500 lioAi.M) OK A(iK'n ri.i iKi:. 



him off; but if it extends up t« the limb, you are almost sure to be free 

 from his lii'iirudations. (iet the iiottiiig one foot wide and cut it off in 

 lengths you want It. We bouglit this v/ire at a cent a square foot by 

 the roll. 



You fan grow three or four sets of trees Avilh one lot of the wires. 

 1 tried using wire window screens at first, but they only lasted for one 

 tree and then thej' rotted; but this poultry wire will last indefinitely. 



What makes trees die on the southwest side, and the worms get at 

 themV I answer, because they lean to the northeast, and the sun strikes 

 them so hot along that side that is exposed, and the worms get there. 

 lii the last orchard I planted I drove stakes in the ground and drew the 

 trees over far enough and fastened them, so the sun will not scorch 

 them. 



Now you want to trim your trees. Why not leave all the limbs on, 

 you may ask; when it is a pretty shaped tree? Well, the first year they 

 do not do niucli, except get a year old; and the next year they will sprout 

 out and leave all the lower part vacant, so I cut them off so they won't 

 gx'ow a long, slim limb and I cut it off to give it a healthy growth. If a 

 large limb needs pruning, I prune it and use a pruning saw. As to culture. 

 This thing of clean culture in an orchard does not suit my views at all. 

 I plowed my orchard one summer because I thought I had to on ac- 

 count of the bluegrass— I wanted to get- rid of that, and the soil was all 

 mellow and no weeds in it. But I do not plow my orchards now; I do 

 not believe in it. I want to cultivate trees with grass. That is the best 

 cultivation an orchard can get. In the spring, your ground ought to 

 be covered Avith a great lot of trash— dead oats, dead peas, rye or 

 any of the wild grasses. In my orchard it is groAvn over by crab grass, 

 making, a fine covering all winter, and in the spring it mulches itself, 

 and this mulch, including the dirt, makes a loose mulch of four inches. 

 Now how much water would it take to saturate that mulch? It would 

 take a rain of from two to three inches, and while it Avas falling it 

 would soak down, and consequently there Avould be no Avash at all. 

 Now the mulch keeps the Avater from going off and the ground from 

 washing. If you have a soaker, you have a water holder. We do not 

 want bare orchards at any time, I can not help what Professor Troop 

 and the other professors say about trash in the orchard. I would rather 

 have a few bugs in my orchai'd than have the land washed. My orchard, 

 I think, is rich enough and Ave do not need to plant cowpeas to bring 

 the land up; if Ave did I should use coAvpeas, or clover; but the crab grass 

 grows itself and makes a lovely bed for the apples to fall on, and in the 

 gathering, to Avalk OA-er. Tliat sort of cultivation is easy. I believe I 

 was to talk about how to make apple gi-OAving easy, and I offer you easy 

 things to do. The Avay I tell j^ou is not the only way, but I think it is 

 the best way. 



