differences under the different treatments. In the earlier 

 years of ihe experiment, the fruit ranked in size in this 

 order; Largest on the bone and low grade sulpha' e of pot- 

 ash; next in size on the bone and muria!e; next on ijarn- 

 yard manure; next on wood ashes and the smallest where 

 there was no fertilizing. At the present time ihe rank is a 

 li tie different the manure giving at the present the largest 

 fruiL 



As to the color and appearance of the fruit, that has 

 taken the highest rank that was raised with the. wood ashes, 

 —next the bone and sulphate of potash; next the bone and 

 muriate of potash; next the barnyard manure, and last 

 where there was none. 



Some experiments in keeping qualities have been made, 

 not every year however, and from this point of view, the 

 fruir which took the high rating was from the bone sulphate 

 and bone muriate plots; next the manure and next the wood 

 ashes. I presume some of you will be surprised at the rat- 

 ing of the fruit raised with the wood ashes, but I believe 

 it to be due to the fact that the fruit on the trees wi;h the 

 wood ashes always ripens considerably earlier than on the 

 other plo's, but we have followed the plan of taking off the 

 apples at about the same time. Of course, if you take fruit 

 and put it into ordinary cellar storage, that which is over- 

 ripe cannot be expec'ed to keep as long as that which is 

 not so ripe. I don't know that it Avill prove to be true that 

 fruit raised with wood ashes will always ripen earlier, but 

 1 think this may be true. 



The fruit produced where no fertilizers were used did 

 not have good color or finish, and would not sell, as it was 

 unattractive. 



We have made some efforts to determine whether there 

 Avas a difference in the quality in the fruit as shown by the 

 appearance, of sugar and acid, in the fruit taken from the 

 different plots, but we have found far less differences than 

 T had supposed we might find. The difference in quality 

 was a difference in color and appearance and finish, not a 

 real difference in flavor depending upon the amount of 

 sugar and acid. 



The soil of this orchard Avas kept under cultivation for 

 about 5 vears and then seeded down, but for a number of 

 years circles about the trees were kept free from grass. 

 After about 1896, however, the grass was allowed to spread 



