46 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE [Pub. Doc. 



the gypsy and browu-tail moths and ninny fungous diseases, 

 where I should set strong two-year-old trees. For a peach 

 orchard I should set one-year-old trees without question. 



Question. Do you put any fertilizer around the bottom 

 of the trees ? 



]\Er. Drew. ISTo ; I do not. I prefer to get the soil into fine 

 condition by j^lanting a cultivated crop, like corn or potatoes, 

 the year before. 



Mr, TuKisTEK. For a general orchard of an acre or two 

 what varieties would you set out ? 



Mr. Drew. In certain sections of eastern Massachusetts, 

 with certain kinds of soil, I should set out certain varieties. 

 The Gravenstein, Hubbardston, Williams and Red Astrachan 

 do very well. But for the general grower there is no safer 

 apple to plant than the Baldwin. For the special grower, 

 who would give particular attention to growing and packing 

 in boxes, there is more money in other varieties. 



Mr. Jonx Bursley. If you were going to purchase a piece 

 of land for the purpose of going into the fruit business, would 

 you rather pay $200 an acre for land within a city of 200,000 

 inhabitants, or go into the country and buy it at $20 or $30 

 an acre ? 



Mr. Drew. As a general rule I should rather buy the more 

 expensive land. If I were going away back into the country 

 I should want a pretty big proposition, where I could afford 

 to employ quite a quantity of labor. For the distant land I 

 would select winter varieties. 



Mr. Reed. How do you eradicate the railroad worm ? 



Mr. Drew. I have never been bothered with it, but know 

 people who have. The only way to control it is to pick up 

 the apples as they fall and feed them to liogs^ or dispose of 

 them otherwise. 



Question. What preventive is there for borers ? 



Mr. Drew. None that I know of. You should go over 

 your apple trees at least once a year — peach trees twice a 

 year — and pick them out with a knife or wire. T prefer the 

 fall for this work. 



Mr. Turner. Fifty years ago we used to have magnificent 

 Russets, clear up to the spring ; what has become of them ? 



