182 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



ever since it was set out twenty-two or twenty-three years ago, and with a 

 few exceptions have had fairly good crops, and in the part not cultivated 

 I have got practically nothing. That is the experience of every man in 

 the community with a few exceptions. I think last season nearly every- 

 body that had apple trees had a good crop. Some that had practically 

 had no care gave as good a crop as those that had been cared for, but this 

 might not happen again for many years. The only sure plan is to go at 

 it right and then you get paid for what you do. 



Mr. Swan: Tell us more about the sheep business. 



Mr. Murphy: I think I have said all that is necessary in regard to 

 the sheep. That is not my method of spraying an orchard, and it is not 

 my way of cultivating or mowing the weeds or grass, and it looks as 

 though it was just as misleading as lots of articles that get into the an- 

 nual reports, where a man doesn't come to the meetings and get the bene- 

 fit of the arguments he gets misled by those having so many different ideas 

 of different apparatus. I would use the plow and spraying machine and 

 a pruning knife every year. That is the only sure plan. That is what 

 they do where they raise apples and nothing else for the market. One 

 trouble with us here is we have too many resources. We ought to have 

 some way of compelling people to do certain things, especially with fruit, 

 or not allow them to have it on their lands. And we ought to come to 

 that as soon as possible, because if a man is surrounded by poor orchards 

 and tries to take care of his orchards he has to fight all his neighbor's in- 

 sects. I could tell some very unreasonable experiences about spraying, but it 

 might not be well, because the people would say it was a little broad. 

 But every man must cultivate and prune, and must do it every year and 

 do it systematically. And systematically means that he must use his own 

 judgment, owing to the season. You can't say "I will spray four times a 

 season." The coming season you might spray four times and make a fail- 

 ure, or three or four times more and make a grand success. There must 

 be a good deal of judgment used in regard to these matters. Some 

 seasons more cultivation and sometimes less cultivation will do, and 

 sometimes you must use some kind of a cover crop as it is called, or if 

 you have cultivated several years, you might put your orchard in clover 

 for a year or two with the understanding that you are not to take the 

 hay off the ground. Turnips is the best thing to use in an orchard if you 

 leave them there and plow them under in the spring. They make the best 

 fertilizer in the world. When you get to this way of taking care of an 

 orchard you will raise apples; but when you try the sheep, and the calf, 

 and the cow or two or three crops of grass method, you are bound to 

 fail. We didn't use to have the difliculties we have now, but we have to 

 take things as they are. 



Mr. Crawford: How old are your oldest apple trees and are they 

 sound yet? 



Mr. Murphy: Yes, sir; just as sound as possible and they will be as 

 long as I can take care of them. I have got pippins twenty-two years old 

 and as good as when they were put out. 



