DEPAETMEXT REPORTS. 121 



In row 13, which was in grass without culture, sLx trees at the north end of 

 the row yielded about 15 bushels of good, well colored apples, and 15 bushels of 

 poor apples. This is the row to be compared with the 15th row, which has 

 been cultivated, and with the 14th row in grass, except a little culture about 

 the trees, as follows: In row 14, tree number one ha? been kept in unmown 

 grass without manure, except a space extending three feet each way from the 

 tree, dumber two has had the same treatment as number one, only the culti- 

 vated space has been eight feet each way from the tree. Number three was 

 cultivated from the tree as far out as the limbs extended. Number four had a 

 cultivated space three feet eacli way. Number five stood in the center of a 

 square of grass 12x12 feet, and cultivated beyond. Number six stood in a 

 square of grass 14x14 feet, with cultivation beyond. 



In row 12, tree number one in the spring of 1873 had a dressing of one-third 

 of a load of good manure placed around the tree, not more than three feet away. 

 In the spring of 1875 half a load of good manure was placed in the same po- 

 sition. Tree number two had two dressings of manure of same quality and 

 quantity at the same time, spread evenly four feet from the tree. The fourth 

 tree had a similar manuring, only it was spread under the tree as far out as the 

 tips of the limbs extended. 



Numbers three and five were similarly dressed, except that the manure ex- 

 tended to the center line between these trees and the trees in the rows next to 

 them. Numijer seven had the manure applied in a ring two feet wide, seven to 

 nine feet from the tree. Number eight had a two-foot ring of manure under 

 the ends of the longest branches. 



COlSrCLUSIONS DKAAVK FROM THESE EXPERIMENTS. 



It is too soon to decide for certain from these few imperfect data, the best 

 way to treat apple trees, as so much depends upon the soil, the variety of tree, 

 the different seasons. Hardly any two trees of the same variety, treated in every 

 respect alike, as nearly as can be, will produce an equal amount of fruit of equal 

 quality. Each tree seems to l>ave some individual characteristics peculiar to 

 itself. 



So far, on an average, the trees in grass, have grown slower, shed their leaves 

 earlier, and have borne a less quantity of more highly colored fruit. We are 

 experimenting to see which of the above fruits will keep the best under the 

 same conditions. 



Digging little circles about trees, and keeping the ground mellow and nice has 

 little or no effect. I think we see a little difference in fruit and thrift of tree 

 Avhere the culture extends from tlie tree as far as the ends of the spreading 

 branches. The two trees especially experimented upon with a patch of grass 

 about the tree, and a clean culture beyond, behaved, so far as could be seen, 

 precisely like those with perfectly clean culture from t-lie tree in every direction. 

 In some cases (we had many in different portions of the orchard), I think trees 

 of Talman Sweet, and those of Rhode Island Greening, left in patches of grass 

 extending as far as the limbs, were improved by digging up the grass, so the cul- 

 ture was complete, i. e. no grass grew anywhere near the trees. 



It has taken about three summers for manure to show any results when 

 spread on grass under trees. The grass showed the effect at once. 



This year, for the first, the trees in grass showed a little better color in the 

 leaf. 



In the case vnth. manure piled within tlirce feet of the trunk, the tree showed 



1(3 



