70 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



beneficial in the long run ; but if you expect thej^ are going to eat 

 the apples you will be disappointed. 



Ques. Some people in applying dressing to trees put a larger 

 amount near the tree than at a little distance from it. What is 

 your opinion about that ? 



Ans. My practice is to spread the dressing as far as the limbs 

 extend when dressing the apple tree only ; but I like to dress the 

 whole ground. Roots have a peculiar faculty of finding their food. 

 It is wonderful how much of a kind of root knowledge they pos- 

 sess. I have seen an instance where a block of trees were planted 

 five feet apart, and the roots had started to grow in all directions. 

 Outside of the block, on one side, was a bed of rhubarb made ver}' 

 rich. After the roots of the row of trees next the rhubarb had 

 started to grow in the opposite direction they stopped, turned and 

 went towards the rhubarb, thus showing that roots do know some- 

 thing. 



There is no kind of trees but do better by liberal treatment, 

 especially ornamental trees. No farmer is really up to his busi- 

 ness who neglects to plant ornamental trees. I have some orna- 

 mental trees which get a half cartload of manure every autumn, 

 and the foliage is wonderful. Trees that are enriched show a very 

 marked difference in the foliage. I did not find that out until, 

 perhaps a dozen or fifteen years ago. I went to the grounds of 

 Mr. Hunnewell, who perhaps has the finest ornamental trees on this 

 continent, and I was astonished to see how different his foliage 

 looked from mine ; but when I came to lift the limbs and look 

 underneath them I saw they were very liberally treated. I went 

 right home and commenced the same process, and I am surprised 

 to see the difference in my trees which the liberal treatment pro- 

 duced. 



Ques. What would you say in regard to the protection of 

 orchards? My experience and observation has shown that some of 

 the very best orchards have no protection whatever, but an exposed 

 location. Of course this would allow of the apples being blown 

 off, but most certainly those orchards did the best in our locality. 



Ans. The object of protection is to keep the fruit on the trees. 

 Trees will thrive without protection, but you do not want the fruit 

 blown off. It is a little discouraging to have fruit blown from the 

 tree and become unmerchantable when you want to get full price 

 for it ; consequently I think it is well worth while to protect your 

 trees. 



