GODFREY FINE, Maxson, Osage county: Have_The Apple The Kansas Apple, the Big Red Apple; the Luscious, Red-Cheeked First Love of the Farmer's Boy; the Healthful, Hearty Heart of the Darling Dumpling. What It Is; How to Grow It; Its Commercial and Economic Importance; How to Utilize It.

years. I have 700 trees planted, five, ten and twenty-seven years. For

market I use Missouri Pippin and Ben Davis; for family use I plant Early

Harvest, Maiden's Blush, Lowell and Jonathan for summer, and Missouri

Pippin and Winesap for winter. If I were putting out now I would only

plant Missouri Pippin and Winesap. I prefer bottom, and such soil as has

formerly been brush and timber land. A part of my orchard slopes a

little to the south. I plant thrifty two-year-olds, with the top leaning

to the southwest. I cultivate until they begin bearing; the plow is as

good a tool as any, but care must be taken not to injure the roots. The

best crop is buckwheat or potatoes; I have had strawberries and

blackberries in the orchard, but do not consider it best; I cease

cropping after they come into bearing. I believe in windbreaks; I do not

know what would be best; mine is protected by natural forest-trees and

Osage-orange hedge. To protect from borers, I use a wash with lye or

strong soap-suds. I tie corn-stalks around young trees to protect from

rabbits. I believe it pays to prune with the saw to improve the quality

of the fruit. I think stable litter is good for old orchards, but should

not be put close up around the body of the tree. I should pasture very

little, as stock of all kinds destroy the trees and injure the fruit. I

have sprayed little, but cannot say much about it. I pick by hand, and

do not pack at all, as those that I do not find a market for here at

home I sell to shippers. I sell many in the orchard, and when there is a

full crop I sell to shippers and they grade and mark them. I sell culls

for cider when there is a call for them. I tried drying, but did not

find it profitable. I do not store any apples for winter, as I have no

good place. Prices per bushel have ranged from twenty-five to fifty-five

cents. I use men for help, and pay seventy-five cents per day.

* * * * *

JESSE WOLVERTON, Barnes, Washington county: I have lived in Kansas

twenty-three years; have an apple orchard of 6000 trees, five to

twenty-one years planted. For commercial purposes I prefer Ben Davis,

Missouri Pippin, Winesap, Rawle's Janet, and Jonathan, and for family

orchard would add Early Harvest, Oldenburg, and Smith Cider. Have tried

and discarded Willow Twig, Lawver, Talman's Sweeting, Stark, Wagener,

Missouri Superior and Red Astrachan on account of blight and shy

bearing. I prefer hilltop or bottom with a porous subsoil which is

reasonably rich. My trees planted on hard-pan are dying. I prefer

two-year-old, straight, thrifty trees, planted in land prepared as for

corn. I cultivate my orchard to corn (once to broom-corn) as long as the

corn does well, using a double shovel and a twelve-inch plow. I sow

bearing orchard to oats, one bushel to the acre, and let stand. Cease

cropping after seven or eight years. To protect the trees from rabbits I

wrap with long grass. I prune some to form heads two or three feet from

the ground, and cut all watersprouts with a knife; but do little of this

until the trees are twelve years planted. Have thinned apples on trees;

it does not pay. My trees are in mixed plantings. I fertilize my orchard

with all the barn-yard litter I can get, and think it beneficial. A

neighbor fertilizes his orchard very heavily and receives splendid

crops. I pasture six acres of my orchard with hogs; they keep it well

cultivated; have not thought it an injury yet. No orchard ought to be

seeded to grass in this county. My trees are troubled with canker-worm,

tent-caterpillar, and leaf-crumpler; my apples with codling-moth and

gouger. I sprayed twice last year with London purple, one or two pounds

[?] to a barrel of water, before and after they blossomed; it was an

utter failure. When the worms appeared I increased the amount to three

pounds to the barrel, without any effect. [This must have been poor

London purple.--Sec.] I gather my apples in sacks with a hoop in the

open end; then put on the sorting table, using bushel boxes and a wagon

with a plank platform to haul them on. I sort into three classes:

firsts, seconds, and culls. Sell firsts in orchard to Ryan & Richardson;

sell second and third grades to teams. Make cider of the culls and those

we cannot sell. My best markets are north and northwest. I never dry

any. I store from 5 to 700 bushels in a basement under granary, and am

fairly successful; find Ben Davis and Rawle's Janet keep best. Do not

irrigate. Prices have been from twenty-five to seventy-five cents per

bushel. I employ men, and pay from fifty cents to one dollar per day.

* * * * *

THEODORE OLSEN, Green, Clay county: I have lived in Kansas thirty years.

Have an apple orchard of 200 trees, fifteen feet high, eighteen years

old. I prefer for commercial purposes Ben Davis and Winesap, on second

bottom, black soil, with a northeast slope. I plant three-year-old

trees, not very deep, and cultivate my orchard to corn, using a

cultivator run very shallow every year, and cease cropping when they

begin to bear; then plant nothing. Windbreaks are essential here; I have

trees planted around my orchard. I protect from rabbits by wrapping the

trees with corn-stalks. I never prune, and do not thin the fruit on the

trees. I fertilize my orchard with straw, and would advise its use on

all soils. I do not pasture my orchard. My trees are troubled with

flathead borers and leaf-crumplers, and my apples by gouger. I spray

with Paris green in June; have not reduced the codling-moth. Pick my

apples; sort into two classes, pack in bushel boxes, sell in the

orchard, also retail; I make cider of culls. My best market is Green. I

never dry any. I store some in boxes in a cellar, and am fairly

successful; I find Ben Davis keeps best. We have to repack stored apples

before marketing, losing about ten per cent. Do not irrigate. Prices

have been from twenty-five cents to one dollar per bushel.

* * * * *

HARRY L. BROWN, Muscotah, Atchison county: I have lived in Kansas

twenty-two years. Have an apple orchard of 150 trees, ten to twenty-five

years old. For market I prefer Ben Davis, Winesap, Jonathan, Missouri

Pippin, and Grimes's Golden Pippin; and for family orchard Maiden's

Blush, Early Harvest, Red June, Smith's Cider, and Rambo. I prefer

hilltop, with a deep, sandy loam, and a gravel subsoil, northeast slope.

I prefer two-year-old, straight, thrifty trees, carefully set, 30x35

feet. I plant my orchard to corn, potatoes, beans and garden-truck for

ten or twelve years, using a one-horse cultivator between the rows and

around the trees, and cease cropping after twelve or fifteen years;

plant strawberries or small fruits in a bearing orchard. Windbreaks are

essential; would make them of two rows of evergreens planted around the

orchard. I trap the rabbits, and wash and cut out the borers. I prune to

thin and keep the tree in shape; think it beneficial, and that it pays.

I do not thin the fruit while on the trees. My trees are in mixed

plantings. I fertilize my orchard with horse- and cow-stable litter;

think it beneficial, and would advise its use on all soils, unless very

rich. I pasture my orchard with nothing but chickens; it is not

advisable; does not pay. My trees are troubled with flathead and

twig-borers, leaf-rollers and crumplers; and my apples with codling-moth

and curculio. I do not spray. I pick my apples from ladders into baskets

and sacks, and sort, as I gather them, into three classes: perfectly

sound, second best, and culls. I pack in baskets and boxes. I retail and

peddle my apples; feed the culls to stock. My best markets are near-by

towns; never tried distant markets. We sun-dry some, and pack in sacks

and boxes; we find a ready market for them; it pays. Am successful in

storing apples for home use in boxes and bins in a cellar, and find Ben

Davis, Winesap, Rawle's Janet and Smith's Cider keep the best. I have to

repack stored apples before marketing. Do not irrigate. Prices have been

from forty to fifty cents per bushel, and dried apples five cents per

pound. I pay men eighteen to twenty dollars per month, or one dollar per

day.

* * * * *

F. W. WILCOX, Corning, Nemaha county: I have resided in the state

twenty-three years; have an apple orchard of seventy-five trees, all

sizes and ages. For market I prefer Ben Davis, Winesap, and Wealthy. I

prefer a dark, loose soil, on a hillside with a north and east slope. I

prefer good, healthy three-year-old trees, set in holes dug two feet

deep and three feet across. I plant my orchard to sweet corn, using a

cultivator, and cease cropping when I think necessary and seed down to

red clover. Windbreaks are essential--would make them of Osage orange. I

prune my trees with a saw to give shape; I think it pays. I do not thin

the fruit while on the trees. I fertilize my orchard with rotten stable

litter, but would not advise its use on all soils. I pasture my orchard

with horses, and think it advisable, and that it pays. My trees are

troubled with canker-worms, tent-caterpillar and flathead borer. I do

not spray. I pick my apples by hand in pails. Sort into three

classes--first, second, and cast out. I do not dry any. I store a few

for winter market. I do not irrigate.

* * * * *

JAMES ANDERSON, Leonardville, Riley county. I have lived in Kansas

seventeen years; have an apple orchard of 200 trees from one to sixteen

years old, four to sixteen feet high. For market I prefer Winesap,

Missouri Pippin, Jonathan, and Ben Davis, and for a family orchard Early

Harvest, Missouri Pippin, Winesap, Jonathan, and Ben Davis. I prefer

bottom land with black loam and clay subsoil, with a southern slope.

When setting trees, I dig holes four feet in diameter and three feet

deep; put black loam in the bottom for the roots. I plant my orchard to

potatoes for three or four years, using a plow. I cease cropping at the

end of this time, and mow, and leave everything on the ground. Sow red

or white clover in a bearing orchard. Windbreaks are essential on the

north and south sides of the orchard; would make them of maple,

cottonwood, or Osage orange. I have Osage orange on the north and a

creek with native timber on the south. For rabbits I wrap the trees.

When I see a black spot on a tree I hunt for and dig borers out. I prune

off all the interfering branches and watersprouts. I do this for fruit;

it pays. I do not thin the fruit while on the trees. I keep the

varieties together when planting. I fertilize my orchard by putting

stable litter a foot thick on the north side, which is the highest, and

when it rains the liquid from it runs all the way down and

fertilizes the trees. I think it beneficial, and would advise its use on

all soils. I do not pasture my orchard. It is not advisable, and does

not pay. My trees are troubled with canker-worm, and my apples with

codling-moth. I have sprayed with all the sprays recommended, and think

I have reduced the codling-moth a little. I pick my apples by hand from

a step-ladder, and sort into two classes--sound, wormy and windfalls.

Put the sound ones in the cellar; make cider of the others. I sell

apples in the orchard, mostly at retail. They sell the best in town in

the winter. My best market is in towns west of here. I have tried

distant markets, but it did not pay. I do not dry any. I store a few

apples in boxes, barrels, and bulk, in a cellar. Those that keep best

are Winesap, Missouri Pippin, Ben Davis, and Jonathan. Have to repack

stored apples before marketing; lose about ten per cent. The average

price has been fifty cents per bushel. I employ men at twenty dollars

per month.

* * * * *

F. A. SCHERMERHORN, Ogden, Riley county: I have lived in the state

thirty-eight years. Have an apple orchard of 4000 trees from twelve to

thirty-seven years old. For market I prefer Ben Davis, Winesap, Missouri

Pippin, and Jonathan; and for a family orchard Winesap, Rawle's Janet,

Missouri Pippin, Maiden's Blush, and Early Harvest. I have tried and

discarded Willow Twig and Smith's Cider on account of blight; and

McAfee, Snow and Lawver on account of shy bearing. I prefer rolling land

having a clay loam and clay subsoil. I prefer two-year-old trees, with

heads twenty inches from the ground, set in the spring, about two rods

apart. I cultivate all the time, even in bearing orchards, using an Acme

harrow, planting corn; cease cropping after four years; put nothing in a

bearing orchard. Windbreaks are not essential if the orchard is large.

