458 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Answer — Yes. No man can afford to plant an orchard and then let it 

 alone until it is ready to bear, any more than he can afford to plant a field of 

 corn and not go near it again till ripe. There are two ways to encourage the 

 growth: one by plowing or cultivating, the other by manuring. Cultivation 

 you can stop as early in the season as you please; and if the ground is not 

 very rich the growth will soon stop preparatory to winter; but in case of 

 heavy manuring, a warm fall with rains will be likely to keep up growth too 

 late to allow proper ripening of wood before winter, and the risk is greater, if 

 manuring and cultivation are combined. The question of hardiness is simply 

 that of proper ripeness, and that is attained by a seasonable stoppage of 

 growth, and prevention of subsequent activity. Where manuring is heavy, 

 your trees are more subject to the caprice of the seasons; but if you encourage 

 growth mainly by cultivation, the process of fall ripening of wood is much 

 more under your control ? 



Second Question — How can we best utilize hen-house manure? 



Answer — I would say, Make as fine as practicable, and apply on the garden, 

 mixing it in the surface soil about as deep as will make it a connecting sub- 

 stance between the capillary moisture of the ground and the air. 



Third Question — Is it equally beneficial to the land to harvest clover and 

 turn the sod, as it is to turn under the whole crop, root and branch ? 



Answer — I cannot answer this very confidently. Our general ideas of 

 green manuring would lead us to say, "No! the more we can turn under the 

 better." But I am aware that the experiments on record tend to prove the 

 contrary, — that more wheat is grown where the clover is taken off before plow- 

 ing; and I have seen some results that lead me to think the same way. If the 

 facts are as the experiments seem to prove, they are us much against the popu- 

 lar notion as they are against theory from the standpoint of chemical analysis. 

 The value of the hay to be saved or turned under makes it an important ques- 

 tion, and I would like to hear it discussed in the light of experience. 



Mr. Gray. — I cannot speak from personal experience, but have read state- 

 ments to the effect that clover is worth nearly as much as manure after being 

 passed through animals as it is in its green state. 



Mr. B. Montague. — I like Mr. Geddes' plan of harvesting one crop and turn- 

 ing under the second growth. 



Mr. Parmelee. — I should like to hear Mr. Ladd's experience with clover. 



Mr. Ladd. — I have had but little experience. Tried turning under second 

 growth, amounting to about a ton to the acre, and had a good crop of wheat. 



Mr. Marshall. — Mr. Brinkman harvested first crop from part of a field, and 

 turned under the whole crop on the other part; could see no difference in 

 succeeding crops. They were equally good on both portions of the field. 



Mr. B. Montague. — I think it well to cut clover early, so as to have a good 

 second growth to turn under in time for winter wheat. 



Mr. Parmelee. — In Germany there are a great many experimental farms. 

 There, the results of a long series of experiments are favorable to turning 

 under the bare sods; indted, the very best results are obtained by turning 

 under after a seed crop is taken off. They also establish this additional fact, — 

 that crops were not so satisfactory after sheep pasturage as by the first method. 

 Possibly, the constant nibbling prevented the growth of the roots. 



Mr. E. Wait. — I should not expect the best results from plowing under clover 

 i\\Q first year. The year following and succeeding years get the benefit of it. 



Mr. Montague. — Mr. Wait's idea is a very valuable one, especially where land 



