ON FRUIT TREES. 89 



fruit trees. But the part more particularly for your 

 consiJeration is about five thousand inoculated apple 

 trees standing on about eighty rods of land, the same be- 

 ing one vear old from the bud. My mode of cultivation 

 is as follows: — In 1841 the land was broken up and 

 planted with potatoes, one shovel lull of barn-yard ma- 

 nui'e put to a hill ; in the Autumn of the same year, it 

 was again ploughed and about ten cords of swamp muck 

 and twenty bushels of wood ashes spread on the same, 

 which makes all the manure to the present time. I 

 think the growth of trees does not depend so much upon 

 hi.nh manuring as careful cultivation ; the ground must 

 be kept perfectly free from weeds. For that purpose I 

 use a cultivator between the rows, and a one hand hoe 

 between the trees, care being taken not to injure roots 

 or the bark. In the Spring of 1842, I took the trees 

 from the seed bed, they being one year old, and set 

 them in rows, four feet apart and eight inches from each 

 other. They were well pruned during the Summer, to 

 give t'lem a smooth surface for budding. 



In August, 1843, they were inoculated as follows: — 

 About two thousand five hundred Baldwi s, one thou- 

 sand Hubbardston Nonsuch, five hundred Russets, one 

 hundreil Spitzenburg, two hundred Porter, one hundred 

 Gravenslein, two hundred I'anvers Winter Sweet, and 

 ten other varieties, making in all apwards of five thou- 

 sand. In the Spring of 1844, 1 cut the tops off about 

 one inch above the land ; they took very well, having 

 lost not more than five per cent. I have rejected near- 

 ly all the old varieties of winter fruit, preferring the Bald- 

 wins to any, for its growth in the Nursery, if it is after- 

 wards grafted as a standard. I perform all the budding 

 myself, being careful to select all buds from fruit-hearing 

 trees, the names and situation being entered on a book 

 kept for that purpose ; and also, a plan of the Nursery. 



About the middle of July the Ant Grub, an insect 

 well known to nursery-men, made its appearance, cov- 

 ering the leaves and young wood of the apple trees and 

 also of the mountain ash. I treated them to a warm 

 bath of strong soap suds, which was more than their 

 12 



