54 STATE P0M0L09ICAL SOCIETY. 



wood, and vice versa, so that we can have our choice, oi fruit, or 

 large, ivoodij trees. 



In my practice in growing nursery slock, I first plant in a seed 

 bed and let them grow two years, and the last of July or the first 

 of August, bud them ; the next spring, remove them from the seed 

 bed and properly shorten in the roots, sever the tap roots (if any) 

 and cut back the budded stock to within six inches of the bud 

 (thus having the stock to tie the bud to as it grows), and plant 

 them out in nursery rows. Thus I am able to grow straight, 

 stocky, fibrous rooted trees, — that can be removed to the orchard 

 in safety, with all their fibrous roots, — thus subserving the double 

 purpose of convenience in removing, and of fixing in them the 

 habit of fruiting early. 



In conclusion I will say : Nature never makes a mistake, but 

 always dcjes.the best she can under existing conditions, and if we 

 will but study her laws and work in harmony with them, we shall 

 never go wrong, either in agriculture or any of the affairs of life. 



The reading of this paper was listened to with close attention, 

 and was followed by a general discussion of the points presented. 



Friend Joseph Taylor of Belgrade, being first called upon, re- 

 sponded as follows : 



I feel myself incompetent to speak at much length on this sub- 

 ject, for although I have long been engaged in raising fruit, I have 

 hardly come to a definite conclusion in anything pertaining to it. 

 It seems to me, however, that our friend has a little overrated the 

 Roxbury Russet. With me it does not yield good returns. The 

 soil on which I have planted both my russets and other kinds, is 

 slaty, with some ledge underlying it, and on a side hill where it 

 needs no artificial drainage. I have planted the russet on such a 

 soil and it does not bear. I have enriched the soil and yet it does 

 not produce many apples. The tree has a short growth in sum- 

 mer, and however rich the soil may be it is scrubby. It is true 

 that the fruit will keep longer than any other fruit I raise, but as 

 our President says — if we had any other apple in the time of the 

 russet, possessing the good qualities of our fall apples, we should 

 discard the russet. I should, at any rate ; for it is a lifeless, dry, 

 insipid apple with me. To be sure, we call it a good apple, be- 

 cause it is the best we have at its season. 



The Northern Spy I don't think he has over-estimated. I gath- 

 ered last fall from one tree, and that a small one, 16 bushels of 



