62 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



in that time did she know of a failure in that orchard. Right 

 around amongst those trees I have set young ones. 



Mr. ]\Ierwix : What kind of grass do you use ' in your 

 orchard when you make your planting of trees? 



Mr. Hitchings: In planting an orchard if you can get new 

 land, that of course is best, and I would say to use red clover, 

 timothy and redtop. That is when you first set the orchard. 

 You will get quite a crop from helping the bacterial action in 

 the soil. And if you have not got the grass to put around, 

 the redtop will help because it makes a very fine aftermath. 



Mr. Cook : I would like to inquire about your orchard — 

 whether the hills are high there? I read in a paper some time 

 ago about raising apples in the hilly country. I think it stated 

 that that was the best place ; that there they grew best. The 

 description was of a side hill. I should think there would be 

 a good deal of wash come down from the hills, and from that 

 description that there would be a good deal of water get into 

 the land. 



Mr. Hitchings : Of course there would be some water if 

 you have got it on a side hill with higher land above the 

 orchard. Perhaps there would be an excess of water run down 

 at certain times. I think if you can, when you are selecting a 

 location for an orchard, it is a good thing to get it on pretty 

 high ground. I explained about that in my talk. 



Mr. Cook : I rather thought that those apples showed an 

 excess of potash. I should think so. 



Mr. Hitchings: You do not want too much nitrogen. If 

 3'ou have too much nitrogen in the land you will get pale color. 

 As to the potash, I don't know. 



A Member: How deep is that mulch which you put on? 



Mr. Hitchings : When you first start you want more mulch, 

 especially until you get your grass growing. After that the 

 less you need it you can spread it out thinner. After your 

 trees have got well started, you will find that they need a very 

 light amount and it is better to spread it out well, especially 

 before the harvest time. You will save more of the fruit that 

 way. 



Mr. Cook: Did I understand you to say that you sprayed 

 when they were in blossom ? 



Mr. Hitchings: No, sir. I think I said to spray immedi- 

 ately after the blossoms fall. I meant to say that. 



