5382 Report oF tHE HorRTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT OF THE 
pruning, as given above, have to do with the modification of 
the vigor and fruitfulness of the plants, but training, properly 
speaking, aims to keep the trees in manageable shape. Training, 
then, as to whether high-headed or low-headed, open-centered 
or close-centered, one-storied or two-storied, bush-shape or tree- 
Shape, or according to the Kniffen-system, the fan-system, the 
horizontal or the vertical arm systems, depends largely upon 
the conveniences and the whims and prejudices of the grower. 
It is probably more important that a definite ideal be chosen 
and adhered to than that any particular choice be made. 
Cultivation is very generally practiced with all fruits except- 
ing the apple; some claim that this fruit in this State can be 
grown better in sod in which case the grass may be cut as a 
mulch or it may be kept down by sheep, pigs or cattle. The 
various modifications of the sod method of managing orchards 
have come to the fore because of the performance of a few in- 
dividual orchards in the State. Unfortunately it is not yet 
known whether these orchards are the exception or the rule, 
that is whether or not they represent the average run of apple 
orchards in New York. Again, no one knows as yet whether 
these orchards would not have done better under tillage than 
under sod for results have not been given the public which 
show comparative data from the two methods in any of the 
orchards. 
The New York Agricultural Experiment Station has two 
experiments to test these methods of orchard management. 
This year we are publishing on one of these experiments and a 
brief synopsis of the results may therefore be given here, the 
gravity of the issue before the apple growers of the State, war- 
ranting this premature setting forth of the data. The following 
are the chief results in a five-year experiment in the Auchter 
orchard: Annual average amount of fruit on 5 acres; sod, 
340.2 bbls.; tillage, 509.7 bbls.; difference, 169.5 bbls. Annual 
acre average, sod, 68 bbls.; tillage, 101.9 bbls.; difference, 33.9 
bbls. The difference in quantity is due both to a difference in 
nuinber of fruits and in size of (he specimens; for estimates of 
