42 SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY OF SAN ANTONIO 



tant factor in its success or failure. When trees are once 

 well established they can endure a good deal of drought, 

 but lack of moisture during the first year after the planting 

 of the trees means disaster. While a good deal of misfor- 

 tune befell the writer in his experiments, he was lucky in 

 having sufficient rainfall while the orchard was in its in- 

 fancy, and in consequence not a tree was lost in the first 

 few years. The heavy rains of the past few months seem 

 to indicate that another such propitious period has set in. 

 Here, then, is a favorable opportunity for those who wish 

 to try dry-land orcharding. 



On the completion of his manuscript the writer sub- 

 mitted it to Mr. S. H. Hastings, superintendent of the San 

 Antonio Experiment Farm. Mr. Hastings, after perusing 

 it, wrote the following instructive and encouraging letter: 



San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 22, 1913. 



Prof. Bernard Mackensen, 

 San Antonio, Texas. 

 Dear Prof. Mackensen : 



I have read your manuscript regarding Dry-land Orch- 

 arding with much interest and believe by all means that it 

 should be placed before the public. 



It seems to me, however, that you have not done full jus- 

 tice to your method of conserving the surface runoff. As 

 you brought out, it is absolutely necessary to plant adapted 

 varieties or the grower will fail, no matter how favorable 

 other conditions are. Our experiences here and from read- 

 ing your paper has led me to believe that the failure with 

 your trees was largely due to the planting of unadapted 

 varieties together with the fact that the years 1909 to 1911 

 were extremely severe rather than to any fault with your 

 method. 



Some of the more hardy varieties listed in your paper 

 have survived the 11 years that you have been growing 



