STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 39 



One other point I wish to emphasize, in regard to setting apple 

 trees in "out of the way" places. M}- experience tends in a differ- 

 ent direction. I want in 3' trees where I can give them the best cul- 

 ture and attention ; not in a poor, out of the way corner. There 

 seems to he something contradictory in the paper. The writer advo- 

 cates getting all that we can out of the apple tree while young ; to 

 drive the tree to its full growing capacity. I think it is impossible 

 to force a young tree into bearing while young, and at the same time 

 make it develop in growth. My idea is that if you drive a tree you 

 will stunt its growth, therefore I would not advocate it ; but it all 

 depends upon circumstances. If you are setting a variety of fruit 

 from which you wish to deriv^e the greatest profit, and don't care so 

 much for growth, Iwould say set the trees close and feed them high 

 while 3'oung. That may be poor advice in some cases, it would be 

 so in regard to the Rhode Island Greening, Northern Spy and Tal- 

 man's Sweet, I should prefer to get a full growth and let the trees 

 become somewhat mature. I know of a man who was getting all 

 he could from his trees while young, and had four acres of trees set 

 half a rod apart, making six hundred and forty trees to the acre. 

 That was extremel}' close. They were the Duchess of Oldenburgh. 

 Some of them were as large as a man's arm, and the tops had begun 

 to come together somewhat. I asked him what he was going to do, 

 as I believed he could not get them to grow and become mature. 

 He said he did not care so much about that, he should cut out some 

 of them. With that variety, and perhaps some others, it would do 

 very well. There is the Wagener, if I had a hundred trees of that 

 variety, I would set them close together. I don't believe in keep- 

 ing sheep in the orchard, but circumstances alter cases. Top dress- 

 ing is better than keeping sheep, for me. 



Mr. Gardiner. I noticed in the paper by Mr. Lang, an allusion 

 to the woodpecker as an enemy to fruit culture. I would like to 

 hear about it. Some say they are useful in destroying insects, and 

 some that they suck the sap from the trees. 



Miss Alice Foster. I have an apple tree which is completely 

 girdled by woodpeckers. The holes are not more than a quarter of 

 an inch ai)art in limbs ten inches through, and the tree is certainly 

 ruined. I think they come for the sap. I think the tree is fifty 

 years old. It is graduallj' dying. 



S. R. SwEETSER. I have an impression that there are several 

 kinds of woodpeckers, and that the one we call the sap sucker is 



