102 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



bunch of apple trees, and also a little bunch of Kieffer pears. It killed the 

 bloom in every bunch of blossoms on the apples, but that didn't seriously 

 affect my crop, but it did curl the first leaves up, and they were curled all 

 summer long. On the Kieffer pear it made every bloom drop. I lost all 

 the Kieffer pear blooms entirely. To show that difference, though, a neighbor 

 of mine sprayed the same day on apple trees that I did, and his lime and 

 sulphur was not properly boiled; it was just white, lo®ked white on the trees, 

 and it never hurt the foliage a particle. That shows it didn't have the 

 caustic property, hadn't boiled enough to get the chemical change. But 

 mine did kill the scale and leaves. 



Q, No. 1 : Is it advisable to set commercial Northern Spy orchards in 

 southern Michigan? Could the trees be brought into bearing sooner and 

 be as hardy, prolific and long lived if grafted upon other stocks, and what 

 stocks are best? 



Mr. Crane: In my orchard I did not have any Spies about fifteen years 

 ago, and I wanted some, and I had some Baldwins, my orchard was nearly 

 all Baldwins; and so I grafted in some Spies on an old orchard; but those 

 Spies did not come to bearing for about fifteen years after I grafted them; 

 never could get any commercial crop reall)-; now and then a few apples, 

 but it was very slow in starting to bearing. That is the only stock I have 

 ever worked the Spy upon. 



Mr. Gebhart: I have had some experience in grafting the Northern Spy, 

 but they were on older trees, seedling trees, or any description of trees. 

 The tree was 12 or 14 or 15 years old, and in six years they bore a full crop; 

 I think they began to bear at four years. Northern Spies. It hastens the 

 bearing on the Northern Spy very much if you have any old trees; but if 

 you have young trees and graft, I don't know whether it would or not. I 

 have not had the experience. I should use Red Astrachan or some strong 

 grower for grafting the Spy; but on old trees — on any kind of tree — it brings 

 the Spy into bearing very soon; it bears very fine fruit. 



Mr. Farrand: I would like to raise' Northern Spies, but don't want to 

 wait so long for it. I am planting Northern Spy and using them as a stock 

 to start all my orchard. I plant Northern Spy and top work them the same 

 year, or in some cases perhaps a year later, although usually the same year, 

 with the Baldwin, Grimes, Greenings, Jonathan, or any variety I want; 

 and I am not sure it would not pay to plant Spy and in three or four years 

 top work them. The Spy is an ideal root stock, good healthy trunk, and 

 we know it is comparatively free from insects. 



Mr. Greening: In my opinion, it matters not what variety you use for 

 the stock. I would not advise a slow growing variety; but we are now 

 speaking as to bringing the Spy into bearing earlier, and what method should 

 be employed. I say that you can top work on any variety; the fast growing 

 variety would be the most advisable to graft the Spy on to, and the trees will 

 come into bearing after two or three years after top working on old trees. 



A Member: I had a little experience in working Spies. I had a number 

 of Red Astrachan trees and other varieties in summer fruit I wished to top 

 work about ten years ago; so I employed a man to graft those into Spies 

 in my own orchard; it has been ten years and I have never had a crop of 

 Spies, never yet. Thrifty tops, but never a crop of Spies. 



Mr. Hutchins: How old trees when grafted? 



A. Trees 15 or 18 years old when grafted. 



A Member: I would suggest to the gentleman that he top graft again. 

 I have been told b}' an old apple grower in New York State that the greatest 



