406 WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
FRUIT-GROWING, ETC., IN BROWN COUNTY. 
* 
BY CAPT. J. W. COTTON, OF GREEN BAY. 
Dr. J. W. Hoyt, 
Secretary Wisconsin State Agricultural Society: 
Dear Sir: — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of 
your letter of the 30th of December last, requesting my views 
and success in fruit raising, drainage, &c., in northern Wis¬ 
consin. 
I am afraid that my experience has not been sufficiently great 
in either, to render my views of much value, but such as they 
are, you are welcome to them. 
With regard to the raising of fruit in general, and apples in 
particular, in this climate, a word. As to soil, next to gravel, I 
think a deep sandy loam with a sandy or gravelly sub-soil the 
best. The less stable manure put about the trees, the better. 
But if the soil is not rich enough, muck or black soil can be 
mixed with it advantageously. The apple does well, also, on a 
clayey loam on a side hill, or in a location perfectly dry. The 
trees furnished from nurseries are generally trimmed too high, 
leaving the stock exposed to the hot sun in summer, and more 
liable to injury from severe cold in winter. My trees that 
branch out a foot or two from the ground, are much healthier 
and less liable to winter-kill than those that are trimmed 
high. Late frosts after the trees were in blossom or the apples 
formed, have been the cause of the loss of a large part of my 
apple crop for the last two years. I think the best remedy 
would be to put litter round the trees after the ground has fro¬ 
zen, so that they may be kept back till after the danger of in¬ 
jury from frosts is over. 
With regard to ditching, I have tried various ways, and all 
successfully. In the year 1858, I lost my whole crop of oats 
