ORCIIARDS. 95 



&c. For several years they have borne apples enough for 

 our family use ; and I have sold some for several years till the 

 last year, when the worms injured them some, though not so 

 much but that we had a number of bushels of winter apples. 

 This year they have borne very full and very nice apples. The 

 number of bushels I am unable to state, as we have kept' no 

 account. We have some very early apples, which were ready 

 for market in July; and I am satisfied we have sold apples 

 enough this year to pay all the expense of reclaiming the or- 

 chard. In regard to manure, I have found that any thing that 

 will make corn grow will make apple trees grow and produce 

 apples. Work manure well into the soil, as far round as the 

 limbs extend. I think every farmer especially, and all who 

 own land, had better set out a young orchard, unless they al- 

 ready have done so. But if you have an old orchard, go to 

 work and reclaim it, and in a few years you may have all the 

 apples you will need in your family till your young trees begin 

 to bear. 



Sunderland, October 1G, 1854. 



Statement of Daniel Cowles. 



I have about forty peach trees. The principal part of them 

 were grown from peach stones that I obtained of a grocer 

 in Springfield in 1839. He had saved them from a few very 

 choice lots of peaches that had been brought in to him. They 

 were planted in the fall of 1839 ; and in the spring of 1842 I 

 set them about the sides and terraces of my garden, where I 

 thought they would do the least damage. I have practised 

 putting ashes about the roots occasionally in the fore part of 

 the season. The greater part of the trees bear the early yel- 

 low peach. Some bear a peach very much resembling the 

 Early Crawford, and there are three or four varieties of later 

 peaches. I have a few young trees of different varieties — 

 the snow peach, the blood peach, etc. My trees have borne 

 well every year since they were three years old excepting 

 one, but not as well this season as last. I have had this sea- 

 son from fifteen to twenty bushels. The peaches were not as 



