MANIPULATION OF SOIL FOR A PLUM ORCHARD, 217 



of the soil which the plum craves so much, but in order to combat 

 the enemies which take refuge in litter and mulching, and in order to 

 get the best fruitage, I thought it was advantageous to keep the 

 orchard in a continual state of cultivation. So far as the difficulty 

 in reaching the trees is concerned, I think that could in a measure 

 be obviated by using a cultivator with wings for the purpose of cul- 

 tivating close to the trees. Some of the nicest plum trees I have 

 seen were on the grounds of Mr. Gardner, at Osage, Iowa, and he 

 kept his trees thoroughly cultivated. 



Mr. Martin Penning: I mulched some plum trees some eight 

 or ten years ago with rich manure and killed them all. I think the 

 manure was too rich ; anyway they all died next summer. I have 

 a plum orchard planted twenty years ago, twenty-four trees in a 

 row each of De Soto, Forest Garden and Weaver, and the last three 

 or four years the trees looked bad. and the fruit was small. Last 

 fall I looked at them, and as they did not suit me I decided to throw 

 them out. Digging those trees out I found that the side roots were 

 all killed and nothing alive but the tap root. Those trees had all 

 died back and did not have much growth left. I mulched the rows 

 along the east and west sides, I put in a lot of manure, but in those 

 dry winters the straw blew from the west to the east side and on the 

 west sides the ground was perfectly bare, the straw had all blown 

 off, and on those trees from which it was blown away there was 

 nothing alive but the tap root ; they are all dead now. I think it is 

 a good plan to mulch. I don't think much of this idea of planting 

 I ox 10 feet ; that is too close. I planted an orchard three years ago, 

 and I set the trees 12x16. The principal trouble with most farmers 

 is that their trees bear too much, but it makes them feel good to see 

 so much fruit on the trees. Two-thirds of that fruit ought to be 

 removed in order to keep the trees healthy. Then mulch or culti- 

 vate. That is the way I treat my trees. 



Mr. J. S. Trigg (Iowa) : Do you mean to say you killed trees 

 with manure? 



Mr. Penning: Yes, sir. 



Mr. Trigg : What kind did you use ? 



Mr. Penning: Cow manure. I piled it around the trees to a 

 depth of three or four inches. 



Mr. Trigg : What do you think was the trouble ? 



Mr. Penning: I think it was too strong, it soaked into the 

 ground and killed the roots. 



Mr. Trigg: How cud it affect the roots? 



Mr. Penning : The roots looked as though strong lye had been 

 put on them. 



Mr. Trigg: I cultivate mine very week except when it 

 rains, and I cultivate as soon after a rain as I can. 



The President : What is the objection to the Washington plan? 

 The Washington harrow extends four or five feet on each side of 

 the team and the team goes along midway between the rows. Let 

 the harrow be about as wide as the distance from one row to an- 

 other, and let those wings of the harrow run under the branches 

 and cultivate as near as you can to the trees. 



