NINETEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. J\ 



all over New England — have told me that it was a very 

 pretty little orchard. 



Question : Do you find any difference in the growth 

 of your trees on account of that condition in the soil? 



Mr. Knapp : I think that the trees grow best in that 

 yellow soil, in that soft yellow sub-soil. There is some 

 clay mixed in with it. I think the soil in that yellow deep 

 sub-soil seems to be well adapted to the trees. It is not 

 exactly sand. I do not know what term I would apply 

 to it. 



A Member : If you plow, I should think you would 

 be apt to cut off a good many roots, if you plowed too 

 deep, but wouldn't you get- some benefit by running 

 through with a Cutaway harrow? 



Mr. Knapp : I think when I get them growing in 

 good shape, it is better to run through with the harrow. 

 I think sometimes, with old trees, it does good to have 

 roots off at a proper distance, but I cannot realize how it 

 will do good year after year to run a plow down through 

 there. The roots run pretty near the top of the ground, 

 and you cannot cut into the ground very deep withou^ 

 injuring a great many of them. You go down among the 

 trees, especially the older trees, those six or eight years 

 old, and if you get anywhere near the tree you begin to 

 cut off the roots very near the tree. Some of them you 

 cannot get under to good advantage anyway. I keep 

 away from them. If I get up too close I find I am cut- 

 ting off a number of little feeding roots, and I believe that 

 holds true every time. 



Mr. Ives: Do I understand the speaker, that he uses 

 simply lime and sulphur in spraying? 



Mr. Knapp: I use the lime and sulphur in April. 

 That is, enough to keep the bark smooth. The first year 

 I only sprayed a few individual trees where I thought they 

 needed it. 