For rabbits I wrap the trees. I dig borers out with a knife. I prune my

trees, and think it pays. I do not thin the fruit while on the trees. My

trees are planted in blocks--800 Ben Davis in one and 700 Missouri

Pippins in another; all bear well. I fertilize my orchard some, but not

much. I think it would be beneficial on poor soil, but would not advise

it on all soils. I pasture my orchard with horses after the fruit is

gathered; can't see any harm. My trees are troubled with canker-worm and

root aphis, and my apples with codling-moth. I spray as soon as the

bloom falls, and two or three times afterward, with arsenic, for

insects. Think I have reduced the codling-moth. I wash young trees twice

during the summer season with diluted soft soap for borers. Pick my

apples by hand, and sort into two classes. I pack in the standard apple

barrel, fill with a head press, mark with variety and grade, and haul to

depot on wagon. I sometimes sell apples in the orchard by the

wagon-load. I ship my best apples, and sell the culls for what I can

get. My best market is west. Have tried distant markets and found it

paid. I do not dry any. I am successful in storing apples in barrels;

Ben Davis and Missouri Pippin keep best. I do not irrigate. Prices last

fall were two dollars per barrel or fifty cents per bushel to wagoners.

I employ men at one dollar per day and board.

* * * * *

A. CHANDLER, Argentine, Wyandotte county. Have lived in the state

twenty-two years; have an apple orchard of 400 trees from one to nine

years old. For market I prefer Jonathan, Winesap, Missouri Pippin, Ben

Davis, and York Imperial; and for family orchard Huntsman's Favorite,

Maiden's Blush, and Jonathan. Have tried and discarded Grimes's Golden

Pippin and Smith's Cider on account of blight. I prefer hilltop, with a

clay soil and a light subsoil, and an east slope, as it will get the

morning sun and no southwest winds. I prefer two-year-old trees five to

six feet high, well branched, set twenty-eight by thirty feet; I also

have some twenty by thirty feet. I plant my orchard to corn, potatoes,

tomatoes and cabbage for seven years, using a cultivator and harrow (I

like the Acme and spading harrow). Cease cropping after seven years;

plant bearing orchard to blackberries and raspberries, but this is not

advisable; clover or cow-peas are better. Windbreaks are essential on

the prairie; would make them of a double row of Osage orange or

evergreens, on the south and west. For rabbits I wrap the trees with

paper or veneering, and for borers I mound the tree up. I prune a little

with my pocket-knife to remove dead and crossed limbs; it does not pay

to saw and chop. I thin my fruit by hand when the crop is heavy, not

later than July 15. My trees are in mixed plantings. I fertilize my

orchard with ashes and bone-meal; both are beneficial, but not necessary

in good potash soils.

I pasture my orchard with six-months-old pigs--think it advisable in an

orchard that is over four years old. My trees are troubled with

canker-worms, round- and flathead borers and tent-caterpillar, and my

trees with codling-moth, curculio, and gouger. I spray with London

purple and Paris green, using a hand pump. For borers I wash the trees

with whale-oil soap, carbolic acid, and sulphur, and then mound the

trees up. I pick my apples in baskets, from a ladder wide at the bottom

and narrow at the top, and leave the apples in the orchard four to six

weeks, then sort into three classes, from a padded table 5x12 feet,

sloping; pack into twelve-peck barrels, mark with variety, and haul to

market on a spring wagon. Sometimes I sell apples in the orchard at

retail; pack my best apples in one-peck baskets for stand trade, my

second grade in barrels. Feed the culls to the hogs; cider does not pay.

My best market is Kansas City. Have tried distant markets, but it did

not pay--too great freight and commission charges. I am successful in

storing apples in barrels in an earth cave five feet deep, earth sides

and roof; keep it open when not freezing; apples can be stored in bulk

by leaving a space of six inches at the sides and bottom. Jonathan and

Gano keep best. I have tried artificial cold storage and lost fifteen

per cent. of my apples. I found it too expensive and unreliable. I have

to repack the stored apples before marketing, and lose from fifteen to

forty per cent. of them. I do not irrigate. Prices have been: Jonathan,

$3 to $5 per barrel; Ben Davis, $2.25 to $3 per barrel. I employ men

mostly, at from $1 to $1.25 per day.

* * * * *

STEPHEN STOUT, Axtell, Marshall county: I have lived in the state

nineteen years; have an apple orchard of 800 trees twelve to fifteen

years old. For market I prefer Winesap, Ben Davis, Jonathan, Maiden's

Blush, Cooper's Early White, Duchess of Oldenburg, and Huntsman's

Favorite; and for family orchard, the first five varieties mentioned.

Have tried and discarded Willow Twig and White Winter Pearmain, because

the trees are not healthy. I prefer hilltop, with a black loam, and a

clay subsoil having a reddish color, and a northeast slope. I prefer

two-year-old, low-head, heavy, stocky trees, set in big holes, leaning

the tree a little to the southwest; fill the hole half full, and then

pour in a pail of water and fill up with earth. I have always plowed and

cultivated my orchard, but I will have to quit soon, as the trees are

getting too large. I use a stirring plow, spring-tooth cultivator, and

a harrow. Plant corn in a young orchard, and leave the stalks standing

all winter; cease cropping after ten or twelve years; grow great big

weeds in a bearing orchard, and plow them under in July. Windbreaks are

essential on the south and west sides of the orchard; would make by

planting Osage orange seed very thick, and tend well for three years.

For rabbits I paint the trees with a mixture of sulphur, soap and lard

the first fall after planting, then every alternate year for three or

four times; it will also keep off insects, mice, and bark-louse, and the

trees will be slick and smooth, with no place for insects to harbor. I

prune very little; keep out watersprouts, and let the sun into the top.

I do not thin the fruit while on the trees.

My trees are in mixed plantings, but cannot see any benefit from it. I

fertilize my orchard by plowing under the green weeds. I think a

vegetable mold is what the trees require; think it beneficial, and would

advise it on all soils. I pasture my orchard in the spring with sows and

pigs; think it advisable, and that it pays. Codling-moth troubles my

apples. I spray right after the blossom falls, and a few days later,

with London purple, for the codling-moth, and we are getting away with

him. For borers and other insects I allow the birds in the orchard, and

do not allow the boys to go in with guns, or disturb them at all. I pick

my apples by hand from a step-ladder, and pile them under the tree. I

sort in two classes from a long, wide, sloping board with sides. I pack

in barrels from the piles in the orchard. Wagons come from the west and

buy the apples from the orchard at wholesale; sell the second grade to

apple peddlers; make cider for vinegar of the culls. My best market is

at home; never have tried distant markets. Do not dry any. I store

apples for our own use, and have apples the year round. The Little

Romanite keeps best. I do not irrigate. Apples wholesale at twenty-five

cents per bushel in the orchard. I employ men at $1.25 per day.

I had twenty-four very fine Siberian crabs--Hyslop, Transparent, and

Whitney. They were affected with blight. Nearly all of the Siberian

trees were dead from the effects of it, and one day, while in the

orchard watching the movements of the birds and boys, I saw a striped

woodpecker fly to one of the trees, and he found what he supposed to be

a grub, but when he got through the bark he was very much disappointed,

wiped his bill, and flew to another tree, where he continued to wipe and

clean his bill; so I went to the tree mentioned, and found the bark very

loose and sour where he had punctured it. I compared the smell and taste

with the blighted twigs and found them the same. I cut the bark that was

loose from the tree, and found the rapid growth of the bark and the flow

of the sap had bursted the bark from the wood, and this sap had soured

and been taken up by the other sap and poisoned the ends of the new

growth; hence, it blighted. It was sap poison, like blood poison. I then

used the knife freely, splitting the body and limbs. I saved twenty out

of twenty-four of the trees. I then went over the orchard and cured

all the trees in one season; never been bothered since. The woodpecker

taught me a lesson, and I relate it to show the value of birds in the

orchard.

* * * * *

A. C. MOORE, Wanamaker, Shawnee county: I have lived in Kansas

thirty-three years; have an apple orchard of 400 trees, from twelve to

seventeen years old. For market I prefer Winesap, Jonathan, Missouri

Pippin, and Ben Davis; and for a family orchard Red Astrachan, Early

Harvest, Maiden's Blush, Smokehouse, and Winesap. Have tried and

discarded Tulpehocken; it rots on the tree and will not keep. I prefer

bottom land, with sandy loam and clay subsoil, and a north slope. I

prefer two-year-old trees, with full top and roots, set fifteen inches

deep, in furrows checked with the plow; plant where furrows cross. I

plant my orchard to corn eight years, using a plow, harrow, and

cultivator; cease cropping at the end of this time and seed to clover.

Windbreaks are essential on the south; would make them of Osage orange

fifteen rods distant, to protect the orchard from the hard and hot south

winds. For rabbits I wrap the young trees with paper. I prune my trees

after they are eight years old, with the saw, to give light and thin the

top. I think it beneficial. I do not thin my apples; enough fall off. I

fertilize my orchard by mowing the clover, and think it beneficial to

young trees, and would advise the use of clover fertilization on all

soils. I do not pasture my orchard; is not advisable. My trees are

troubled with borers, and my apples with some insect that stings them

and causes them to fall off. I do not spray. I pick my apples by hand

with care. Sort into two classes, pack in barrels, in layers, by hand,

mark with variety, and haul to shipping place or market in lumber wagon.

I wholesale my best apples; make vinegar of the second and third grades

and culls. Topeka is my best market; never tried distant markets. I do

not dry any. I am successful in storing apples in barrels in a cellar; I

also bury some. I find Romanite keeps best. I have to repack stored

apples before marketing, losing about one-eighth of them. I do not

irrigate. Price has been fifty cents per bushel.

* * * * *

THOMAS BUCKMAN, Topeka, Shawnee county: I have lived in the state

twenty-nine years. Have an apple orchard of 1300 trees from six to

twenty-seven years old. For market I prefer Ben Davis and Jonathan; and

for family orchard Rare Ripe, Maiden's Blush, and Winesap. I prefer

black soil with a porous subsoil, and a northeast slope. I prefer

two-year-old, small-size trees, with good roots, set in holes dug with

spade in well-cultivated ground. I cultivate my orchard six years with a

five-tooth cultivator; plant corn in a young orchard, and cease cropping

when six years old, and sow clover in the bearing orchard. Windbreaks

are essential; would make them of Osage orange, by setting the plants

twelve inches apart. For the rabbits I use traps and wrap the young

trees with corn-stalks. I dig the borers out with a knife. I prune to

remove crossed limbs and to keep the tree well balanced; I think it

pays. I do not thin the fruit while on the trees. I do not fertilize my

orchard, but think it would be beneficial on all soils. I pasture my

orchard with hogs, but do not think it advisable; it does not pay. My

trees are troubled with roundhead borers, and my apples with

codling-moth and tree-cricket. I spray, after the blossom falls, with

London purple. Pick apples into a sack over the shoulder from a slide

ladder; sort under the tree, and put the best in crates made to hold one

bushel level full; we let them remain in the shade of the tree until

danger of freezing; then sort and store in the cellar, one box on top of

another. I sell apples in the orchard, wholesale and retail to customers

in Topeka; make cider of the second and third grades, and give the culls

to hogs. Topeka is my best market. Have tried distant markets, but they

do not always pay. I do not dry any. I am successful in storing apples

in bushel crates. I find Rawle's Janet and Winesap keep best. I have to

repack stored apples before marketing, losing about one-fifth of them. I

do not irrigate. Prices have been from thirty cents to one dollar per

bushel.

