54 STATE BOAED OF AGEICULTUEE. 



GRAPES. 



The youug vines bore a little this season. We have the following sorts on a 

 terrace sloping to the south : Ives' Seedling, Rogers' 19, Hartford Prolific, 

 Concord, Clinton, Rogers' 15, Rebecca, Rogers' 43, Taylor's Bullet, Cottage, 

 Rogers' 3, Croton, Maxatawney, Rogers' 5, Martha, Goethe, Creveling, Rogers' 

 4, Brant, Delaware, Eumelan, Norton's Virginia, lona, Bradfield, Concord 

 Seedling, Delaware Seedling, C}Tithiana, Allen's, Diana, Lady, Adirondac, 

 Canada, Black Hawk, Israella, Concord Chasselas, Concord Muscat. We have 

 increased the amount of the terrace so as to have two hundred or more vines. 

 We shall add twenty or more of the most promising new sorts next spring. 



The Sweet Cheery trees are all dead but two. 



PEACH TREES. 



Two small peach trees were lieavily pruned where they had grown in boxes, 

 straw was put over each, and then a barrel set over that during winter. Four 

 other young trees were covered in corn shocks, three others were tipped over and 

 covered with sandy soil in which they grew. Those covered with the corn shocks 

 and with barrels all died, one of those buried lived, and now has blossom buds 

 on it. By mistake the trees were uncovered in April, a month too soon. I 

 shall leave the dirt on in future till about the time to plant corn. 



THE APPLE ORCHARD. 



The experiments in culture have been continued as begun several years ago. 

 The evidences look more and more strongly every j^ear against the propriety of 

 leaving trees, in our section, in grass. They have stood the severe winters no 

 better ; they have borne no better ; the apples are smaller ; the trees grow more 

 slowly ; a greater proportion of trees have died than of those cultivated each 

 year. So marked have been the results, that we have plowed up aboiit half that 

 part of the orchard which was left in grass. 



The most of the orchard has been plowed and cultivated till summer, then 

 sowed to oats. We have been able this season, to comiDlete tile draining the 

 orchard. This is an improvement long needed. For want of it many trees 

 have died, and many more are injured for life. In vacant places, were old stumps 

 have been taken out, it has been very difficult to make trees grow. Large holes 

 have been dug out in the fall previous to setting trees in sjn'ing. Unleached 

 ashes, at the rate of 65 bushels per row, were placed evenly over tlie ground, on 

 the tenth and eleventh rows from the east line, and on the third, and fourth, 

 and fifth rows from the west side. In September, a heavy mulch of old hay 

 and litter was put about eleven trees, the mulch extending half way to other 

 trees. The trees mulched were on the east side, in. the sixtli row from the 

 south line of the orchard. 



A large load of well-rotted manure was placed evenly under each of three 

 trees, half-way to other trees each way. Tlie trees so manured were : A 

 Northern Spy in 5th row from south and 11th row from the ea^^t ; Bakhvin, 7th 

 row from the south and 10th tree from the west ; Seek-no-Further, 11th tree 

 from south and 2d from the west. 



It is intended to keep up the mulching and manuring of these trees for a 

 series of years in a uniform manner. The trees were lightly trimmed in the 

 spring. 



A few more apples were crossed while in flower, as years before. But few 

 seeds were obtained. An effort was made to cross Siberian Crab apples with the 



