72 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Mr. Hale. Nothing very new ; spray thoroughly with 

 the lime and sulphur niLxture, and it can easily be controlled. 



Mr. E. Cyrus Miller (of Haydenville). There is a fruit 

 that has long been neglected, and personally I would like to 

 hear from Mr. Hale something al)out the quince. 



Mr. Hale. The quince is such a slow-growing tree, and 

 is infected with so many diseases, and I have known so few 

 people that have succeeded with it profitably, that I hesitate 

 to recommend it. I think quinces might be grown on heavy, 

 moist soil, — not wet land, and not much cultivation, but 

 heavy mulching. But I wouldn't recommend anybody to go 

 into quince culture on any extended scale, with much hopes 

 of finding it profitable. 



Mr. eJoHN W. Clark (of North Hadley), Our friend 

 spoke about the dwarf trees, and I would like to have Mr. 

 Hale tell the audience how we are going to dwarf these tall, 

 sky-scraping apple trees we have, and bring them so we can 

 handle them ; and how to grow dwarf low-headed orchards. 



Mr. Hale. To start the story the other way to, and take 

 the young trees, we can buy yearling trees that have a whip, 

 and cut them down to a foot or 8 inches from the ground, 

 and let them head from there. That is easy enough. But 

 the old tree, I would dwarf it with an axe close to the ground, 

 and burn it up, and plant a new tree ; but that means eight 

 or ten years with no fruit. Another way, if we don't mind 

 the looks of it, — a top tree is pleasing to the eye, and a fruit 

 grower who loves his profession would like to see a good- 

 looking tree, — but if he takes these old, long-shanked trees, 

 not too old , say from thii-ty to fifty yenrs old in New Eng- 

 land, and saws the main top off down to the lowest tier of 

 branches so that some are left on all sides, and paints over 

 the cuts with two or three thick coats of white lead paint, — 

 which is the best thing to cover a big wound or a small 

 one, — each branch left will begin to give new bearing wood, 

 and as the years go by you will get a squatty, flat-topped 

 tree. Cut off the new upward young shoots from the mid- 

 dle of June to the middle of July, which will check that up- 

 ward tendency ; if you prune them well, those trees are right 

 to bear the second year. 



