STATE IIORTICULTTRAI. S()(TKTY. 11 



1 have l)een experimenting a little upon the ohl theory ( hitely 

 revived) of cutting out a rin<; of bark from a quarter to an inch 

 wide. Have siicceedt'd in ucttiu*;- sdme fruit. l)ut injurin*::. in many 

 instances, the trees IkuIIv. Have hccn (Mpially successful in causing 

 the tree to bear by severely barking them with the whi])])letree when 

 plowing: also see trees brought into bearing by the work of the 

 borer. Whatever tends to weaken the vitality of the tree or endan- 

 ger its life will cause it to ])nt forth all its energy to produce fruit, 

 but in time, if persevered in. will cause death. 



/'///// iffdrs (i(/(i. 1 rememl)er when a boy that ohl veteran horti- 

 culturist (now deceased), Keuben luigaii. of Indiana, was visiting 

 my father and said: H' you woidd strip the l)ark oil the trunk of a 

 tree the longest day in June, that it would fruit the following year. 

 My father thought it would surely kill the tree. I thought I would 

 trv the exi>eriment. and when the time came (in my father's absence ) 

 I selected a hue tree in the orchard, had got one side peeled, saw my 

 father coming, and (put. He, seeing what I had done, gave me a 

 thrashing. The next year the tree bore a fair crop of fruit, lived 

 afterwards three or four years, and died. 



[ am aware there are many advocates of this l)arkiiig ojieration 

 to ])roduce fruit, but I think the time is near at hand when but few 

 orchardists will practice it. 



There are nniny other subjects connected with orchard culture 

 which I have passed over, knowing that they will be ably discussed 

 by my friend Johnson, of Warsaw, who has had a large experience 

 in orcharding, and who T see is on the programme for a paper. 



President Galusha — It has been customary to have informal 

 discussions on the papers read. The subject of ()r( hard Culture is 

 now before you. 



Dr. Schrcjeder — Will it i)ay to plant an orchai-d every few yeui's 

 for the sake of raising afewap])lesy Will not the raising of hay 

 and making butter pay nine h bettei-? 



W.T.Nelson — Oni- orchards are certainly short-lived. Land 

 juust be well drained. 



I)r. Schrceder — Will it pay to tile-drain for an or( haid. or will 

 the rools of the trees, as it is generally l)elieved they \\ ill. (log the 

 drains in a short time? 



.]. M. Koldson I tile-draiiK'd in ni\ or(li;ii-d twenty years ago. 

 and have never found any ti'oulde of this kind. W illow and cotton- 

 wood roots Avill enter the tile. Apple tree roots will not. 



