ORCHAllDING. 2G7 



On some farms there are man}- hundreds of vohinteer trees that 

 are hard}- and thrifty, and if in a good location, I would ask for no 

 better chance to obtain good fruit quickl}-. Such an opportunity is 

 far too good to be neglected, for one who has such a chance has got 

 a good orchard more than half raised already. When I see a man , 

 neglecting such an opportunity, and working hard upon his hard i 

 soil for a small income, I think he is like a man tr3-ing to get money 

 bv raising vegetables on a rich gold mine. 



If T have not wearied ^-our patience already, perhaps I ought to ■ 

 sa}' something about old orchards. If a farmer has such, he can by 

 proper management get quite a good profit from it while he is raising 

 a new one. It should be grafted, and if the old limbs have com- 

 menced to decay so that new ones and sprouts have started out, 

 enough of such new ones should be grafted to make a top. Some 

 trees are capable of renewing their tops several times and bearing ■ 

 good ci'ops of fruit ; others are of no account after the original limbs . 

 fail. When a tree shows signs of trying to renew its top, do not 

 fight against it too persistenth^ by cutting off all the new shoots, but 

 graft some of them and assist it all 3-ou can. Do not leave any new 

 ones to grow ungrafted. Such an orchard should be plowed shallow 

 and manured and kept so ; or if it should be seeded to grass it should ! 

 remain so only one or two years before it should be again plowed , 

 and manured or heavily top dressed and mulched. It is of no use • 

 to plow and manure an old orchard for a 3-ear or two and then mow . 

 it for ha}-, as is usually done, as long as grass will grow, while the 

 trees starve. I will repeat that where an orchard, old or young, is > 

 so situated that it can be done, the best and cheapest way is to give 

 a large flock of sheep the run of it. 



Follojving the reading of this paper, Mr. Bennoch read a paper on 

 " Varieties of Fruit adapted to Franklin County," and the subject 

 was further discussed by the fruit growers present. 



In the evening a lecture was given by Hon. James Morrison, Jr., 

 of Phillips. Subject, "Neglected Farms in Franklin County." The 

 lecture was an able presentation of the present condition of the 

 agriculture of north Franklin, with suggestions towards its further 

 advancement, and drew out an earnest discussion, after which an 

 adjournment was made. 



18 



