CHARLES MASON'S STATEMENT. 17 



"Was greater than in previous years, throwing out shoots from 

 thirty-five to forty inches. 



In 1865 the boulders and small stones were again re- 

 moved from the field, being sufficient to make fifteen rods of 

 wall, and about thirty loads compost applied to the field, 

 made from muck, decayed wood, three loads of horse 

 manure and three loads leached ashes, and planted with 

 potatoes; corn and white beans; thus the whole field has 

 been under cultivation with some hoed crop since first trans- 

 planted, and should continue to be so cultivated for the next 

 ten years. The question now arises whether it is more 

 profitable to transplant large or small trees ; it is certain, 

 thus far, that the small trees have made, comparatively, the 

 greater amount of wood. 



In the opinion of very good judges of orchards, the larger 

 trees will come into bearing at least one year sooner than the 

 others. Should that be the fact, it is economy to set trees of 

 older growth than two years from the bud. 



Ephrajm Graham. 



Charles Mason's Statement. 



The apple orchard offered by me for a premium consists 

 of fifty-three trees, of which twelve were set out the latter 

 part of April, 1862, thirty-seven about the 20th of May, 

 1863, and six in May, 1864. 



Of the trees, twenty-seven were raised by myself and 

 twenty-six, all of them but one set in 1863, were procured 

 from a nursery. Of these latter I am obliged to say they 

 were not of the choicest, being such as I could get rather 

 than such as I would have had. 



Of the trees raised by myself, nine were set in 1862, when 

 a year old from the bud, most of the others at two years old. 

 The age of the nursery trees I cannot state positively, but 

 3 



