238 ANNUAL REPORT 



little, plant shallow, unless the soil is sandy or very loose, and then 

 but little deeper. Water should never be used in setting out fruit 

 or any other trees; it it far better to pack the loose earth about the 

 roots, and mulch lightly at once with leaves, marsh hay from old 

 stack bottoms, or litter from the stable; wet the mulching and the 

 ground will absorb the dampness, which is the only way that water 

 should be applied to trees of any kind. 



WHAT VARIETIES TO PLANT. 



Never set out a large variety of fruit trees; that is the work of 

 amateurs and nurserymen. Select a few varieties of well known 

 tested sorts, consisting of summer, fall and winter varieties. For 

 general planting on the prairie and exposed ground, I should sug- 

 gest the following varieties: Tetofski, Early Strawberry and 

 Duchess, for summer. For fall. Duchess, Wealthy, Whitney No. 

 20, and Powers' Large Red Crab. For winter, largely Wealthy, 

 with some Minnesota, Rollins Pippin and Giant Swaar, and in 

 favorable localities St. Lawrence, Fameuse, Plumb's Cider and 

 Talman's Sweet. 



We will now presume a young orchard has been set out just as it 

 should be; every essential precaution has been taken ; the varieties 

 are all hardy, none of them subject to blight, all sound and thrifty; 

 and to have perfect success in the future the trees must be so managed 

 that they will continue in their present condition. This cannot 

 be done unless the ground is kept loose and most, and free from 

 weeds and grass ; the growth of the trees must be constant and as 

 even as possible from the putting forth of the buds in the spring 

 till vegetation ceases in the fall. Not one day from drouth or any 

 other cause should be lost. It takes all of the growing season to 

 ripen the wood and fruit of most of our standard varieties, and the 

 closer we adhere to these important facts the greater will be our 

 success. Indeed we know of no other way to test the hardiness of 

 any variety than to ascertain the number of growing days it takes 

 to ripen its wood, buds and sap cells. To keep fruit trees in per- 

 fect condition we have soil, climate, manure, mulching, water and 

 brains ; they are ample, and if we fail it is from ignorance, neglect, 

 or because we are overworked. 



We know of no better way of procedure with a young orchard 

 that has just been set out than to mulch slightly with leaves, the 

 bottoms of old haystacks of wild hay or litter from stables. If the 

 ground is dry the mulching should be thoroughly wet. The mulch- 

 ing should cover the roots, and a little beyond — about two inches 



