48 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



th.it, if you pick off the blossoms, it is in no condition to 

 throw out another set of fruit-buds for the next year. 



Now that I am up, I want to say a word about the cause 

 of the death of many of our trees which we transplant. I 

 believe that many young trees die in consequence of the 

 trunks being exposed to the hot sun of this climate. I 

 believe that a great mistake is made by our nurserymen in 

 trimming off all the lateral shoots, and thus stripping the 

 trunk of that protection which nature intended for it. My 

 way has always been to allow the lateral shoots to remain far 

 enough to shade the trunk with their leaves, cutting the lateral 

 shoots back within a few inches of the buds, and allowing 

 them to continue there until the tree is large enough to pro- 

 tect its trunk. In that way, I have never lost a tree in 

 transplanting. I would not give two cents apiece for apple- 

 trees that have all the lateral shoots taken off from the top. 



Mr. Hillard. I would like to know whether scions taken 

 from trees that bear the odd years, would be any more likely 

 to produce fruit in odd years, than scions taken from trees 

 that bear on even years. 



Dr. Fisher. I don't believe I know ; in fact, I know I 

 don't. I have heard it stated by gentlemen that they have 

 produced the result in this way : that they grafted one set 

 of trees one year, and another set the next year, and so on, 

 setting out the trees and grafting them afterwards ; and they 

 state that they come into bearing alternately ; those grafted 

 one year come into bearing one year, and those grafted the 

 next year come into bearing the next year. But that I do 

 not vouch for. 1 doubt if it is a question that can be very 

 readily settled. I know one gentleman in an adjoining town 

 who has a large crop of apples the odd years ; he had some 

 three hundred barrels of Baldwins last year, which he sold 

 for about $1,300. This year he has less. I asked him if he 

 knew anything about it, and he said he did not. He told me 

 they chose to bear so, and he had no objection. I have a 

 number of Rhode Island Greening trees, and two or three of 

 them have got into. the habit of hearing the odd years, without 

 any rhyme or reason. I never asked them to, or made any 

 suggestion of the kind ; but two or three of them bear the 

 odd years, although they were all set at the same time. 



