ORCHARDS. 169 



each spring, and a dressing of compost applied every fall. On 

 the cultivated part, no special application of manure has been 

 made to the trees besides that spread upon the whole surface 

 for the corn or potatoes. 



The trunks of these trees have been washed with potash water, 

 strong soap suds or ashes and water, twice a year ; neverthe- 

 less, the borer has left the marks of his depredations, particu- 

 larly on those where the grass or grain was allowed to grow 

 around them for one or two years. Where the whole ground 

 has been kept under constant cultivation, the borer has seldom 

 found a lodgment. To insure the best growth of the trees and 

 for the prevention of the ravages of the borer, I am satisfied 

 that the whole surface of a young orchard should be kept culti- 

 vated and manured for some hoed crop. And even in an 

 orchard of old trees the increased quantity and improved qual- 

 ity of the fruit will amply repay the farmer for keeping the 

 whole soil under good tillage. 



The trees in this orchard, when originally set out, were all 

 Baldwins except one Williams' Red, three Danvers Sweet, two 

 Hubbardstons, and four Roxbury Russets. To have some 

 variety of fruit, and also to test the quality of some other kinds, 

 more or less approved, I have changed the tops of about thirty 

 of them by ingrafting one or more with each of the follow- 

 ing varieties, viz. : Williams' Early Red, Peck's Pleasant, 

 Gravenstein, Early Sweet Bough, Seaver Sweet, Washington 

 Sweet, Rhode Island Greening, Early Harvest, Leland Spice, 

 Shirley, Canada Reinette, Red Astrachan, Minister, Holmes, 

 Holden, Ladies' Sweet, Mother, Jewett's Red, Hunt's Russet, 

 American Golden Russet, and Northern Spy. The process of 

 grafting I commenced four years ago, and occupied three years, 

 changing one-third of each tree in a year, beginning at the top. 

 The growth of the trees has been somewhat retarded by graft- 

 ing, the Rhode Island Greening, Williams' Red, and Early 

 Harvest, being the least affected in that way. 



Statement of Jabez Fisher. 

 The apple orchard which I enter for premium is made up of 

 137 trees, of the following varieties, viz. : thirty-one Baldwin, 

 twenty-one Hubbardston Nonsuch, eleven Minister, ten Dan- 

 vers Winter Sweet, nine Coggswell, eight Porter, seven Large 



22 



