THIRTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT. 17 



and four or five years ago I planted it again with peaches, and planted another 

 lot of the same trees on another farm forty miles away. This last fall I 

 have had to take out every one of those trees with the yellows. Now I 

 don't know. I don't know what is the matter. Is it because there are some 

 trees with yellows half a mile away that are doing that? Or is it something 

 of yellows in the soil? Dare I plant that land over again? I am here to ask 

 questions and to get advice, rather than to give it. It is a serious proposi- 

 tion. I have a large tract of orchard land — this original apple orchard 

 that was made from the apple orchard into a peach orchard, that was taken 

 out with yellows a year ago. The land in the fall of 1906 was ploughed 

 thoroughly and well, and this spring it was ploughed again and sowed with 

 cow peas and clover together; the cow peas have died down by frost, and 

 the clover is a heavy mat upon the land. I expect to plough it next spring. 

 The land would be worth a thousand dollars an acre to me if I dared plant it 

 with peaches this coming spring, but I dare not. I have another tract of 

 22 acres, which I seeded with clover in the fall, and in the spring ploughed 

 under again and has had cow peas the past summer, and it is in superb shape 

 for replanting. I wouldn't mind planting apples or plums or pears there 

 but I want to plant it to peaches; it is valuable peach land to me. Dare 

 I do it? You Michigan men say yes. 



I have taken up a new piece of land and planted it with trees and had 

 them all go with yellow^s at the second and third and fourth years, when 

 the same trees, away from what I call poisoned land, were healthy, and they 

 are healthy yet. What shall I do about it? I don't know. 



The large hill had been a peach orchard for eighteen years; and finally, 

 many of the trees having gone out from j^ellows, a new piece of ground low 

 down, which never had had peaches before, was planted with peaches. I 

 don't know whether there was any wash from that land. It is the only thing 

 I can conceive of that would bring the poison down there. Or is there any 

 poison in the soil? My friend, your secretary, says no. I don't know. 

 You see I am here asking questions. 



I believe there is no trouble in getting fertility enough in any land to grow 

 new orchards following old ones. No question about that. No ciuestion 

 about getting the organic matter by growing green crops. No question 

 about the aphis there; by liberal use of nitrate of soda you can grow roots 

 enough to get away from those and get roots down away from them so you 

 may get healthy trees. I haven't any doubt but you can grow strong, 

 vigorous orchard trees of any variety on any land where you have taken 

 out trees, whether they have been ten or twenty or a hundred years, or older. 

 There is no trouble whatever. That is my experience. The only doubt 

 in my mind is in regard to keeping free of yellows when once it has been in 

 that soil. 



I am a great believer in commercial fertilizer. Yes, I think I know, 

 if I know anything; but my neighbors are in doubt about that, and I agree 

 with my neighbors in some things. But I believe commercial fertilizers 

 are the life and the hope of agricultural prosperity. I believe they are better 

 for most of our trees and plants and vines than the stable manures. I 

 believe what organic matter we want in our soils — and we do want it — can 

 best be got there by the growing of green crops. And I think one of the 

 great mistakes of every horticulturist, of every tiller of the soil, is that he 

 does not keep more of the leguminous crops growing on his land. I believe 

 all of us who have taken up land in this God-given country of ours ought 

 to leaA^e everv acre of it better than we found it. It can be steadilv im_ 



