THE SECRETAEY'S POllTFOLIO. ^05 



Heading, Hillsdale county, is a rich township from wliicli water starts in sev- 

 eral different channels, one way for Lake Michigan, the other for Lake Erie, 

 Here peaches have never been a total failure since the country was settled, 

 though it is not as famous as a peacli country as for its excellent cro}) of corn. 

 Here Cliarles Caiue shows his apple orchard, and Mr. H. B. Chapman his fruit 

 garden. 



In Ivollin, Lenawee county, Porter Beal has a plum orchard of 2G0 trees, 

 which have borne for several years. He has demonstrated that care and atten- 

 tion will be rewarded with good returns in raising plums as certainly as in rais- 

 ing almost any farm crop. At least this is true in his neighborhood. 



CONTROLLING THE BEAKINO YEAR OF APPLE TREES. 



BIENXIAL-BEARING APPLE TREES, 



Man has done very much toward improving upon nature in the production of 

 the various species of fruit. It may be truthfully said that there is not a spe- 

 cies of fruit used as food for man but what is much better adapted for the pur- 

 pose of food than it was when it came from the hand of nature. Perhaps in 

 no species is this improvement more apparent than in the apple. Compare our 

 best apples, our Boughs, Early Harvest, Early Joe, Primate, Porter, Fameuse, 

 Seek-no-further, Spitzenberg, Spy, etc., etc., with the European Crab, if that 

 Avas the parent of the apple, or even with the ordinary seedling, and you will be 

 convinced that man has produced a very great change in the natural apple. 



But with all the changes and improvements made in the apple, there is one 

 desirable attainment that seems to baffle all our efforts, and that is, to make the 

 apple an annual bearer. As a rule, every even year we have a bountiful, some- 

 times a superabundant crop, but every odd year there is too light a crop to sup- 

 ply the demand. Is there any remedy for this? Is it possible for the apple 

 tree, under any conditions, to produce a good crop of fruit annually? 



It is well known by pomologists that apple trees form their fruit-buds in the 

 early part of the growing season on wood of the previous year's growth. As a 

 matter of course, in the bearing season, these fruit-buds must be grown and 

 perfected while the tree is taxed to sustain the growth of a crop of fruit. If 

 this crop of fruit is very large, filling every part of the tree, there is but little 

 chance for the production of fruit-buds for the next season. Sometimes, in 

 the bearing year, there will be a section of the tree from some unknown cause 

 barren, and that section will produce a good crop the next year, while the por- 

 tion which bore will be barren. We have trees of this character in our orchard. 

 These facts go to prove that the apple tree cannot perfect a large crop of fruit 

 annually. This is a great misfortune. The apple is such a Avholesome luxury, 

 such a necessity to good living, that it is very desirable that there should be an 

 abundant supply every year. Is there any means by which so desirable a result 

 can be accomplished? 



We know of but one way, and that is such a difficult one that we can hardly 



