98 ANNUAL REPORT 



A FARMER'S EXPERIENCE IN ORCHARDING. 



By Sidney Corp, Hammokd, Wabasha CorNTY, Minn. 



Mr. President and Members of Minnesota State Horticultural 

 Society: 



Through the repeated solicitations of yonr Secretary, I here give 

 my experience in raising apples in Minnesota, not as a rule for 

 others to follow, but simply as my experience, practice, and pre- 

 ference. My first experience in trying to raise apples in Minnesota 

 was a failure, hut by profiting by past experience, and persistent 

 effort, I have succeeded in raising some very fine apples. I raised 

 enough this year to supply the local demand during the season of 

 my apples, and also shipped a few barrels of Duchess of Oldenberg 

 to Dakota, which arrived there in good condition, and brought me 

 a good price. First, and foremost, in raising apples in Minnesota, 

 I prefer high ground with a north slope, then a good wind break, 

 I mean a belt of tall, strong timber, that will break off the big wind 

 storms, and prevent them from blowing off the apples; not simply 

 a hedge, ( which only hinders a free circulation of the air in the 

 orchard, which T think, is necessary to the health of the trees. In 

 selecting trees I get those that have a good, thrifty center shoot, 

 suitable for high trimming, and trim them up four feet from the 

 ground; this I do when I plant them out, and never after let a 

 sucker or bud grow below this line. This is a tender spot with 

 some men, but with me it is a fixed rule. My reasons for high trim- 

 ing are two fold; first, it gives me a chance to cultivate freely with 

 a horse, and secondly, it allows the sun to shine on the ground 

 around the roots of the tree, which, I think, is necessary to the 

 health of the trees. Then in planting my trees, I lean them very 

 much to the south-west, this I do so that the rays of the sun will 

 loose a part of its force by striking the body of the tree more ob- 

 liquely in the hottest part of the day, and also to make the top 

 the heaviest on the south side. I manure the land, and raise a 

 crop of beans, or potatoes, among the trees until they get big 

 enough to shade the ground so that vegetables will not grow any 

 longer under them; then, I continue to cultivate and manure the 

 trees like any other crop, using all my leached ashes around the 



