260 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



center of tree by using the most prominent limbs and then twisting 

 the Avire tight. I know of several large Baldwin trees I saved in this 

 manner. We used, also, 30-penny wire spikes and drove them into the 

 body two thirds of their length, and then bent them with large pinchers 

 hiti) a hook. This is a quick and safe way. I put the hooks into the limbs 

 <iboiit as high above the crotch of the tree as a man can reach, giving the 

 tree a. strong support. I used No. 9 galvanized wire. 



Several articles have been written in our papers about this year's 

 quality of apples, and it was questionable whether spraying really paid 

 or not. It has been my actual experience this year, in comparing sprayed 

 with un sprayed orchards, that the apjdes were more wormy, and espe- 

 cially were the fungus spots more noticeable, on apples without spray. 

 The favorable conditions of the past season have seldom been experienced 

 in one year, and we believe the orchards that were thoroughly sprayed 

 thi;^ year will not have so much scab and fungus spots on their fruit next 

 year, as the effect of extreme moisture the last part of the season was 

 conducive to all fungous growth, which is likely to appear on the fruit 

 next season. 



Much has been wasted this year and allowed to decav under the trees, 

 a pool fertilizer and an excellent breeding-place for worms. It seems 

 reasonable to believe that time is well spent if used in picking all fallen 

 fruit fi'om under the trees. 



The advisability of setting more apple orchards in Michigan I believe 

 is apparent, in place of very old orchards, as they are certainly past 

 their prime and usefulness when not bearing even a reasonable crop, and 

 mauy of the orchards have varieties which very poorly recommend them- 

 selves to the buyer, and we must raise what the market demands. A])ple- 

 growing in Michigan can be made as profltable as in the southwest, where 

 the largest orchards have been set, and it remains a fact that the most 

 desirable market apples grow to their best develoijment in this latitude; 

 and, most of all, the market is within reach. 



My OAvn crop of winter apples (picked) was over 10,000 bushels, and 

 I put them in my barns and cellars, as usual, in large bins, and began 

 packing as soon as we had finished picking. During the summer there 

 was criticism upon my method of piling apples in bins, given by one of 

 our horticultural papers. This year was a good one to judge the scheme, 

 whether the apples were injured, but we found them in good condition. 

 There was a bin of 3,500 bushels of Greenings that were piled over seven 

 feet thick, and remained over four weeks before packing, with no appar- 

 <^nt injury. It is my opinion that apples are cold on the trees when 

 picked, and if hauled immediately into fhe shade they keep their tempera- 

 ture more evenly than when exposed in the field. My ideal method, if it 

 can be done to advantage, would be to barrel immediately from the tree 

 and head-up in tight barrels, as the temperature would certainly remain 

 more even for a longer time under those conditions. 



My actual experience this year with the present apple cro]) remains to 

 be proven as to profit or loss. I have about 2,000 barrels in Chicago, in 

 common storage, consigned to one commission house. I have also about 

 600 barrels of choice Red Canada, Ben Davis, and lialdwin in my fruit cel- 

 lars and am waiting for the advance. I believe it certainly will come, but 



