366 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Stable or animal inannre is preferable to any other kind, and shonld bo pro- 

 cnrcd in every Avay possible. The country here lacks the large muck beds that 

 are found all over the State, antl tlius one great source of fertilizing material is 

 cut off. He was brought up at a business that required great quantities of ma- 

 nure, and it had to be obtained in every possible manner, and to see such crops 

 taken off as we get year after year, and little or no manure used, seemed to be 

 the direct road to ruin for our orchards. 



W. II. Hurlbut said he believed most of our land strong enough to grow 

 crops of fruit ten or fifteen years with very little manure, but thought it a very 

 poor plan. Our heavy lands could be kept up a good while by plowing in green 

 crops, and was satisiied that })lowing in three crops of rye on the light soil in 

 his peach orchard had helped it very much. But our true course was to use all 

 the stable manure jiossible, especially on the lighter lands. Thought we had 

 better import feed and buy pigs and feed in the orchard, rather than import 

 manure ; the latter plan would pay, but the other would be cheaper. Had 

 kept hogs the past season in part of his orchard and found their rooting culti- 

 vation enough. He fed them there, and directed their rooting by sowing a few 

 oats around the trees. The fruit was larger, liner, and clear of insects. The 

 hogs hunted the insects us well as the grain. Would keep them there the 

 whole year, except a few weeks when the fruit was ripening. 



Henry Chatfield found an application of coarse manure a great help to the 

 trees. The fruit was larger and finer, but he did not see how we are to keep 

 up the supply. Was satislied the pigs in his orchard helped it very much, but 

 they took all the fruit near the ground, even jumping up and shaking limbs. 



J. Lannin kept some young pigs during the summer among his old pear and 

 peach trees. The fruit was very much im})rovcd and never had been so free of 

 insects before. Thought they would injure trees headed low, as he expected 

 to have all of his, for they ate the limbs as well as fruit. He spoke of one in- 

 stance where a farm was brought up by growing peas and plowing them in ; 

 thought peas might be a good crop to grow to feed olf and plow in. 



C. T. Bryant found {)lowing in crops hcli)cd the trees very much, but did not 

 think enough could be grown among large trees to keep up the soil, lie had 

 brought up some trees, nearly used up by the hard winter, by heavy applications 

 of manure, but in one case where a good deal was applied, although the fruit 

 was extra fine, a part rotted. He thought the dose too heavy. 



F. A. AVakefield kejjt a })ig among a few trees, and although the general re- 

 sult was very beneficial to the trees, the pig rooted one entirely out. Did not 

 think we needed any manure on our young orchards : believed we grew them 

 too fast now. 



H. J. Edgell said he had tried to seed to clover for turning under, but had 

 failed ; found corn very good and thought buckwheat would be also. 



W. H. Hurlbut said a crop to plow in must be one to grow in the fall or very 

 early in the spring. During the late spring and summer the trees needed all 

 the moisture, and a crop growing at that time ditl more harm than good for 

 this reason : corn or buckwheat was not as good as rye. The latter grew well 

 late, and in the spring by the middle of May was plenty large enough to make 

 a good crop to ]ilow under. 



N. I'll ill i[)S said the limbs taken from the trees were very valual)le to return 

 to the land ; cut them up and plow in, and get others if possible. Men were 

 paid 50 cents a load to haul away manure on the other side of the lake. It 

 would be a very good thing if we could get some of it brought here. 



