322 ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



planting its seed. I could refer to other instances in proof of the brief 

 continuance of some of our fine varieties of apples, but shall let them 

 pass, and for the sake of comparison will refer briefly to the life of seed- 

 lings that have come under my observation. In 1831 there were several 

 orchards of seedling trees in this vicinity ; one on the Abel Moore farm, 

 with trees six to eight inches in diameter ; on the John Moore farm trees 

 some of them a foot in diameter, some of which are now in a thrifty con- 

 dition, and bearing well. One on the Isaac Scarritt farm, near Godfrey, 

 the trees, four to six inches in diameter at the above date, were very 

 thrifty, but were uprooted by the late hurricane that passed through that 

 locality. This orchard was planted about the year 1822. The Moore 

 orchard, as early as 1812 to 1816. 



May we not expect the same perfection in apple raising as in that of 

 corn, potatoes and other vegetables, or, to say the least, as in the method 

 of muliplying the varieties of pears after the plan of Van Mons and his 

 co-laborers, by hybridizing; and would it not be well for some of our 

 young fruit men to branch out in this line of operation ? I will venture 

 to call your attention to another item in connection with this subject of 

 apple culture, viz. : at what age do apple trees of improved and engrafted 

 fruit cease to return a good profit ? I will admit, in the outset, that this 

 varies according to location, manner of cultivation, the age of the tree 

 from which the cion was taken, quality of the soil, etc., but, according 

 to my observation, to a much less extent than one would naturally sup- 

 pose. Some varieties of apples will come into bearing, culivation having 

 been all right, in four or five years from planting out a two-year-old graft. 

 Others will not produce any fruit under eight to ten years' growth. From 

 this season of fruit bearing they rapidly increase in size and productive- 

 ness till they arrive at the age of from fifteen to twenty years. The trees, 

 being young and vigorous, produce fruit of large size, crisp and juicy, 

 and within the reach of the gatherer, so that his crop is gathered with 

 great facility and ease, and when sent to market, finds a ready sale at the 

 highest prices. After this age, the tree rapidly extends its branches, the 

 ascending ones generally predominating and becoming unapproachable 

 for gathering the best apples, while the side branches are loaded with an 

 inferior growth and much damaged by the shade and the insects that 

 infest them. I should say, then, that an orchard is unprofitable when the 

 trees have become so large as to require long ladders for gathering the 

 apples, and they are, from size and other defects, unfit for market. When 

 this state of things happens, but certainly when the trees begin to show 

 signs of old age, whether the limbs are dead or not, set a new orchard on 

 a new plat, and grub up the old one as soon as that begins to bear. As 

 beef and bread, hogs and hominy, are needed for the development of 

 muscle, strength and efficiency in the young man, and the mesmerism of 

 the damsel was for the invigorating of the failing strength and life of King 

 David, so are carbon and potash, lime, sulphates and phosphates to the 

 growth of trees and engrafting to their longevity. 



It has been recommended by skillful growers of fruit to replant the 

 same ground, by setting trees in the diagonal spaces of the old trees. 



