Winter Mectin.^. 171 



ment, and the requirement, by law, of a guaranteed strength or purity 

 of all insecticides ofifered for sale in the market. 



Discussion. 



President ]*^Iurray. — Xow ladies and gentlemen these two papers 

 are before the house for discussion, and we want to include in this 

 discussion the excellent paper read last night by Airs. Flournoy, on 

 the model orchard. 



Professor Howard. — Referring to the paper that was read last 

 night. I believe the reader gave it as her opinion that it Avas best to 

 plow deeply in the spring and then cultivate shallow all summer. I 

 should like to hear expressions from the members regarding that 

 opinion. 



Air. Baxter of Illinois. — There is onh- one time that I have ad- 

 vised plowing deep and that was before you planted vour trees. I 

 advise sub-soiling thoroughly in the fall and after that I would not 

 plow deep in the orchard. I think the proper time to plow deep is 

 before the orchard is planted ; sub-soil well and let that be enough. 

 After that keep the surface of the soil continually soft, and you will 

 not be troubled. 



President Murray. — There is one point that I want to be brought 

 out clear and distinct, whether or not it is a good thing to break the 

 roots of apple trees. We have had some reports about this, and this 

 matter is now before you and let us hear from 3^ou. You have all had 

 Aour experiences and this is an experience meeting. 



Air. Jones. — I can relate an experience of some deep plowing in an 

 old orchard. An orchard that was 29 years of age and had been neg- 

 lected. It had been cultivated like one of the parties spoke of by sow- 

 ing it to clover and timothy and the trees greatly neglected ; most of 

 the trees were Rome Beauty apples and some other varieties ; probably 

 twenty-five or thirty other varieties of one or tAVO trees of a kind, 

 and it was thought that this orchard was of no further use and the^' 

 broke up that sod with one of these big plows that they use in Illinois 

 for plowing under sod, not a regular Kansas sod plow, but a large plow 

 with a rolling coulter and it seemed that the first year those trees 

 would almost die ; a great many roots were cut, and they seemed to 

 make scarcely any growth. The next year that orchard was well cul- 

 tivated with a harrow and disc harrow and such a growth as it put 

 on was a marvel, and the third year such a crop of fruit as it had was 

 a wonder. Those old trees seemed as though thgy had retained all 

 their early vigor, and there were plenty of those trees that would 

 yield from 20 to 30 bushels to the tree, because they had the size and 

 the age ; they were then 29 years of age, and while I would not advise 



