72 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



orchard close to the trees with a plow drawn by a single horse. 

 1 take a horse and a straight whiffletree, and wrap that well around 

 with cloth, so that it shall rub but little if it hits a tree, and put a 

 trusty boy on the horse, and then I can get rear the trees ; after 

 that, I put in oxen and plow between the rows. It is almost im- 

 possible to get men to plow without plowing out the roots. They 

 are anxious to do the work thoroughly, and perhaps it's not their 

 fault always, and perhaps it is ; at any rate, the utmost cave should 

 be taken not to break the roots of the tree with the plow. If a 

 root is broken, you ought to dig down and cut it off with a knife. 

 I would say, that after the roots get spread, thorough cultivation, 

 not deep, is what is wanted in a young orchard. 



Those about to plant orchards of course will cast it over in their 

 minds what should be the manure. I have found nothing better 

 than a good compost made of manure and muck ; old yard manure 

 is good, ashes we know are good, lime is good, superphosphate is 

 good, but avoid green stable manure. 



1 would say further, put your manure on in the fall, pile it a 

 little cone about the tree, and in the spring spread it — the. little 

 pile will keep the mice away from the roots during the winter. 

 Frequently we see orchards almost girdled by mice, and particu- 

 larly those standing in grass. 



Now, in regard to this matter of cultivation, some may be dis- 

 couraged and say, "If we have to cultivate this ground ten years, 

 the orchard will cost more than it will come to." You will pardon 

 me for citing my own experience. I have a pear orchard of about 

 three acres which has been under cultivation ten years. The 

 crops I have taken from it have paid all the expenses of culti- 

 vation, the expense of buying and planting the trees, and I have 

 those trees as they now stand over and above the expense. I do 

 not know what they are worth, but no one could induce me to cut 

 them down for ten nor twenty dollars apiece ; so I say it Ls not all 

 out-go. While you are cultivating your ground the ten years, 

 you may have your pay as you go along. 



Alter the trees get large enough to take care of themselves, it 

 becomes a pretty serious question what we shall do. .My judg- 

 ment is, — subject to change when I see reason to change, — to run 

 the orchard to grass, and pasture it with sheep. Other things will 

 do ; but calves are dangerous — hogs are dangerous. They bark 

 the trees, and so will sheep sometimes, if you pasture too close ; 

 but take it all in all, I had rather have sheep iu my orchard than 



