198 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



cold prevented this, and in consequence his fine orchard perished. It took the 

 first prize last year, but was not entered this year. 



At evening, they bring down, on spring wagons, their peaches, plums, cher- 

 ries, or berries, and place them on a boat, well ventilated with cool air. By 

 daylight they are in one of the best markets in the world — Milwaukee or Chi- 

 cago. This is better for the grower than to live back inland six nriles, in the 

 suburbs of either place. 



Pears are generally a bountiful crop all along the lake where the trees are 

 taken care of. Grapes are also fine. Small fruits usually light on account of 

 severe dry weather. It seems to us practicable to irrigate small fruits in dry 

 Aveather, especially about the times of ripening fruit. No doubt if rightly 

 done this would often increase the yield three-fold. Irrigation can be accom- 

 plished by windmills and in some places by artesian wells. Apples were light 

 and very wormy, with some exceptions. Peaches, pears, grapes, and small 

 fruits, are usually thoroughly cultivated till about the last of August. Some 

 have worked them later rather than to leave a few unsightly weeds; but late 

 cultivation often induces a late growth which will not ripen enough to endure 

 winter. Among the wonders seen on our trip was an apple orchard 16 years 

 old, owned by L. H. Bailey of South Haven. The soil a deep gravelly loam, 

 with clay subsoil for ten feet or more. This he has heavily manured and 

 plowed every year, generally taking off a good crop of corn, wheat, oats, or pota- 

 toes, as well as a bountiful crop of apples. Occasionally he seeds down, but 

 plows under as soon as the grass makes a good growth. The trees are all top- 

 grafted, with not a tree missing. Such a bountiful crop of fine apples is rarely 

 seen east or west, in Michigan or out of it. The greatest yield this year was 

 thirty-one bushels to a tree. This was a Baldwin. 



There were 450 trees 40 feet apart in his premium orchard, yielding this year 

 1,200 bushels ; last year, 300 bushels ; year before, 800 bushels. There are 

 some peach trees between the apple trees. This year the apples sold for three 

 dollars per barrel to go to Mississippi. His apples are all nicely colored on 

 account of the open heads of his trees. They are allowed to branch out about 

 five feet from the ground. We never saw an orchard in which the centers or 

 tops of the trees were so much pruned. 



The codling moths or worms are caught as they leave the apples, by old 

 cloths held in the crotches of the trees by a brick or stone. These are exam- 

 ined every week, and the enemy killed. The trees at the Agricultural College 

 have been bandaged for several years to catch the moths; but the neighbors 

 have not yet all been induced to do this, and so insects do not diminish. Mr. 

 Bailey's neighbors all hunt moths in their orchards, and, as a result, apples are 

 quite free from worms. While speaking of moths, we saw one man, Mr. Hus- 

 ted of Lowell, who puts on a band of one thickness of paper. This catches 

 the moths. The woodpeckers peck open the paper and remove them, generally 

 all of them. When the paper is torn into shreds he puts on another. 



Mr. Bailey, the owner of the orchard spoken of, has a fine farm. He bought 

 it in early times of the government, then went to see it. He soon sold it again, 

 saying no one but Indians would ever live there. He afterwards bought it 

 back at a large advance. As Mr. Bailey has had considerable experience as a 

 successful grower of apples, we cannot do better than to quote parts of his 

 letter to the chairman of this committee. He writes : 



*' I have had orders for more apples than were raised in South Haven ; orders 



