WHAT CAN BE PROFITABLY GROWN IN THE ORCHARD. 311 
hired man cannot get close enough to them after a few years to injure their 
bodies; the most he can do is to knock the bark off from some of the limbs. 
Hogs managed just right are a very profitable crop to grow in the 
orchard for some men after the trees get big enough. Each one must judge 
for himself what will pay best under the circumstances and act accordingly, 
only do not leave the ground bare in the fall and expect to raise apples. 
As Mr. Dean, of Blue Earth City, said to me a few years ago, “Why! 
even our native burr oaks would die if we used them that way.” 
Mr. Sargent: I would like to ask whether grass or sod should 
be allowed to grow in the orchard at any time? 
Mr. Richardson: You can plow the orchard if you can get the 
right kind of a man to go in there. 
Mr. Sargent: Would you keep the grass out or would you let 
it sod over? 
Mr. Richardson: We will set out some apples next spririg, and 
we will seed it over with clover; clover is all right. The first year 
you want to keep the grass out, but the next year I would seed it 
down and let it grow. I have seen quite a good many instances 
where men grew raspberries in the orchard and covered them in the 
fall, and then the ground is in good shape. 
Mr. Yahnke: Have you ever tried red raspberries? 
Mr. Richardson: I have a half dozen Peerless where the 
ground is planted to raspberries. Where I plant raspberries, I 
plant them first and then the trees. 
Mr. Sargent: I have seen apple trees between rows in planta- 
tions of raspberries where they kept the raspberries away from the 
trees, and they did very finely. The raspberries act as a shade in 
summer and protect from sun-scald and in winter protect from 
freezing. 
Mr. Wedge: We have about a hundred and seventy-five trees 
among the blackberries, some Wealthy, and we had to prop up the 
limbs. I know a man who has to use rails to prop them up. 
Mr. Latham: I think Mr. Stellar, of Excelsior, could tell us 
something of interest along this line of apple culture. He is very 
successful in growing apples. You probably remember a picture 
that appeared in the Horticulturist a few years ago showing a 
Wealthy apple tree loaded with fruit and a family group standing 
under it collecting them into barrels. That was taken at Mr. Stel- 
lar’s place, and I think he is in the picture. 
Mr. Stellar: Our orchard is an old one; we do not cultivate it, 
but leave it in sod as we found the place. We have set out some 
young trees; they were planted some eight years ago and are now 
in bearing, and we cultivated them; but those that were cultivated 
blighted very badly last summer, and we thought it was on account 
