WAUSAAV HOKTIGULTUKAL SOCIETY. 357 



AUGUST MEETING. 



The mcotiuj,' for August was held by iigreement at the rcsideuce of Ezekiel McUune, 

 in Wythe lownsliip. Mr. MiiCiine is proprietor of the farm and orchard formerly 

 owned by Dr. Griswold— an orchard once numberin:; in all 2i00 apple tree.s, now 

 reduced to about 1700. 



Many of these trees are iarj^e. being more than a foot in diameter; one we measured 

 being full Al inches in circumference. We take it that this large orchard has been 

 somewhat neglected of late years; though, from the quantity of brush-wood over the 

 ground, would judi^e that there has been a good deal of trimming done this season. 



A few of these trees are old. lor thi-^ country, being il or 'I'-i years old. There were 

 ■200 in the year 1848; in 1S4!> there were 1203 nore planted; in ISoO, oOO; in 1851. -200; 

 and in 1855, 300 more. Probably not mare than two-thirds of the trees are bearing 

 this year, while perhaps 500 trees have an average of five bushels each — a small yield 

 for so great an orchard. 



We did not have an opportunity to post ourselves as to the best bearers, since it 

 came into the hands of the present owner; but Dr. Griswold named the following as 

 having given the best results up to 1882, viz: Winesaps, Ravvles' Janets, Yellow 

 Belleflowers, Ortlej's, (AVhite Belleflowers) Fall Wines, Tlambos, Fulton Strawberries, 

 Early Harvests, and lied Junes — the Winesaps much more productive than most others. 

 The orchard contains — or did at one time— about 50 varieties; but the following largely 

 predominate , viz : 



Of summer sorts. Early Harvest, lied June, and Early Sweet Bough. 



Autitnm—FM Wine, Rambo, Porter, Fulton Strawberry. 



Wirder — Winesap, Rawles' Janet. Ortley, Yellow Belleflower, Esopus Spitzenburg, 

 Newtown Spitzenburg, Pry or' s Red, Ladies' Sweeting, Baldwin. Belmont, Newtown 

 Pippin . 



In 1802 we published a statement concerning this orchard, from which the following 

 paragraph is extracted: 



''Some peculiarities of culture may be mentioned here. About half the orchard 

 was well cultivated for four or live years after planting, and then sown down to grass, 

 principally timothy. The other half was cultivated for nine or ten years, and is now 

 also put to timothy and clover. Those trees which were lirst put down to grass have 

 generally done the best — have grown as well, look as thrifty and healthy, are as free 

 from pests of all kinds, and have borne Ijetter than those which were cultivated 

 longer. This seems to be contrary to theory and the teachings of the books; and we 

 leave to others the task of reconciling theory with practice in the present instance." 



Want of time prevented us from taking as full notes of this orchard as we desired. 



lletiu-ning from the orchard. President Hammond took the chair, and called the 

 meeting to order. The Chair presented a specimen of the body of an apple tree, which 

 had died from an unknown disease, and asked the opinion of members. The disease 

 seems to be in the bark, which turns dry and black in diflerent sections, and is fatal to 

 the tree. 



Dr. Hay said he had not observed it in his orchard, or those of Messrs. Grover, on 

 the bluff. 



