498 BOARD OF AORICULTDRK. 



iSoil i.s mure tliaii i'\ ciytliing else. In locating an apple Orchard, soil 

 is more than position. It is true that, otlier things being equal, elevated 

 land, not necessarily a high elevation, but higher than the adjoining 

 land, is best for the apple orchard. But unless the soil on the higher 

 laud is as well suited to the apple as that in the valley, or lower land, 

 it is better to put the apple orchard in the valley. Fortunately for 

 southern Indiana these peculiarly desirable apple soils are placed in the 

 right position. In southern Indiana you have the opportunity of plant- 

 ing the apple orchard in the right place— above the valleys. I want to 

 say incidentally to this, that it will be better if your laud is free from 

 stumps. Your apple trees, generally speaking, Avill grow better in new 

 land recently cleared of the forest, but you want to have it free from 

 stumps, otherwise you are apt to have root rot. That is a disease pecu- 

 liar to this apple belt, and perhaps peculiar to this apple soil— that is, it 

 seems to work more severely in this apple soil. In some places it is so 

 bad that it destroys almost all the trees. One man in Crawford County 

 told me it took almost every tree lie had. In my own orchard I lost 

 about forty per cent, from root rot on new groinid last year; that caused 

 a loss of about two thousand dollars. But I do not expect it to continue. 

 The apples I planted last spring I put on old ground. It seems queer, 

 when this disease has proven so destructive, that we can discover no 

 preventive. A botanist of our locality told me that he had never seen 

 a case of it, but we have had thousands of cases. 



Having selected your site for an orchard, on an elevation, if possible, 

 with the heavy clay soil, what are you going to plant? You discussed 

 that awhile ago, and I do not know wliat Mr. Simi^son recommended, 

 but I have no doubt he had the Grimes in the list, and I believe lie 

 recommended the Winesap. I heard something said about the Genett. 

 I like the Genetts, and the idea of my family being without Genetts 

 would not do at all; and there are still a few people who want the Gen- 

 etts and are willing to pay a good price for it. 



Here is a newer apple for tliis locality, though not a new apple — the 

 Jonathan, and it does well. Here is the Rome Beauty, that in many 

 places is very successful. Here is one which some of you know— it is 

 the Benoni, which is the king, doubtless, of the summer apples. If I lived 

 close to town, I would plant some Benonis. They can be made an ex- 

 cellent bearer. I am away from the market somewhat, and so I only 

 planted four hundred Benonis. 



Having selected j-our trees according to variety, what size are you 

 going to get— yearlings, two years old, three yeax'S old, four, or what? I 

 have heard Mr. Hobbs say "Plant two-year-olds," and I do not know that 

 I have heard anybody dispute it except myself. My observation and ex- 

 perience is, "plant large trees." They will bear more successfully, stand 

 the transplanting better and give better satisfaction altogether. I do not 

 know why they do it, but my observation has been that they do do it. 



