284 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



amount I liave fixed. Thej'^ were kept in a stye, and fed not beyond good 

 order, until after corn harvest, when it was ground in the ear ; wet up two 

 or three days' feed at a time, thick enough to feed with a shovel, and 

 nothing else except some apples, and no drink, until seven and a half months 

 old, when I killed them, weighing 279 and 275. My neighbors had of the 

 same litter, fed the corn in the ear, and I suppose ate more than mine, and 

 did not weigh over 150 lbs. 



A member requested the Chairman to state his experience in bees. 



Mr. Pell complied, accounting for the production of drone bees, workers 

 and queens. The virgin queen, he believes, lays eggs that produce drones. 

 After association with the male, the eggs produce workers, or queen bees, 

 according to the size of the cells the eggs are hatched in. 



Solon Robinson read several letters and extracts, asking information ; 

 some of which called up interesting discussions. Here is one : 



HOW TO TREAT AN OLD ORCHARD. 



"Wm. P. Gates, of Windham, Conn., wants to know how to treat the soil 

 in an old orchard, or where trees have been planted ten years. Plowing 

 cuts and bruises the roots, and, he thinks, must injure the trees. How 

 then, shall the soil be loosened ? 



Judge French, of New Hampshire. — We generally keep our orchards 

 plowed two-thirds of the time, and work the land at first as deep as possi- 

 ble. We don't think it good policy to ripen grain in an orchard. Sow 

 with oats and cut them for green fodder. Plant with corn and cut green. 

 Potatoes are the best hoed crop for an orchard, old or young. 



Thomas W. Field. — I have been trying to answer this question a long 

 time. Some orchards on long Island that are plowed often, have ceased to 

 bear, while trees in the hedges and walls continue to bear fruit abundantly. 

 Some pomologists contend that orchards should not be disturbed by the 

 plow. Trees derive very little nourishment from deep soil ; it nearly all 

 comes from the fibrous roots near the surface. If we can keep the surface 

 loose it will be useful ; but plowing I believe is injurious. 



Prof. Nash. — I concur generally with Mr. Field in this ; but, for natu- 

 rally drained land, I have no doubt it is the best practice to let the land lie 

 in grass. No general rule can be given, but it must be adapted to the situ- 

 ation and circumstances of each orchard. 



Mr. Pell. — My experience is that all orchards require plowing. I have 

 found roots in my orchards as large as my arm, extending fourteen feet 

 deep. Rye will kill an orchard quicker than anything else. I never stop 

 to inquire whether my plow is cutting the apple roots or not. It does not 

 injure them. 



The subject was still further discussed, without coming to any conclu- 

 sion whether an orchard should be plowed or not. 



TO RENOVATE OLD TREES. 



Andrew S. Fuller. — I generally take old trees and find how far out the 

 roots extend, and dig so as to cut off three or four feet of the out ends of 



