i68 State Horticultural Society. 



E. G. Mendenhall, Kinmundy, 111.— As regards the pruning business, 

 it becomes a very important part to watch the limbs and keep those that 

 cross cut off. It takes study to cut off the unnecessary limbs. We 

 shouldn't hurry as, at the best, we often find that we have missed limbs 

 that cross and rub. This pruning c?.n't be done in one year. February and 

 March are the best months to begin in, as we can tell better when the 

 leaves are off. Cut off the limbs close to the body and smooth, and paint 

 well, give a second coat if it is freezing. 



Pres. Whitten. — What cultivator would you use? 



N. F. Murray. — I will say use Clark's Cutaway harrow. 



L. C. Wilson. — I say the same. It is the best for the sod, if you use 

 an ordinary harrow on the sod and then use a double four-foot cutaway 

 you will see the difference. 



J. C. Evans. — I am glad to see that the tendency among the 

 orchardists is toward more thorough cultivation. I have been preaching 

 this, but people are too slow to adopt it because they are so greedy. We 

 think we can make twice the profit on eighty acres that we could on forty, 

 but I think we could double it on forty by good cultivation, spraying, 

 plowing, washing and wrapping the trees and all these things that mean 

 good care. 



E. G. Mendenhall. — We cultivate late in the fall and early in the 

 spring to get the insects out. 



Dr. Whitten. — We need a tool to turn the soil over. 



N. F. Murray. — I have been interested in the disc harrows, as I 

 have not been able to get my trees to do as well as I wanted them to. 

 We do not study sufficiently the individuality of the variety and the 

 location. I was in an orchard of the Panhandle of Virginia, in which 

 they were using thirty foot ladders to pick the apples from trees which 

 were sixty years old. In another orchard they fertilized heavily with 

 barn yard manure and bone meal. Successful men do something and we 

 must concentrate our attention and our work. We must cultivate and 

 put in clover and disc down in the fall. The matter of pruning depends 

 on the age and variety of the tree and nature of the orchard ; in some 

 cases it is necessary to cut the tree down. I do not believe in an orchard 

 forty feet high nor very old. Missouri orchard life is about twenty years, 

 and it doesn't pay to try to get them to live longer. The Clark's Cutaway 

 harrow is the best paying implement. I would not do without it if it cost 

 $100. 



T. C. Love — If turning the soil is what is wanted I prefer the solid 

 disc as the cutaway will not turn as much of the soil, but leaves solid 

 bits between. 



