ORCHARDS. 261 
ging a hole in the grass six or eight inches square, and then thrusting the 
roots in the hole and tramping some dirt over the roots, and then leaving 
them to grow; and if they die, which is most likely, curse the nursery- 
man for selling such trees. We might as well expect to put a pig in the 
pen and neither give it water or feed,and expect pork from that pig. If 
“we expect to raise apples in Minnesota we must give the trees the care we 
do other things on the farm. If intending to set out a new orchard, 
first prepare the ground the same as for corn, then mark it off both ways 
with the plow, the furrowssixteen feet apart,and at every cross set a tree. 
I believe in setting them as close together as they will grow, so the limbs 
will not come in contact with each other when the trees are large. They 
then are a protection to each other, shading the ground and preventing 
evaporation from the earth. Now at the crossing of these furrows make 
a hole with the spade sufficiently large to receive the roots in their natural 
shape. The depth to set trees depends altogether on the nature of the 
soil; on light soil I should set them tenor twelve inches deeper than they 
stood in the nursery row; on clay soilI should not set so deep—on light 
soil the surface dries out more readily by evaporation than on clay soil. 
By setting trees deep in light soil the surface may get dry but the roots 
will still be in damp ground. In setting out trees if the ground is dry, it 
is better to have water at hand. Set the treein the hole you have dug, fill 
in some surface soil and then put in some water, lifting the tree up and 
down a few times so the mud will get on all the roots; then fill up with 
dry earth,leaving adeclivity around the tree. Mulch with straw or slough 
hay as soon as possible. In setting trees be sure and put the strongest 
roots and the most branches to the southwest, also lean the tree the same 
direction—say, towards the sun at two o’clock—and keep them growing at 
that angle, and they will not be liable to sun-scald on the southwest side. 
Also keep them in that position while growing for two or three years and 
they will remain so. The sun striking the tree in an oblique direction, it 
has not the heating power to cause scald that it has when the tree stands 
perpendicular or leans over to the northeast, as is almost always the 
case. The prevailing winds in the growing season come from the south- 
west. I tie acord of wool twine to the top of the tree and drive a stake 
in the ground at the angle I want, and keep it there. 
Now you can plant potatoes, beans, or any hoed crop so as to keep the 
ground clean, except corn that makes too much shade. and the tree is not 
so healthy. Cease working them by the tenth of July at the farthest, so 
as to let the wood ripen for winter. Cultivate shallow for three years, 
not forgetting to mulch around the trees as soon as the ground freezes. 
As the trees grow larger apply more mulch. When cultivated three years 
mulch heavily, asit stimulates the growth of the tree by retaining the 
moisture in the ground, and keeping the ground from freezing so 
hard in winter. Let the hogs run in the orchard; they destroy the 
grubs and worms that injure the trees. Ring the large ones and they 
willdo no harm. With this care, and proper selection of trees, including 
the Duchess, it will be but a few years until every farmer will have 
apples for his own use without buying them. For fear that I was over- 
estimating the worth of these new varieties of Russian apples from the 
experience I have had with them for the last fifteen years, in the early 
part of this last summer I visited Mr. Tuttle’s orchard at Baraboo, Wis. 
He has over 200 trees of new Russians that have stood the test winters 
