WINTER MEETING AT CARTHAGE. 97 



Mr. Helvern — We dipped Mr. Simpson's trees in a wash made of 

 one ijound ichaleoil soap, cut fine, two gallons Jierosene oil and three gal- 

 lons icater, churned together with a force-pamp till it became like thick 

 cream. Pour into a coal oil barrel two-thirds full of water, dip the 

 trees and churn them up and down for a minute. We dipped all of 

 them, peaches, apples and cherries in this way. We dug holes fifteen 

 to eighteen inches deep, two feet square, several weeks before planting. 

 This overcomes the wild nature of the soil. We planted the trees in 

 the soil first and then put the clay on top. It was a very rocky piece 

 of land ; sometimes we had to put earth on the rocks where we wished 

 to plant the trees. We left the soil level. Afterward Mr. Simpson put a 

 coat of ashes, very little if any leached, on the ground around the 

 trees. We washed them three or four times during the reason. The 

 trees were topped thirty inches high. Some of them were two-year 

 trees with branches, which we cut back. In that orchard now you can 

 scarcely tell the diifereuce between the two-year and the four-year 

 trees. You can not find a finer growth in any orchard in the State of 

 Arkansas, or the State of Missouri. Nearly every one is perfect. 

 Many of them are seven to eight feet high two years after planting. 

 There is not a crotch or fork in the whole orchard. 



A. Ambrose — I very much approve of the careful planting de- 

 scribed by our friends. I like to hear of it. It is a good thing, but I 

 would not discourage our young men by making the planting of trees 

 such a task. It is not necessary, I think, to go to all this extra work 

 to get a young orchard. Trees grow fast in this rich soil of Southwest 

 Missouri. After the trees get to a bearing size it becomes necessary 

 to fight insects. I don't use all this extra work. If a man is well, let 

 him alone. I have found from experience that it is better not to head 

 back our one-year trees; we let them grow as nature made them. In 

 our county (Vernon) we put out an orchard much more quickly than 

 could be done in the way the gentleman speaks of; we plow the land 

 deeply and well, stake it and check both ways with a two-horse plow ; 

 very little hand-work is necessary. To make a hole two by two feet, 

 eighteen inches deep : why, that is almost a cistern! In the past we 

 have made the mistake of planting trees too deep. 



Mr. Murtfeldt — I have planted an orchard successfully wilh a hoe. 

 We plow the ground very deeply, harrow and mark 40 by 40 feet apart, 

 with deep furrows each way. If I were setting I would lean the trees 

 to the southwest at an angle of 45 degrees ; in two years they will 

 stand upright. The apple grows without any definite tap-root. The 

 first year I would mound them up a little to support them. 



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