PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 391 



consideration the value of the potato crop, the farmer may con- 

 sider it better to plant one. 



Mr. Adrian Bergen said that even when the trees were large 

 and nearly touched each other, a crop could be raised, as the sun 

 would strike the ground at one time of the day if not at another. 

 It might be a poor crop, but was better than none. 



Mr. Smith said that in an orchard where one wanted to plant 

 a crop, and the ground was hard to plow, it was sometimes a 

 good plan to plant artichokes and let hogs dig them ; thus keep- 

 ing themselves in good condition, and working over the ground 

 at the same time. He also made his hogs work over his barn- 

 yard manure, and when they got so lazy that they would not 

 get up and work he killed them. The pastures of our country 

 are growing poorer and poorer. He recommended the putting 

 on of ashes or plaster, and the sowing of rye with grass seed. 

 If foxtail Avas too heavj' plant red-top. In this way, in five 

 years, such a field might be renovated, and the pasture would 

 keep green until frost came. If there is any profit in keeping 

 stock, it is by having good pasture. 



Dr. Waterbury related as an example that, in discussing here, 

 we often see things from different points of view ; that ashes 

 were useless on clay soil, while on a sandy soil they were excel- 

 lent. In some sections of the countrj^ also, ashes are too dear 

 to be used freely. 



Mr. J. G. Bergen said that perhaps, in the same way, different 

 methods of treating old orchards might be better on different 

 soils. In regard to plowing orchards^-when they had been regu- 

 larly plowed every year they would stand very deep furrowing. 

 In the case of a few trees in a garden, mulching might be a good 

 practice ; but he thought that in a farm of twenty acres it would 

 be found more economical to plant potatoes. 



Mr. Smith said that by far the best crop for a peach orchard 

 was buckwheat. 



Mr. Robinson said the theme of the day was " surface manur- 

 ing," and the discussion had partly run into this subject. 



Mr. Fuller said this subject was proposed by him at the last 

 meeting, because he wanted to get information on it. Pie wanted 

 to know what were the results of applying manure on the sur- 

 face. He had found in some cases that it induced mushrooms to 

 grow, and, last year, he had a lot of currants ruined by fungus 

 in this way. He had sometimes found mulching beneficial ; but 



