FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 73 



Question — What I wanted to know is, whether the Baldwin would 

 pay better than the Spy? 



Mr, Hartman — So far as the demand is conceraed, we have more de- 

 mand for Northern Spy than anything else. I do not like to pack North- 

 ern Spies because they are uneven. I think on the whole that the North- 

 ern Spy tree will pay as well as any other variety we can grow in Michi- 

 gan. 



Question — Will the Spies keep as well as other varieties? 



Mr. Hartman — No, but they are a pretty good keeper. We have kept 

 them in cellar storage and shipped them to customers and we have had 

 no particular complaint with the keeping. 



Question — Are they keeping as well as they did ten years ago? 



Mr. Hartman — I could not say. 



Question — Why I asked that question is that I do not think they keep 

 as well now as they used to. 



Mr. Hartman — T have found that Northern Spies do not keep quite 

 so well this year as other years. 



Question — Do you exjject to continue this mulching process for a 

 period of years Avithout ploAving? 



Mr. Hartman — Yes, we expect to do that with the rented orchard. 

 I am not talking about the orchards we have at home of our own, part 

 of these being cultivated and part mulched, and Ave do not let stock into 

 these. 



Question — At times when you cannot handle the orchard as you would 

 like from any cause, is there any complaint from the owners? 



Mr. Hartman — No, we have had practically no complaint on this score. 

 The owners with one or two exceptions that I referred to are fully satis- 

 fied, and we have a number of orchards in the neighborhood that we can 

 lease at any time. 



Question — Why do you not lease them? 



Mr. Hartman — Some are not Avortli leasing — some need too much 

 thinning, or are too far away, or for some other reason are not desirable. 



Question — Are we given to understand that these orchards that have 

 been mulched have the hogs turned into them? 



Mr. Hartman — Yes, the orchard I referred to the stock was turned in 

 but it Avas turned out before the mulching. 



Mr. Gray — Did you say you did not want to get up any argument 

 about sod mulch? (Yes, I made that statement.) Are not some orchards 

 being cultivated this way? 



Mr. Farrand — I would like a minute to say a Avord on this subject. 

 At the Grand Rapids shoAv I saAV ten or twelve bushels that came right 

 off sod that was just fine. Whether the particular season had anything 

 to do wit 1 it or not, I could not say — if Ave had had a di-y season I do 

 not know what would haA^e been the result. I have for many years talked 

 against sod mulch, but I begin to think a good coat of manure each year 

 would carry us through Avithout cultivation. I should like to know the 

 experience of others. 



A Member — On my farm I have an orchard that had been for ten or 

 twelve years right on sod, before I bought it, and Avhen I got possession 

 of it, I did not Avant to break it up, I thought it would be worth more 

 as a hog pasture. There AA-ere some Northern Spies that were not bear- 

 ing as they should. I hauled out manure and put around the trees and 



