STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 283 



Rhode Island Greening, bore well for twenty years from setting, or until 

 the winter of 1855-6, which killed many and injured all the trees except 

 the Sweet Vandevere, which has shown no signs of injury. This is 

 regarded as the best winter sweet apple, by those who have it in bearing. 

 The ground on which this orchard stands has never been plowed. Hogs 

 have been pastured in it from die first. The fruit has been fair and fine 

 until two years since, when it became wormy. The codling moths, of 

 which the worms are larvie, doubtless came from an orchard near this, 

 on the west, which then came into bearing and was infested with them. 



Seedling peach trees were interspersed with the apple trees in this 

 orchard, and prospered well, continuing to bear good crops once in two 

 or three years, until the harcl winter which destroyed all the peach trees 

 in the county. Mr. C. planted an orchard of seedling apples in 1S39, 

 which has given good results. This also has been used as a pasture for 

 swine. Both these orchards are surrounded by a grove of thin timber. 

 Jesse Newport and A. K. Owens planted orchards at the same time as 

 Mr. C.'s first orchard (1S35), and from same lot of trees. They were 

 root-grafted trees, brought from Belmont county, Ohio. 



Mr. Newport's orchard is on Mazon Creek — " bottom land " — a clay 

 loam. His success has been about the same as that of Mr. C. ISIr. 

 Owens' orchard is on hazel ban-ens, with a sandy loam soil (also protected 

 by timber). This orchard suflered less from the effects of the hard winter 

 than either of the others mentioned. 



There were many other orchards planted soon after these, but the 

 history of the majority of them would be a repetition of what is written 

 of these. 



The orchard which I planted on the prairie upon the north line of the 

 county, in iS50Tind 185 1, consisted of sixty varieties of apples, such as 

 were then reputed to succeed well, or promise well, in this part of the 

 State. 



For a list of the leading sorts that proved profitable, I refer the reader 

 to my report " Ad-Intcrim " published in this volume. I will add to 

 that list, however, a few that succeeded well in my orchard and in others 

 where I have seen them in the county, viz: Hubbardston's Nonsuch, 

 Michael Henry Pippin, Golden Greening, May (of Myers) Hocking, 

 Black Apple, (Hodge's) Autumn Sweet — an upright growing tree, good 

 bearer of fair, medium fruit; Tvlilam — poor apple, but "bears well, keeps 

 well, and sells well;" Pomme Grise — good for dessert, but too small to 

 sell; and Montreal Beauty Crab, 



This orchard sufi'ered less from effects of the terrible winter of 1855-6 

 than any one that I know. The trees are nearly all "low-headed trees, 

 branching from two to three feet fi-om the ground. They have never 

 been pruned, except to cut away sprouts from the bases of the trunks, 

 and remove those branches which crossed or chafed each other. It was 

 cultivated up to the lime of the hard winter, after which the land was 

 manured upon the surface, and the entire surface covered with old straw 

 to the depth of six inches. This heavy mulching was partially renewed 

 tlie succeeding spring, and turned over to keep down the weeds. This 



