426 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



not remember the names of any of the men I dealt with. I got the 

 apple trees and set them out, but it was the same thing right over 

 again, only they lasted three years longer than the others. These 

 apple trees never had any weeds about them, they had clean cultiva- 

 tion. I got some ideas from my friend over there. Prof. Shaw, in 

 regard to my experience. I have since thought a great many times 

 that I took a little too good care of them. 



I only give you the facts as they occurred, because this is time 

 to have the conditions that existed demonstrated, and I simply give 

 you the facts as they occurred. 



After that orchard was gone I made up my mind I would try 

 crabs to see how they would do on my ground. I had a first rate 

 soil, black sandy loam. A man came along and stayed all night with 

 me, who was dealing in apple trees. I got one hundred crab apples 

 of different varieties then propagated in this state. I cultivated them 

 and took good care of them, and those crabs began to bear and 

 then to blight. They did not die at once. The body did not die 

 as quick as the others when they began to blight. It was recom- 

 mended to me to spray, but being an invalid at that time — and ever 

 since I came out of the army — my boys had all they could do to keep 

 the wolf from the door, so I told them we could not bother with 

 spraying. But the trees kept on blighting, and by and by they were 

 all broken down. I concluded I would not try any more apple 

 trees, but I knew the roots were not dead. I let a few of them stand 

 there, and they sprouted, but there were only two of these trees that 

 bore the same kind of fruit as the original trees, and they were the 

 Hyslop and the Soulard. These are still alive, but the Hyslop 

 blights somewhat. The sprouts that came from the other trees grew 

 until they bore, and then they began to blight. 



Now, gentlemen, this is all I can say about the four orchards I 

 have raised in fiftv vears. 



