HURTICULTURE AND FORESTRY AT ST. JOHN S UNIVERSITY. 429 



ing plant, and large carpenter, blacksmith and general repair shop. 

 The laundry work is also done here in two large buildings on the 

 shores of the lake. On one portion of the grounds a large number 

 of fine, cool springs gush forth, and these have been utilized by 

 building several trout ponds for the purpose of raising fish. This 

 year about 12,000 eggs were obtained, but when almost ready to 

 hatch they were destroyed by a fungus, much to the disappointment 

 of Father Hillary, who is in charge of this work and who expects 

 better results the coming year. 



Father John takes great pride in his horticultural work. For 

 nearly forty years he has taught music in the college here, but on 

 account of his poor health he has been relieved from teaching and 

 finds much pleasure in his horticultural work. In speaking of the 

 orchard, I should have mentioned his nursery, which is full of in- 

 teresting things. In it he has a large number of varieties that he 

 has raised from seed. He has interesting pear seedlings from seed 

 which he obtained from Europe, and has a nice lot of seedlings, 

 some of which are at present doing well. He also has some plants 

 of the European sloe. His evergreen seed sown last spring has 

 done poorly, due perhaps to the fact that we had so much cold 

 weather in the spring, but his seedlings of 1904 were a good stand. 



The fathers at this school have not yet seen their way clear 

 to develop instruction in agricultural branches. I am inclined to 

 think, however, that something of this sort would work very much 

 to their advantage and to the benefit of the people of the state, 

 and that it is something they could easily add to their present 

 facilities. 



Among the ornamental plants doing well here were hardy hy- 

 drangeas, buffalo berry, Russian olive, Ribe's alpinum and the 

 usual common shrubbery generally recommended in the lists of our 

 society. 



In the middle ages the monks of this and similar orders did 

 much for learning and for agriculture, and I was reminded of the 

 good work which their predecessors did by my visit here. 



Another Method of Thinning — Practiced this past season, which 

 was unquestionably profitable, was on Wealthy apples. I went over the trees 

 and picked the largest and highest colored ones and put them on the market 

 when beginning to color. It was early, apples were scarce, and I realized 

 sixty cents per bushel. Each week I endeavored to pick over the trees, and 

 at the end of four weeks, the trees were seemingly as full as ever. By fol- 

 lowing this method, one can get a great many apples on the market before it 

 becomes gutted and the price drops, and at the same time keep the trees from 

 breaking down. 



