30 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



field ; and to this day I think that through the Middle 

 States the peach orchards are kept cultivated. In Florida 

 the orano-e groves are all kept thoroughly cultivated. 

 Now, Dr. Fisher does not hold to cultivation ; he would 

 keep an orchard in grass, and mulch the trees so as to get 

 the roots near the surface. I would like to know from 

 Mr. Augur what advice he would give in that respect. It 

 is a very important matter. 



Mr. Augur. It certainly is. I think that it depends 

 somewhat upon circumstances. I have an orchard that was 

 planted in 1869, which I kept in cultivation I think four 

 years. The trees then had a good stand. We had been 

 raising peaches, grapes and other fruits, and of course it is 

 necessary for us to have hay. We have to devote a consid- 

 erable portion of land to hay for our stock. As I said, that 

 orchard was planted in 1869. In 1872 or 1873 it was 

 seeded down to grass, and has not been ploughed since. It 

 has been pruned and it has been top-dressed. I presume 

 Dr. Fisher will criticise me on this point ; but I will say 

 that the hay from that orchard has been taken to the barn ; 

 but the orchard is coming very nicely into bearing. At the 

 end of summer, or perhaps about this time, we clean out all 

 our manure and top-dress the orchards. 



Professor Stockbridge. Then I would like to ask another 

 question, which perhaps should be put to Dr. Fisher. Pro- 

 vided you cut that grass and carry the hay to your barn, is 

 any damage done if you increase the per cent of fertilizers 

 which you put upon the land ? 



Dr. FisiiEK. I want to make this point emphatic, — that 

 you cannot grow hay and apples on the same land. I want 

 you to cut your grass before it becomes tit for hay, while 

 the blades are not more than six or eight inches high, and 

 its roots are correspondingly only six or eight inches long. 

 If you wait until the grass is three feet high and the roots 

 are three feet long, approximately, and then cut the grass 

 and take the hay to your barn, you have stolen from your 

 soil both moisture and fertilizing properties, and you can- 

 not bring them back. 



Mr. Augur. In that connection I would like to say that 

 I think there are sometimes evils o-rowing out of cultivation. 



