96' STATE HOBTTCULTUEAL SOCIETY. 



The soil, by continued draft upon the particular substances required by the 

 trees, has become exhausted, so universal wreck and ruin is seen on every hand. 

 If such an orchard should fall into our hands, the first aim and purpose would be 

 to effect an entire revolution by renewing the soil by an abundant supply of stable 

 manure and wood ashes over the entire surface of the ground, putting but little in 

 contact with the tree. Second, a full and complete change of the tops by regraft- 

 ing and putting on new tops, with change of fruit on every tree. Third, a thorough 

 cleaning of the trunks of the trees and the application of a wash composed of lime,^ 

 carbolic acid and strong lye, for the destruction of insects, and the cleaning and 

 renewing the bark to a smooth, healthy condition. Fourth, by spraying for the 

 destruction of codliug moth and scab fungi. All this, with frequent and con- 

 tinued cultivation, with a fresh application of these fertilizers until the soil is 

 restored to a high fertility. 



Substantially this treatment was given an old profitless orchard that fell into 

 our hands in Ohio in 1856 (except the spraying), which began to bear freely about 

 the third year, and continued to bear good crops of excellent fruit for the twenty 

 years we remained in Ohio, and four years ago 1 visited my brother who now owna 

 this orchard. I was surprised to find many of those old trees still alive and bear- 

 ing fair crops of fruit. Jonathan Ames. 



Carthage, Mo. 



DISCUSSION. 



A. Nelson — I wish to say to Mr. Tippen that for my first lot of 500 

 trees I paid $15.00 per hundred. Is that a " Cheap John " price? 



Mr. Tippen — That is a fair price for good trees. 



A. Nelson — For another lot of 500 whole-root trees, I paid $20.00 

 per hundred. That is $100.00 for the 500 trees, but I was badly swin- 

 dled notwithstanding the price. 



Mr. Elliott — The remark made by Mr. Tippen in regard to thorough 

 cultivation should be emphasized. Fully three-fourths of the loss in 

 the section where I live comes from root aphis. My trees are grown 

 by myself. In my nursery the root aphis destroys trees. The best 

 remedy is to keep them clean. Last year I applied salt to all my trees, 

 and think I can see a marked improvement. It saved my trees in the 

 nursery by killing the trees. I have not yet summed up the moral 

 courage to try boiling water. If anything can be done to destroy root 

 aphis, I would like to know it. 



Jacob Faith — If I had a new lease of my life, I would plant seeds 

 of the Eed Astrachan for stocks for my summer apples, and seeds of 

 the Minkler to make stocks for my winter apples. I believe I would 

 prefer to bud them. I would plant for market Ben Davis, Jonathan 

 and Little Red Eomanite. I use much arm-grease. I am lifty-six: 

 years old and can do as much work as most young men. 



I grow blackberries in my orchard, keeping them from four to six 

 feet from the trees, and cultivating them well with potato hoes. The 

 wash I use is soap-suds that has stood a week, with a little crude car- 

 bolic acid in it. 



