122 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
sun side. The stem is medium short, set in a narrow cavity, russeted at the 
bottom; calyx closed, in a medium smooth, round basin; flesh, yellowish 
white, fine grained, tender; flavor, sub-acid; season, early winter; use, 
kitchen and market. 
Mr. Oxford has a five years old orchard embracing two or three acres of 
land on the top of a bluff, south of Freeburg, Houston county. It is located 
Mr. Oxford’s Five-Year-Oid Orchard. 
about 1,100 ft. above the sea level and 400 ft. above the Mississippi river, and 
has good air and soil drainage. Soil a strong clay loam, over limestone rock, 
The varieties are Ben Davis, Jonathan, Babbit, Springdale, Mammoth Black 
Twig, Senator, Beach and some others, besides a number of newer north- 
ern varieties procured of J. S. Harris. The most of them were two years 
old when planted and have made a vigorous and healthy growth. They were 
not seriously injured last winter, and some of them iruited well the past 
season, carrying from a peck to a bushel of fruit each, and the fruit was 
of fine appearance. Mr. Oxford has now over one hundred varieties on trial. 
TREE TOPS.—The hot sun on the south or southwest side of the apple 
tree and frequent freezing and thawing towards spring prevent a free flow 
of sap, and the limbs on that side are dwarfed; while on.the opposite side the 
unobstructed sap causes a: much more rapid growth? which by force of 
gravity and prevailing winds often causes the tree to lean to the northeast, 
frequently causing increased injury by sunsca'd. To balance up such tops 
requires the removal of many limbs on the north side. If instead of cutting 
off such limbs they are girdled at the right time, it will check growth, throw 
them into bearing and prove to the grower that girdling is not such a kill- 
ing thing after all.—Dartt. 