* * * * *

M. SANDERS, Broughton, Clay county: I have lived in Kansas thirty-eight

years. Have an apple orchard of 400 trees, three to ten inches in

diameter. For market I prefer Ben Davis, Winesap, Grimes's Golden

Pippin, and Red Astrachan; and for family orchard Ben Davis, Winesap,

and Missouri Pippin. I prefer bottom land having a sandy subsoil, and a

southeast slope. I prefer two-year-old, low-headed trees. In the spring

I open deep furrows both ways with a plow, and plant the trees at the

cross, fill the hole with good soil. I cultivate my orchard for six or

eight years, using a common plow till four years old, then use a shovel

plow, and plant early corn, potatoes, etc., in the young orchard; cease

cropping after six or eight years; plant nothing in a bearing orchard,

but keep up shallow cultivating with a disc or plow. Windbreaks are

essential; I would make them of three rows of box-elder or Osage orange.

I prune with a small saw or knife, to thin the top. I fertilize my

orchard with yard litter and ashes, scattering it all over the ground;

would advise it on all soils. I have pastured my orchard with hogs, but

have quit it. I now pasture with cows; I tie their heads down, but do

not think it advisable; it does not pay. My trees are troubled with

tent-caterpillar, bud moth, and twig-borers, and my apples with

codling-moth. I do not spray. I pick my apples by hand in a basket, and

sort into two classes. Sell my apples to storekeepers and Indians; make

cider and vinegar, and give away the second and third grades; feed the

culls to the hogs and cattle. My best market is at home; never tried

distant markets. Don't dry any. I have stored apples in boxes and

barrels, and find Ben Davis and Winesap keep best. I have to repack

stored apples before marketing, losing one-third to one-half of them. Do

not irrigate. Prices have been from twenty cents to one dollar per

bushel.

* * * * *

JOHN REED, Oak Hill, Clay county: I have resided in the state twenty

years; have an apple orchard of 100 trees six years old. For market I

prefer Ben Davis and Winesap; and for family orchard add Jonathan and a

few early varieties. I prefer low land with a porous subsoil, and a

northeast slope. I prefer two-year-old trees with branches one foot from

the ground. When setting I dig big holes and loosen up the subsoil about

a foot. I find this gives the best satisfaction. I have always

cultivated my orchard, and intend to do so three or four years longer; I

plow twice a year--in spring, and the middle of June; I keep the ground

well stirred. I planted corn the first three years, listed it in, but

would not recommend it, as the trees will do better if the land is

plowed. Windbreaks are essential on the south and west sides of the

orchard; would make them of two rows of cottonwood trees planted zigzag

with one another. For rabbits I wrap with corn-stalks. I dig borers out

and wash the trees with lye water twice a year for the first three

years; it keeps the tree nice and clean and the borers out. I prune my

trees, by cutting out the limbs that cross, and to keep the trees from

leaning to the north, and it pays. I fertilize my orchard with decayed

corn-cobs. I think it beneficial, and would advise it on all soils, as I

think too much straw mulching is an injury to the trees when they get

old. I do not pasture my orchard; it does not pay. My trees were

troubled with canker-worms last spring. I do not spray. My best market

is in the neighborhood. Prices last fall were fifty to sixty cents per

bushel.

* * * * *

GEO. R. BARNES, Chapman, Dickinson county: I have lived in Kansas

twenty-seven years; have an apple orchard of six acres old enough to be

at their best. For market I prefer Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin, Jonathan,

and Winesap, and for family use Early Harvest, Red June, Maiden's Blush,

and Missouri Pippin. I prefer a low bottom with a black loam, and a

north slope. I prefer two-year-old, well-balanced trees, set in holes

large enough to receive them, twenty-four by twenty-four feet. I

cultivate my young orchard to corn and potatoes, using a disc harrow,

and cease cropping when they begin to bear. I plant nothing in a bearing

orchard. Windbreaks would be beneficial on the south to protect the

orchard from the hot south winds. I would make it of walnut trees,

because they sap the ground the least. To protect them from the borers,

I leave the branches low down, and when we see any sawdust I dig him out

with a knife. I prune very little with knife and saw to balance the

trees. I do not thin the fruit on the trees. Some say if you expect to

get a load of apples from a tree you must give it a load of manure every

time it bears, and I think this is right, but don't put it too close to

the tree. I pasture my orchard with nothing but poultry; it is not

advisable; it makes the ground too hard. Codling-moth troubles my apples

very much. I do not spray. I sell apples in the orchard; peddle the best

ones; make cider and vinegar of the culls. Don't dry any for

market--just enough for family use. Prices have been from forty to

seventy-five cents per bushel.

* * * * *

A. M. ENGLE, Moonlight, Dickinson county: I have lived in Kansas

nineteen years. Have an orchard of 600 apple trees ten to eighteen years

old. For commercial orchard I prefer Ben Davis, Rawle's Janet, Missouri

Pippin, and Winesap. I prefer bottom or low land with a dark loam, and a

north or northeast aspect. I prefer stout, low-headed, two-year-old

trees, planted sixteen or eighteen feet east and west and thirty or

thirty-two feet north and south. I think an orchard ought to have as

much cultivation as a corn-field. I grow early corn in my young orchard,

using an Acme and cutaway harrow, and cultivate as for corn. I cease

cropping when fairly bearing. Plant nothing in a bearing orchard unless

for fertilizing, but keep cultivating. Windbreaks are essential; would

make them of evergreen, box-elder, Osage orange, maples, cottonwood,

etc. For rabbits I rub the trees with axle grease, or tar and fish oil,

or old lard, mixed; apply with a cloth. For borers I wash with lye or

strong soap-suds. I prune my trees severely when planting, and watch

them for several years, and cut out all branches that rub or crowd, and

cut out buds so that the tree will not have too many limbs for

foundation; I think it pays. I thin the fruit while on the trees; begin

early when the trees are full, and continue all through the season,

whenever I see imperfect fruit; think it pays big. My trees are mixed

plantings. I fertilize my orchard with well-rotted stable litter and

wood ashes; I would especially advise the use of wood ashes. I pasture

my orchard very little; would put hogs in if the limbs were not too low

and full of apples; I think it would pay. My trees are troubled with

flathead borer and canker-worm, and my apples with codling-moth. I

intend spraying this year with Paris green and London purple for the

worms, and Bordeaux mixture for blight and fungous diseases, as soon as

the blossoms fall.

In picking I use foot ladders and one-half-bushel baskets, unless the

variety is very hard; then I use sacks. Sort into three classes. Pack in

barrels shaken and pressed down, then headed, and marked with name of

variety, and haul to shipping point on wagon. Sell some apples in the

orchard; let the grocer have the best to sell on commission; sell second

and third grades the best way I can; make cider of culls. My best market

is at Abilene; never tried distant markets. Dry only for home use. Am

successful in storing apples in barrels and tight boxes, in a cave; find

Winesap and Rawle's Janet keep well till June. Put my apples in the cave

when the weather is cold, and keep it open cold nights, but am careful

to not let it freeze. Think it best to repack stored apples when kept

late. If they are well managed you will not lose five per cent.,

probably not two per cent. Do not irrigate, but would if I had water

facilities. Prices last fall were from forty to fifty cents per bushel

in the orchard, but the apples I kept over netted me $1.25 to $1.35 per

bushel. I employ men and women; think women best and cheapest for

sorting. Pay fifty, sixty and seventy-five cents per day.

I do not consider myself a successful horticulturist, but believe, if I

had known as much about the nature or necessity of the orchard when we

came to Kansas nineteen years ago as I do now, I could have made a

success of it, even here in central Kansas. I would especially say that

I do not believe there can be success with an orchard exposed on upland.

There might possibly be some success as a family orchard, with a good

windbreak planted around it, especially on the south side, but I would

not take ten, twenty or thirty acres of exposed upland, with apple trees

enough to plant it, as a gift, if I must plant and tend it, for the

produce of it for ten or more years. I do not know of a single such

orchard that is worth having. I would advise selecting low ground,

sloping north and east, with an elevation or good timber protection on

south and west; land inclining to bottom or good "draw." My belief is

that, with a good selection of varieties, and the proper kind of land

and location, apple-raising could be made quite profitable here. Keeping

the apples in cellars is a mistake; a good cave kept as cold as possible

without freezing is far better. I think apples should be placed on the

north side of some shed or building before being put in the cave, and

kept cool, and put into cave before freezing. Last fall I sold my choice

apples at the orchard at from forty to fifty cents per bushel. I kept

some in barrels in the cave. They were in good demand later. About the

holidays I got $1.25, and since then $1.35. I had a contract with a

grocer to sell them for fifteen per cent., and they netted me as above.

I have some in very fine condition in my cave yet [April 27]. I still

open the cave on cold nights.

* * * * *

THOMAS E. TAYLOR, Pearl, Dickinson county: I have lived in the state

seventeen years. Have an apple orchard of seventy trees, fifty of which

are twelve years old, and the other twenty are eighteen years old. I

prefer Maiden's Blush, Missouri Pippin, and Winesap. Have tried and

discarded Lowell, Jonathan, Grimes's Golden Pippin, and Willow Twig, on

account of blight. I prefer bottom land having a sandy soil and a clay

subsoil, with a north slope. I prefer two-year-old healthy trees, set in

ground which has been plowed very deep. I water the tree well when I

plant it. I have cultivated as long as it was possible to get between

the trees. I generally use a common plow and disc harrow during the

summer, where I have no crop in. I grow corn, Kafir-corn and potatoes in

a young orchard. Cease cropping my orchard when twelve years old. I mow

the weeds with a machine. I think windbreaks a benefit; would make them

of box-elder, ash, or red cedar. I use a pruning-knife on my trees every

year, leaving the branches quite thick on the south side. I think it

pays. Never have thinned the fruit on the trees. I fertilize my orchard

every two or three years with stable litter. I think it beneficial. I do

not pasture my orchard; it is not advisable, does not pay. Do not spray.

Prices at picking time are forty to fifty cents per bushel.

* * * * *

H. DUBOIS, Burlingame, Osage county: I have lived in Kansas forty-one

years. Have an orchard of fifty apple trees from ten to twenty years

old. For market I prefer Ben Davis, Winesap, and Missouri Pippin, and

would add for family orchard Early Harvest, Duchess of Oldenburg, and

Maiden's Blush. I prefer a rich bottom having a red subsoil, and a

northeast slope. I prefer thrifty, two-year-old, medium-height trees,

set thirty feet each way. I cultivate my orchard as long as it lives

with a shovel plow and cultivator, and keep the ground stirred. Plant

potatoes in a young orchard, and cease cropping when the trees begin to

bear; then sow oats and let the pigs eat it off while it is green.

