STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 23 



President Gilbert then addressed the meeting, review- 

 ing the history of the Society, stuting the purposes of the 

 Society and the measures which had ])een adopted from year 

 to year since its organization to promote the interests of 

 fruit culture in the State. He also spoke of the advantages 

 of meetings of this character, and the mutual benefits to be 

 derived from them. 



The President theu presented a paper contributed by Dr. 

 N. T. True of Bethel, who was not present, " on planting an 

 orchard," being a sequel to the valuable paper read by him 

 last year on the same subject. 



PLANTING AN ORCHARD. 

 By N. T. True, M. D., Bethel. 



In the spring of 1877, I set out a young orchard of apple 

 trees. I planted it for posterity. All the pleasure I antici- 

 pate from it is that which may arise from seeing the trees grow 

 from year to year, and the care I may bestow upon them. 

 Several points in my present and past experience seem to me 

 worthy of note, which I will record, with the hope that now 

 and then a hint may be received by others worthy of their 

 commendation. I shall, therefore, describe my labor in this 

 direction quite minutely. 



Preparation of the Soil. 



Three years ago, I selected a little more than two acres of 

 land in my field for an orchard. The soil was full of large 

 and small boulders, the most of which I removed the first 

 and second years, by digging, blasting, or sinking. Broke 

 up the land in autumn, as deep as I could, and phinted with 

 corn and potatoes the following spring. The former was hoed 

 three times, the latter twice. Plowed again in autumn, and 

 dug boulders. This was repeated for two years. By plowing 

 late in autumn, I have subdued the witchgrass on one acre» 

 simply b}^ keeping the ground under clean cultivation where 

 I raised corn, and tilting out the grass with a five-pronged 



