62 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



no leasonable doubt that from a financial point the apple orchard has 

 paid well. 



It is also clear to me that there is nothing in the way of orcharding 

 or farming that will bring such quick and large returns as the better 

 ca'-e of the present orchards,, especially those which have been set ten 

 years or more, and which have been so neglected as to bring little or 

 no return for some years. I am confirmed in this belief by a number 

 of men in our State who have had annual crops for five years or more. 



I will give two examples, both of which are within a day's drive 

 of South Haven, and have been visited by many interested in raising 

 apples that they might see for themselves the care given and learn 

 personally of the results. 



The first is that of Mr. Sherwood, near Watervliet. Its care and 

 crops have been mentioned frequently in the past two or three years, 

 and quite full statements published in our Horticultural Reports. 



The second is that of Mr. F. Morley, which is about half a mile east 

 of Fennville. I received from Mr. R. Morrill the following, 'phoned to 

 him by Mr. Morley: Orchard, 18 acres, 15 in bearing; trees 33x40; set 

 in 1873 on sandy loam, with clay subsoil. Original timber, pine and 

 oak. For twenty-one years, or up to 1894, no mention made of any 

 crop; since then cultivated and trimmed as well as his peach orchards 

 (and this means the best); thoroughly drenched his trees three times 

 each vear with the ordinary Bordeaux formula; has had five successive 

 crops^ the smallest (4OO barrels, the largest 2,500 barrels in 1896. This 

 last vear he sold his crop on the trees for $2,400, and the yield was 

 2,040' barrels. He has used but little manure thus far, but, if I under- 

 stand right, intends to put on ten carloads of stockyard manure this 

 year. 



This is also confirmed by the experience of New York growers, who 

 in the past few years, by good care of their orchards, have furnished 

 abundance of proof in large annual yields. 



In the main these results have been obtained by pruning, good culf 

 vation, liberal fertilization, and three to four thorough sprayings at 

 the proper time. Four years ago, at the meeting of the Western New 

 York Society, held at Rochester, I saw several tables of fruit which 

 were good illustrations of sprayed and unsprayed fruit; also, where 

 every other row was skipped, compared with orchards with all the 

 trees sprayed. The latter were the more perfect in form and the freer 

 from diseases and insects. Each year I have made inquiries of resi- 

 dents whom I might meet, also apple buyers who have purchased fruit 

 in that state. This year my old partner, Mr. S. R. Boardman, bought 

 apples in Western New York. I addressed him a letter saying: 



^'I wish you would give me brief answers to the following: 



1. Name of counties in which you bought apples (his purchases 

 were confined to Orleans county). 



2. About what proportion of the apples were No. 1? 

 Answer, three-quarters. 



3. Did the majority spray? 

 Answer, yes. 



4. What other methods did you observe to prevent insect depreda- 

 tions? 



Answer, wire screen bands nailed around the body of the trees, left 



