40 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Mr. Dartt: Does any one object to mulching? 
Pres. Underwood: I thought I heard some one object to mulching. 
I have heard it objected to, and I thought some one here this morn- 
ing had objected toit. I have heard it objected to on the ground 
that it brought the roots of the tree too near the surface of the 
ground, and unless the mulching is kept up the roots become ex- 
posed and in this manner are easily killed out. Perhaps, I was mis- 
taken in regard to the objection I thought I heard. 
Mr. Crandall: I would like to ask Mr. Harris if he would mulch in 
the fall after a severe drouth. 
Mr. Harris: If I should mulch in the fall after a severe drouth, I 
should put some water on the mulch. I put down some Delaware 
grapes and covered them with leaves, and every one was killed be- 
cause there was no moisture in the soil. If there had been a mulch 
on during the summer, I should not have lost them. 
Mr. Dartt: I do not like to keep jumping up all the time; but, now, 
if you go to work and bring up the dangerous thing in regard to 
mulching—you must first find out whether the ground is dry or not. 
But I think the only safe way is to mulch every year; mulch your 
orchard every vear; mulch it with manure; put on a reasonable 
amount of mulch, and I am willing to risk it. When the season is 
dry you want the mulch any way, and the only safe way is to put it 
onevery year. Then, if some of your treesare Wealthys you will kill 
them. If you mulch, mulch with straw, or something that has not 
got much bones in it. Those Duchess you want to mulch with 
manure. Cover the ground with rich manure, put on more; spread 
it out and put it all over the ground; and we can do this where an 
orchard is reasonably closely planted, as all orchards should be. ~ 
In regard to our friend over here talking at Farmers’ Institutes, he 
talks for effect. I expect I do here. We talk about things we do not 
know. I mean to take my own medicine, and if I do not take medi- 
cine Professor Harris will poke it down me. (Laughter.) 
Mr. Brackett: I would like to ask Mr. Dartt if he believes trees in 
rich soil are more apt to blight. 
Mr. Dartt: Yes, sir. 
Mr. Harris: Don’t you believe it? 
Mr. Richardson: I believe that there is a wonderful difference in 
locality. Mr. Dartt believes in killing the Wealthy. If you kill my 
Wealthy, you kill all my orchard. Manure does not seem to hurt it 
a bit. 
Mr. Dartt: My friend told me that the Wealthy orchard that was 
doing so remarkably well was in grass sod. 
Mr. Harris: I have heard all manner of theories,and I have prac- 
ticed every theory I ever heard of, (laughter) but I do not believe the 
Wealthy will blight any quicker on good soil with the fertility kept 
up to the right pitch, I do not believe it will be killed by blight any 
quicker than it will by starving it to death. Blight is something we 
cannot account for, and it comes through atmospheric conditions, 
and, perhaps, also, through the condition of the tree itself. I have 
had the worst kind of blight on trees setin grass, and some trees on 
cultivated ground blighted. I have a Duchess that has grown 
