No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 609 



In selecting a soil, I would give preference to a soil that is mod- 

 erately rich, and well-drained; if it is not well drained, it should 

 be made so. In your rolling country, you have an opportunity to 

 select our soils, and in many cases underdrain them by tiles very 

 thoroughly. In selecting a soil for growing peaches, I would like to 

 get a soil in condition to grow a first-class crop of potatoes, and one 

 of the best ways to get it into this condition is to grow a first-class 

 crop of clover and plow it down. We prefer to plow it down in the 

 fall, and plant in the spring. 



Some have been using the smaller sized tree. Having had trou- 

 ble in securing suitable trees, I undertook to propagate some on my 

 own place. They grew larger than any trees I had ever planted, 

 and I was tempted to throw them on the brush pile, but I wanted to 

 plant the trees, and could not get them the size I wanted, so I planted 

 them, and gave some to my neighbors, and they gave me better 

 results than any other trees I have ever planted, and I believe we 

 have been making a mistake in planting the smaller, weaker trees. 

 I don't want an over-grown tree, but one that has enough vigor and 

 constitution in it to make a good, vigorous growth. Of course, in 

 pruning you should prune it back to the single stem, at a height 

 you want the tree. There has been a great deal said about laying 

 out the orchard. We have a very simple way. We simply take th6 

 double team and cultivator, and in that way we can lay out the or- 

 chard very quickly, and although there may be a variation of one 

 01 two inches in a few years it will not be noticed. 



The SECRETARY: May I ask whether you are on level or roll- 

 ing ground? 



MR. FARNSWORTH: I have fairly level ground. You cannot 

 lay down any hard and fast rule. That makes our profession better 

 than any other. The carpenter knows that if he makes a rule, the 

 joint will come at a certain place, no matter which wood he uses, 

 but in our work we know that this is not so. I am speaking of my 

 own experience, and my soil is fairly level. On rolling soil this 

 plan might not work so well. 



After we have the soil in proper condition, and the orchard 

 laid off, we are ready for planting. See that the trees are received 

 in good condition. We use a low down wagon for our planting — 

 one with crossed reach so that you can turn very easily. If the 

 front wheels clear the tree, the back ones will do it also. We load 

 the trees on this flat wagon, and never leave them exposed to the air 

 any length of time; then Ave drive on and set the trees in place. The 

 planting is done easily and quickly in this way. One of the points 

 on which many fail, is in leaving too much top on the tree. My idea 

 is that if you can get four or five roots six or eight inches long, it 

 is better than to have a lot of little fine roots. They simply get in 

 the way. Then commence cultivation at once. 



The first year raise small crops. In doing this, I would very 

 much prefer to plant vegetables that can be cultivated early in the 

 season;* By handling the ground properly, I can get just as much 

 growth as j)0ssil)le early in the season; then by stopping cultivation 

 a short time before sowing other crops that will act as a cover crop, 



39—7—1910 



