HORTICULTURAL STRUCTURES AND IMPLEMENTS. 383 



course, it would depend some upon the soil and upon the 

 weather. I do not believe in letting weeds grow, I do not 

 advise anybody to do that, of course. 



Mr. Patten: Isn't it better for the apple tree not to culti- 

 vate it too frequently? Frequent cultivation would advance 

 its growth too fast, and it would not be as hardy. 



Mr. Smith : I have paid particular attention to this question 

 during this last summer. There were four or five agricultural 

 societies that offered premiums for essays on corn growing, 

 and I awaited the reports with considerable interest; and I 

 noticed that this thought ran through every one of the essays, 

 that were awarded prizes. Now, it might have been the style 

 that captured the judges, but all of those essays laid great 

 stress on frequent and shallow cultivation. 



Prof. Connor, North Dakota: I think our president's theory 

 is a good one in some respects, but it seems to me that it would 

 depend very much on the surrounding conditions. Now, for in- 

 stance, if we had a heavy rain and it came off dry after it with a 

 bright sun, I think then that we ought to cultivate immediately. 

 It makes no difference, even, if we have just finished cultiva- 

 ting the night before this rain. This raia might cause a crust, 

 and we should go on and break that, because we know it is 

 necessary that the air should have access to the roots. Our 

 plants feed largely that way. I think shallow cultivation is the 

 best on young evergreens, for instance, those that have just been 

 set. Deep cultivation is wrong, I believe, in such a case, and 

 on small grafts, because we must keep the air from those roots 

 for the first year, at least. I believe in shallow cultivation on 

 grapes. It seems to me that deep cultivation would injure 

 them. 



Mr. AUyn : Just one word in regard to frequent cultivation. 

 I think we can have too much of it. It is often said the more 

 cultivation, the greater the crop. I plow deep, manure heavily 

 and work it in weir. I feed my plants in that way, and do. as 

 .little cultivating as possible. I will guarantee that, if your 

 ground is well manured, the cultivation will not make a great 

 deal of difference in the amount of the crop, if it is not neglected 

 too much. 



Mr. Mitchell, Iowa : I am somewhat surprised to hear this 

 objection to frequent cultivation. I have been cultivating quite 

 a number of years, and I am fully convinced that you can not 

 cultivate too much. 



