82 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



cannot let these trees grow all over and occupy the ground, 

 as we have done with our usual standard trees ; hence we 

 must begin to prune in, which means a system of heading in 

 annually of these trees. That will solve in part the question 

 of cultivation. Then, again, we have got to have improved 

 machinerj^ and we are getting it already, where the horse 

 can go through the centre of the spaces and the machine go 

 in under the trees, where it would be impossible for a horse, 

 or even a mule, to go. As this system is taken up and 

 adopted, and we find the necessity of a different kind of 

 machine to cultivate, we shall have it. I am using now 

 a sort of a plow to start with, which is reversible. We 

 can push the beam off to one side, and yet the share of 

 the plow will run quite close up under the branches of the 

 trees. You can reverse it either way, so that the plow, 

 even with a horse, can plow right under the trees, where 

 you wouldn't think anything could he done at all. But we 

 want scmiething better than that, — something on the idea 

 of the Morgan carpet hoe. We have it in part in the 

 extension cut-away harrow that can be pushed out. These 

 cutting shears are only about 15 or l(i inches in diameter. 

 They will cut the soil both ways. In the culture of our 

 trees we don't need to do the plowing that we once did, — 

 we simply want to stir the surface ; and the cut-away, unless 

 the soil is too stony, will go down 3 or 4 inches, — plenty 

 enouiih to stir the soil, — so we can g-o back and forth and 

 })ulverize the soil and not plow it as we have been accus- 

 tomed to doing. Of course, as the dwarf trees grow out 

 we widen our spaces, which leaves room for this system of 

 cultivation. 



Mr. Howe. How did you weigh that several tons of 

 water which was taken up? 



Mr. Powell. My authority, of course, is the scientific 

 work that has been done in so many stations in our own 

 country, in taking the actual (|uantity of water that is used 

 by trees and })lants during every twenty-four hours, — sci- 

 entific experiments. 



Mr. H. R. Kinney (of Worcester). I have been very 

 mucli intcrest(^d in the polic}'^ outlined this afternoon, and 



