500 [Senate 



APPLES. 



MoNnoEj Orange Co., Dec. 6th, 1835. 

 T. B. Wakeman : 



Sir — I send you a short statement of my method of cultivating the 

 trees from which was gathered the fruit exhibited at the late fair of the 

 American Institute. 



I do not believe in trimming further than to remove such branches 

 as exhibit signs of decay. I prune in the latter part of May, believing 

 that the wounds heal quicker, and no check is given to the growth of 

 the tree. 



Horse manure I find to be much the best taken from the stable, and 

 spread under the tree as far out as the top projects ; and not too near 

 the trunk. An orchard of apple trees, should, I think, be plowed once 

 every four years, and then sown with timothy, which I think prefera- 

 ble to clover, as the roots of the latter generally run very deep, and 

 withdraw vegetation from the tree. 



Quince trees do best on a rich damp soil. I dress them once a year 

 with slacked lime, and prune them very little, merely removing the 

 dead branches. 



Yours, respectfully, 



OBADIAH SMITH. 



MANNING, ON THE CULTURE OF THE PEAR. 



Salem, Mass., JVov. 21th, 1835. 



Our pear trees are set at a distance of from 12 to 15 feet each way, 

 and the apple trees 30 feet. In planting them, especial care should be 

 taken that they are not set too deep ; and that no cavities, or hollows 

 unfilled by dirt are left among the roots. 



For manure, we find nothing better than good stable dung (the old- 

 er the better) and decomposed vegetable matter. We have also used 

 muscle bed, or sea marl, quite extensively, and with very good success 

 especially on plum trees. Pruning is performed only to preserve the 

 balance of the tree and to prevent limbs from interfering with each 

 other. 



We consider the best season for pruning to be whenever the wounds 

 will heal over soonest, which is,in this climate,from the 1st to the middle 

 of June. Insects do not trouble much, the method we have pursued 

 with them, and which I believe to be the best, is to kill them all by 

 hand while young. 



Yours, respectfully, 



ROBERT MANNING. 



