15 yy MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
THE LIMIT OF AGE INA MINNESOTA ORCHARD. 
WM. SOMERVILLE, VIOLA. 
To tell the limit of age ina Minnesota orchard would be like a 
client asking one of our attorneys after the case was submitted tothe 
jury, “how he thought it would go.” The answer by the attorney 
was, itis said: “God knows everything, but I do not think he knows 
anything about the decision of a petit jury.” That is the way with 
me. I know there is but a small percentage of the trees sold in our 
state that ever bear. Why isthisso? Because there are thousands 
of dollars worth of trees brought in from other states, many of them 
dead before they are set out, and the balance not acclimated to our 
soil or climate. They soon die, and the limit of their age was the 
time they stood in the nursery row, although planted in orchard 
form in Minnesota. 
Then again there are a few men in our own state that have agents 
out selling trees, representing them to be Minnesota-grown trees, 
but when you goto their places, you will find no young trees, only 
those they have bought and heeled in, and they do not tell you from 
whence they came. Now, if these men and their agents would tell 
where they got their trees, they might doa legitimate business 
without misrepresenting as to where the trees were grown. It isa 
fraud on the people, as it has been proven beyonda doubt that trees 
must be acclinated to our or similar climate before we can expect 
them to live to a great age. 
Then the soil, location, protection and peneral care will lengthen 
out their lives for years. I believe in evergreen windbreaks or pro- 
tection, not only from the south and east, but from the north and 
west also. 
I set out some one hundred trees,in 1875,of theWealthy andRollin’s 
seedlings and some twenty or more Russian varieties. These last 
I set promiscuously through the orchard, and they still live, while 
the hard winter of the eighties killed all the Wealthy and the seed- 
lings except three rows which were close to a northern and eastern 
protection; they are still alive and bearing. We have a block of 
fifty Duchess that were set out in ’62—I think there are forty-nine in 
good condition, now bearing fruit for over thirty years. In fact, 
the first Duchess apples that were exhibited at the state fair came 
from these trees. But Iset them too close for their present age, and 
the limbs now interlock so that the sun can scarcely shine on the 
ground. Although bearing fruit every year, being so shaded the 
fruit does not color or ripen evenly. Ihave tried the experiment of 
cutting the tops or old limbs off and letting sprouts come from the 
stubs of the tops or old limbs and form a new head, which has been 
successful with me. 
FOR GRAPE VINE LEAF HOPPER.—A spray of kerosene and water 
seems to have no immediate effect upon grape vine leaf hoppers, 
although this is often recommended. A tobacco extract known as 
scab cure sheep dip, applied asa spray, has proved fairly successful 
when used in the strength of one to ten.—O. J. Farmer. 
