STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 37 



Ex-President Gardiner. About planting trees over drains — I 

 would like to speak of an incident that happened at Oakland some 

 years ago, which bears out Mr. Sawyer's objections. In those days, 

 before we knew much about drains or drain pipe, it was almost uni- 

 versal to use logs ; and all the water that came to the house and 

 barns was brought in logs through the old orchard. On one occa- 

 sion I remember that the water supplj- began to fail, gradually grow- 

 ing less and less. It was a long time before the cause was dis- 

 covered, but at last, b\' digging down to the drain, it was found 

 that an apple tree root had grown down and found a knot-hole in 

 the log, and had gone in through it, and had grown so large as to 

 stop the flow of the water. It merely shows that the inclination of 

 the roots of trees is to find water. If a tree is planted over a drain 

 the roots will find their way into the drain and fill it up. It is a 

 very remarkable fact that roots will always go to find water. 



D. J. Briggs. I merely rise to state a fact from my own experi- 

 ence in regard to setting trees on drains. I have one small apple 

 orchard in which a part of the trees are set over the drains, and 

 those trees that are set between the drains are as hardy, as produc- 

 tive and as large as those on the drains. 



Another point in the paper which has been read is in regard to 

 the production of grapes in this State. I think that the subject of 

 grape culture should not be brought forward as a matter of general 

 interest in a pecuniar^' point of view. It may be discussed in 

 farmers' clubs, but we know that we cannot as a general tbing pro- 

 duce grapes in this State profitably, because there are other locali- 

 ties that produce them more easily and more abundantlj', and get 

 them into market before we can. 



One point in respect to what the president said in regard to apples, 

 that ten barrels should be grown where there is now one. A 

 neighbor said to me this winter '"if all the trees bear where apples 

 can be grown, it will be the best farming we can do, at 81.25 per 

 barrel from the orchard." I heai'd of none being sold for less than 

 that price last fall ; yet without putting them into the cellar this is 

 better farming than anything else we can do. I believe instead of 

 raising one hundred barrels of Baldwins as I did, it would have 

 been better if I had had a thousand barrels. I believe the more 

 good fruit we can raise, the better the market will be. I have 

 repeatedly said this to this Society, and I still adhere to it. 



