ORCHARDING ON THE FARM. IO7 



about ten days later; third, about two weeks from the time of the 

 second spraying. Aside from cultivating and spraying the most 

 essential work is the mulch, which should be put around the trees 

 about Dec. ist each year to keep the ground frozen during the 

 warm spells in winter and to prevent root-killing. 



This may seem like lots of work, but w-hen we take into con- 

 sideration that the ground does not have to be plowed, harrowed 

 and planted each year, as in the case where corn is planted, we find 

 that, outside of packing and barreling the fruit, the proper handling 

 of an orchard does not require any more labor than the same 

 ground planted to corn and is much more profitable and interest- 

 ing to the diligent farmer who finds among his many crops a place 

 for a goodly sized orchard. 



When the trees are nine years old, they have attained good 

 size and usually average one bushel per tree each year, under or- 

 dinary circumstances, and at twelve years nearly two bushels. 

 Fron] careful observation, I find that hardy northern varieties of 

 apples will average one-half bushel per tree for the first fifteen 

 years, under ordinary conditions, and if planted in a favorable lo- 

 cation and receiving proper care will do much better, which means 

 about fifty cents per tree each year for the late keeping varieties. 

 Allowing nine trees to die out on each acre would leave lOO bear- 

 ing trees, or $50.00 per acre for an average from the time they are 

 planted till the end of the fifteenth year. After that time, it would 

 be a very poor orchard that did not average three bushels per year 

 for the next ten years or an average of one and one-half bushels 

 for twenty-five years, or $150.00 per acre each year from the time 

 they are planted until the end of the twenty-fifth year. 



You will say that a great many will die out; well, that depends 

 on how good the trees were when planted and how well they were 

 cared for after planting. I have made allowance for nine trees to 

 die on each acre during the first fifteen years, which should be 

 replaced the following spring after dying out. Now, what has 

 been the expense during this time? There is the first cost of the 

 trees and the cost of a windbreak on the west and south sides; but 

 after that the outlay is small. No expensive machinery to buy, 

 no seeding or planting each year as in other crops. That same 

 orchard averages you an income of $150.00 per acre — and think of 

 the benefit derived. It enhances the property in value, beautifies 

 the home surroundings and, best of all, gives the family the king 

 of all fruits almost the whole year. 



True, successful orcharding requires study, but it is an inter- 

 esting subject, and if each farmer would join the Horticultural So- 



