no 



Mr. Cohill. Do you think the potatoes have any effect upon 

 the fruit? 



Mr. F. I do not know. I stated that it has been reported to 

 have an injurious effect upon peach tres. I have not seen it upon 

 apple trees. 



Mr. Cohill. \\'e have allowed our men to grow potatoes 

 among some apple trees and it seems to have had a bad eft'ect upon 

 the trees and the fruit. 



Mr. Nev^comer. \Miat would you suggest growing with fruit ? 

 You want to make it self-supporting. 



Mr. F. I have tried growing crops to make it self-supporting, 

 but have stopped. I tried potatoes one year, the next year grow- 

 ing a cover crop and then the third year growing potatoes. They 

 have just about paid their wav and that involves a certain amount 

 more work for nothing. 



Mr. Anderson. Is there danger of fire blight due to the in- 

 crease from fertilizers or putting too much fertilizer on the land? 



Mr. F. There is not with us. On a large proportion of the 

 land we plant in New York it is necessary to bring the land up. 

 I know that on sandy land in New Jersev there is much danger 

 from fire blight if the trees be manured. We try to get the trees 

 to grow all they will, and I hope to get them bearing as soon as 

 we can. If they can be made to bear at six years, I would rather 

 have them do so, even if their life be reduced to 30 or 40 years. I 

 think it will be better than to have the trees act as they have for 

 some of my neiohbors, that is. growing and never bearing any 

 apples until 20 and the main consolation they have is that they will 

 leave something to their grandchildren. I want them to do some- 

 thing while I am alive, so that I can spend the money, rather than 

 grow it for some other man to spend. I want them to be of 

 some use to me. The tree then is mv crop. I find I am not big 

 enough to look after the trees and several other crops at the same 

 time, or else I am too lazy, so I am cutting out all of the extras 

 that I possibly can. 



In years of plent)' we are boiuid to meet European competi- 

 tion. In England I have seen some farms which would turn oft" 

 average yields of 750 bushels per acre. These were produced so 

 that everA^thing over 25 cents per bushel was gain. Thev can 

 aft'ord to pa}^ our duty of 25 cents per bushel and the low freight 

 charges and compete with us as soon as our prices go up to 70 

 cents. The sea coast prices are never as high as those of St. Louis. 

 This is one of the things we must consider in the potato-growing 

 business. Three hundred bushels is as easilv grown as 100 is 

 with us. 



Dr. Stover. Do you sow buckwheat? 



Mr. F. Sometimes. Frequentlv we sow crimson clover, with 

 red clover with it as a cover crop in our orchards. 



Mr. Fiddler. How is a poor man going to grow trees without 

 some crop between? 



Mr. F. The man must be a good financier. Do as the other 

 men do in finance. AMien thev have an idea and lack capital : float 

 the proposition. Or else, develop some other part of the farm 



