APPLES. 199 



vantage secured: First, a box eight inches square filled with earth, will 

 keep the sap from going up too early: it will give the trunk a more even 

 temperature in severe weather: it will insure perfectly healthy wood as 

 far as the trunk is concerned. It is well known by nurserymen and hor- 

 ticulturists that where young trees have been dug from nursery rows in 

 the spring and set in orchard, not one-fourth of them will grow. This 

 treatment of trees will increase their vitality and after a hard winter 

 they will pay for this protection. No mice will girdle the trees, no rab- 

 bits, no apple tree borers can get at them. The trees cannot grow pre- 

 maturely old that always keep a perfectly healthy trunk. Is it unreas- 

 onable to suppose that the earth that protects the roots of our trees in 

 case of tender trees like the apple, cannot be extended up to protect the 

 most vital portion of the tree? There is no better place than Minnesota 

 to get a good growth on apple trees. The next thing in order is to save 

 that growth in a healthy condition. 



In the fall of 1885 I had quite an orchard of Wealthy and Duchess 

 apple trees that bore a heavy crop. The following winter I lost all the 

 Wealthy trees but two, and eight or ten Duchess. I fully believe if I had 

 known what I have now learned I could have saved those trees iu a 

 healthy condition. One year ago last fall I set a Peerless apple tree, and 

 boxed it filled with earth. The past season it made a fair growth, prov- 

 ing that boxed and filled in about the trunk, young trees can safely be set 

 in the fall. In June 1888 I commenced to box some bearing trees, they 

 have been boxed ever since with the best results. One of the trees bore, 

 as near as parties could estimate, 6 bushels. I became so confident of my 

 ability to raise an orchard that last October I bought of John P. Andrews, 

 of Rice county, 100 Duchess and 400 Wealthy. I set 300 Wealthy and 100 

 Duchess and boxed every tree, filling the boxes with earth. The boxes 

 were made 30 in. high, 8 in. square. It took three weeks work to make 

 the boxes and set the trees. Mr. John P. Andrews and I agreed that we 

 never had seen any apple trees with dead limbs that the trunks were not 

 first injured. We then visited his extensive orchard and in every case 

 where we found dead limbs the trunks had been injured. Mr. Wm. 

 Wochton of Faribault, had Duchess nearly killed in winter and spring 

 of 1886; by covering with gunny cloth, the injured portions have healed 

 over. The boxes were banked outside with earth to keep them in upright 

 position. After I set them I mulched most of them with manure, 

 thinking it would be better protection for the roots. The boxing is now 

 quite often used, especially in Rice county, and it is generally thought 

 good results will come out of it. Should it prove to do what we expect, it 

 will add greath wealth to our state, and instead of capturing the Wilder 

 medal once, we can do it every year. 



HOW TO MAKE APPLE TREES LIVE FORTY YEARS. AND BEAR 

 TWENTY BUSHELS OF APPLES IN A YEAR. 



By O. F. Braxd, Faribault. 



I have been requested to write on the subjeet of "Protection of Fruit 

 Trees from the Nurseryman's Standpoint." According to the program I 

 have been preceded by the '"Farmer's Experience" on the same subject. 



