276 ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



proves favorable, result in a crop the succeeding year. I remember an apple-tree that 

 many years ago had all the blossoms taken from about half of it. Afterward it fruited 

 every season, but on each side alterately, for several years; at length a severe spring frost 

 destroyed the fruit ; after which time the entire tree bore a full crop each regular bear- 

 ing year, the same as other trees in its locality. 



The iheory is that an apple-tree expends all its surplus power in its growth and in 

 the growth and perfection of its fruit. Therefore, no fruit buds being formed during 

 the fruitful season, it follows that there can be no bloom the season following; hence 

 no fruit the succeeding summer and autumn. During this off-year, however, the tree 

 perfects its buds for fruiting the next year. As a rule these trees which yield the largest 

 crops one year are most likely to fail the next. As an instance of this I cite the fact 

 of having trees, of the Rawles' Janet, overstocked with apples, and the year following, 

 on some of the same trees, not a single specimen could be found. Again, I find the 

 Willow Twig, Peck's Pleasant, and some other varieties, which are not very prolific 

 bearers, usually yielding a small crop the off-year. 



Regarding the plan of removing the blossoms or young fruit, except in a small way, 

 as impracticable, or at least very tedious, I formed a theory that the object desired could 

 be attained by enriching the soil on which the trees stand. 



I am well aware that manuring orchards, to increase their fruitfulness and improve 

 the size and quality of fruit, is neither new nor original. But I claim as original the 

 selection of the time when this work should be done, never having read or heard any 

 hints on this point. 



As previously stated, the fruit buds being formed the non-bearing year, it occurred 

 to me that an application of manure in the fall or early winter, as soon as practicable 

 after the season's growth, would, by absorption, so enrich the soil that the commence- 

 ment of next year's growth would find a surplus of ready material for the trees to draw 

 on, as needed, which would be sufficient to continue their growth, perfect their crop of 

 fruit, and produce fruit buds for next year's crop, all in the same season. 



Acting on this theory, I now propose to give you the result of some experiments. 

 Late in the fall of 1875, that being the off-year for apples, I spread a liberal quantity of 

 barn-yard manure under a few trees, the varieties selected for experiment being Duchess 

 of Oldenburg, Tolman Sweet, King of Tompkin's County and Yellow Bellflower. I 

 also spread a few bushels of cob and wood ashes under the same trees, using them 

 most freely for the benefit of the King and Bellflower, as these varieties produced small 

 crops the previous bearing year. 



The season of 1876 gave a bountiful crop of fruit, most varieties, excepting the 

 Bellflower and a few others, doing well. During that year I could see no difference in 

 favor of the manured trees, except the leaves, which were a darker green, appeared 

 more vigorous. 



The next year (1877), being"^the non-bearing year, I was gratified to find in the 

 spring a full crop of blossoms on the Duchess, Bellflower and Tolman Sweet, and a 

 fair amount of bloom on the King. I was pleased to find so much bloom on the Tol- 

 man Sweet, as in the neighboring orchards, on this variety, there were none. 



The worthy President of our Society, Mr. Milo Barnard, happened to pass my 

 place at that time, and at my request accompanied me through the orchard to see for 

 himself. He was so much pleased with the promise of fruit that he engaged some 

 Tolman Sweet apples on the spot. 



As the season advanced, I found a full crop of Duchess, a moderately fair crop of 

 Tolman Sweet, a small crop of Kings, and, with the exception of here and there a 

 specimen to let me know that the Yellow Bellflower apple-tree can produce fruit, this 

 variety was a failure. 



Although not entirely successful, I came to the conclusion that my theory had some 

 foundation in fact, at least enough to render it worthy of a more extensive trial. 



Late in the fall of 1877, it being the off-year, as stated, and during the early part 

 of the succeeding winter, I applied a considerable quantity of barn-yard manure broad- 

 cast over my orchard, and also fed a number of hogs in it. 



This winter I have noticed on several different varieties a much larger number of 

 fruit buds than usual for fruiting the coming offseason. Whether they have been 



