2 98 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



to the presence of those bees in the orcKard. Your society looked 

 around through the country for some nice apples to send to the 

 World's Fair and to the state fair, and they decided I had as good as 

 or better than any one else, and as a consequence they bought twenty- 

 three bushels of my apples for exhibition purposes. I consider that 

 quite a large feather in my crown. 



Last year these forty-five trees bore me 325 bushels of nice, 

 perfect apples. This year they bore 200 bushels, and the year be- 

 fore they bore 200 bushels, and prior to that time I cannot give 

 the exact figures, but they have borne every year continually since 

 they came into bearing anci a good yield at that. (Applause.) 



Capt. Reed : Do you cultivate among your trees ? 



Mr. Stone : I do not ; I seeded the ground down to timothy 

 and redtop, and it is sodded over. But I cultivate in this little 

 basin frequently with a hoe and loosen the soil around the trees 

 so that it may readily absorb the water. 



Mr. Philips (Wis.): Do you mulch them? . 



Mr. Stone : Just what I think proper. I do not believe in 

 mulching so heavily or in fertilizing so heavily, but I do occasion- 

 ally put on a little nice mulch of barnyard manure and stir it into 

 the soil around the tree. 



Mr. Elliot : How much do you put around each tree ? 



Mr. Stone : Oh, a bushel or two. 



Capt. Reed : How large are the trees today ? 



Mr. Stone : About six inches in diameter. 



Mr. Keays : How large di'd you make that basin ? 



Mr. Stone : About six feet across. 



Mr. C. F. Gardner (la.) : I understood you to say that the 

 time your trees were injured they were all killed, that the Wealthy 

 were in about the same condition as the Duchess. 



Mr. Stone : Yes, they were all killed. 



Mr. Gardner: Why 'didn't you treat your Wealthy the same 

 as you did your Duchess by cutting them ofif and letting them 

 sprout ? 



Mr. Stone: I wasn't smart enough, didn't have enough hair 

 on top of my head. I was disgusted with the idea of growing fruit. 

 but I let the Ducliess go while I dug up the Wealthy, but I would 

 have- been ahead if I had left them. 



Mr. Elliot: You believe now if you had left the Wealthy 

 you might have a good Wealthy orchard? 



Mr. Stone : Yes, I made a great mistake ; I might have had a 

 good Wealthy orchard at this time. 



Capt. Reed : Do you beneve a north slope to be more favorable 

 for an orchard than a soiitli slope? 



Mr. Stone : I believe a north slope is more favorable, but still 

 I am in favor of an eastern slope, according to my observation and 

 experience. I believe the reason why an eastern slope is preferable 

 is because the early morning sun strikes such a slope sooner than 

 it does any other locality, and I think that is beneficial to the fruit. 



