WEST MICHIGAN FRUIT GROWERS' ASSOCIATION 205 



Mr. A. Bos stated that his experiment was that setting trees low was 

 <the better way for him, and asked if diilerent varieties of cherry and plum 

 •should be mixed. 



Mr. Kellogg thought that no great block of one vaiiety should be set 

 without mixing. He had found by mixing berries that he got bigger ber- 

 ries; thought that early varieties should be set on west side of the orchard. 



Prof. Taft hardly thought it necessary to set early varieties on west 

 side, for on ISO varieties there was only about two days' difference in the 

 blooming. 



Mr. W. A. Smith called attention to the fact that the Bartlett pear is a 

 poor pollenizer, but one of the surest bearers. 



Mr. Morrill remarked that it did not affect the value of cross-polleniza- 

 tion, because some varieties of berries would take care of themselves. 

 For instance, the Crescent strawberry would do so if on strong soil. 



Mr. Wiley, in making a general review of the subject, said he helped kill 

 two hundred trees, thirty j^ears ago, by setting them in porous land on sur- 

 face soil, in deep holes. The soil settled down and injured the trees. He 

 thought apple trees could not bear as deep setting as some other trees. 

 His observation led him to believe that the best way is to prepare the 

 ground thoroughly and set the trees on top of ground. He also thought 

 that too much credit was given insects for assisting in pollenization, as 

 the bloom was on but a few* days. 



Another member said he thought bees carried yellows and were a dam- 

 age. He had known of one man who went into bees and lost his entire 

 orchard. 



Mr. Morrill said he knew one w-ho went to raising hogs extensively and 

 lost all his peach trees also. 



At this point Mr. Van Hees raised a laugh by remarking that probably 

 the men paid too much attention to bees and hogs and not enough to trees. 

 Dr. Smith of Washington has been investigating the working of bees and 

 reported that thev did not carry yeHow«. 



