STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 133 



Ques. How about alfalfa? 



Prof. Stewart : It goes down pretty well. 



Prof. Wolff: We in New Hampshire, like you, have had 

 some discussions on this question of dynamite. The New 

 Hampshire Experiment Station has one orchard in Manchester, 

 in which I supervised the planting, and where dynamite was 

 used, and for my part, in our state across the border, I have not 

 been able to see any definite results from the use of dynamite. 



Prof. Stewart : That corresponds exactly with our results. 



Ques. Isn't that mulch of three tons per acre an immense 

 amount ? 



Prof. Stewart: Yes, that is a pretty good mulch, but when 

 the trees are rather large that is not a bit more than one needs. 

 If you can't get that amount of mulch, get what you can and 

 supplement it with proper fertilization. You can often add 

 manure to plain sod and get a tremendous gain. 



Ques. By sod, do you mean that you take the crop, whatever 

 grows on the sod, away? 



Prof. Stewart : In our experiments we take the first cutting 

 away and the second cutting is left where it falls. 



Ques. What is the market value of that mulch in your place? 



Prof. Stewart : Well, it varies, of course. For our experi- 

 ments we sometimes get baled straw at $8 or $io a ton, but that 

 would be impracticable for regular orchard operations. 



Ques. How would sawdust do? 



Prof. Stewart : I haven't tried it. I would be a little bit 

 afraid to recommend it because of possible harm from its leach- 

 ings. 



Ques. You use three tons every five years on the young 

 trees ? 



Prof. Stewart : No, we have used for those trees only a 

 maximum of about loo pounds for a tree and put it on about 

 an average of every third year. In case of the alfalfa we have 

 used no outside materials of any sort. We grow it between the 

 trees. On other trees, we are now starting a mulch with a com- 

 bination of rye and vetch that we grow between the tree rows 

 and swing it around the trees as a mulch, and then we are going 

 to carry it on by means of this white clover, red clover and 

 vetch combination as a permanent cover. 



