188 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The next are much more numerous. They have grown up from the 

 ground, or very near, and have divided into three or four distinct trunks. 

 These are the largest and most productive trees we have, and are very 

 often found healthy and sound when hundreds of the same varieties have 

 died, in the same orchards, under the selfsame management, and with 

 the same surroundings. We find from one to five of this style of trees in 

 nearly every old orchard in Iowa. I know of but one very large Plumb 

 Cider tree near here; it bears a number of barrels of apples in a year. 

 This is grown with three trunks. The only large Talman Sweet left in 

 this part of the state has branched out near the ground with three 

 large branches; hundreds of others all over here have died out entirely. 

 The oldest and largest and most productive Haas tree I know of is thus 

 grown. 



All this living testimony goes to show very plainly that we must have 

 some more reliable and systematic system to protect each individual tree 

 from the steady, direct rays of the sun. While we find this to be abso- 

 lutely necessary we find that collectively our trees need no protection. 

 We have found many very promising new seedling apples that have given 

 us many hopes that have entirely failed when an attempt has been made 

 to grow them in other places even in the same orchards. There must be 

 some cause for this curious freak of nature. One of the largest and best 

 seedling apple trees in this locality, that outlived everything and bore 

 barrels of good winter apples nearly every season, grows up with three 

 trunks. This tree has been grafted into roots and top worked by many, 

 but has signally failed in every instance. These are some of the many 

 items we have gathered from the wreck and should go on record for future 

 usefulness. 



ORCHARD EXPERIENCE. 

 By C. M. Gordon, Long Lake. 



I will endeavor to comply with your request that I write you my ex- 

 perience in growing orchards and apples in Minnesota. I presume you 

 are aware that any man that has planted apple trees from time to time 

 for nearly thirty years in this state has experienced anxiety, disappoint- 

 ment and pleasure. We generally value things of this world very much 

 in proportion to what they have cost us, so if I place a high value on my 

 orchard it is but natural. My orchard has cost me some money, a great 

 deal of labor and no small amount of anxiety of a very cold evening. 

 When the wind is in the northwest and a prospect of a much colder night, 

 I feel very anxious about my eight hundred trees that I have growing in 

 orchard, but I console myself as best I can with the thought that I never 

 had but two little orchards swept clean from the face of the earth by 

 Minnesota winters. 



I bought the first apple trees that I ever planted in Minnesota in the 

 fall of 1857. I took them to the western part of Carver county and 

 planted them in orchard that fall. In the spring of '58 my trees were 

 sound asleep and they are sleeping yet. This was very discouraging to 

 me for at that time I did not suppose there had ever been an apple 



