176 



Ion, and whiting, I use lime, and paint it on the side towards the two 

 o'clock sun. A tree that leans a little towards the sun at that time of the 

 day won't scald; I don't know whether it will if exactly perpendicular, but 

 if it leans a little bit the other way it will; it may be necessary to repeat 

 that, if a strong rain should come on, but it is very easily done. It is not 

 in the way of cultivation, and is much simpler than tying straw or sacks 

 or anything of that kind. In regard to branching trees low or high, I 

 would like to say that I find there is less difficulty to plow close to them if 

 they are branched low than if they are branched even that high, for if you 

 have low lateral limbs growing that hang down they are more apt to be in 

 the way than if they grow up and make their umbrella-form, and you are 

 not as apt to harm your tree in working with horses, for I don't care how 

 straight the tree is, if there is nothing to keep the horse a little bit away, 

 the average man, in working horses, will accomplish the feat of hitting it 

 with the whiffietree and knock off the bark. We have had the greatest 

 damage to trees in this way, to say nothing of occasionally there will be a 

 limb left where the names will hit it. Top hames ought not to be used in 

 an orchard. 



A Delegate: Can you tell why it is that our Bartlett pears have blos- 

 somed twice, and some three times, this fall, some with the second crop 

 have been brought in this fall, and what effect, if any, will it have on next 

 year's crop ? 



Mr. Hatch: That is no uncommon thing; in fact, it is quite usual for 

 Bartlett pears to have some few pears on a healthy, vigorous tree as a 

 second crop. Those blossoms, though, come in bunches from the ends of 

 that year's growth, instead of coming from a perfect bud. About any blos- 

 soms coming later than July or August, I should think it would be on 

 account of neglect. I say neglect, from the fact that I saw one cherry 

 orchard almost in literal full bloom in October, and the circumstances 

 which caused those blooms were: the ground had been plowed once, the 

 trees had not been hoed, the earth had dried, and the trees had produced 

 their crop, the leaves had fallen, and they were ready to perform their 

 work for the next spring, and rains came in September, which caused those 

 buds to swell and bloom. 



Mr. Gray: I do not quite agree with Mr. Hatch on that; I have seen 

 this year's pear trees bloom good crops of pears, and the ground perfectly 

 hoed and cultivated and harrowed, and also peaches raised quite a heavy 

 crop, and are now holding up the second crop of peaches, although a very 

 different type from the first peach. We picked several boxes from the 

 second crop of Bartlett pears, and as for my own eating I wish they were 

 all second crop; no core, and a very fine flavor. There are some trees 

 that blossomed so full that it seems to me there could not be any blossoms 

 left for the next spring. I do not think it was neglect, or anything of that 

 kind. 



ADJOURNMENT. 



The President: Our labors for the present are about concluded. I will 

 therefore call upon Dr. N. R. Peck to close the session by benediction. 



At the conclusion of Mr. Peck's remarks the convention adjourned sine 

 die. 



B. M. LELONG, 



Secretary. 



