38 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Another point in Mr. Lang's paper in regard to raising the stand- 

 ard varieties ; I don't believe in raising all standard varieties. We 

 see in the English reports, that fancy varieties brought very high 

 prices. For instance: The Fameuse, Gravenstein, and King of 

 Tompkins Couut}^ 



1 believe that if a young man is going into orcharding, he should 

 look at the nearest orchard he can find that has been productive, 

 and see if the soil is similar to his ; if so, follow the example. In 

 the vicinity where I live, I can raise russets quite well ; a hundred 

 rods south of me they cannot raise them with any profit. Mr. 

 Gardiner will raise Belltlowers, but I have discarded them. I have 

 tried for the last ten years to raise them, without success. 



There is another point — that a person will set out an orchard, 

 perhaps well, and think the work is all done, when it is onh' the 

 commencement. It is work all the way through — eternal vigilance. 

 We must raise better fruit to compete with other sections. We 

 have to fight our enemies — we have to feed ourselves. AVe have 

 got to feed our trees also. The question w'ill arise. What shall we 

 feed them with ? I feed mine largely on potash. I buy ashes and 

 spread them broadcast in the orchard. I advocate, in planting corn, 

 to plant corn, and not beans or pumpkins. I don't believe you can 

 profitably plant an orchard with other crops. 



The first animals that I turn into my orchard in the spring are 

 sheep and hens. When the sheep commence gnawing the foliage 

 and .shaking the limbs, they are taken out, and pigs are put in. 

 These are kept there till the apples become fit for making cider, 

 then these are taken out, but the hens continue to run there. I 

 lielieve the hens are a source of income, and that they pay for all 

 .the apples the}- devour. 



W. P. Athertox. I rise to speak of some points in the paper 

 which has been read. One is in regard to setting young tre.es over 

 drains. I drained a piece of land, one-half acre in extent, and 

 instead of setting trees over the drain, I set them between, think- 

 ing it the better course. My idea was, and is, that the roots of apple 

 trees are reaching out for moisture, and they must have it ; and if 

 you jHit the trees over a drain, the natural tendency of the roots 

 will be towards the drain and into it. If any one is thinking of 

 undfcrdraiuing and setting out trees, avoid setting the trees over the 

 drains. 



