PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANNUAL MEETING. 369 



€an you sow clover seed toith that drill? 



Mr. Morrill : No, but I believe there is an attachment for that purpose. 



What is the future financial outlook of apple growing f 



The President: I supposed that question was pretty well gone into 

 this forenoon. Will anybody venture to answer that question? 



Mr. Eiehl: You probably know something of it, that in southern 

 Illinois, a few years ago, the people went crazy on apple-growing. They 

 planted Ben Davis by the hundreds and thousands of acres and whole 

 counties were covered at that time. A few weeks ago I was down there 

 and I inquired as to the status of those orchards, and well-informed men 

 assured me that sixty per cent, of them planted in that boom are no\Y 

 being neglected and would never make their planters or their owners 

 one dollar. This year we have had apples all over this northern country. 

 Down there we have not had many, and the result has been that prices 

 have been low, but you may go ten years and that will never happen 

 again. On the other hand, here is the whole northwest, west, south, and 

 all this prosperous country wants apples, will have apples, and every 

 year the consumption will increase, and I am as sure as I am of anything 

 that whenever you produce a good apple and put it on the market you will, 

 get a fair price for it; and if you produce a good crop it will happen as it 

 has in the past, when other sections are not producing a great deal you 

 will get enough in one year out of a crop to pay for your land and the cost 

 of all your farm, out of a few acres, out of one crop. If I were in an 

 apple country I would plant apples. 



Will it do to trim peach trees before February 1 ? 



The President : That matter was pretty well gone over here yesterday. 

 This question may have been asked by some one who was not here yes- 

 terday. 1 believe they may have a right to the result of yesterday's dis- 

 cussion. Some of our people reported having worked serious injury to 

 trees by cutting off large limbs next to the body and along the body, trim- 

 ming up severely, while others reported having trimmed orchards in the 

 ordinary manner of trimming, shortening in and thinning out, without 

 harm. It makes a great deal of difference, perhaps, what you mean who 

 have asked the question. Several men here reported nothing but success 

 in winter pruning, shortening in and thinning out the top, but I think 

 the concensus of opinion was that you ought to be a little careful about 

 cutting large limbs close to the body on account of the drying out that 

 may take place there and serious injury resulting. 



Saving had a piece of sod plowed the 1st of July, and not getting it harrowed 

 thoroughly, and gr^iss coining on to some extent, I crossed-plowed it very shallow 

 last week. Will it do for strawberries the following spring? The soil is clay 

 loam. 



Prof. Taft: I think it would depend almost entirely upon whether 

 there were any white grubs in the land or not; that is the thing I should 

 fear mostly. If they were there they should destroy a good many of the 

 plants; but as a rule, where you fall-plow there is far less trouble from 

 that. I should prefer to use a piece that had not been in grass during 

 the year, but if I hadn't anything else I would use this. 

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