314 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
just before it froze up we cultivated some of our ground. That is to say, the 
ground is loose, and now if a little rain comes it goes right into the ground; 
none of it runs off. As soon as we can get on in the spring—and we can 
do that soon on this loose soil—we begin cultivating and keep it up, and I 
think we are doing just the right thing. : 
Mr. Dartt: Will you give us a list of’five of the best apples for profit 
in your opinion? 
Mr. Underwood: I hardly need to say that the Wealthy is the foremost 
and best for profit, and the Duchess is a very profitable apple when other 
people don’t have too many of them. 
Mr. Burnap, (Iowa): I have never seen a season yet when you could 
not find a good market for a barrel of Duchess. 
Mr. Clark: They do not ship well in the west. 
Mr. Philips: How is the Northwestern Greening in that trial orchard? 
Mr. Underwood: They are doing splendidly, and the Patten’s Greening 
is a good one. 
Mr. Dartt: Would you take the Patten’s Greening in your opinion? 
Mr. Underwood: I have not met with the Patten’s Greening very 
much. I believe, however, it is going to be one of our standard varieties. 
Mr. Dartt: Well, you put that down as the third? 
Mr. Underwood: I have not said much about the Okabena. I do not 
think I ever mentioned it in this society, but I will say it has a better repu- 
tation than I supposed it had. It is hardy, bears very young, is very pro- 
lific and is a fair quality of apple. It is the best tree we have in our orchard 
without top-working. Take it in this sandy orchard I mentioned, any one go- 
ing through the orchard would say it was the best tree we had there. It is bet- 
ter than the Duchess with us. For profit just at this time there is more 
money made out of a good crab than anything else. They have brought 
seventy-five cents a bushel when Duchess have brought only twenty cents. 
Mr. Dartt: Which is the best crab? 
Mr. Underwood: I like the Martha. 
Mr. H. H. Pond: I would like to have Mr. Underwood tell us some- 
thing more about that trial orchard. 
Mr. Underwood: It is the youngest orchard we have, and it is the most 
promising. We cannot cultivate it because it is too*steep. It gets the next 
best thing to it. The soil is dry, but it is close to the stone. It is on one 
of those bluffs on the Mississippi river. Sometimes we had to roll a stone 
away in order that we could dig a hole to plant a tree. There is a good deal 
of clay in the soil, with the natural black soil that comes from ground that 
has been heavily covered with timber, a growth of oak, white birch and 
things of that kind. ; 
Mr. Dartt: Do you spray any? 
Mr. Underwood: Yes, we spray. I think the sidehill orchard is all 
right. We can spade the ground over in the spring and put on mulching. It 
is thoroughly cultivated five or six times around each tree, and every tree 
has a channel dug to conduct the water to the tree. We do everything we 
can to give them moisture, and it is surprising to see the beautiful growth 
and healthy appearance of the trees. 