Windbreaks are not essential here, but some have forest-trees planted on

the north side of their orchards. I prune my trees in the spring to give

shape; cannot say whether it is beneficial or not. I fertilize my

orchard with barn-yard litter. I pasture my orchard with pigs until the

ripe fruit begins to fall; I think it advisable and that it pays, as the

pigs eat all the wormy and worthless fruit that falls. My trees are

troubled with tent-caterpillar, root aphis, round- and flat-headed

borers, and woolly aphis, and my apples with codling-moth.

* * * * *

A. J. KLEINHANS, Grantville, Jefferson county: I have lived in the state

forty-one years. Have an apple orchard of 300 trees, twenty to

twenty-five years old. For market I prefer Winesap and Ben Davis; and

for family orchard Summer Astrachan, Bellflower, and White Winter

Pearmain. Have tried and discarded Missouri Pippin, Russet, Baldwin, Red

Astrachan, Little Romanite, and Pound Pippin. My orchard is situated in

the Kaw valley. I plant my orchard to corn, until the trees get too

large; then cease cropping and seed to clover and timothy. I prune

lightly, to keep the limbs off the ground and let in the sun and light;

I think it pays. I do not thin the fruit while on the trees. I pasture

my orchard late in the fall with young dehorned cattle; I think it

advisable and that it pays. My trees are troubled with canker-worms; and

my apples with codling-moths. I do not spray. I sell apples in the

orchard at wholesale.

* * * * *

J. W. ATKINSON, Perry, Jefferson county: I have resided in Kansas

seventeen years; have an apple orchard of 2100 trees from two to

eighteen years old. For market I prefer Winesap, Missouri Pippin, and

Jonathan. I have tried and discarded Ben Davis; the tree is not hardy. I

prefer a porous, red-clay subsoil, and a northeast or east aspect. I

cultivate my orchard to corn six years from setting, and cease cropping

after twelve years. I seed the bearing orchard to clover. Windbreaks are

essential on the south and west sides of the orchard; when possible,

natural forest is best. I prune my trees sparingly to improve the grade

of fruit; I think it pays when properly done. I do not thin the fruit on

the trees. Can see no difference whether trees are in block [of one

kind] or mixed plantings. I fertilize my orchard when it needs it with

barn-yard litter and wood ashes; would not advise it on all soils. I do

not pasture my orchard. My trees are troubled with root aphis, and my

apples with codling-moth and curculio. I spray twice after the blossom

falls, with Paris green. I can get rid of borers only by persistent

effort. I sort my apples into four classes: No. 1, No. 2, drying, and

stock and cider. Pack in twelve-peck barrels, and market in apple racks.

I sometimes wholesale my apples in the orchard. Never tried distant

markets. I do not dry any.

Am successful in storing in barrels in a fruit house which is built near

the crest of a hill with a fall of 14 in 100 feet. Excavated

twenty-three by fifty-three feet; depth at extreme back end, fourteen

feet; at front seven feet. Tile ditch fourteen inches deeper than the

excavation next to bank, filled with broken rock. Stone wall ten feet

high; fine broken rock between wall and bank from ditch to top of wall

around the entire building. The front end of the building stands three

feet out of the ground, allowing two windows in the front with

refrigerator shutters, also a refrigerator door. Heavy timbers,

supported by posts covered with bridge lumber, constitute the framework,

upon which is seven feet of earth. Through the roof are five sewer-pipe

ventilators covered by thimble tops. In the front end are four small

ventilators. In the extreme back end is placed an elevator building

forming an opening six feet square; this extends eight feet above the

top of the earth covering. There are three windows and one door in the

elevator building. By means of small ventilators the house can be

ventilated very gradually, but by the elevator opening in the back end

of the building, and the windows and door in the front end, the air can

all be swept out by natural draft and replaced by fresh air. Five

minutes is sufficient to thoroughly ventilate. During all this extreme

wet weather the floor of the building has been dust dry.

* * * * *

Dr. CHAS. WILLIAMSON, Washington, Washington county: I have lived in

Kansas forty years. My first planted orchard is thirty-eight years old

and the second thirty years. For market I prefer Ben Davis, Winesap,

Missouri Pippin, and Rawle's Janet; and for family use Ben Davis,

Winesap, Jonathan, Rome Beauty, Rambo, Early June, and Romanite. I have

tried and discarded Cooper's Early White, because it is a short-lived

tree and a shy bearer. I prefer bottom land with a black loam and a clay

subsoil, with a north and east slope. I plant trees thirty feet apart. I

would advise cultivation for three years; seed bearing orchard to white

clover. Windbreaks are essential; would make them of mulberries and

cedar; plant seed for mulberries and set small cedars. For rabbits I use

traps and dogs. I prune, but not very much; I cut out watersprouts and

dead limbs, and thin out the top so as to let sun in. I never have

thinned the fruit on the trees, but think it would pay. I keep bees to

help pollinize the blossoms. I fertilize my orchard with stable litter;

trees and plant life, as well as stock, need food. I do not pasture my

orchard; it is not advisable. I have sprayed with London purple. I

protect my trees from the sun, and the bark being full of sap the borers

will not trouble them. I hand-pick my apples and pack in barrels in the

orchard. I sell in the orchard at retail. My best market is at home. Do

not dry any. I store some apples, and find Ben Davis, Winesap and

Missouri Pippin keep best. When packing apples for storing I wrap each

apple in paper and put a paper between the layers in the boxes; then put

them in the cellar, and they keep well. I open the cellar door on warm

days. Prices have been from 35 cents to $1.10 per bushel.

There is not a state in the union but what is profiting by the

experiences of such men as friend Wellhouse, the "Apple King," and other

horticulturists, who are leaving a legacy to future generations. My

experience in orcharding has been as an amateur ever since 1856. My

orchard has been for home use, but now, with my experience gained here

in Kansas, I am planting in the Ozark country, near Olden, exclusively

for market purposes (the same can be done in Kansas), but takes longer

to come to maturity. Taxes are low in Missouri. The orchardist should

not be assessed on his fruit-trees and pay the penalty for being

energetic and a pusher in horticulture. In Kansas, thanks to the life

work of the members of the State Horticultural Society, we have reached

a point where the culture of fruit is an assured success; and there is

more money in it than in hog or corn raising. The trouble has been, too

many worthless varieties have been planted, and now that they are

bearing are profitless; and the worst of it is they are repeating the

same mistake each year. I have saved some valuable trees from the borers

by taking a quarter-inch bit and boring a hole and putting in strychnine

or sulphur, and the tree lived on while all others died; even in the

black locust it was successful. I then plug the outside portion of the

hole. Let some one explain the reason who understands the circulation of

the sap.

* * * * *

ERNST FAIRCHILD, Hiawatha, Brown county: I have lived in Kansas thirty

years; have an apple orchard of fifteen acres, twelve years old. For

market I prefer Jonathan, Ben Davis, and Rawle's Janet; and for a

family orchard Snow, Winesap, and some sweet varieties. I prefer an east

slope. I cultivate my orchard to corn or oats for eight or nine years,

using a disc and harrow, and cease cropping at the end of this time and

seed down to clover. Windbreaks are essential; would make them of

forest-trees set in rows, on the north and west sides. I prune my trees

to give shape. I pick my apples in square tin pails which have false

bottoms; slide the fruit out at the bottom. I make vinegar of the cull

apples. Prices have been from sixty cents to one dollar per barrel. I

employ men and boys--men at one dollar per day and boys seventy-five

cents per day.

* * * * *

NEILS HANSON, Willis, Brown county: I have resided in the state

thirty-two years; have an orchard of 200 apple trees twenty years old.

For all purposes, I prefer Ben Davis, Jonathan, Willow Twig, and

Strawberry. Have tried and would discard Willow Twig and Lawver. I

prefer bottom land having a clay soil and a north or east slope. When

planting trees, I dig a hole two feet deep and four feet square. I

cultivate my orchard eight or ten years, using a plow, and spade around

the trees. I plant corn or oats in a young orchard. Windbreaks are

essential; would make them of maples or willows and cultivate the same

as a crop. I prune to thin the tops, and think it beneficial. I thin the

fruit when small, if the trees are overloaded. Can see no difference

whether the trees are planted in blocks of one kind, or mixed up. I

fertilize my orchard, but not close to the trees; would not advise it on

bottom land. I pasture my orchard with calves and hogs, but it is not

advisable; it does not pay.

I do not spray. I am experimenting with my trees; I make a hole two

inches deep, one-fourth inch in diameter, put in medicine and plug up

tight with grafting wax over it. It is claimed to kill all the insects

on the tree for four or five years to come. I can tell the results this

fall. It costs $10 to try it. [Hear! hear!] My neighbors spray their

trees when in blossom, and say it pays. I pick my apples by hand, sort

into two classes, and pack in barrels, filled full, and marked with

consignee's name and hauled to shipping place on wagon. I never sell

apples in the orchard, because they [the pickers] ruin the trees. I

wholesale my best, second and third grade apples to the one offering the

most for them. I feed the culls to hogs. Hiawatha is my best market. I

never tried distant markets; it would not pay, unless in car-load lots.

I dry apples, put them in sacks and hang in a dry place, and find a

ready market for them; it pays. Am successful in storing apples in

boxes--made of lath an inch apart--in an arched cave. I find Ben Davis

and Rawle's Janet keep best. I have to repack stored apples before

marketing, losing about one-tenth of them. I do not irrigate. Prices

have been about one dollar per barrel. I pay eighteen to twenty dollars

per month and board for help.

* * * * *

ISAAC M. TAYLOR, Richmond, Franklin county: I have lived in Kansas

thirty years; have about fifty apple trees eight years old, ten feet

high. For market I prefer Jonathan and Ben Davis; for a family orchard,

Romanstem, Gilpin, Rawle's Janet, Winesap, and Hubbardston's Nonesuch.

Have tried and discarded McAfee Nonesuch, Belleflower, and Missouri

Pippin. I prefer a gentle east slope at the bottom of a hill, with a

deep sandy loam or four feet of red land on lime rock. I prefer

two-year-old trees set thirty by thirty feet apart, in holes dug

eighteen inches deep, and filled one-third full of surface soil. I

cultivate my orchard as long as it lasts with a twelve-inch plow; throw

the dirt away first of June, and back in August; then harrow it. I plant

potatoes and corn in a young orchard, and cease cropping after ten

years. I plant nothing in a bearing orchard. Windbreaks are essential;

would make them of rows of Osage orange on the north and south sides of

the orchard. I prune as little as possible. I fertilize my orchard with

cow-stable and horse-stable litter mixed; I think it beneficial, and

would advise it on all soils, unless very rich. I pasture my orchard

once in a while with hogs without rings in their noses, so they can hunt

worms. My trees are troubled with borers. I do not spray. I pick my

apples in sack from ladders. Sort into three classes, and peddle them. I

use Topping's driers and Williams's parers; they are satisfactory. After

drying I pack in fifty-pound boxes. I find a ready market in Kansas City

for them, but it does not pay. I am successful in storing apples in

small boxes and barrels in a cellar; Gilpin and Ben Davis keep best. I

have to repack stored apples before marketing, losing about five per

cent. I do not irrigate. Prices were thirty-five to fifty cents in the

fall; seventy-five cents to one dollar in the spring [1897].

