242 STATE BOAED OF AGEICULTURE. 



tial duty to perform, running as it does straight down (or nearly so), and that 

 the life'and health of the tree depend in a great measure on its being started as 

 nature designed it. I have observed of late that a number of farmers from 

 this or some other reason have set out orchards with natural fruit trees, and in 

 my opinion it is the only correct way of doing. Please bear in mind what I 

 have said in regard to destroying in a great measure the tap root or roots that 

 run deepest. AYhat is the next thing that is generally practiced? It is that of 

 plowing, and this is generally done by hired men, who care no more for the 

 trees than for so many oak stumps, and if they did their orders are to plough as 

 close as possible, even if they do bark them a little, they will get over it. I 

 would say to such men if they got their shins barked from knee to ankle, oh, 

 it is nothing, you will get over it in time ; but it is not the barking that I wish 

 to draw your attention to at this time ; it is the destroying all the surface roots, 

 Avithout which I think the tree suffers far worse than from the mutilation of 

 its lower roots. I believe whole orchards are ruined by this one thing. Just 

 think of tearing up the ground to the depth of six, eight or ten inches around 

 a tree once or twice a year. It is a wonder to me that the poor tree does not 

 die at once under such treatment. But it is with trees as with animated beings, 

 they seem to have a dread of death, and thus we see them struggle on with 

 scarcely a limb on them to tell us they are yet alive. Farmers, what is your 

 next step to your already crippled trees? Is it not pruning, or would it not 

 come nearer the truth to call it cutting and slashing, for does not our hired 

 man again come into play? Is it not Thomas I must have my orchard trimmed ? 

 Take the saw and ax (I have had it sharpened on purpose) and give it a real 

 good trimming. Away goes Thomas for the orchard and up into the trees with 

 his heavy stoga boots on, cutting limbs from one to three inches in diameter, 

 pushing and pulling, loosening the bark on every limb he stands on, for bear in 

 mind it is universally done in the spring of the year when the sap is in full flow, 

 when it takes but very little to do untold damage in this way. Please think of 

 the tree with roots criiDpled bottom and top, and now bleeding from fifteen to 

 twenty different places throughout its top, besides the bark being loosened in 

 very many places by those monstrous coarse boots. No doubt some of you 

 begin to wonder how a tree lives at all, but do not think I am done yet. 



What is our method of gathering our fruit? Do we not again send men into 

 our trees to pick the fruit? And the consequence is breaking many limbs and 

 injuring others that they stand on, for in the majority of cases the foot is placed 

 between two limbs, so that there is nothing but the wedging of the foot to sus- 

 tain the weight, and in such places loosening the bark is inevitable ; it cannot 

 be avoided. Then, again, how is the fruit on many of our early apple trees 

 obtained? Have not many of us seen our men when wanting an apple hurl 

 clubs or sticks three or four feet long into the top of a beautiful tree, and repeat 

 it many times, and we take very little or no notice of it. These, my brother 

 farmers, are some of the abuses our orchards have to bear. Is it any wonder 

 that many of them die before they fairly commence bearing? A few more 

 words, on what I believe to be the correct manner of planting, and using 

 an orchard, and I will close. In the first place it would be best to manure 

 your ground very heavily the year before planting your trees. Also keep the 

 ground thoroughly cultivated during the season by raising some crop that will 

 allow you to do so, then setting out natural fruit trees and grafting afterwards 

 when nicely started. I find by experience that it is a good plan to put saw dust 

 or straw around the tree in order to keep the ground moist, as I believe many 



