18 WORCESTEE COUNTY HOETICULTURAL SOCIETY. [1878. 



Mr. F. M.' Marble said there is a difference in the keeping qualities of 

 apples, in different years, irrespective of their storage. He believed 

 good lillage land cannot be profitably used for apples ; but the trees may 

 be set on'the north side of fields and against the roads with profit. His 

 experience is in favor of pruning both top and root at transplanting. He 

 believed pears are more profitable in this vicinity than apples, and thought 

 they can be raised as cheaply. 



Mr. Phelps opposed pruning in the spring ; the best time is from the 

 4th to the '24th of July, while the tree is resting between its first and 

 second growths ; he urged experiments on the same tree. 



Mr. Draper said the best rule for nurserymen is to prune when the 

 knife is sharp ; on young trees he would do all knife pruning early, be- 

 fore the buds start ; if large cuts are made the wound should be covered 

 with shellac. In regard to resetting trees he would always set a tree two 

 or three inches deeper than it stood when taken up. He favored setting 

 small trees, for they will do much better. He also said too often cus- 

 tomers insist on having trees taken out of nursery rows, when it is im- 

 possible to take up one without spoiling three, when, if the trees could 

 be taken a whole row at a time the removal could ])e much more safely 

 accomplished. 



Mr. J. C. Lovell reiterated his opinion that irees ought to die if they 

 are set carelessly and the ground about them is allowed either to fill up 

 with grass or weeds ; the nurserymen are not generally to be blamed. 



Mr. P. J. Kinney said apples can be grown at a profit in this vicinity ; 

 he knew a three acre lot, two sides of which has apple trees, which give 

 better returns five years in succession than the rest of the field, although 

 it is in so good condition as to bear ninety-two bushels of wheat. He 

 opposed spring pruning, especially for large trees ; the only time is when 

 the tree is at its fullest growth. ?Ie was a full believer in odd year 

 Baldwins ; he knew of hundreds of trees which are sure for a crop every 

 odd year ; his own "odd year tree" is certain, and scions taken from it 

 '••ive odd year trees, whether grafted the odd or the even year. 



Mr. Draper made a distinction between heading in and pruning ; the 

 first should be in the spring ; the latter helvvecu June and September. 



Mr. Phelps would head in trees when set, either fall or spring. 



Mr. J C. Lovell favored severe heading in in the spring before the 

 buds start ; he would leave autumn set trees till spring. In answer to a 

 question, he said barn -yard manures will promote tree growth ; the patent 

 fertilizers are good also. 



Mr. A. B. Lovell said he had a good orchard set in a sand bank ; over 

 ninety out of one hundred trees lived, and they have made capital growth ; 

 the land has been generously manured with barn-yard manure and wood 

 ashes. 



