MAMIPULATION OF SOIL FOR A PLUM ORCHARD. 219 



a shorter time than any of you reahze, and then they will not need 

 to be laid down. 



Mr. A. P. Stevenson ( Manitoba ) : I was very much interested, 

 indeed, in the discussion of the mulching of the plum. We grow 

 considerable of the native plum, the Cheney, the Wyant, the Weaver, 

 etc., and we have never found mulching necessary. We cultivate 

 and manure, cultivate very thoroughly, but the orchard has never 

 been mulched, and we get very good crops. From some of the best, 

 like the Wyant, we sold ten dollars worth of plums, and did as well 

 also with some of the Cheney. These three or four varieties were 

 practically bare, but we have not found it necessary to mulch. We 

 cultivate with the horse cultivator and use the harrow to keep down 

 the sprouts. Now in regard to the other question of small fruits, 

 the mulching of the red raspberries. We find the Cuthbert is too 

 tender with us, but the Turner, Philadelphia. Kenyon and Loudon 

 gave paying crops, but we find we have got to protect the blackcaps 

 by bending them down and covering in the usual way. 



Prof. Hansen (S. D.) : I would like to ask Mr. Stevenson 

 how deep the snowfall is in his locahty. 



Mr. A. P. Stevenson (Man.) : During the last winter in our 

 locality we did not use sleighs. We have had to use the wagon the 

 last two years because there was not enough snow for sleighing. 

 Other years we have a fair average snowfall, some ten or fourteen 

 inches, but for the last two years we have had no snow in the lo- 

 cality where I reside. 



Mr. J. W. Murray : Don't you protect the Loudon at all ? 



Mr. A. P. Stevenson : We do not find it necessary to protect 

 the Turner, the Philadelphia, the Kenyon or the Sarah. The Sarah 

 is a variety that originated in Ontario. And then we have another 

 variety, originated by Dr. Rieder. But we found it necessary to 

 protect the Cuthbert and the Golden Queen. 



TRANSPLANTING AND CARE OF EVERGREENS. 



PROF. C. B. WALDRON, AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, EARGO, N. D. 



The coniferous evergreen occupies a peculiar place among the 

 commonwealth of trees and is, therefore, possessed of unusual char- 

 acteristics and habits that must be taken account of in its cultivation. 

 It is a remnant of the early geologic times when continents were 

 smaller and oceans larger and warmer and the uniformity of the 

 seasons was such that it was not necessary for a really successful 

 tree to have one garb for summer and another for winter. 



Before the mountains were brought forth to disturb the ancient 

 monotony of uniform and sufficient rainfall the primitive conifer 

 did not find its beautiful character of unchangeableness and con- 

 stancy a handicap in the race for life. Though there were no great 

 rich alluvial plains such as characterize the present geologic time, yet 

 the coarse and rocky soils of the earlier periods furnished it such 