* * * * *

JOHN GREGG, Willis, Brown county: I have been in Kansas since '68; have

an apple orchard of 120 trees about twenty years old. For a commercial

orchard I prefer Ben Davis, Winesap, Gano, and Dominie; and would add

for a family orchard Red June, Holland Pippin, and Yellow Transparent. I

have tried and discarded Willow Twig on account of blight, and Missouri

Pippin on account of blight and shy bearing. I prefer high land with a

porous clay subsoil, and a north, northeast or northwest aspect. When

planting trees I dig deep, wide holes, lean the tree to the southwest,

apply water, then fill and tramp well. I cultivate my orchard for five

years with an orchard disc; plant corn and potatoes. Seed bearing

orchard to clover. Windbreaks are essential; would make them of

honey-locust, maple, ash etc., on the south and west sides of the

orchard. For rabbits I wrap the trees with corn-stalks. I prune mostly

in June, to give the trees shape; I think it pays. I do not thin my

fruit, but think it would pay. I do not fertilize my orchard to any

extent; think clover is good left on the ground. I do not pasture my

orchard; it does not pay. My apples are troubled with codling-moth. I do

not spray. I pick my apples by hand into a basket or sack. The shippers

do the sorting. I wholesale, retail and peddle my apples; sell the best

to shippers, culls to neighbors or make cider of them. My best market is

at home; never tried distant markets. Do not dry or store any. Prices

have been from seventy-five cents to one dollar per barrel.

* * * * *

WILLIAM CUTTER, Junction City, Geary county: I have lived in Kansas

twenty-eight years; have an apple orchard of 4000 trees. For a

commercial orchard I prefer the list recommended by the State

Horticultural Society. I prefer a rich bottom with a north aspect. I

prefer two-year-old trees four or five feet tall, branched low. I

cultivate my orchard as long as it lives with a disc harrow or plow. The

first five years I plant a crop that requires cultivation, and plant

nothing in a bearing orchard. Windbreaks are very beneficial; would make

them of two rows of Russian mulberries set ten feet apart in a row. I

prune very little when young to balance the tree; I think it pays. I do

not thin my fruit while on the trees, but think it would pay if I had

time. I fertilize my old orchard with stable litter, and think it

advisable on all soils. If you do not do this you must prune. I do not

pasture my orchards. My trees are troubled with canker worm, root aphis,

flathead borer, roundhead borer, woolly aphis, and leaf-roller, and my

apples with codling-moth, curculio, and gouger. I spray for canker-worm

and codling-moth--the oftener the better. I think I have reduced the

codling-moth. I dig the borers out, and kill the rabbits. I carefully

pick my apples by hand from a step-ladder, into half-bushel baskets,

and sort into three classes--first, second, and culls. Pack in barrels

rounded up and marked on the head; then send to market by rail. I sell

some apples in the orchard, usually at wholesale. My best markets are

south--Texas. I do not dry any. I am successful in storing in boxes,

barrels and bulk for home market; I find Fink keeps best. Never tried

artificial cold storage. I have to repack stored apples before

marketing, losing about one-fourth of them. I do not irrigate. Prices

have been from fifty cents to one dollar per bushel. I pay my help one

dollar per day and board.

* * * * *

A. H. GRIESA, Lawrence, Douglas county: I have lived in the state

thirty-one years. Have an apple orchard of 1000 trees, from six to

eighteen years old. For a commercial orchard I prefer Missouri Pippin,

Ben Davis, and Winesap; and for a family orchard Yellow Transparent,

Early Melon, Jonathan, and Gano. I have tried and discarded Gilpin,

Lawver, and McAfee; they were not productive or good. I prefer a sandy

river bottom. I prefer one-year-old trees, set as they grew in the

nursery. I cultivate my orchard to small fruits, using a disc or

cultivator; cease cropping when the trees spread too much. The more

cultivation the better. Windbreaks are not essential. I trap the

rabbits; and dig the borers out in May and September. I prune my trees a

little each year, to let in sunshine; I think it pays and is beneficial.

I thin the fruit while on the trees a very little; but it would pay to

while the fruit is small. My trees are in mixed plantings. I fertilize

my orchard with barn-yard litter and ashes; and would advise their use

on all soils. I do not pasture my orchard; but think it would pay, with

calves and young pigs. My trees are troubled with borers and aphis, and

my apples with codling-moth. I do not spray. I pick by hand, and sort

into three classes; pack in three-bushel barrels, facing the bottoms,

and ship to market by freight or express. I sell apples in the orchard;

sell the second and third grades to evaporators. I have tried distant

markets, and found it paid. I do not dry any. I am fairly successful in

storing apples in boxes and barrels, in a barn cellar, for market and

family use, and find the Fink and Cullins keep best. Never tried

artificial cold storage. I have to repack stored apples before

marketing; the per cent. lost depends on the variety. I do not irrigate.

Prices have been from seventy-five cents to two dollars per barrel. I

pay my help one dollar per day.

* * * * *

WILLIAM BOND, Rossville, Shawnee county: I have lived in Kansas

twenty-one years; have an apple orchard of about 300 trees, from five to

twenty-five years old. For market I prefer Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin,

and Winesap; and for a family orchard would add Chenango Strawberry and

Maiden's Blush. I have tried and discarded Rawle's Janet on account of

rot, worms, and shy bearing, and Smith's Cider on account of blight. I

prefer bottom land having a deep, porous subsoil and an east or south

slope. I prefer two-year old trees, set in rows thirty feet apart each

way. I cultivate my orchard with corn or potatoes for six or eight

years, using a common cultivator, and cease cropping at the end of this

time; plant the bearing orchard to clover. Windbreaks would be

beneficial; would make them of forest-trees or Osage orange, by planting

in three close rows on the south and west sides of the orchard. For

rabbits I tie split corn-stalks around the trees. I prune very little;

just enough to keep the head open and the watersprouts off. I do not

thin the fruit while on the trees. My trees are planted with one variety

in a row. I do not fertilize my orchard. I do not pasture my orchard; it

is not advisable. My trees are troubled with canker-worms and flathead

borers, and my apples with codling-moth. I do not spray. I pick my

apples by hand. I sell apples in the orchard; also wholesale, retail and

peddle some. The home market is best; never tried distant markets. I do

not dry or store any. I do not irrigate. Apples were fifty cents per

bushel in the fall of 1897. I paid my help one dollar per day.

* * * * *

REUBEN WALTON, Aurora, Cloud county: I have lived in Kansas twenty

years. Have an apple orchard of 200 trees from six to eighteen years

old. For a commercial orchard I prefer Ben Davis, Late Emperor, and

Maiden's Blush; and for a family orchard Winesap, Cooper's Early White,

Late Emperor, Maiden's Blush, and Rhode Island Greening. I prefer a

north slope with a rich black loam and limestone subsoil. I prefer

two-year-old, well-rooted trees, set twenty feet apart. I cultivate my

orchard to potatoes for ten years, using a double shovel plow, and cease

cropping at the end of this time, planting the bearing orchard to grass.

Windbreaks are essential; would make them of evergreens. I dig borers

out. I prune to give the trees more air and better shape; I think it

pays. I do not thin the fruit while on the trees; the hail and dry

weather generally do that for me. My trees are in mixed plantings. I

have one apricot tree which never bore until a swarm of bees came and

lit on it, and it has borne every year since then [??]. I do not

fertilize my orchard; our soil does not need it. I pasture my orchard

all the time, with hogs and pigs. It is not advisable, as they injure

the trees, but they pick up the wormy fruit. My trees are troubled with

canker-worms, and my apples with codling-moth. I spray with London

purple and Paris green three times, when we have the time and water to

spare. Think I have reduced the codling-moth. I pick my fruit by hand

and sell some apples to the neighbors in the orchard. I feed culls to

pigs. I never tried distant markets. I have apples dried on shares for

family use. It does not pay to dry for market. I am partially successful

in storing apples in barrels in a cellar under the house. I find Rhode

Island Greening, Ben Davis, Duchess of Oldenburg and Emperor keep best.

I have to repack stored apples before marketing, losing one-fourth of

them. I do not irrigate. Prices have been from twenty to thirty cents

per bushel.

* * * * *

W. D. CELLAR, Edwardsville, Wyandotte county: Been in Kansas twelve

years; have 2000 apple trees from two to eight years of age, comprising

Ben Davis, Jonathan, Gano and Missouri Pippin for commercial purposes,

and Maiden's Blush, Early Harvest, Bailey Sweet, Huntsman's Favorite,

Grimes' Golden Pippin and Winesap for family orchard. I have discarded

the McAfee and Lawver as unproductive. I prefer loose soil, and hill

land with an east and north slope. Plant thrifty two-year-old trees, in

rows 25x30 feet. I cultivate to corn, berries, etc., until seven or

eight years old, with the Planet jr. horse hoe, and then sow to clover.

Windbreaks are not needed in our locality. I prune conservatively,

cutting out broken or interlacing branches, and suckers at the base; I

believe it pays. Have never thinned on the tree, and fertilize with

barn-yard litter and clover. I do not pasture my apple orchard. Am

troubled some with insects, but have not sprayed. I dig out borers,

which I think may be largely prevented by the use of wooden tree

wrappers. I pick in the ordinary way and divide into two classes:

select, sound, smooth apples above two inches in diameter; number two,

sound apples too small for select. I do this on a sorting table, and

pack in twelve-peck barrels, pressed down, and marked with a stencil. I

sell at wholesale, sometimes in the orchard; culls I sell in the orchard

or the Kansas City market. Our best market is Kansas City. I have

shipped to distant markets and made it pay. Have never dried any. Have

stored for winter in barrels in cold store; they have not kept

satisfactorily, I cannot say why; Jonathan and Missouri Pippin kept best

this past winter. I had to repack this spring and lost twenty per cent.

Prices have ranged from 10 cents to $1.50 per bushel. For help I use

men, and pay one dollar per day.

* * * * *

C. D. GAISER, Lansing, Leavenworth county: Have lived in Kansas forty

years. Have 5000 trees eight years old, of Gano, Ben Davis, Jonathan,

and Huntsman's Favorite; I grow no others. My location is hilltop, with

good, rich soil, and a clay subsoil; slope makes no difference. I plant

two- and three-year-old trees, 15x30 feet, and cultivate to corn for

seven or eight years, and then sow to clover and timothy. I never prune,

thin, or fertilize; and allow no stock in the orchard. I do not spray,

but dig the flat-headed borer out with a knife. I use ladders, and

gather in baskets and pour into a wagon, and sort in unloading; I make

only two classes, culls and good apples. I ship my best apples to

different points in barrels, and it pays; my culls I make into cider.

Have never tried drying apples. I store some for winter in bulk, and

keep them successfully. I use men and boys for help. I sell for $1.25 to

$1.50 per barrel.

* * * * *

W. H. ROBINSON, Dunlap, Morris county: Has lived in Kansas thirty years;

has 1000 apple trees, planted from two to nineteen years. Prefers Ben

Davis, Winesap, Missouri Pippin, Grimes's Golden Pippin and Jonathan for

commercial purposes, and Early Harvest, Grimes's Golden Pippin, Duchess

of Oldenburg and Cooper's Early White for family use. Has turned down

Rawle's Janet, as they rot on the trees. All on best bottom land, clay

subsoil. Plants two-year-old trees thirty-five feet apart each way, with

nothing [?] between. Plants to corn, and cultivates well up to twelve

years. Is protected on the southwest by a belt of timber. Keeps rabbits

off by wrapping with corn-stalks. Prunes to make the tree healthier and

apples finer; says it pays. Plants varieties in alternate rows, but does

not say why. Uses all the stable litter he can get. Pastures with cows

after gathering; says they eat the culls and wormy fruit, and it pays.

