EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 167 



Mr. Wheeler: I set about a thousand pear trees last 

 spring- and did not touch the trees as to trimming and didn't 

 lose a tree. In another place I set 300 apples and pruned 

 them ; I lost perhaps about 50 out of the lot. We had a very 

 dry season. I don't know whether that had anythinp^ to do 

 wath it or not. The pear trees were planted in dry soil. I 

 have not tested the question enoug^h yet to know whether 

 there is anything in it. 



A Member: In regard to this cutting back of apple 

 trees, I have a little orchard of 185 trees that were set six 

 years next spring. There are a few Gravensteins, say 25, 

 about the same of the Wealthy, and the rest are Baldwins. 

 The land was a pasture where there was pine wood grow- 

 ing. We cleaned it off and got it so we could plow it and 

 dig it up some. The trees are doing fine. I cut them back. 



1 wanted them down low, so I headed them low and when 

 some of them had grown branches four feet high I would 

 cut them off and pretty soon that would happen again, and 

 on all these tall limbs there were no fruit buds; all they did 

 was to climb straight into the air. We have heard Hitchings 

 say it is wrong to cut them, but to let them grow. Yet I 

 cut them off and this year scarcely any of them have grown 



2 feet ; they are looking fine and you will find there will be 

 fruit on them soon. This last year I had a few Baldwins on 

 my five-year-old trees. 



President Gold: What about their bearing? 



A Member: As soon as they begin to bear that will 

 take their strength, or some of it, and will stop that growing 

 of tall shoots. Whenever I find limbs that are interfering 

 with each other, I cut them out, but leave the others. 



e 



Discussion of questions on the program list occupied th 

 remainder of the afternoon until the closing hour. 



Question No. 7 : Has basic slag been used with satis- 

 factory results? 



Mr. Repp: I have had no experience along that line, 

 but at the last meeting of our society at Trenton I asked Pro- 



