DISCUSSION. 45 



to bring before the meeting, cultivation. Perhaps you all know 

 that we have had enthusiasism from the subject of cultivation. I 

 have some times thought of the English Morello that cultiva- 

 tion was like whiskey; in winter a man takes it to keep warm, 

 and in summer time to keep cool or rather guard againts heat. 

 The English Morello — we have had two or three very wet sea- 

 sons, and it has been very hard on all of the roots of these 

 cherries, but the thorough cultivation has carried our English 

 Morello cherries through and saved nearly all of them, and gave 

 us a greater growth this year, somewhat heavy growth. We 

 have succeeded in carrying them through the last two years, 

 and kept on enough foliage to keep the trees in a fair condition, 

 and carry them forward for the future. In what way does cul- 

 tivation assist these trees? We believe that cultivation will not 

 only conserve moisture in dry seasons, but if there is an excess 

 of rainfalls, it prepares the surface and gives them a better 

 growth, and that cultivation is very valuable in wet seasons, and 

 we should do a great deal more of it. This particular orchard 

 was kept in health by cultivating it twenty-fiv-e times. 



Mr. Harris: You bought your original trees? 



Mr. Stephens: Never got any good out of them. 



Mr. HjlRRIS: a few years ago I got fourteen kinds when I 

 was out in Franklin county. They did remarkably well; they 

 were very large. I put out a plantation in Colorado under 

 ditch, and they out-sold every thing else. I got some seeds of 

 late ones. They had them out in September, and I planted, 

 but I found like the English Morello they will not stand our 

 wet weather. I don't know but in the extreme west they 

 might be all right. As soon as these wet seasons come on, 

 there are a very few cherries that will stand it. I am speaking 

 about these original trees. 



Mr. Bates: I have handled as many kinds of cherries in 

 Hamilton county as any other man. The Montmorency does 

 fairly weU, next to the Early Richmond. For Hamilton county 

 the Early Richmond is the standard cherry. I have had ex- 

 perience of thirty years. I would state heavy mulching is just 

 as good in my judgment from my experience in raising of fruit 



