the gr< und, I make a thin mud, with water and earth, and dip them in 
immediately before planting the tree, then stretch them out, even to the 
full length of the small fibres, and sprinkle and pack the top soil care¬ 
fully over them with my hands, until they are well covered. I then 
throw in the remainder of the earth, treading it down slightly, just be¬ 
fore the hole is filled, leaving the top loose and mellow. 
“ Mulching may be good, but it is expensive and hardly necessary. In 
trimming the tree, previous to setting, which is very important, I am 
always careful to trim in proportion to the amount the roots are lessened 
by taking up, being sure to leave the root full as large as the top, endea¬ 
voring to have the balance which nature has established between root 
and top as perfect as possible. I keep an eye upon them for a while 
after they are set if the season is dry, and if I perceive any withering I 
cut away more top, sometimes nearly or quite the whole of it, according 
to the nature of the case. Staking is unnecessary if the trees are grown 
right in the nursery and are well set, that is, if they do not stand too 
thick in the nursery, and are not trimmed too much while there, (I 
scarcely ever trim the nursery), and the earth in transplanting is well 
packed around the roots. But should a tree, from any cause, require 
staking, the stake should be driven obliquely to the trunk and fastened 
to the tree with a band of straw. I have cultivated my orchard with 
crops requiring hoeing, having observed that young orchards seeded 
with grass or small grain do not grow well. I have used all the manure 
made on my farm in my orchard, keeping it as much as possible away 
from the roots of the peach trees, and never using any among the roots 
of a tree I am setting. I allow my trees to top out low, and avoid trim¬ 
ming as much as possible, and at the same time keep them in good shape.. 
I do not permit the branches to crowd and chafe each other. 
“ As to the varieties best adapted for general cultivation in Wisconsin, 
I can say but little. As far as productiveness and quality both are con¬ 
cerned ; all the plums I have raised, perhaps a dozen or more varieties,, 
have done extremely well. My pears have also yielded well. I have a 
few cherry trees, both native and grafted. The native, I believe, have 
produced good crops every year—the grafted have occasionally failed. 
My apple trees are beginning to bear, but are yet too young to determine 
which are the most productive varieties. The fruit of all kinds is ex^ 
