THE OKCHARD. 545 



most of the varieties of trees had their origin in climates far 

 different from ours. I was at the mercy of unscrupulous agents, 

 and the long time taken in transit from the distant nurseries 

 often brought me my trees in very bad condition ; but I can 

 look back and feel that I am making progress. I procured the 

 first dozen trees from Rochester, New York, June 14, 1857, 

 one month too late for successful planting. Four of them are 

 still living, and produced the first apples ever shown at a fair 

 in the State. In the Spring of 1859, I planted fifty more 

 apple trees, obtained from a nursery in Illinois, but three or 

 four of which survived long enough to produce fruit. Every 

 Spring since I have added to the extent of the orchard and 

 replaced such as died out. I have tested more than one 

 hundred and fifty varieties, and have at this time about forty 

 doing reasonably well. The Winter of 1872 and 1873, was 

 very disastrous, entirely killing one-third of the trees, root 

 and branch, and seriously injuring another third, so that at this 

 time my orchard is composed largely of young trees not in full 

 bearing. The annual receipts for the past five years have been 

 from four to six hundred dollars. My best apples average near 

 one dollar a bushel, and Transcendent crabs forty cents per 

 bushel. Windfalls and inferior qualities I convert into vine- 

 gar. This year I saved six barrels (three hundred gallons) 

 of pure apple juice. For two years my crop has been lessened 

 by late frosts. I set my trees in land previously used for grow- 

 ing other crops, twenty to twenty-five feet distant each way. 

 I crop the ground between them with potatoes, melons, beans, 

 or other early maturing crops, for two or three years. I then 

 follow with strawberries, and then grass. I have had the best 

 success with Duchess of Oldenburgh, Red Astrachan, St. Law- 

 rence, Fameuse and Tallman Sweet, and the Walbridge, a late 

 keeper; all promise well. My great hope of final success is in 

 varieties that originate from seed here. 



THE VINEYARD. 



I commenced growing grapes about the year 1863, plant- 

 ing one acre of the leading and popular varieties, purchasing 



35 



