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around each tree and plant with a fork. Early in April I 

 apply to each acre 1000 pounds of basic slag, 250 pounds of 

 sulphate of potash and 250 pounds of bone meal. 



IRKIGATION 

 I feel confident that if water can be properly applied to 

 orchards at certain times during drouths that the crops can 

 be greatly assisted. In fact I have saved an entire peach 

 and cherry crop by irrigating, carrying water to the trees 

 by pipes and digging trenches about the trees five or six 

 inches deep. For young trees I have made the trenches six 

 feet in diameter. I fill and refill the trenches several times 

 according as the water is absorbed by the dry earth around 

 the trees. 



jMARKETING 

 In marketing, ALWAYS put your fruit up honestly and 

 give good measure. Sell only as A No. 1 fruit, that fruit- 

 which is A No. 1. Do not try to work off seconds as firsts. 

 This takes more time and care, but the time and care are 

 Doth well spent. If practicable, sell direct to the family 

 trade as this is generally the most profitable way to dispose 

 of fruit. The commission merchant, if his firm is reliable, 

 is well worthy of patronage and will many times return you 

 net as much as you would have received from the family 

 trade, time and general expense being considered. I have 

 very little use for fruit ' ' hawkers' ' as I find that they usually 

 try to get your product at low figures and make all kinds of 

 complaints about it, no matter how good it may be. 



DIFFICULTIES 



I have found many difficulties in fruit-growing but have 

 generally been able to cope with them. Some of them are 

 San Jose scale, leopard moth, aphis, borers, currant worm, 

 gypsy and brown-tail moths, breakage of heavily-laden 

 branches by wind-storms, peach leaf curl, drouths, hail- 

 storms and lack of competent help. I have also been 

 troubled in getting my fruit picked and marketed promptly. 



I have found that close attention to spraying, dormant 

 and later, locating and digging out the leopard moth, early 

 bracing with props of heavily-laden branches and thorough 

 dormant spraying of peach trees with lime-sulfur for leaf 



