162 Appendix. 



to be to get the material to make that small haystack. There is hardly 

 a farm in the eastern country that can scratch up material enoujrh of 

 that kind to make the "year's bedding" for the cattle, horses and pigs, 

 although, of course, there is a lot of rougher material than ordinary 

 laedding that can be used for the mulching. You would find it a pretty 

 serious business proposition on the average hill farm. I am more in- 

 clined towards culture than ever before, although I can agree that In 

 rare instances the mulch scheme could be worked out satisfactorily. Just 

 now we are picking stones and getting ready to subdue more thoroughly 

 with the plow that rough hill lot that I thought two years ago might 

 Tae handled by a sort of cross between a grub hoe and the mulch system. 

 We are having to move a good many thousand tons of stones to be able 

 to beat the situation, but I am sure in the end I can make it more 

 j)rofitable than to attempt to mulch it. 



THE HOME ORCHARD. 



Mr. Asa Holaday, proprietor of the Monte Vista Nursery, Scappoose, 

 Oregon, read the following paper at the annual meeting of the Oregon 

 State Horticultural Society, 1906 : 



Upon first consideration, we are apt to think that the planter of the 

 small orchard for home use does not cut much figure 'in this tree-plant- 

 ing world, but I can assure you, if we had statistics at hand, we would 

 find that the nurseryman would have to curtail his planting consider- 

 ably, if it were not for the small planter. 



We also find the demand for fruit is lessened to an important extent 

 hy the home orchardist in and about our small towns and cities. Espec- 

 ially is this so with early fruits, such as cherries, plums, etc., on this 

 coast. 



The planter of a small orchard is apt to make the same mistake as 

 lie who plants a large one, that of planting too many varieties, and, I 

 might add, too many trees. We have an example in the numerous or- 

 chards planted years ago. Usually they are filled with worthless vari- 

 ties and serve as breeding grounds for insect pests, which make life 

 miserable for the more careful grower across the way. Without the 

 experience it is hard to realize just about how many trees it will take to 

 supply an ordinary family. I have often heard the remark made that, 

 ■"I am just going to plant a small orchard for family use and want 

 fifty to one hundred trees." Then follows the selection of twenty-five 

 to fifty varieties for home use. If the trees reach the bearing age, 

 there will not be enough of one kind to sell. Then the owner is apt to 

 "think it will not pay to care for so many trees, so will neglect them all. 

 If he had planted one-half or two-thirds of the trees in one variety he 

 <could have sold his surplus fruit, which would have encouraged him to 

 liave taken care of the balance. 



About fifteen years ago a man came to me to buy a bill of trees. He 

 wanted about seventy-five for a family orchard and as he was a single 



