THIRTY-THIRD BIENNIAL, SESSION 
U3 
sulphate of iron? I have little faith in that — I can not say that I have any. 
Mr. Moore: I would like to ask Mr. Fletcher if he foiund which varieties 
have responded the most to his treatment; did he find any particular dif- 
ference between York and other varieties? In other words, have you found 
that any one variety will stand more bad treatment, and be able to revive, 
than others? 
Mr. Fletcher: York Imperial will stand more bad treatment than any 
other variety I have. 
President Goodman: Any other question? This matter of unprofitable 
trees in orchards is certainly worthy of a good deal of consideration, because 
we all have so many. My experience has been such that I never grieve if 
a tree does not bear. If it is a strong and vigorous tree, and does not bear, 
I can easily make it. When trees die because of lack of food material or 
growth, that is another question. But all of us can make strong, healthy, 
vigorous trees come to time and do their work. 
Question: I have some strong, vigorous trees that do not bear. These 
trees are on a place that I bought about eighteen years ago. What shall I 
do with them? 
Mr. Crandall: We have girdled some of our older trees, especially 
Arkansas, and they are producing as much as fifteen bushels per tree where- 
as formerly they bore nothing. We had to girdle some of them three years 
before getting results. I mean actually girdling the tree, taking a strip of 
bark two inches wide clean around the tree; you would think it might kill 
the tree — but at one time of the year it can be done all right; it is the first 
of June with us. We have tried it successfully, and out of two hundred and 
fifteen orchard trees girdled in this way about two hundred put on new vigor. 
These trees I propose to girdle again next spring in order to show conclu- 
sively what may be expected from the practice. 
President Goodman: This is an opportunity to test it out; I know 
girdling the trees will bring them to producing. 
Mr, Dalton: I would like to state a case and ask a reason. I have in 
my orchard a group of some thirteen or fourteen very well cared for, well 
fed trees. On one of them, a very large tree, some years ago I found as many 
as twenty barrels of apples. Since then it has not borne until the present 
year, and this present year it bore very abundantly on one large limb. The 
tree is healthy, robust and strong; of course I care for it, spray often and 
so on, and it is on very good grassland, yet only the one large limb bore. 
Does any gentleman know the cause of that? 
Mr. Fletcher: From my experience in orchards I have found trees 
bearing on one limb and not on the rest of the tree. I have found it hard 
to explain, but evidently it must be connected with the nutrition of that 
limb. That limb has an attachment to the tree, and its relation to the other 
limbs of the tree must be such that it is thrown out of its equilibrium with 
the rest of the tree and it has a supply of food which makes it bear. 
I have always tested every common observation in examining orchards, 
and in my own judgment bearing is a matter of the distribution of the food 
supply; some limbs have more and some less, depending on their attach- 
ment. And this is the main reason why I explain that certain limbs bear 
and others do not. 
