22 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



also dying. Much of the fruit was cracked and spotted, and 

 this general decadence was most marked in the case of the 

 trees where ploughing was practised. The trees there never 

 attained the proportions of those standing where the plough 

 was never used. At that time we changed the system. Per- 

 manent meadow, with top-dressing, or permanent pasture, took 

 the place of the previous exhausting system. 



Pasturage means manuring also, for the cows from a large 

 range prefer to lie in the orchard. The result has been, that 

 the trees not too far gone have taken a new lease of life, the 

 fruit has improved in quality, is less scabby and cracked, and 

 especially is this true of the orchard devoted to pasturage ; 

 and not only is there benefit in this direction, but also the 

 apple-worm or codling-moth is kept in check, as the cows 

 consume all the fallen fruit, and here we have our fairest 

 apples. 



Young orchards, planted since, and coming into bearing, 

 have been pastured with swine, horses, or sheep, with satis- 

 factory results. They were allowed to limb out too low to 

 allow of pasturage by cows, till the fruit has been gathered, 

 when they are given the range. 



As another illustration, two native trees were taken up 

 from the field and planted in the border of the garden, exposed 

 to the plough, a hundred years ago, on account of their choice 

 fruit. Thirty years ago this was worthless from cracking. 

 Permanent grass at that date took the place of the garden, 

 and one tree, still surviving, now bears fair fruit. These 

 results are not all due to a change in the seasons, and cannot be 

 accounted for, for we have had wet and cold years, favorable 

 to producing cracked and spotted fruit ; but must be explained 

 thus. It is dangerous to destroy the surface-roots and force 

 the trees to seek their food in the damp, cold subsoil. Sur- 

 face-roots should be encouraged, and their mutilation leads to 

 crippling the trees, promotes disease, in fact is destructive 

 both to the trees and their fruit. 



Twenty dwarf pears were planted in a garden, which was 

 deeply cultivated, and only three survive. Of fifty trees 

 planted in the same garden, at the same time, and receiving 

 shallow culture, but few have died. There is only one fact 

 in this connection, that renders this experiment indecisive. 



