SOCIETY OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS. 211 



The orrouud for an orchard should be ver}' thoroughly j)rei)are<l: 

 if for sprinji; plautiufj;. would be Ijest done the fall before. Most 

 western planters seem to prefer the sprini;. though I know of sev- 

 eral successful orchard ists who plant in autumn. If spring is your 

 choice, plant early and do your work well; if autumn, do it when 

 the ground is moist and in nice order — if <h-ij, naif. When setting 

 your trees see that the soil is tilled in close around the roots, leaving 

 no cavities under the tree; press the earth very firmly around the 

 roots, the harder the better if the ground is dry. When nearly 

 finished tilling around tiie tree throw in a pailful of water, allowing 

 it to settle away, then finish tilling the hole, mounding the earth a 

 little around the tree. When finished the tree should lean a little 

 to the southwest to counteract the effects of the prevailing winds in 

 summer. The orchard should be cultivated for several years, grow- 

 ing some crop that will not interfere with the trees and which needs 

 rittention through the summer. After the trees get well grown the 

 ground may be seeded to clover and used to pasture a limited number 

 of sheep or hogs. ]\[y own opinion is that the grass grown in an ' 

 orchard should be allowed to lie on the ground; that no orchard will 

 be likely to give good results, especially in dry seasons, that is mown 

 or pastured closely so that the soil is bare, or nearly so, through the 

 hot weather of July and August. Much of the injury ami decay of 

 our apple orchards can be traced to extreme drouths followed by 

 severe cold. It would seem that this might, to a certain extent, be 

 remedied ])y allowing the grass or other vegetation that has grown 

 on the soil to stay there, thus protecting the roots from these ex- 

 treme changes. 



There might be much more said on this subject especially in re- 

 gard to cultivation and treatment of the young orchard, pruning, 

 and the methods to ])revent the ravages of insects, care and handling 

 of fruits, l)ut I think that I have consumed enough of your time, 

 and will close, merely saying that I think that we should not be too 

 much rliseonraged in trying to grow fruit, especially for our own use. 

 We surely have had a number of unpropitious seasons, but I think 

 that there is a better time coming, and that anyone who plants now 

 will receive better rewards than we have for the last five years. 



Mr. Hallett wished the Secretary to note that he was not ojj- 

 posed to planting: he advised every one to plant for their own 

 family use, and he should keep on planting, for he would not be 

 without an orchard, but would not plant for commercial purposes. 



Mr. Minkler — I think the whole subject of (n'chard culture is 

 summed uj) in the two jjapers which hav6 just been read, and I see 

 no need for any discussion on the topic. Solution for sprinkling 

 apple trees is one pound of arsenic to two hundred gallons of water. 



