SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 159 



•good stand ; tlu' barley makes a good growth in the late fall 

 and makes use of the surplus fertilizers, mats down and jiro- 

 tects the crimson clover, which comes up in the spring in a 

 good growth on land that 1 would not expect it to grow on. 

 It has been the most satisfactory thing 1 have used in Litch- 

 field. 



A AIemrrr: How much seed to the acre? 



President Putnam : I could not tell you how much 

 ■crimson clover T used, but T sowed about a peck of barley. 

 just enough to make a light stand to protect the clover. It 

 was sowed the first part of August. 



Question 49 : Can we cut back the tops of old apple 

 trees that are 25 or 30 feet high, with safety? 



A Member : I cut back an old orchard two years ago ; 

 new sprouts have come out and are growing well. 



President Putnam : Some nine years ago in Litchfield 

 we had a very severe ice storm that badly injured the apple 

 orchards ; no pains were taken to prune the trees ; the people 

 went in with an axe and cleaned the orchard out. I went 

 into the orchard a year ago this winter and cut oIT some of 

 the old stum])s and we now have some quite thrifty trees ; 

 thev were 60 or 70 years old. still they are making a good, 

 vigorous growth and will renew their tops. Whether or not 

 it is a practical thing to do, I don't know : apple trees will 

 stand a tremendous amount of top heading, apparently. 



A Member : What did you do about the large cuts — how 

 did you protect them ? 



President Putnam : I used lead paint, also on my young 

 a])ple trees, without any serious effect. If you can paint the 

 trunks of voung apple trees without any serious injury, there 

 is certamlv no danger to older ones. I don't know of any- 

 thing better to use than lead and oil point. 



Question 31 : What months in the year do borers work? 



Dr. Britton : Thev work every month in the year except 

 in the verv coldest weather, but particularly late in April, 

 especiallv if warm weather comes then, and from that time 

 up, until the\ are full grown in June or July, they do a great 

 <leal of feeding. With the apple borer, it requires three years 



