HORTICULTURE IN THE DISTRICT SCHOOL. 465 



better make such selection, or beget more confidence in such selec- 

 tion than a committee appointed by this society? It might not be 

 so elocutionary in its effect to read in school about the cultivation and 

 propagation of the black-cap as to saw the air and shout "the Greek! 

 the Greek! they come! they come!" but it would have its use. Give 

 Marco Bazzaris his place but not to the exclusion of the blackcap. 

 I am here, however, not so much to argue just what shall be done 

 at present in the teaching, as to urge the necessity, the opportunity 

 of working into the life of the child. If the people will vote for, 

 pay for and swear by the little red school house when it teaches so 

 many problems found only in arithmetics, false syntax that occurs 

 only in grammars, and a style and selection of reading intended 

 to make elocutionists of us all, what would they not do if it trained 

 us in the actualities of life? 



Let us then cross some of the vigorous ideas of this society with 

 the young idea of the district, rather than graft all of onr shoots 

 on the old farmer, and we will get a seedling whose fruit will put 

 even the farmers' sand cherry and plum cross in the shade. 



APPLE GROWING. 



C. L. BLAIR, ST. CHARLES. 



Having been requested to make a report on the growing of apples 

 in the state of Minnesota, we ask leave to present the following, as 

 said report: First, from actual experience since 1855, I am convinced 

 that some of the most hardy varieties can be grown successfully. 

 To the beginner I would say that the first thing is the selection of 

 as good a site as you have for setting out an orchard. We think 

 land sufficiently high not to be frosty is preferable, with a clayey 

 loam or a clayey subsoil. Every one that has a natural grove 

 should make the best use of it as a shelter grove. A grove a few 

 rods wide on three sides, the north, west and south, will do. I do 

 not think that it is necessary to have a windbreak on the east side 

 of an orchard. 



Twenty-one feet apart is about the right distance apart for apple 

 trees. Set such varieties as succeed best in your vicinity. If you 

 have nurserymen near enough, go and buy of them such varieties 

 as they will warrant as to hardiness. Be careful and trim off all the 

 broken roots or dead wood from the roots, and then set them two or 

 three inches deeper than they grew in the nursery. Be careful to 

 trim off some of the limbs and don't be afraid of trimming them 

 too much, as they will do better for being well trimmed. Then 

 mulch them with old straw, so as to hold the moisture around the 

 roots. 



If the rabbits and mice are likely to eat the bark off the trees, you 

 can wrap them with tar paper, or make tree protectors for them out 

 of laths and number 18 galvanized wire. They can be made either 

 two or four feet long, as will fit your trees. Then with good care for 

 a few years, you may expect to grow some apples. 