He advises others to try it. Sprays with London purple before blooming,

after blooming, and ten days later for tent-caterpillar and

codling-moth, and believes he has reduced both of them. Has no

borers--thinks "a stitch in time saves nine." Picks and sorts into two

classes, first and second. Always sells in the orchard to western apple

haulers. Lets the cows have all culls he does not use for cider. Price

in orchard for picked apples, forty to fifty cents per bushel.

* * * * *

J. H. TAYLOR, Rhinehart, Dickinson county: Lived in Kansas twenty-two

years. Have 700 apple trees, out from one to nineteen years. Prefer, for

commercial purposes, Ben Davis, Winesap, Missouri Pippin, and Rawle's

Janet; and for family orchard add Early Harvest, Red Astrachan, and

Rambo. Have discarded all the specially recommended eastern [?]

varieties as shy bearers, and too warm for Grimes's Golden Pippin.

Prefers to plant on good black loam, in ravines facing north. Plants

two-year-old thrifty trees, some 33x33, others 33x16-1/2 feet. Have

tried to grow root grafts, with poor success. Cultivate all the time

with disc and plow; grow corn for five or six years, afterward nothing.

Does not need windbreak, but would use if required--about fifteen rows

of ash and catalpa, planted four by four feet. Wraps trees from rabbits.

Mice ate bark off and completely girdled roots six inches in diameter

under the ground last winter (1897-'98). Prunes some to keep the top

balanced and low, to prevent sun-scald and effects of wind. Uses fresh

stable litter as a mulch, and believes it pays. Does not pasture at any

time. Has few insects, and does not spray much, says rains wash it off

too readily. Picks in baskets, and finds the family the best market;

stores for winter in boxes and barrels, and is successful with Rawle's

Janet, Winesap, and Missouri Pippin. Prices have run from fifty cents to

one dollar per bushel. Uses farm help at fifteen to eighteen dollars and

board per month.

* * * * *

JAMES LAWRY, Hollis, Cloud county: I have lived in the state sixteen

years; have an apple orchard of 140 trees from six to fourteen years

old. For all uses I prefer Ben Davis, Winesap, and Missouri Pippin. I

have discarded the Willow Twig because they die out. I prefer a clay

soil. I prefer three-year-old trees set in big holes. I cultivate my

orchard about five years with a one-horse shovel plow. I plant potatoes

or sweet corn in a bearing orchard, and cease cropping when the trees

cover the ground, and sow red clover in a bearing orchard. Windbreaks

are essential; would make them of mulberries. I prune with a saw, to

make them more productive; I think it pays. I never thin my fruit while

on the trees. Can see no difference whether trees are in block of one

kind or mixed plantings. I do not fertilize my orchard, or spray. I pick

my apples by hand from a ladder. I do not sell in the orchard. I do not

pasture my orchard. Don't dry any.

* * * * *

LEVI KIMMAL, Concordia, Cloud county: I have lived in Kansas twenty-five

years; have an apple orchard of 120 trees eighteen years old. For market

I prefer Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin, and Winesap; and for a family

orchard Missouri Pippin, Winesap, Limber Twig, and Maiden's Blush. I

have tried and discarded Golden Russet on account of shy bearing. I

prefer a sandy loam with a clay subsoil, having a north or northwest

aspect. I prefer two-year-old trees for planting. I plant my orchard up

to bearing with potatoes and corn; then seed down to red clover.

Windbreaks are essential; would make them of several rows of Osage

orange on the south side of the orchard. I prune my trees; thin out the

top to let the sun in for coloring. My trees are more fruitful when

planted in blocks. I fertilize my orchard with stable litter; I think it

beneficial because it mulches, enriches, and holds the moisture, and

would advise its use on all soils; no land is so good but what stable

litter will make it better. I do not pasture my orchard; I do not think

it advisable; but I mow all the weeds or whatever grows in the orchard

and leave it on the ground for a mulching. My trees are troubled with

twig-borers and leaf-rollers, and my apples with codling-moth. I have

sprayed my trees when in blossom with Paris green; did not succeed last

year. I dig borers out and pick the bad fruit (if there is any) off. I

hand-pick my apples for winter use into baskets from step-ladders. I

sell apples in the orchard; would rather sell that way than to hold

them. I feed the culls to pigs. My best market is at home; I never tried

a distant market. I do not dry any. I am successful in storing apples

for home use in a cellar. I do not irrigate, but use stable litter for

moisture. Winter apples brought fifty cents per bushel; dried apples

three or four cents per pound.

* * * * *

SENECA HEATH, Muscotah, Atchison county: I have lived in the state

thirty-one years; have an apple orchard of 2080 trees from three to

thirty-six years old. For market I prefer Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin,

York Imperial, Jonathan, Grimes's Golden Pippin, Stark, and on rich,

moist soil, Winesap; and for a family orchard Early Margaret, Early

June, Early Harvest, Cooper's Early White, Sweet Bough, Keswick Codlin,

Maiden's Blush, Red Astrachan, Autumn and Summer Pearmain, Rambo,

Fulton, Smith's Cider, and Newtown Pippin (if given extra care). Have

tried and discarded Tompkins County King--the borers kill it on all

soils--and Willow Twig on account of blight. I prefer upland with a

black sandy or gravelly loam and a good limestone soil, with a porous

subsoil as a necessity, and a northeast slope. I prefer thrifty

one-year-old trees, set in plowed furrows and covered with a spade;

"hill up" rather than "dig down." I cultivate my orchard to corn or any

cultivated crop for eight years, using a plow and harrow, and cease

cropping at the end of this time, and plant nothing in a bearing

orchard; it does not pay. Windbreaks are essential, especially on

upland. I would make them of red cedar, soft maple, or Osage orange, by

planting in rows and cultivating four to six years. For rabbits I use

tarred paper, and wood ashes for borers. I prune my trees with a saw and

shears to produce fruit and shape; I think it pays, but the Ben Davis

and Jonathan grow into handsomer shapes if left alone. If a tree is

growing too rapidly to set fruit, prune in June. I thin the fruit while

on the trees by picking off the wormy and defective ones. I keep this up

until nearly grown; it pays. My trees are in mixed plantings, and

believe they are more fruitful.

I fertilize my orchard with barn-yard litter, ashes, salt, and lime, and

would advise it on all excepting rich soils, where it ought not to be

used until after the trees have fruited five to eight years. Probably

the cheapest and best fertilizer on upland is clover mowed and left to

decay where it fell. Weeds are also good if mowed when two feet high and

left on the ground. I pasture my orchard with pigs, calves, and horses,

but it does not pay. My trees are troubled with tent-caterpillars and

round-headed borers, and my apples with codling-moth. I spray with a

two-horse wagon sprayer, also a hand sprayer, when the blossom falls,

with Paris green, and think I have reduced the codling-moth. I burn

tent-caterpillars with a coal-oil lamp or torch. I pick my apples by

hand into half-bushel baskets, from ladders. I sell my apples in the

orchard. I sell, feed to the stock, and make cider of the culls. I do

not dry any, but think it would pay. I have stored apples in barrels,

and found the Winesap, Rawle's Janet, Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin, Stark

and Baldwin keep best. I am not always successful; will not store any

more until I build a fruit house. I do not irrigate, but intend to.

Prices have been from 75 cents to $1.75 per barrel. I employ men and

boys, and pay two cents per bushel for picking.

* * * * *

ED. SANDY, Linn, Washington county: I have lived in Kansas twenty-eight

years. Have an apple orchard of 100 trees, fifteen years old. I prefer a

north slope. I plant my orchard to corn, using a cultivator; and

continue cultivating bearing orchard. I prune my trees. Do not thin the

fruit while on the trees. I fertilize my orchard with barn-yard litter,

and think it beneficial; I would advise its use only on upland. I do not

pasture my orchard. My apples are troubled with codling-moth and

curculio. I have sprayed with Paris green for worms, and am not very

successful.

* * * * *

J. A. COURTER, Barnes, Washington county: Have lived in Kansas since

1869; have an apple orchard of 150 trees, set from nine to twenty-five

years. I prefer bottom land with a northeast slope. I cultivate my

orchard to corn all the time. Windbreaks are not essential. I fertilize

my orchard with stable litter; my trees grew fine, but for the last

three or four years they have blighted badly. I do not spray. I store

some apples for winter use in boxes in a cave.

* * * * *

THOMAS BROWN, Palmer, Washington county: I have resided in the state

twenty-eight years. Have an apple orchard of 500 trees from three to

twenty years old. For a commercial orchard I prefer Winesap, Missouri

Pippin, and Ben Davis, and for family orchard Cooper's Early White,

Maiden's Blush, and Jonathan. I prefer sandy land on an east slope. I

plant trees in rows sixteen by twenty-one feet. I mulch my orchard with

straw, and plow every three or four years. Windbreaks are essential; I

would make them of maple or box-elders, planted around the orchard. I

prune some, but it does not pay. I do not thin the fruit while on the

trees. I fertilize my orchard with stable litter; I think it beneficial,

and would advise its use on all soils. I pasture my orchard some with

swine, but it is not advisable; it does not pay. My trees are troubled

with fall web-worms. I do not spray. I pick my apples by hand. I

sometimes sell the apples in the orchard at retail. My best market is at

home; I never tried distant markets. I do not dry any. Am successful in

storing apples in boxes and barrels in a cellar. Winesap and Missouri

Pippin keep best. I never tried cold storage. I have to repack stored

apples before marketing, losing about one-third of them. I do not

irrigate. Prices have been about fifty cents per bushel.

* * * * *

D. J. FRASER, Peabody, Marion county: I have lived in Kansas

twenty-three years; have 380 apple trees ten inches in diameter,

twenty-two years planted. I prefer for commercial purposes Ben Davis,

Missouri Pippin, Grimes's Golden Pippin, and Maiden's Blush; and for

family use would add Early Harvest, Sweet June, and Winesap; have tried

and discarded about thirty other varieties, because they did not yield

or were subject to disease. I prefer bottom land, with north slope, made

land. I plow out deep, dead furrow; set trees and plow the earth back to

the trees. I prefer two- or three-year-old strong trees. Have tried root

grafts and seedlings with good success. I cultivate the trees the first

ten years with the plow and harrow. I grow nothing in a young orchard,

and seed the old orchard to clover. I think windbreaks are essential on

the south, and would make them of Osage orange or mulberry, planted in

double rows, a few feet apart. Wrap trees for rabbits, and for borers

keep trees thrifty. I prune some to keep the top balanced, and think it

beneficial. I have thinned fruit some, but do not think it pays. My

trees are in mixed plantings, and I keep bees. I have used fertilizer,

but could not see much benefit; would advise it only on thin soils. I

have pastured my orchard with hogs, and think it advisable; it pays. My

trees are bothered with canker-worm, root aphis, flathead borer, and

twig-borer; the codling-moth troubles my apples. I have sprayed with

Bordeaux mixture, London purple, and Paris green; could not see much

good; have reduced the codling-moth some. I pick my apples the

old-fashioned way--with a sack. Practically, the crop has been so light

that very few have been sold, and they were fall apples. Have never

dried any; have never stored any. Do not irrigate. Prices have been

unsatisfactory.

