218 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



along upon the ground within the roost, and burn it with pieces 

 of old leather, keeping the roost shut." 



The same writer recommends poultr}^ to be "always supplied 

 with corn, green food, or roots, lime, and gravel, and ashes to 

 wallow in. Never keep a hen past a year old for the sake of her 

 eggs. For this purpose it is better to reserve every year a small 

 stock of spring chickens, and feed always as above directed." 

 ^^\ Mr. Alb. Steinbach, Evansville, Indiana, says his wife keeps the 

 lice out of her hen-house by rul:)bing the perches and other parts 

 with grease twice a year, once in spring and once in midsummer. 



Decay of Orchards. 



Mr. S. S. Fallap, Fallapburgh, Michigan, writes: " Might not 

 the decay of orchards be attributed to excessive pruning, cutting 

 off laro;e limbs, leaviucr scars laro-e, and liable to rot back and 

 finally produce decay? I have observed in this new country many 

 com] aratively young trees that are already decaying from this 

 cause. While in New England, a few years ago, I thought I saw 

 many trees with large decayed places from this cause." 



Mr, Solon Robinson — Such pruning is, doubtless, injurious to 

 trees; it is not the cause of the general decay of orchards. You 

 might as well attribute it to the fact that the trees w^ere trans- 

 planted in the old of the pioou a hundred years ago. I saw some 

 orchards last week, in Westchester county, which have probabl}^ 

 borne fruit that number of years, and have always been healthy 

 and productive, till within a few years past, which have now gone 

 the road often thousand others, in New England, New York, New 

 Jersey, and Pennsylvania. One old orchard in particular which 

 I noticed had always been most carefully and judiciously pruned, 

 3'et it is going the way of all others. It is not likely that such a 

 thing as an old orchard will be found in existence ten years hence, 

 if the present rate of decay continues. Apple orchards are per- 

 ishing as surely as peach orchards have perished. It is idle to 

 deny the fact, and useless to theorize upon the cause. The ow\-y 

 remedy is to continue to plant young trees." 



Adjourned. 



