290 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Mr. Somerville: Well, I can only say that as far as my own 

 orchard is concerned, I have fruit every year. I have no off 

 years. I want to ask a question in order to get some inform- 

 ation. We have a man in our neighborhood who is a crank 

 about setting out trees, and I want to know whether his method 

 is right, in your opinion. He, undoubtedly, raises the biggest 

 Duchess apples of any man we have in the whole country. 

 Now, he puts his trees about two feet and sometimes three 

 feet, right down in the ground. Is there anything in it? 



Prof. "Williams: We did that same thing in our home 

 orchards. We did not plant quite as deep as that, perhaps, but 

 we planted about six inches deeper than anyone else in the 

 neighborhood, and we got the same results that Mr. Somerville 

 has spoken of. 



President Underwood: Let me suggest that what we are 

 suffering from to a great extent is the drouth. Now, roots that 

 are deep down in the ground are not so easily affected by the 

 drouth. The ground dries on the surface — and is not that one 

 of the reasons why deep planting is better? If the ground was 

 very wet you would not want to plant deep. Now, the Scotch 

 Pine has no surface roots, but ics roots run down into the 

 ground. Some of the evergreens have roots near the surface, 

 and when they die it is because the trees are exhausted from 

 drought on account of the roots being near the surface. Now, 

 I think that is the reason why this gentleman's trees do so well 

 — because his ground seems dry, but the roots being deep get 

 the moisture better. 



Prof. Williams: I think in all probability that the matter of 

 drainage of the soil would have a great deal to do in that 

 matter. 



Judge Moyer: What kind of soil has he? 



Mr. Sommerville: It is our best prairie soil. The ground is 

 dry, and it is very rich ground. He told me that he set trees no 

 less than two and one- half feet deep. 



Mr. Harris: Where the soil is pretty loose and the drainage 

 is good, that deep setting is not injurious. I have seen some 

 large apples raised, ho,wever, from trees that were not set so 

 deep. 



DISCUSSION ON MARKETING APPLES, STATISTICS, ETC. 



Mr. J. B. Mitchell, Cresco, Iowa: I would like to say a few 

 words on picking and handling apples. I think it is a subject 

 of great importance. I use a ladder that is pointed at the top, 



