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tween them. A\'e plow the land or disk it as soon as possible in the 

 spring and keep it cultivated until July or the first of August, at 

 which time we sow a cover crop. During the past year on 200 

 acres of orchard we sowed a mixture of i pound Cow Horn 

 Turnips. 4 pounds Dwarf Essex Rape, 5 pounds Crimson Clover 

 and 5 pounds of Red Clover per acre, and in addition, we allowed 

 all the rag weeds, pig weeds and other weeds that Avould grow to 

 come up. Some of them have made a wonderful growth the past 

 year, groAving tall enough to hide a horse. A\'e manure the apple 

 trees each year, with a light dressing of farm manure. The first 

 two years we gave them a small application of probably i to 2 pounds 

 per tree of a mixed fertilizer about 3.8.8. This past year we have 

 used Basic Slag on some of the apples at the rate of 800 pounds 

 per acre on bearing trees, and have had very marked results. Cer- 

 tain trees were left as checks, and on them the foliage was not 

 nearly so large, nor Avas the growth made this season so long. In 

 the past Ave have had more results from Acid Phosphate Avhen ap- 

 plied to the peaches than from any other fertilizer, but during the 

 past year Ave did not get anv results Avith either Floats at the rate of 

 1,200 pour.ds per acre, Avith 500 pounds of Iron Sulphate or from 

 Basic Slag at the rate of 600 pounds per acre, or Acid Phosphate 

 at the rate of 600 pounds per acre. The trees did not shoAV any 

 improA^ement OAXr those Avhich had nothing. \A'e shall continue 

 this experiment for certainlv two or three more vears. since these 

 trees are located on one of our best soil tvpes. 



Pruning of Peach Trees. 



AMien Ave plant the peach trees Ave cut them oft' to a stub about 

 12 to 15 inches long. On this Ave alloAv 3 limbs to groAV, removing 

 any others. Since that time these trees liaA'C not been pruned. 

 They Avere 3 years planted last ]\Iav and last vear thev bore a suf- 

 ficient number of peaches so that the sales Avere $50 per acre 

 on one block of nine acres. Our trees do not make the groAvth 

 that yours do in this vicinitv : they have not the size that vours 

 Avould have, but thev are much lars^er trees than those groAvn in 

 orchards Avhere heading back is practiced each year ; and by al- 

 io Aving them to bear earh^ thcA' Avill get the necessarv spread of 

 limb and open center Avhich Ave aim for. The trees are full of 

 fruit buds and it hardlv seems necessarv to do any pruning this 

 year, except in the case of a varietv like Late CraAvford, Avhicli 

 makes a great deal of Avood. We shall be able to pick everything 

 from the ground next vear as Ave did this. As they begin to groAv 

 higher Ave shall head them back. 



On Herbert Wadsworth's Estate at Aa'ou, trees handled about 

 the same Avav vielded as high as to and 11 baskets, that is one- 

 third bushel baskets per tree : in other Avords. a vield of 3 to nearly 

 4 bushels of fruit. These trees had been manured during the 

 first tAvo years of their life. The soil is sandv and they have been 

 kept cultivated all the time, absolutelv clean tillage. The trees have 

 not been pruned at all. Alongside is a small apple orchard, trees 

 Avere planted four vears ag^o. Some of the Hubbardston trees had 

 from 75 to 126 apples each, Avhich made a good crop for so voung 



