THE HOMES OF SOME OF OUR FRIENDS. 393 



J. Philips, the Wiscoasia secretary. We had just time to clasp 

 hands with that contagiously enthusiastic horticulturist, J. C. Kra- 

 mer, as we pass, but our plans were so badly put out of joint by that 

 freight conductor yesterday we could not spare a few moments even 

 to look at his fine apple seedlings. 



A charming drive of an hour over the high causeway across the 

 river bottom, and then the high bridge, both built at great expense 

 by the city we are approaching, brings us hastily to the Milwaukee 

 depot, where we mount and speed awaj^ a dozen miles to our new 

 destination. 



So smoothly do our plans work from now on, that we find our friend 

 Philips with his faithful "Tom"' and mate to carry us up and along 

 a beautiful and fertile valley six miles to his well known "bluff" 

 orchard and summer home. The way seems short under the spell 

 of Mr. Philips' genial enthusiasm, and we are soon climbing the 

 bluff. We "guess " we are nearly up, but find we are only half way. 

 Later we stop to admire sonie soft-eyed Ayrshire cows belonging to 

 our host, and all alight and struggle through a barb wire fence 

 except myself, who is said "not to be interested in cows, ''a proposition 

 I did not chose then to discuss. 



At last the summit is attained, and we stop just there and take 

 a breath. If we go ahead a rod, we begin at once our descent on the 

 the other side. They do not call this the "hog's back," but it is, and a 

 very sharp one, too. The way into the opposite valley is in plain 

 sight, and the valley itself at the depth of some hundreds of feet 

 stretches away into the distance and is lost among the far off for- 

 ested bluffs. Here then is the secret of the success of Mr. Philip's 

 selection for his orchard farm. By leaving the highway either to 

 the right or left, the ridge widens out until in several places you can 

 safely walk around for a little without danger of falling off. At this 

 elevation the spring comes later and fall frosts are long held off. 

 The soil is not dry, as might be supposed, but moist and sufficiently 

 fertile. Here Mr. Philips is carrying on his experiments in top- 

 working, his recital of which has interested us so much. 



I will not tell you how many acres of trees he has growing here; 

 I don't know myself, and besides I have promised not to tire j^ou in 

 this way; but he has acres and acres of them scattered over this 

 hilltop, and he is going to plant more. As to varieties, there is 

 everything worth trying, though when brought to bay he agreed 

 with us that the most valuable variety for commercial planting is 

 our own Wealthy. I like his way of planting evergreens and Whit- 

 ney crabs — which do wonderf ullj' well here— alternately in a single 

 row along the field lines and stringing wire to them for a fence, but 

 I don't like his resolve to cut out the evergreens to give the crabs a 

 better chance. Friend Philips, don't spoil your beautiful evergreen 

 rows, they so brighten the landscape and temper the winter winds! 

 You have plenty of room for crabs elsewhere. A wholesome dinner 

 (Philips has some good cooks among his boys, who are camping on 

 the "ridge" this season) and further explorations, then we follow the 

 shadows adowu this long eastern slope and into the valley. We 

 would be glad if they were longer and might keep up with us 



