STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 157 



for cripples and fools have a right to fraternize or change from one to the other and 

 claim immunities that do not belong to others. I send a short piece on "Preparing 

 the Orchard for Winter" which you may smuggle into your book if needed to fill 

 up. 



Yours Very Truly, 



E. H. S. Dartt." 



PREPARING THE ORCHARD FOR WINTER. 



We have found by oft repeated trials that orchard trees that have been kept in 

 a good growing condition by cultivation and the application of manure as a mulch, 

 each fall or early winter, will withstand the effects of extreme cold much better 

 than those in grass or cultivation where little manure has been applied. The bear- 

 ing of a heavy crop of apples so exhausts the vitality of a tree that it is illy-prepared 

 for the test of a severe winter. On a poorish soil death is quite likely to follow a 

 very heavy crop. On rich soil more wood buds are produced, rendering the crop 

 less excessive. In extreme cases the thinning out of fruit or fruit branches in the 

 early part of the season will prove beneficial. 



Winter- Killed trees are often supposed to have died from the effects of blight, 

 because they frequently start in spring, make a feeble, sickly growth, linger for an 

 indefinite time, possibly for a year or two, and then wither and die. 



Blight effects trees in a somewhat similar manner, but usually attacks the thrifty 

 terminal shoots during the growing season, and frequently leaves the trunk and 

 main branches uninjurei,d. 



We must distinguish between winter-killing and blight; for whilst with Duchess, 

 Tetofsky and other similar kinds manure must be applied liberally to keep up vital- 

 ity, blighting kinds, like Transcendent and some other rampant growers, might be 

 ruined by it, for excess of manure certainly favors if it does not produce blight. It 

 is best not to plant blighting kinds, but if we have them we should seed down and 

 mulch if at all with old hay, straw or other material not rich in manurial properties. 



E. H. S. Dartt. 



Mr. Grimes moved that the Society extend to Mr. Dartt its sympathy 

 in his present affliction, but for which he would have been present at 

 the meeting. Adopted, 



The following letter was then read : 



Denver, Col., Nov. 16, 1885. 

 S- B. Hillman, Secretary, etc. 



My Dear Sir: Yours of 12th at hand. Yes, we will prepare and send a paper on 

 the " Coniferous Trees of the Rocky Mountains, their Value and Adaptation to the 

 Prairies of the Great Northwest." In our opinion there is no profession or occu- 

 pation in the catalogue of busy, progressive life more refining in its influence or 

 elevating to humanity than that branch of horticulture covered by the propaga- 

 tion and cultivation of trees, fruits and flowers. 



We love the plainsman of the Great West, who has caused a tree to grow where 