* * * * *

J. B. MOSHER, Lawrenceburg, Cloud county: I have lived in Kansas

seventeen years. Have an orchard of 150 trees, planted from one to

seventeen years. For family orchard would plant Early Harvest, Cooper's

Early, Duchess of Oldenburg, Grimes's Golden Pippin, Winesap, Rawle's

Janet, and Ben Davis. Medium elevation, with northern or northeastern

slope, and clay-loam soil with clay subsoil, is preferable. When

planting, I dig a hole large enough to receive the roots, and plant

healthy two-year-old trees, trained to a switch, so that I can train the

top to suit. Have tried root grafts and seedlings; both have done well.

I cultivate while the trees are young, and use only harrow and

mowing-machine after they begin to bear. I plant any hoed crop among the

trees while young, and cease when the trees begin to bear. I think

windbreaks essential, and use maple, box-elder, and Scotch pine. For

rabbits I use traps and shot-gun. I use a knife for the borers. I prune

when the tree needs it; use the saw on large trees and the knife on

small trees. I thin the fruit sometimes when it sets too thickly, as

soon as it shows, and it pays most emphatically. I cannot see any

difference in trees whether set in blocks or mixed up. I use some

barn-yard fertilizer, and think it beneficial; would advise its use as

the trees begin to bear. I pasture my orchard with pigs and poultry;

think it advisable, and think it pays.

My trees are troubled with bud moth, flathead borer, and twig-borer;

some seasons I also have leaf-roller and leaf-crumpler. The codling-moth

troubles my apples. I spray some to destroy these insects, with indigo

and London purple, using a pump. I do not know that I have reduced the

codling-moth any. For borer I form a basin around the tree and fill with

water, repeating several times; I sometimes pick them. I use an ordinary

fruit ladder, and sack with ends tied together and swung over the

shoulder. I make but one class, viz., market all the perfect apples. I

carefully put in a fruit-house and let stay a week or so, then carefully

sort over by removing all unsound or faulty ones. I do not ship. I have

a good market at home. I never sell in the orchard; usually market in

bushel boxes. I usually feed second- or third-class fruit to hogs. My

best market is Concordia. Have never tried distant markets. I have never

dried any apples. I store some for winter use in an ordinary cellar; am

successful, and find Winesap, Rawle's Janet and Missouri Pippin keep the

best. We have to repack after storing, and lose about one-third. I do

not irrigate. Winesap, Missouri Pippin and Rawle's Janet usually sell at

one dollar per bushel; Ben Davis, at seventy-five cents per bushel.

* * * * *

C. C. GARDINER, Bradford, Wabaunsee county: Have lived in Kansas

thirty-nine years, in this county fourteen years; have 750 apple trees

ten years planted. For commercial orchard I would plant Ben Davis,

Winesap and Missouri Pippin; for family use, add Jonathan and Maiden's

Blush. Have tried and discarded Keswick Codlin; tree is tender. I prefer

hilltop, north and west or northeast slope, black loam with a yellowish

clay subsoil. I plant thirty feet apart, using one- and two-year-old,

low-headed trees. Have tried root grafts; had good success. I cultivate

until the trees are six or seven years old with the plow and cultivator.

I grow corn in a young orchard, and clover in a bearing orchard; cease

cropping when six or seven years old. Windbreaks are beneficial on the

south and west; they should be made of quick-growing trees. I wrap the

trees with paper to protect against rabbits. I prune but little to thin

top; am doubtful if it pays. Never thin apples on trees. I fertilize the

land with well-rotted manure, but not close the trees; I would advise

its use on all soils; I think it beneficial; I sometimes pasture my

orchard with hogs; do not think it advisable; pays only in getting rid

of wormy fruit. My trees are troubled with leaf-roller, and my apples

with codling-moth. Do not spray. Gather my apples by hand, and sort into

two classes, first, second and culls.

* * * * *

ISAAC E. WOLF, Longford, Clay county: Have been in Kansas twenty-one

years; have 200 apple trees nineteen years old, and 100 apple trees six

years old. Prefer Ben Davis, Winesap and Missouri Pippin for market, and

Maiden's Blush, Duchess of Oldenburg and Smith Cider for family orchard.

The Red Astrachan and Early Harvest are shy bearers. My orchard is on

sandy soil with clay subsoil; the trees look healthy. I prefer

two-year-old trees, and lay the ground off in squares, making large

holes. In young orchard I plant corn for ten years, cultivating both

ways; after that I grow nothing, but cultivate with the disc as long as

I can get through it. Am cultivating my old orchard. I think windbreaks

are a necessity on the south, west, and north, and would make them of

walnut and box-elder. For rabbits I rub on strong grease. I prune with

shears such limbs as rub one another, and am sure it pays. I don't think

it pays to thin fruit on the trees. I believe in fertilizing the ground,

but not too close to the trees; it won't hurt any soil. Allow no stock

in the orchard. The twig-borer is the worst insect in my orchard. I

tried spraying on some trees, and some I did not, and my apples were all

alike. I watch for borers closely, and cut them out. I pick in a grain

sack, and make three classes. The best I keep for spring, the second

class for winter, and the culls I turn into cider. I peddle my apples

out at home. We dry some apples and have a good market at home. We store

for winter in the cellar in bulk, and find that Winesap, Rawle's Janet

and Missouri Pippin are the best keepers.

FRUIT DISTRICT No. 2.

Following is the second fruit district, comprising twenty-three

counties, in the northwest quarter of state. Reports, or rather

experiences, from each of these counties will be found immediately

following. We give first the number of apple trees in this district,

compiled from statistics for 1897. Many thousands were added in the

spring of 1898.

_Bearing._ _Not bearing._ _Total._

Cheyenne 211 1,708 1,919

Decatur 3,925 4,990 8,915

Ellis 3,846 1,321 5,167

Ellsworth 17,491 12,474 29,965

Gove 214 1,202 1,416

Graham 508 3,636 4,144

Jewell 120,509 56,550 177,059

Lincoln 19,619 18,846 38,465

Logan 468 1,465 1,933

Mitchell 55,806 20,624 76,430

Morton 264 171 435

Norton 7,220 6,803 14,023

Osborne 21,647 15,043 36,690

Phillips 16,765 9,486 26,251

Rawlins 806 2,065 2,871

Rooks 8,127 6,815 14,942

Russell 6,788 5,045 11,833

Sheridan 218 1,148 1,366

Sherman 169 1,477 1,646

Smith 41,919 22,988 64,907

Thomas 509 470 979

Trego 745 1,409 2,154

Wallace 223 1,343 1,566

------- ------- -------

Total in district 327,997 197,079 525,076

Estimate in acreage 60,000 35,000 105,000

* * * * *

WILLIAM BAIRD, Vesper, Lincoln county: I have lived in Kansas

twenty-seven years; have an apple orchard of 300 trees, from one to

fifteen years old; the old ones measuring twelve inches in diameter. For

commercial purposes I prefer Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin, Winesap, and

Huntsman's Favorite; and for family orchard Maiden's Blush, Ben Davis,

and Missouri Pippin. Think I shall discard Red Astrachan and Red

Betigheimer on account of shy bearing. I prefer bottom, sandy soil, clay

subsoil, and a northwest slope. I prefer good, stocky, low-headed,

yearling trees set from twenty-five to thirty feet in the row; have

tried root grafts; that is the only successful way to grow trees here. I

cultivate my orchard to potatoes for the first two or three years, after

that to any kind of vines. I use a stirring plow, plowing very shallow

near the trees and deeper near the center. I grow nothing in a bearing

orchard, and cease cropping after five years. I think windbreaks are

essential, and would make them of seedling peach, Russian mulberry or

any quick-growing trees, in three or four rows on the south side of the

orchard. I trap the rabbits, and use my knife on the borers; am not

troubled with them very much. I prune trees while young to give the

proper shape to the top, and later to remove the crossed limbs and cause

them to spread out and shade the trunk and as much space as possible. I

have thinned the fruit on trees to a limited extent; it should be done

when about the size of quail eggs. Think it makes little difference

whether trees are planted in block or mixed up.

I do not fertilize my orchard; the soil is rich enough; water is what it

needs. I pasture my orchard with hogs, and think it advisable, as they

eat all the wormy fruit and destroy many insects by rooting; I find it

pays. My trees are troubled with root aphis; my apples are bothered by

codling-moth, gouger, and blue jays. I spray with London purple and

lime, about 100 gallons of water to one pound of purple and six pounds

of lime. I think Paris green would be better. I spray for canker-worm as

soon as I see them, and am of the opinion that one application is

enough, but do not think spraying of any use for codling-moth, as the

moth itself does not eat anything but the honey from the base of the

bloom, and not enough of the poison reaches them to amount to anything.

My method of fighting them is, as soon as the moth appears in the

spring, to put old fruit cans in the trees filled with sweet water. This

attracts the moths and they drown in it. I also burn torches in the

orchard at night. Another way is to hang a lantern over a tub of water

that has a little coal-oil in it; this will kill a great many insects.

I hand-pick my fruit into sacks slung over the shoulder; I use a

step-ladder for those I cannot reach. I sell apples in orchard; also

retail; sell best ones to best customers; I dry second and third grades;

of culls I make cider and vinegar and feed to pigs. My best market is at

home. I dry some apples; use a Victor evaporator, and one that I made;

after drying we heat in an oven, and put in double paper bags, and find

a ready market; but it does not pay. I store apples in five-bushel

boxes, in a tunnel-like cellar, dug in solid sand-rock; it is fifty feet

long, five feet wide, and six and one-half feet deep, with rooms on each

side; it is perfectly dry and the temperature even, but it is too warm

for winter; I find it is excellent for summer and fall apples. Those

that keep best are Rawle's Janet and Missouri Pippin. We have to repack

stored apples before marketing; I do not lose many. I use or sell as

soon as fit. I irrigate my orchard from a small creek fed by springs. I

have two large dams, with ditches running along the hillside, with gates

to let the water into the ditches; from the main ditch I have laterals,

also provided with gates; the surplus and seepage goes back into the

creek below the main dam; the creek below the dam has small dams in it

to hold the seepage water at the desired height--which serves for

subirrigation, the best irrigation in the world. The water should not

stand nearer than five feet of the surface for apples. I run the water

between the rows in wide, shallow ditches, any time from March to

September. It is not necessary to have a creek to irrigate an orchard. A

good, big ditch along the hillside above the orchard will catch enough

melted snow and rain to pay for its construction; this should run into a

reservoir. Prices have been from seventy-five cents to one dollar, and

dried apples from five to twelve and one-half cents per pound.

* * * * *

PETER NOON, Vesper, Lincoln county: I have lived in Kansas thirty years.

Have forty apple trees eleven years old, eight to ten inches in

diameter, twelve to fifteen feet high. I prefer for all purposes Winesap

and Ben Davis. I prefer bottom land with a black soil and sandy subsoil.

I plant young trees in rows twenty-five feet each way. I cultivate my

orchard for seven years with plow and harrow, raising no crop.

Windbreaks are essential; I use cottonwood trees, planted in three rows,

around my orchard. I prune with a saw to make the trees bear better and

keep them from getting top-heavy; I think it beneficial. I thin my fruit

on the trees by hand in July. I never pasture my orchard. My trees are

troubled with bud moth. I do not spray. I pick by hand. Never dry any.

Do not store any. Do not irrigate. Prices have been from seventy-five to

eighty cents per bushel, and dried apples eight cents per pound.

