204 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



I set out another row of plum trees by the advice of Mr. Morrill. These 

 are fifteen and sixteen and one half feet apart. And here we would warn, 

 everj-one who intends to set out fruit trees to study the different varieties- 

 of each fruit, as we can not accept everything which is new or that nursery- 

 men have for sale, or buy anything which is cheap. Neither can we throw 

 awav old standbv varieties as it would not do to ignore our noble Baldwin, 

 apple, and so with any other variety of fruit. 



It w^ould be no loss of time and expense to such a person to visit some 

 prominent fruitgrower or to spend a couple of days at our Agricultural 

 college, as all the professors take pride in giving instruction and answer- 

 ing all questions, or to send for the bulletins of the experiment station 

 of the college, especially Nos. 142, 143, 144, in regard to the testing of the- 

 different varieties of each kind of fruit. 



Xow, in regard to planting, as every place was located by a lath, I had 

 the holes dug two and one half spades deep and three spades square, and. 

 whenever I struck hardpan had it broken up. The surface soil was laid 

 on one side and the lower soil on the other, to be used in filling after the 

 tree was solidly packed down. 



Trimming the roots is a necessary thing, as a sharp-cut root will sooner 

 send out small fibrous roots than the broken or bruised root — the w^ay 

 they are sometimes received from the nurseries — and the tops should also- 

 be cut back, according to the requirements of the different varieties of 

 fruit, so they will not overbalance the abilities of the roots. In planting 

 care must be taken to spread out the roots in the most natural way and. 

 to pack the surface soil with the hands around the roots, then fill up 

 the hole with the lower soil and put the tree in a slightly leaning position 

 toward the southwest. 



We do not think much of putting mulch or any kind of manure at the 

 bottom, but the more on the top of the soil the better, even if it is only 

 chips. It is also necessary to keep a good record of what is planted, and 

 therefore we laid out a map in rows, which must be marked or numbered, 

 by letters or figures on which row every tree is located, and named so 

 whenever we find a tree dead, we know what variety is wanted. After alii 

 this is done, the real care and work have just commenced. To have or 

 insure success a fruitgrower must have his eye on every tree and the culti- 

 vation of the soil must be thorough. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Kellogg thought it a mistake in setting trees to dig a large hole, fill 

 in with surface soil and set the tree on that, for the reason that the- 

 hard-pan made a sort of tub, and the water that collected injured the 

 trees. He had just as good results in porous soil setting shallow as setting' 

 deep. 



Mr. Morrill thought soil of that kind was not good for fruit trees, any- 

 way, and as land was so cheap there was no use of trying to force poor 

 land to do well. He had known of brick clay being mixed with surface 

 earth, and the trees set on that were tAvice as large as where that plan 

 was not followed. Manure on the surface was a nuisance and should be 

 well worked into the ground, not close up to the ti'ees, but out where 

 the feeders could reach it quickly. 



