624 BOARD OF. AGRICULTUBE, 



You must add somethiug to the soil for the benefit of the fruit. 1 do 

 not believe in the grass treatment for the average orchard, but there are 

 conditions under which it is certainly successful. I think it all de- 

 pends. You will be surprised at the vigor trees will put on after being 

 treated like what I have suggested. In- western New York, which is the 

 greatest apple growing section of the United States, a great many of the 

 old orchards that have been standing there for years and years in grass, 

 have been plowed up and tilled, and they have borne abundant crops 

 of fruit, where before they were bearing but scanty crops. In some 

 cases the people have taken out an entire row of these big trees. They 

 have taken out about three-fourths of the trees and are treating the re- 

 maining trees in this manner, and the results from the one-fourth re- 

 maining are much more than they could have possibly been from the 

 whole number originally there. 



Prof. Latta: That is heroic treatment, isn't it? 



Mr. Van Deman: Yes, sir; and that is one thing 1 want to say 

 about the general manner of orchard treat juent. The apple orchards 

 when they get old have changed from apple orchards into apple forests. 

 There are a great many people who think they are in the fruit business 

 when they are really in the forestry business. Apple forestry. I have 

 seen trees, apple trees, and a great many of them in the State of New 

 York that were twenty feet to the first limb. The trees were planted 

 about twenty-five feet apart. These people are simply in the forestry 

 business. And what do they have for fruit? They have a few scrawny 

 apples. 



As a whole, young orchards are planted too closely for permanence, 

 but not too close for temporary purposes. If I had my choice I would 

 plant my permanent trees not nearer than forty feet apart, and I think 

 fifty is better, and I would fill in between the permanent trees with 

 peaches and plums and pears, and possibly with apple trees that would 

 come into bearing early. I feel complimented because I was the origi- 

 nator of this idea in Kansas. This I think is the better idea— to put in the 

 temporary trees that will come into bearing early and serve their pur- 

 pose before they come in conflict with the other permanent trees. I would 

 plant these trees with the purpose of cutting them out whenever the time 

 came that they interfere with the permanent trees. 



Prof. Troop: Will the average man do this? 



Mr. Van Deman: No, the average man will not. 



Prof. Troop: Wouldn't he have to take the pledge beforehand? 



Mr. Van Deman: Well, that is true, that might be a good idea. But 

 if a man has sense enough to go into tlie fruit business he shoiild have 



