414 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



MY EXPERIENCE IN APPLE GROWING. 



J. C. WALKER, ROSE CREEK. 



My experience in apple growing- dates back to the early sixty's in 

 Caledonia, Houston County, Minn., where I planted my first apple 

 trees. At that time there were no agricultural societies in Minne- 

 sota or Wisconsin (agriculture, of course, includes horticulture and 

 apple growing). At that time the future seemed dark for apple 

 growing. In 1862 dawned a new era for these industries by an act 

 of United States Congress, known as the Morrill bill, granting to 

 each state in the Union government lands for founding an agricul- 

 tural and mechanical college. It was signed by Abraham Lincoln 

 in July, 1862. Minnesota secured 200,000 acres, more or less, of land> 

 and Wisconsin 240,000. to aid in preparing useful knowledge of agri- 

 culture and the mechanical science. 



We should not overlook the noble work our experiment stations 

 are doing to make apple growing a success in our state. To aid in 

 this noble work another act was passed by the United States Con- 

 gress known as the Hatch act. By this act the general government, 

 in 1887, appropriated $15,000 annually to each state in the Union for 

 the maintainance of an experiment station, and I may say that these 

 liberal acts of congress have produced good results, as is seen here 

 today by our coming together to give and to receive instruction in 

 fruit growing. Apple growing in Minnesota is no longer an experi- 

 ment, the way is open to success to every tiller of the soil who will 

 accept the gospel of horticulture as taught by our state horticul- 

 turist. 



My second planting of apple trees was in Canton, Minn., in the 

 early seventy's. I sold out before the trees came into bearing. 



In 1875 I moved to Rose Creek, IJIinn., and planted apple trees 

 there. The varieties, Duchess, Tetofsky, Wealthy and Ben Davis, I 

 bought direct from the nursery, together with Hyslop and Trans- 

 cendants. The last two named have been dead ten or twelve years, 

 while the former are doing well, having been planted twenty-three 

 years, and have borne many fine crops. 



In 1884 I planted other varieties, the Haas, Plumb Cider, Whitney 

 No. 20 and Pewaukee. This last variety are all dead, having borne 

 only one crop of fruit. I have some Hibernal and Longfield trees 

 planted two seasons that are well set for fruit the coming- season. 

 On account of frost the last of May and first of June, 1897, my apple 

 crop was very light. 



My mode of planting is to set deep in the ground, six or eight 

 inches deeper than in nursery rows; rows eighteen to twenty feet 

 apart, and twelve to sixteen feet apart in the row; the trees set ang- 

 ling to the southwest, with a prospective limb on south side of the 

 tree to shade its own body from sunscald. 



Apple trees to be cared for by the owner must be fenced in, and 

 all stock must be kept out of the orchard. I have never had an ap- 

 ple tree injured by mice. I adopted a plan that has been success- 

 ful. Each fall I build a mound one foot high around the body of 

 the tree, and late in winter or in early spring when mice are running 



