STATE HOKTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 351 



FRUIT BEPORT FROM OLMSTED COUNTY. 

 Chatfield. Minn., January 11, 1884. 



My orchard has made a satisfactory growth the past season; not 

 more than two out of seven hundred trees have died. The location 

 is a north-east slope, with clay soil, trees planted in 1876; cropped 

 to corn and potatoes till 1881, then seeded to clover. Last year I 

 pastured the orchard with about seventy hogs. This keeps the 

 grass down, and leaves no shelter for mice; everything grown on 

 the ground except the fruit is returned to it. 



A history of my orchard may at this time be useful to the public. 

 My trees were obtained from P. A. Jewell, with whom I had, in 

 his day, many an evening's talk on fruit raising, and from whom I 

 obtained some good ideas, which I have put in practice. The trees 

 he furnished me were true to name, and not black-hearted. This 

 was a good starting point. I set in new ground, after the first 

 crop; distance twelve by sixteen feet. This is far enough apart in 

 locations exposed to high winds. If the trees should prove to be 

 too close in the future, one could go through the orchard after the 

 manner of young George Washington and apply the hatchet to a 

 few of the poorest, which would have paid for themselves many 

 times over already, besides protecting their companions from many 

 a stormy blast. 



I consider my orchard as I do my live stock, the greatest reward 

 from the best care ; feed my trees as I feed my cows ; have taken 

 into the orchard an average of forty loads of manure per year for 

 seven years. I could not now draw all the wood out in forty loads; 

 besides it has already yielded me more than twenty loads of apples. 



The Duchess is a perfect success. I had them last year perfectly 

 sound till October. The Wealthy, though not so hardy, is doing 

 well, and bears abundantly. I have a goodly number yet, which 

 we find very palatable these cold wintry days and evenings. The 

 Wealthy is an excellent fruit. The Walbridge we find in this part 

 of the state about the same in wood as the Wealthy, though not 

 so good a bearer when young; but we kept the fruit last year until 

 May, and could have kept it till July, only the supply ran out ; a 

 very good pie apple then, not bad to eat, but rather too much acid 

 to suit the taste of most people. The Minnesota we find not a 

 good grower, but a good keeper. The Fameuse keeps well with us 

 till February or March. The Orange we have yet in perfect con- 



