138 BOAED OF AGRICULTUEE. [Jan. 



regard to the manner in which you should treat an orchard. 

 The most poverty-stricken orchards that I have seen are 

 those that are in fields which have been made to yield crop 

 after crop, and last of all a few crops of rye, because no 

 other grain would grow there ; and all this time farmers are 

 complaining that the orchard does not pay. 



With regard to varieties, I will have a word to say. For 

 market purposes the fewer varieties you cultivate the more 

 comfortably ofi" you will be in disposing of your crop ; but 

 if you wish to have apples every year, a continuous supply 

 for your family and a continuous supply for the market, it 

 will not do to rely upon one, two, three or four varieties. 

 With a large number of varieties you will be quite sure of a 

 continuous supply ; very remarkable seasons excepted. If, 

 in addition to planting a number of varieties upon your farms, 

 you will select a variety of locations for your orcharding, 

 not putting all your eggs into one basket, so to speak, by 

 having the orchard all in one location, exposed to the same 

 influences of weather, affected similarly by drouth or exces- 

 sive wet ; if instead of this you distribute your orchard 

 somewhat upon your farm, you will score another point in 

 having a uniform and continuous supply. It has been my 

 experience that whenever a new variety has been recom- 

 mended, I have been anxious to secure it, and I have added 

 to my varieties until now I have probably over one hundred 

 kinds of grafted fruit growing upon my farm. The annoy- 

 ance and confusion that results when we are gathering fruit, 

 to keep the different varieties in the proper places, is very 

 great, to say the least. But it is very satisfactory when some 

 varieties that are very rare and difficult to produce, and 

 which do not produce a perfect apple once in five years, 

 bloom out upon you with most perfect fruit. It is wonder- 

 fully satisfactory to be able to produce a dish of the old- 

 fashioned Pearmain in its beauty and glory. You feel as 

 though you had done something ; although it is one of those 

 things which you can not account for. Providence has favored 

 you, in addition to your own labors, with temperature and 

 climate and conditions just right to enable you to do it ; but 

 there is very great gratification in it, and if 3'ou seek supreme 

 gratification in fruit culture, apple culture especially, you 



