272 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Hall: What do you think about fall plowing before spring 

 setting? 



Mr. Morrill: I like to fall plow on land that won't run down, and 

 really that is not the best peach land; but on land that is adapted to 

 peaches I like to do it, but would replow it in the spring. 



Mr. Hall: About five years ago I had my first experience. I under- 

 took to plow some land for my trees to set them in the spring, and winter 

 shut me off; and when I came to set my trees in the spring, I did it very 

 early, and as my trees grew I could go at any time for three or four 

 years afterward and tell where the fall plowing commenced and where 

 the spring plowing was done. There seemed to be a year's growth 

 betweeen the trees, so that I always fall plowed when I could for spring 

 setting since. 



Mr. Mackay : After the orchard is five years old I would not fall plow. 

 I have an orchard and have 400 trees to set in it this next spring. We take 

 out the broken, poor and imperfect trees every year, and we have new 

 ones to set in every spring. If I am wrong I would like to know the rea- 

 son why. 



Mr. Morrill: How far apart are your trees? 



Mr. Mackay: Eighteen feet one way and twenty the other. I think 

 that I can keep that orchard young right along. 



Mr. Morrill : Well, if you have got to set in as high as 400 trees next 

 year, of course your orchard is getting pretty thin. 



Mr. Mackay: Last year I shipped over 20,000 baskets. They seem to 

 grow all right. 



Mr. Morrill : My experience in my own orchard is that the trees after 

 they are four or five years old are occupying all the ground. My trees 

 usually bear, from four to five years old. four or five bushels. They are 

 set 16 by 18 feet. I am setting everything now 20 by 20 feet. Where I 

 thin the best I get the biggest yields. 



Mr. : If we do not renew every year, if we let it run pro- 

 miscuously, we would pretty soon have a dilapitated orchard. That is 

 my experience. 



Mr. Morrill: Why would your orchard be poor and dilapitated? 



Mr. : I would not have many trees. Every year I have to 



set in from three to four hundred trees. The wind takes out in the fall, 

 and they get broken down. When a tree gets lop-sided we pull it out 

 and put in a new one. We think we can get more money out of a new 

 tree than we can by trying to doctor up an old one. 



Mr. Morrill : I would think perhaps there was something faulty that 

 leaves it at fhat age dilapitated and getting out of order, something per- 

 haps in the pruning or care. I have an orchard eight years old that 

 has borne me five as heavy crops as any in the State, and it is in the 

 pink of condition today. It has been treated exactly as I recommend, 

 and the ground is all occoupied. 



Mr. : My orchard is on the lake shore and I do not think 



there has been any fault in the cultivation. It is not very highly pruned, 

 but moderately so; we have taken good care of it. perhaps as good care 



