THE MINNESOTA 



HORTICULTURIST. 



VOL. 31. AUGUST, 1903. No. 8. 



THE ORCHARD AND FARM. 



GEORGE H. PRESCOTT, ALBERT LEA. 



(Read before the Southern Minnesota Horticultural Society.) 



As we are slowly working" up to scientific farming and read of 

 balanced rations and what to feed the hens to produce the most 

 eggs, why do w^e not hear of comparative yields and profits of the 

 crops raised on the farm ? With this end in view I write these lines. 



Suppose we take an acre of an orchard of Duchess or Wealthy 

 apple trees, planted one rod apart, which would give 160 trees to 

 the acre. The land could be cropped for a few years with small 

 fruits, or potatoes and cabbage, or most any other crop except small 

 grain or corn, and almost as much be raised as without the trees. 

 We will continue this course until we get a peck of apples to the 

 tree, which would be forty bushels of apples per acre. At the price 

 offered by the merchants of Albert Lea last fall, $1.65 per 100 lbs. 

 for hand picked Wealthy and $1.00 per 100 lbs. for those that fell 

 off, this would amount to $33.00 an acre. 



Now, we will take an acre of wheat at twenty bushels per acre 

 and at 75 cents a bushel, which would bring $15.00 per -acre. One 

 acre of oats at fifty bushels per acre and thirty cents per bushel 

 would be $15.00 per acre. One acre of barley at fifty bushels per 

 acre and forty cents per bushel would be $20.00 per acre. One 

 acre of corn at fifty bushels of shelled corn per acre and forty cents 

 per bushel would be $20.00 per acre. 



It might be said that my figures were too low on the farm crops, 

 but it still leaves a margin in favor of the orchard. It might be said 

 also that the trees are planted too close for a good orchard. Take 

 my orchard for example ; forty of the Duchess are twelve feet apart, 

 and I have never had a saw or knife used in the orchard. I have 

 had a paying crop since they bore a peck of apples, and for 1901 

 and 1902 they bore quite a half bushel to the tree and sold for forty 

 and fifty cents per peck of apples. The balance of the 160 trees are 



