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THE ILLIISTOIS F_^RM:EII. 



the habits of the bug make rain peculiarly 

 fatal to it. 



Mr. Walsh spoke for nearly two hours, 

 and was listened to with undivided attention 

 and interest throughout. Adjourned to 9 A. 

 N., after passing a hearty vote of thanks to 

 Mr.W. :: \.-:: 



SECOND DAT. : 



After the order of business and some other 

 unimportant matters were disposed of — on 

 motion of Mr. Jones, of Quincy, a commit- 

 tee of three — L. Shaw, K. K. Jonos and C. T. 

 Chase — were appointed to devise ways and 

 means for securing a more general circula- 

 tion of the printed minutes of )the Society's 

 meetings among the people. 



F. K. Phoenix was appointed chairman of 

 a committee, consisting of himself, Dr. 

 Schroder and Carew Saunders, to make out 

 and forward to the Corresponding Secretary 

 of the Society a report on vegetable garden- 

 ing. ; - - • ■■■- - .• "'Y-'-' 



The following gentlemen were appointed 

 by the chair to compose a committee of nine; 

 three each for the north, centre and southern 

 divisions. of the State respectively — to report 

 on the twelve best varieties of apples for 

 cultivation in each division: — north, J. T. 

 Little, L. Montague, S. Gr, Minkler; central, 

 M. L. Dunlap, J. H. Stewart, F. K. Phoenix; 

 southern, Chas. Kennicott, C. Montross, 

 John A. "Warder. The committee to report 

 on Friday next. 



The first article (preparation of soil) in 

 the discussion of orchard cultivation was 

 then taken up, upon which the following 

 opinions in substance were expressed. 



Mr. Jones, as result of successful experi- 

 ence, advised deep plowing, even subsoiling, 

 with back-furrowing to secure surface drain- 

 ing, and plant trees on the ridge of furrow. 

 He had plowed to the depth of sixteen 

 inches. 



Mr. Minler, of Tazewell county, trench 

 plowed with two teams, and advised under 

 drainage where not too expensive. Had 

 planted in all soils, but gave preference to 

 high or rolling ground. 



Mr. Montague reported loss of many trees 

 m the wet season of 1858, and thought low, 

 wet soil more injurious than cold of winter; 

 recommended planting on ridge of furrow, 

 and rolling ground for drainage. Would 

 plow deep, especially on clay soil, and back- 

 furrow, giving decided preference to high 

 lands for orchards. 



Mr. Smith, a gray headed vetran, had 

 had fifty years experience in orchard 

 culture in the west, and had found a wet 

 soil to be the great cause of failure. He 

 insisted on deep plowing, and if possible 

 underdraining, a dry high situation with 

 clay soil is the best. 



Mr. Minkler, had dug large holes for 

 his trees in his early orchard practice, 

 and set deep; he now, trench plowed his 

 land a foot deep, ridged up and set his 

 trees on the ridge. When he loses an 

 animal he takes the carcass to the 

 orchard or yard, digs a deep hole where 

 he wishes to set trees, puts in the carcass, 

 fills up with earth and sets a tree on it; 

 the growth in all cases have been double 

 that of other trees, and have proved 

 both hardy and productive. He would 

 prefer underdraining to surfaee-draining 

 — sets his trees two rods apart in 

 squares, and stakes his trees when plant- 

 ed; prefers low heads, but not so low as 

 to prevent plowing close to them. (We 

 have made repeated visits to Mr. M.'s 

 orchard, and ^now him to be very suc- 

 cessful — re ore so than any one as far 

 north as Kendall county.) 



Dr. Warder, digs one hole for the 

 whole orchard, uses a double Michigan 

 plow and subsoils, throws the land into 

 ridges and plants shallow — would not 

 seed down an orchard. 



Mr. Bowman thought that upon sandy 

 soil back-furrowing or subsoiling was 

 not necessary, but clay soils should be 

 plowed deep and holes made large toac- 

 commedate plenty ef root. 



