116 MIDDLESEX SOCIETY, 



Caleb WrighVs IStatement. 



The land on which my orchard is planted, was, before I 

 ploughed it, rocky and covered with bushes. The soil is a 

 warm moist loam, with a clay bottom. I set out my trees, 

 part of them in the spring of 1845, and part of them in the 

 autumn of the same year. The spring I consider the best for 

 transplanting. When the trees were set out, the ground was 

 laid down, and it has not been ploughed since. I keep the 

 ground dug up around the trees. I manure them with green 

 manure and cover it with bushes. I wash my trees with a mix- 

 ture of lime, clay, salt and green manure, which I consider bet- 

 ter than potash for this purpose. The insect which most 

 troubles me is the borer, and what I use to get rid of them is a 

 mallet and gouge. 



At the request of the committee, I give a description of my 

 older orchard, mostly of Roxbnry russets and Rhode Island 

 greenings. I set it out forty-five years ago. For many years it 

 bore well and the fruit was good. At length the fruit became 

 poorer and less of it, and the general opinion is that the russet 

 trees have run out. I think differently. The most of the 

 russet trees are old ; when a tree is old it does not throw out 

 as much sap according to its size as a young tree, and a 

 scarcity of fruit is owing to too much top, and the tree is neg- 

 lected. For a few years past, I have given attention to my 

 Roxbury russet trees, and they have well paid me. I have 

 pruned them closely. I cut out the small branches and trimmed 

 off the large ones within a few feet of their ends. They bore 

 well last year and hang full this year. The fruit is good. It 

 sold in the market last spring for $4 50, without repacking. I 

 would say to those who have the trees, don't give up the rus- 

 sets. 



Westford, Sept. 5, 1851. 



A. G. Wing^s Statement. 

 The young orchard which I offer for consideration, consists 

 of about 190 Baldwin, and about 50 other choice varieties of 

 ^pple trees. I purchased the land on which they stand in 



