134 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



It makes cultivation inconvenient, and leaves the south side of the trunk of the 

 tree exposed to the sun in the hottest part of the day. 



In 1884 I planted apple-trees 20 feet apart each way. These trees have now 

 made 10 years' growth. The branches almost meet, and yet they have not given 

 me a full crop. They bore few apples in 1890, less in 1891, and none at all in 1892 

 and 1893. The last two years, as you know, were seasons of general failure in the 

 State. They now need thinning, but as they have not borne a paying crop, I will 

 leave them a year or two longer. 



When I planted these trees, I intended to thin by cutting each alternate tree 

 in every row, leaving it just as that part of the orchard where the peach-trees were 

 killed ; but with my present light, I think it would be better to remove each alternate 

 north and south row, leaving the trees for permanent orchard 20X40 feet. Our 

 friend Hartzell would probably think them still too thick. 



My last planting, done two years ago, was 15X30 feet. The trees were all 

 apples, but varieties were alternated, giving opportunity to remove the least profit- 

 able. When these are thinned, they will remain 30X^0 feet. 1 believe it would 

 be better to have the trees closer in the rows running north and south. 



Mr. Wellhouse, of Kansas, plants 12X32 feet. I don't know that he has 

 thinned or that he intends to do so. If not, I think his trees too close. Perhaps 

 you have seen an item in the horticultural papers about a man in Canada, who sold 

 $800 worth of apples from 15 Fameuse trees, which occupied one whole acre. 



Could we make the Ben Davis grow to such a size, and live long by such thin 

 planting? 



I believe I will make my next planting so as to have the permanent trees 

 stand 24X40 feet, making about 44 trees per acre, and plant another row of quick- 

 bearing varieties half way between the permanent rows. How would Keiffer pears 

 promise for this temporary row ? Would they be as likely to prove profitable as 

 Ben Davis apples? 



As to varieties, the last two years of almost total failure in this part of the 

 State have given us no new light. All kinds failed to a great extent. In a few 

 places there were some Maiden Blush and Rawles' Janet. It is safe to say that 

 the Ben Davis is still the leading variety for profit, with Jonathan, Willow, Clay- 

 ton, Minkler and York Imperial for second choice. 



MY SUCCESS WITH A YOUNG ORCHARD. 



D. S. HELVERN, MAM. SPRINGS, ARK. 



A little over a year ago I traded a Nebraska farm for a farm in Fulton county, 

 Arkansas, of 240 acres, with 40 acres partly cleared and in cultivation. On this 

 there were 100 fruit trees of apple, peach, pear, plum, cherry and apricots, also 

 some grapes and berries. I moved onto the farm in January, '93, and began clear- 

 ing up and preparing the ground for my orchard, etc. I ordered 1000 apple trees 

 of three varieties: namely. Mammoth Black Twig, Minkler and Ben Davis. These 

 were for a commercial orchard. I also ordered 100 KeiflTer pear, 25 Transcendent 

 crab, 50 Wild Goose plum, some quince, cherry, etc., which were all put out in 

 good season as follows : I set my trees in rows 18X^2 feet apart ; began preparing 

 the ground by starting a land on the east side of the field 22 feet wide, so the cen- 

 ter furrow — or dead furrow— would come just where I wanted the trees to stand, 

 I run my plow about five or six inches deep in the start, and kept getting deeper 

 until the last furrows were nearly a foot deep. Then I used a bull-tongue to cross 

 out, 18 feet apart, began on the south side, and so on until the whole field was thus 



