DISCUSSION. 



169 



trees, would say as to distance of planting the trees apart and their 

 cultivation, all these matters have to be governed by the locality. 

 Q. Do you plow deep and cut the roots when you cultivate? 

 A. No, we do not plow at all excepting with the disc. 

 Q. How do you get rid of the brush? 



A. We take a couple of long poles and tie them up in front, then 

 stand a couple of poles up in the front and rear and pile brush in 

 between. When we get a load on we drag it out with a team. 

 Mr. Williams: Do you favor boxing the choice varieties? 

 A. Well, if I had good boxes I would box a few. There are but few 

 apples boxed with us, there being no experienced hands. Our experience 

 is that apples packed in barrels are more in demand and give more 

 general satisfaction. This was the case where we stored in Kansas City, 

 Malvern, Iowa, Omaha, Council Bluffs, St. Paul, Chicago and Hannibal 

 this year. Distributing your stock this way you can handle it to better 

 advantage, for the reason an apple buyer will think that what you have in 

 this place is all and he will be anxious to get a car before they are gone. 

 Q. Are they all uniform? 



A. Yes. Now as to storage, if you raise good apples the storage 

 houses know it and they will all write you soliciting your storing with 

 them, also offering you a good rate for the season or otherwise. A few 

 years ago we had to hunt for storage at a high rate, now it is different. 

 Mr. HofMann: Where can you get a 35-cent rate in Omaha? 

 A. Different places. 

 Q. Are they all uniform? 

 A. No, sir. 



Q. You do not mean to say you can get that rate for the whole 

 season whether it runs past the first of April or not? 



A. Yes, sir. You can get it as well as we can, if you have a few 

 thousand barrels to store and have good stuff. Storage houses are very 

 particular about that. As stated before, if you have good stock they will 

 write you making you a proposition. 



Mr. Pollard: I would like to question you a little on this Ben Davis, 

 you recommended Ben Davis. How old are your Ben Davis trees in 

 your orchard? 



A. Thirteen years. 



Q. You haven't Ben Davis that have come to their maturity then, 

 I have Ben Davis that are dying of old age, lots of them. 

 A. You have never been in our orchard? 

 Mr. Pollard: No, sir. Yours are thirteen years old. 

 A. Yes, there are Ben Davis nearly thirty-five years old. 

 Mr. Pollard: I have Ben Davis trees about thirty -eight years old and 

 I expect that orchard will live as long as I do. Our oldest bearing trees 

 are Winesaps and Jonathans; they have been planted forty-eight years. 

 They are healthy and sound and are bearing good apples. We haven't 

 any other kind that will do that. 



