DISEASE AND FEEDING 161 



of grain without opening it is to run a long pen- 

 cil in the meshes of the sack in several places. 

 Loose kernels will flow out from the center of 

 the sack and thus the inner contents can be 

 closely examined. 



There is a great deal written by Eastern 

 pigeon men about the sale of the manure pay- 

 ing the grain bills. I tried in every direction 

 and for every purpose to sell the tons of manure 

 that were scraped from my houses and yards, 

 but was never able to sell a penny's worth. It 

 was only through influence and scientific dem- 

 onstration that I was enabled to give it away to 

 a hospital farm as a fertilizer. 



From my observation of the orchards in 

 the surrounding country and my own experi- 

 ments with two trees. I believe fruit trees re- 

 quire as much and as careful feeding as breeding 

 pigeons. It seems cruel to cull crop afer crop 

 from trees and vineyard without once renewing 

 the soil. This has been done continually with 

 the result that in a few years the orchards have 

 become exhausted. Would it not be more 

 profitable to spread the ground with manure as 

 soon as each crop is gathered and let the rains 

 gradually wash the nourishment into the soil? 

 Trees thus treated do not require irrigation 

 and respond gratefully with abundant and never 

 failing crops. 



