504 IJOAKI) OK A(;HT(ULTrRK. 



Mr. Simpson: Our orchard is ready to bear, and we want to use it as 

 a plant food. We are going to try it. It puddles very badly and that 

 will throw off the plant food, and this seems to be what we need in that 

 peculiar soil. I would like to ask Mr. Burton if he puts any dressiiiLC on 

 the wounds when he cuts a limb off, especially on large wounds? 



Mr. Burton: If I have time I paint them; it ought always to be done, . 

 but I do not always do it. I much jjrefer it, and sometimes 1 get it done 

 and sometimes I do not. 



Mr. Simpson: Do you paint it with common jiaint? 



Mr. Burton: Yes, anything to cover the wound. It does not matter 

 what. A drab paint or brown jjaint is what I prefer. It looks better. 



Prof. Troop: Before we adjourn, I want to say a word in regard to 

 the pruning. Mr. Burton spoke of cutting off the roots, and a question 

 was asked in regard to the Stringfellow method. Perhaps some of 

 you do not know what that is. Mr. Stringfellow, of Texas, advocated in 

 the planting of trees the cutting off of all of the roots within an inch of 

 the tree, and cut off all the branches, so that only the whip is left, so 

 that by taking a crowbar or stick, and running it into the ground you 

 plant the tree. Many people think that is a severe method of treating 

 trees. A few years ago I tried that on apples, plums, pears, peaches and 

 cherries; and I found that on peaches It worked admirably— perfectly; 

 and trees planted that way, in one year's growth made a better root 

 system than those planted with the entire root system; and some of the 

 plums did well; pears did finely that way, and apples planted in the fall 

 so 'that the roots had opportunity to callous over and get ready to start 

 in the spring. They made a good root system jjruned in that way, and 

 a good top, also. You must, of course, trim the top back to correspond 

 with the roots. Now we have some apples pruned in that way that we 

 set last fall. I want to let them grow two years and then take them 

 up and compare them. Each alternate tree is pruned that way, and the 

 other left in the ordinai-y way, like you get them from the nurseiy. That 

 seems like a severe method of pruning, but it will work on most of the 

 trees. The sour cherries do not seem to take to that treatment* and I 

 can not recommend it for them, but I would recommend every one of 

 j'ou to try this method in a small way. Cut them all away; you don't 

 need a post-hole digger to plant them— don't need to go to that much 

 trouble. Cut within an inch of the trunk and chuck them in the ground 

 and they are planted. 



The Convention then adjourned, to meet at 7:30 o'clock p. m. 



