fruitfulness. He took out a narrow strip of bark, 

 around the trunk or limb, about the tenth of an inch in width, when 

 the tree was in full bloom ; the result was very satisfactory. He had 

 obtained the same results by putting withes around the tree and drawing 

 tight. His trees grew and blossomed well, but did not bear till he com- 

 menced the process as related above. His soil is sandy loam ; subsoil, 

 quicksand. 



Messrs. Merrick and Mellen said they would use small wire instead 

 of girdling ; anything to arrest the downward flow of sap. Wire could 

 be more easily applied than anything else. 



Mr. Mellen said he would like to see the inside of a tree or limb 

 that has been girdled ; he is afraid the tree is injured by it. One reason 

 why he looked with suspicion on the girdling process was that trees just 

 before death generally bear well. 



In regard to filling in old orchards, Mr. Burton thought it was best 

 to throw out the old earth and roots and fill in with new soil ; he had no 

 trouble in raising new trees in that way. 