Mr. Montague objected to stimulents, 

 bones, &c,, upon the ground that they 

 hasten decay of the tree; that the rich- 

 ness of the soil was the priucipal cause 

 of premature decline of orchards, and 

 trees should not be forced. They would 

 live longer, and be more hardy on indif- 

 ferent soil. 



Mr. Coleman thought an abundance 

 of animal muscle, applied in the form 

 of deep plowing and careful cultivation, 

 the best stimulant in preparation of the 

 soil. 



Mr. Shaw had used slaughter house 

 offal, but without any advantage — the 

 soil was rich enough. 



FOEM AND SIZE OF TEEES. 



Mr. Phoenix prefered two and three 

 year old trees; would rather have two 

 year old trees than four at the same 

 price. But he would here remark, that 

 some varieties were larger at two than 

 others at four years old, and of these 

 slow growing kinds, four year old trees 

 would suit him. He would rather fix 

 upon size as a criterion than age, say 

 trees four to six feet high. With upright 

 growers he would head lowe, but the 

 spreading ones head higher, so as in all 

 cases to be able to plow the orchard — 

 wants to work the land two to five feet, 

 the last depth being the underdrain. 

 Sets his orchard trees twenty to thirty 

 feet apart, depending on the habit of the 

 tree, whether upright or spreading. 



Mr. Jones would have two or three 

 year old trees; prefers to dig them him- 

 self, so as to have plenty of roots; would 

 not stake his trees, if not stocky enough 



to stand, would cut back; likes to see 

 the branches come out singly, like the 

 limbs of an. oak, to prevent splitting 

 down. ^ ^ ^ ^ 



Mr. Bateham, Secretary of the Ohio 

 Pomological Society, would prefer two 

 year trees of the fast growing kind, and 

 three of others. He was an advocate 

 of low heads, but not so low as to 

 prevent working up to the trees with a 

 team. He thought the low head theory 

 had to some extent been run into the 

 ground. - = 



Mr. Dunlap would prefer two year 

 old trees of fast growing varieties, and 

 three of others ; on the whole three year 

 old trees are best. In setting out over 

 two thousand orchard trees, he had se- 

 lected mostly three year olds, always 

 preferring two to the four year old trees. 

 Plows deep, throwing into lands twenty- 

 four feet — the width of the rows of trees, 

 and intends to underdrain with tile. By 

 putUng the drains in the dead furrow 

 two and a half feet deep. Has the 

 heads so as to plow the lands. Never 

 expects to seed down his orchard — uses 

 no manure — prefers thorough culture- 

 prefers fall planting of the apple, and 

 banks up with earth ; this keeps the tree 

 in place until June, when the mound is 

 leveled off, and the tree will stand firm. 

 Uses no stakes ; thinks them sometimes 

 useful. The heads of young trees should 

 be thinned out, not cut back. 



Dr. Clapp planted 1500 two year old 

 trees last spring ; prefers such trees on 

 account of their fine fibrous roots ; large 

 trees will lean to the north-cast, and re- 

 quire staking, while the small ones will 

 root firmly, and need little staking up. 



Mr. Galusha had experimented in both 

 large and small trees ; when planted to- 

 gether the small did better, grew faster, 

 and finally overtook the large, and 

 proved more hardy in winter. Favored 

 low heading and mulching, and thought 

 thirty feet not too far apart. Thought 

 fall a good time for planting if_ well 

 mounded up. 



Mr. Minkler would plant in' the fafl, 

 as at that time the land is in better con- 

 dition. In the spring the ground is apt 

 to bake and the trees make less growth ; 

 another thing, we have more time in the 

 fall ; would bank them up. 



Mr. Bryant suggested that the matter 

 should be regulated rather by the size 

 or height of the tree than by the age — 

 trees in one portion of the State being 

 as large at two years as others at four. 



Mr. Montague thought fall planting 

 in the north part of the State out of the 

 question — would never do there. 



Mr. Overman*s experience was fayor- 

 able to fall planting. . ■ ; ■ ^ 



■ ./.>... AFTERNOON*;. .';;;■■> -^/V'-i^' ■ 



Small Fruits V7ere taken up; and first, 



the 



SXBAWBERRY — Mr. Dunlap was called 



