69 



own orchard when it should have been sprayed. But he won't do 

 so again, for his neighbor had a fine crop, while he did not have 



Fruit growing is one perpetual picnic. It is "up guards and 

 at them" fifteen months out of twelve, although we do not have 

 to fight borers in apple, but it is worth it for it pays in dollars as 

 well as in the satisfaction there is in handling a crop of nice fruit. 



Apple packing is the most serious question we have in the fruit 

 business to-day and dealers are the worst sinners and are more to 

 blame for the poor apples packed than the farmer. We are pack- 

 ing Xo. I "Fancy'' 21-3 in. up and No. 2 — 2^ to 2^/2, both grades 

 faced with good apples of grade in the barrels with the rest of the 

 apples, the same from face to the headed end, corrugated caps are 

 used in both ends, a padded head is used to press the apples down 

 first, then the head is put in. The best press we have seen is the 

 Davis platform press with a large heavy iron ring nearly the size of 

 the head to bring the pressure on the head where needed, instead 

 of the center. This ring is an idea we have worked out ourselves 

 and proves very satisfactory. 



Up to the present time we have put our apples in storage as 

 soon as they can be packed with the packers sorting as fast as picked. 

 All the drops and culls are drawn to the evaporator, keeping the 

 orchard cleaned up as we go. 



At the evaporator apple prices are very satisfactory, 65 cents 

 per 100 pounds for all that are on the ground and the culls. We ex- 

 pect to have a cold storage on our own farm and draw the apples 

 to the storage, and if we are in a hurry the apples will not be sorted 

 until they are all picked. The apples then Avill be cooled ofi^ and 

 will stop ripening. W^ill not ripen a bit from the time they are 

 picked until they get into storage. 



Prof. Hedrick. Three years ago last spring we set out 24 

 Baldwins, 24 Bartlett pears, 24 Elberta peaches, 24 Lombard plums 

 and 24 cherries. Twelve we pruned as we had been doing in the 

 past, thinning out the branches to form the frame work of the trees, 

 cutting the remainder back to stubs. Is that the way you do it here, 

 Mr. President? 



Mr. Eldon. ]\Iany of them do, probably not quite so short. 



Prof. Hedrick. Perhaps that is a little shorter than the aver- 

 age. We cut out all the branches that we did not want. 



Member. What age trees? 



Prof. Hedrick. Two year old trees. The other dozen we cut 

 out the branches we did not want but did not cut them back. These 

 trees were set out a little late in the season. To my great surprise, 

 the trees that were not cut back, in every instance, grew. We did 

 not lose a tree. Of the trees cut back we lost one-half. In the 

 three years that have elapsed since then, the trees that were not cut 

 back to the stubs have made the best growth. Over the old method 

 of cutting back when the trees were set out and then pruning very 

 severely, I am sure that we have made that great gain of strengthen- 

 ing the tree by not cutting back but simply thinning out the branches. 

 All of you who have worked about fruit trees know that the largest 

 and best formed buds are on the ends of the branches. We are 



