352 STATE HORTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



to the heart of the trees. The heart of a tree affected will always 

 cause deterioration or death. 



TrimDiing is of much more importance than most people suppose. 

 The anxiety of farmers to raise live-stocii and grain causes them to for- 

 get the orchard to its utter neglect. They castrate the calves, lambs 

 and pigs, but never think of taking a limb off a fruit tree. The or- 

 chard needs feeding and nursing just as much as the live-stock on 

 the farm. Every fall, as soon as the ground is slightly frozen, a 

 good mulch should be spread on as far around as the roots 

 extend. The mulch will keep the roots from freezing and thaw- 

 ing, and hold the frost in the ground in spring so that the buds 

 will not open so early as to be injured by late freezing. 



In trimming, 1 never cut off a limb over an inch through, if I can 

 avoid it and do justice to the tree. Sometimes two limbs may cross 

 each other, and then it may be necessary to take off one of them. 

 Then oftentimes that can be avoided by placing a spreader in between 

 them or tying off to another limb. Such unnatural growth can be 

 avoided if the orchard is cared for in its younger days. 



The nurserymen never trim trees to ship to their customers ; so 

 the recipient must exercise his best judgment in trimming. I have 

 often been told, while performing that duty, "Oh, man, you are ruining 

 that tree!" But I never suffered loss by so doing. Some years ago, 

 in passing a neighborhood that had an apple orchard of some eight or 

 ten years' growth, I saw the proprietor trimming it. I called to him, 

 "George, you are ruining your orchard ! " He came to me and said, 

 "What do you know about trimming apple trees?" I told him I knew 

 enough about it to know that not one tree in ten of those he had 

 trimmed would be alive over three years — and so it proved. He had 

 trimmed about one-half of the orchard then ; by my advice he left oft'. 

 The half left grew and flourished, but, as predicted, the trio^med part 

 died. Every wound should.be covered with tar or paint. Scraping 

 off the rough bark and whitewashing should be practiced once in two 

 years at least. Nothing on the farm pays better than a well-cared-for 

 apple orchard. — E. Reynolds, Fond du Lac county. Wis., in Country 

 Gentleman. 



TOP GRAFTING IN COMMERCIAL ORCHARDS. 



Appearance has much to do with the selling value of trees. 

 Qaality, evenness of growth and ripeness of wood are most important. 

 Town lot property that will admit of but very few trees and where it is 

 possible to plant two or three each of the apple, plum and cherry, can 



