MIDDLESEX SOCIETY. 163 



substantial wall, enclosing three acres on which the orchard 

 stands. In June, 1843, ploughed the land, in the first week in 

 September, cross ploughed, gave it a good harrowing, sowed 

 on winter rye, harrowed it and cross harrowed, and by this time 

 you will suppose it was well broken up. July, 1844, gath- 

 ered a fine crop of grain ; as soon as the grain was off, ploughed 

 in the stubble. In the spring of 1845, as soon as the frost was 

 out, ploughed ; found stubble all decayed ; harrowed down the 

 furrows ; with my horse and plough, marked it out in squares 

 ten by twelve feet. Set the trees at the crossing. Myself and 

 two hired men, took out of the nursery seven hundred of the 

 trees, and set them out in one day, and only twelve failed. 

 The rest lived and grew as well as I could wish to have them. 



Manner of Pruning. — I remove all dry limbs, and all limbs 

 that interfere or in any way hinder the growth of the tree. I 

 do not plough, hoe nor cultivate among my fruit trees, because 

 I think it much better, and it makes the fruit larger, and is 

 cheaper, to cover the whole surface of the ground with straw, 

 meadow hay or litter of some kind. Well covered in this way, 

 it will last two years, and the trees will have less worms and 

 flourish better than to cover the land with manure of any kind. 

 I place about a peck of hard coal or wood ashes, at the root of 

 every tree once a year, and it has not failed to keep away the 

 borer. 



The reasons I give in favor of straw and hay as preferable to 

 compost manure are, it saves labor, is cheaper, it prevents the 

 drought from penetrating as it would without it, and in case 

 the trees stand on a side hill it keeps the rains from washing 

 the soil, and when the fruit drops, it keeps it clean. I have 

 tried this course for twelve years, and am fully satisfied it is 

 the best. 



Natick, Aug. 1849. 



Cranberries. 



In the year 1848, the trustees of the society offered a pre- 

 mium to encourage the cultivation of cranberries, a species of 



