TRANSACTIONS OF ALTON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 315 



Mr. HuGGiNS — By cultivating and manuring. But possibly it is not 

 worth saving. Then grub out and plant a new orchard on new soil. 



Mr. Pearson — Do you not think that the money lies in having a 

 better quality of fruit? 



Mr. HuGGiNS — The money lies in the red apples. There is more 

 money in the Ben Davis than in many other apples better in quality. 

 Color is better than even quality in the markets. If I were planting a 

 commercial orchard to-day, I would hardly want any thing but red 

 apples, and then cultivate understandingly and in the light of the present 

 day, and success will crown the effort. 



James E. Starr advised against planting the Ben Davis in this 

 latitude. It does well in the central part of the State and in more 

 northern locations than this ; but it is sure to disappoint those who plant 

 it in this section. It does well for a few years, and then dwindles in 

 size, rots and scabs, so as to make it worthless to us. 



Mr. Pearson — I noticed the report, of the last meeting, and I was 

 myself a little surprised at some of the statements. I remember, some 

 eight years ago, a company of us — members of this Society — had been 

 down to St. Louis, in attendance upon the Missouri State Horticultural 

 meeting. On returning from the meeting, the discussions were upon fruit 

 culture, and I remember the question was asked by myself, " If you were 

 going into the fruit business, what particular branch of it would you select 

 to make the most money?" The unanimous answer was, the apple! 

 Some of these men did go into apple orcharding. Now, this last year, I 

 had occasion to purchgise some apples, for my orchard does not yet sup- 

 ply my house, and I went to one of these men for a supply. He showed 

 me a row of -Janets, from which he had taken about thirty bushels of 

 apples from each tree. I paid $i per bushel for my apples, and there- 

 upon friend Pearson went home thinking and figuring up the profits of 

 apple-growing : " Forty trees to the acre, fifteen bushels to the tree — 

 half the above named crop — at fifty cents per bushel — half the price I 

 paid — and, to make the thing sure, take out half of the whole amount of 

 bushels for wind-falls and cider apples, and we have left one hundred and 

 fifty dollars per acre !" In the light of these figures it is hard to believe 

 that orcharding is not profitable. 



In regard to my own orchard. There is no apple in it that bears 

 like the Smith's Cider ; the Benoni is my next best apple. My orchard 

 is eight and nine years old. I have the Jonathap ; it has not borne any 

 fruit yet ; the Janet has borne nothing to amount to any thing ; the Pryor's 



