44 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
vacancies and crowded places, of course, are object lessons, for which pur- 
pose the orchard was planted, and we are now beginning to get valuable 
data from them. These trees were all from root grafts when originally set, 
but about five years ago we put in some of the vacancies perhaps 50 Vir- 
ginia crabs, which we have been top working. For seven or eight years 
the land was cultivated in squash each season until the trees made so much 
shade that it was unprofitable to do so any longer. Since that time it has 
been kept in a dust blanket during the dry weather of summer except as 
buckwheat or some other cover crop has been used to add humus to it. It 
has been plowed late in the autumn, turning the soil towards the trees, thus 
leaving a dead furrow in the middle between the rows and the soil loose 
to protect from winter drouth. In relieving the crowded condition of some 
parts of the orchard, it has seemed desirable to move some trees that were 
at least four inches in diameter and 12 or 15 feet high. This we have done 
in the autumn, moving them with such balls of earth as we could con- 
veniently. After digging around the tree and getting the ball of earth loose, 
we have tipped the tree over and pushed a stone boat underneath it, and 
dragged the tree on the stone boat to its new location. 
Orchard B. Orchard B is located upon the north slope of the wooded 
gravelly ridge north of the school buildings, there being from one to four 
feet of clay covering over the gravel. This orchard was planted in 1890. 
Most of the trees are from root grafts. About 50 Virginia crabs were 
planted, which have been top worked. It has been kept in clean cultivation, 
and the space between the rows used for the growing of nursery stock. In 
this orchard we have about 4o varieties of apples, including perhaps 20 
varieties from Hungary, many of which are large enough so that we can ex- 
pect them to fruit before long. The trees of Virginia crab have been top 
worked with new and interesting sorts. This orchard has made a very good 
growth, and has produced some fruit. 
Orchard C was planted in 1898. It is located on the flat land north of 
and below the gravelly ridge where Orchard B is located. It is made up of 
400 trees. The special object in planting this orchard was to make it a com- 
mercial one, and the intention has been to put out only varieties of a very 
promising degree of hardiness. The trees made a very good growth in the 
summer of 1898, and in the autumn were laid flat on the ground and covered 
with earth, so that they were not injured by the severe weather of last win- 
ter, which was so very hard upon newly set trees. I regard this method of 
treating young orchards and newly planted trees as of much value. 
All of the vacancies in this orchard, and one whole row which was not pre- 
viously planted, were set out this fall, the trees being laid flat on the ground 
since planted. While fall planting-as a general practice is not as desirable as 
spring planting, yet, since in the spring we are so greatly rushed by our 
work, we find it very desirable to do all we can in the autumn, and we find 
that fall planted trees that are laid flat on the ground, and covered with 
several inches of earth and a little mulch, generally come through the winter 
in good condition, and I think this method of planting could frequently 
be followed to advantage in this section. It amounts practically to “heeling 
in” each tree separately in the hole where it is to remain. 
Besides Orchards A, B and C of named varieties, we have what is known 
as the “Seedling Orchard,’ which is made up of about 2,500 trees planted 
four feet apart in rows eight feet apart. These trees are seedlings of our 