* * * * *

JACOB WEIDMAN, Lincoln, Lincoln county: Have lived in Kansas

twenty-eight years. Have an apple orchard of about 1000 trees, nineteen

years old. For commercial purposes I prefer Winesap, Ben Davis, Rawle's

Janet, Huntsman's Favorite, Jonathan, Maiden's Blush, Early Harvest,

Grimes's Golden Pippin, Duchess of Oldenburg, Autumn Strawberry, Rambo,

and Gano. For family orchard would prefer Winesap, Huntsman's Favorite,

Gilpin, Milam, Early Harvest, Maiden's Blush, Red June, and Limber Twig,

the last one being a very good keeper. Have tried and discarded Red

Astrachan, Lawver, Golden Russet, Yellow Bellflower, Willow Twig and

Smith's Cider on account of blight. I prefer bottom land with rich soil

and loose subsoil, with a northern slope. I prefer two-year-old stocky

trees planted in a furrow. I have tried root grafts with the best

success; the best trees in this county were grown by me. I cultivate my

orchard to corn, using a stirring plow; I cease cropping after six

years, but keep cultivating until the trees smother the weeds.

Windbreaks are essential. I have native timber on three sides, the

south, west, and north; and a hill on the east. For rabbits I wrap the

trees with corn-stalks, which also protects them from sun-scald. Am

never troubled with borers. I prune moderately to give shape to young

trees, and to let the sun and air to the fruit on old trees; many trees

are injured by heavy pruning. I never thin.

Mixed plantings of trees are best; my Jonathan do well; all do well that

bloom at the same time. I do not fertilize. I never pasture my orchard;

would not advise it. My trees are troubled with woolly aphis and

root-louse. I have sprayed with London purple; last year I sprayed with

Paris green and my apples were free from worms; if London purple is used

without lime it burns the leaves; Paris green does not mix well, and has

to be stirred all the time. I am going to use carbonate of soda and

white arsenic this year; four parts carbonate of soda to two parts of

white arsenic, and one gallon of water; boil for fifteen minutes, then

add another gallon of water and use two quarts of this to fifty gallons

of water. I pick my apples in a sack from a ladder. I sell apples in the

orchard; have regular customers for the winter apples. I supply some

stores with early and fall apples; never peddle any. I put my

second-grade apples in piles of about thirty bushels each, and cover

lightly with dirt until cold weather comes. A little freezing will not

hurt them. In March or April I market them, and get as much for them as

I get for the first-class ones in the fall. Those that keep best are:

Ben Davis, Winesap, Rawle's Janet, Gilpin, and Milam. We dry some apples

for home use. We put them on frames in a spent hotbed under glass, to

keep flies off. I have a large cellar in which I store apples; have

never packed them in barrels. I do not irrigate. Prices have been from

35 cents to $1.50 per bushel. Have help of my own.

* * * * *

L. P. ASHCROFT, Shibboleth, Decatur county: I have lived in Kansas

twenty-two years. Have 100 apple trees, eight to twelve years old, four

to ten inches in diameter. I prefer for commercial purposes Ben Davis,

Winesap, and Willow Twig. I prefer upland with a south slope. I plant

two-year-old, low, bushy, stout-top trees. To set, I plow deep and dig

deep holes, in the fall. I cultivate my orchard every year from May 1 to

July 1, and late in the fall. I use the harrow in the spring, disc and

harrow later on, and lister in the fall. I think windbreaks would be

beneficial on the south, and would make them of buildings and sheds of

all kinds. I am troubled with small borers in the limbs. I prune out the

inside of trees to let sun and air through. I think it beneficial, and

that it pays. I never thin apples; the wind does the thinning. My trees

are in mixed plantings, and I believe would bear every year if they did

not freeze. I fertilize my orchard with stable litter on top of heavy

snows. I think it beneficial, if not too close to the trees. I would

advise its use on all soils if applied at the right time and in the

right manner. I do not pasture my orchard; it does not pay. My trees are

troubled with small borers, and my fruit with some insects. I do not

spray. I have used coal-oil for borers, but do nothing now. We pick our

own fruit.

* * * * *

W. D. STREET, Oberlin, Decatur county: I have resided in the state

thirty-seven years. Have an apple orchard of fifty trees seven or eight

years old, about six inches in diameter. My orchard is situated on low,

bottom land. I prefer two-year-old trees, set in plowed land and dug

holes. I plant my orchard to garden crops, corn, and potatoes. I plow

shallow, and use a harrow and weed-cutter. I plant the same crops in a

bearing orchard. Windbreaks are essential; mine are natural timber along

the creek. I prune a little with knife and saw, to preserve shape;

cannot say that it has been beneficial, or that it pays. I do not thin

the fruit while on the trees; it would probably benefit. I fertilize my

orchard some with stable litter. I think it beneficial, as the land is

heavily cropped with truck. I would not advise it on all soils. I

pasture my orchard with cattle, horses, and hogs, but do not think it

advisable. I have not sprayed yet, but intend to when my orchard is

older. I pick my apples by hand. I store apples for home use. With a dam

across a creek, I raise water into a pond, and irrigate. Seepage,

percolation and capillary attraction do the rest.

* * * * *

JAMES L. WILLIAMS, McDonald, Rawlins county: I have resided in Kansas

nineteen years. Have an apple orchard of sixty trees, planted eight

years; planted ten acres in 1895. I prefer for family orchard Jonathan,

Rambo, Senator, Rawle's Janet, and Gano. I planted my orchard on a

hillside; the small orchard is in the bottom; they have a clay subsoil,

and slope in every direction, but would prefer a northern slope. I

prefer three-year-old trees, set in holes dug four feet deep, five feet

wide, filled in the bottom with soil hauled from the creek. [?] I

cultivate my trees with a cultivator and harrow; I think the life of the

tree depends on the cultivation, and that we will have to keep it up as

long as the tree lives. I plant potatoes and turnips in a bearing

orchard. Windbreaks would be a benefit, and should be made of Russian

mulberry or red cedar, set in four or five rows around the orchard. For

rabbits I rub axle grease on the trees. I commence pruning when I set

the trees out, using a knife and saw, to keep the tops from getting too

heavy and to give shape; I think it pays. Never have thinned the fruit

while on the trees, but would if my trees should ever be overloaded; I

think it would pay. I fertilize my orchard from the sheep corral; it

keeps the ground moist and is food for the trees. Would not advise its

use on bottom land, as the growth would be too rapid. I pasture my

orchard with hogs, but do not think it advisable; it does not pay. My

trees are troubled with grasshoppers and flathead borers. I dig borers

out in the spring, then wash the tree with strong soap-suds, which I

think eradicates all lice and insects that may be in the bark of the

tree; it gives the tree a hearty, vigorous growth. I do not irrigate,

but cultivate instead.

* * * * *

J. R. CALDWELL, Oberlin, Decatur county: I have lived in Kansas thirteen

years. Have an apple orchard of 110 trees, thirteen years old, six

inches in diameter. For fall or winter market I prefer Winesap, Ben

Davis, and Jonathan, and for summer, Cooper's Early White, Maiden's

Blush, Red June, Winesap, Ben Davis, and Jonathan. Have tried and

discarded Rawle's Janet; it is not a good bearer in this locality. I

prefer upland, with a deep, rich loam, and an eastern slope. I prefer

three-year-old trees, with lengthy bodies and not much top, set in holes

dug three by three, one and one-half to two feet deep; fill the bottom

with some of the same dirt. I cultivate my orchard to corn and potatoes

ten or twelve years, using a cultivator and stirring plow; cease

cropping after ten or twelve years. Windbreaks are essential; would make

them of forest-trees, by planting or transplanting them. For rabbits I

wrap the trees with corn-stalks. I prune to keep the limbs from rubbing;

for any other reason it does not pay. I do not thin the fruit while on

the trees. My trees are planted in rows. I fertilize my orchard with

barn-yard litter; think it beneficial, and that it would be good for all

soils. I do not pasture my orchard; it is not advisable, and does not

pay. My trees are troubled with flathead borer and tent-caterpillar, and

my apples with codling-moth. I do not spray. I hand-pick my apples and

sell them in our home market. I do not dry or store any. Do not

irrigate. Price has been one dollar per bushel. Dried apples have been

from five to six cents per pound.

* * * * *

B. F. CAMPBELL, St. Francis, Cheyenne county: I have lived in Kansas

since 1885. Have an apple orchard of 200 trees, from two to seven years

planted. I prefer bottom land, subirrigated, that is sandy, with a

northern aspect. I prefer one-year-old trees planted in rows twenty feet

apart. I cultivate my orchard to vegetables as long and as often as I

can, using a harrow; cultivate after every rain if possible, and the

drier the ground, the oftener the better. Windbreaks are essential;

would make them of cottonwood, as they make the finest growth with us.

For rabbits I wrap the trees with cloth; have not been able to catch or

poison the gophers yet. I prune to maintain low heads and to make

shapely trees without forks, and think it beneficial. I never thin my

fruit. Do not think it makes any difference whether trees are planted in

blocks of one variety, or mixed up. I mulch my orchard to retain

moisture; would not advise it on all soils, as the moles make their home

in it and soon kill the trees. I do not pasture my orchard; do not think

it advisable. The gophers have done more damage by cutting off the roots

than all the other pests. Am also troubled with grasshoppers. Never have

sprayed, but am going to this spring; will use the same chemicals as are

used at the experiment station. I irrigate [sub]; can flood the ground,

but don't need to; it is wet enough without.

* * * * *

J. W. SOMER, Wilson, Ellsworth county: Have lived in Kansas twenty-two

years; have an apple orchard of seventy-five trees. For all purposes I

prefer Ben Davis, Winesap, and Smith's Cider. Have tried and discarded

Arkansas Black, Lawver, Jonathan, and Rawle's Janet. I prefer limestone

bottom land with southeast slope. I prefer two-year-old trees three to

five feet tall. I cultivate my orchard two or three years with a common

stirring plow and cultivator, and plant nothing. Windbreaks are

essential; would make them of forest-trees, walls, or Osage hedge. They

ought to be planted before starting the orchard. For rabbits I wrap my

trees with corn-stalks. I prune only to make trees symmetrical. Do not

thin my apples. I mulch my trees; think it beneficial, but would not

advise it on all soils. Do not pasture my orchard. Trees are troubled

with twig-borer.

* * * * *

J. D. GRIFFITHS, Kanopolis, Ellsworth county: Have lived in Kansas

eighteen years; have an apple orchard of thirty trees. Have some trees

planted on bottom land. I cultivate my orchard to sweet corn as long as

the trees will admit, using a plow and a one-horse, five-tooth

cultivator. I prune to give trees good shape. I fertilize my orchard

with well-rotted stable litter. Do not pasture my orchard. Am troubled

with no insect but borers. I spray the trees when leafing out, and once

a week for five or six weeks after that time, to ward off the insects. I

probe for insects not affected by spraying. I do not irrigate. Prices

have been from fifty cents to one dollar per bushel. Dried apples have

been about eight cents per pound.

* * * * *

M. E. WELLS, Athol, Smith county: I have lived in Kansas twenty-six

years; have an orchard of twelve acres, from five to fourteen years. For

commercial purposes I prefer Ben Davis and Missouri Pippin; and for

family orchard Early Harvest and Winesap. I prefer hilltop of thin clay,

resting on yellow silt, with a northern slope. I prefer two-year-old,

stocky trees planted in dead furrows. I cultivate my orchard to corn as

long as there is space enough between the rows; use two five-tooth

cultivators lashed together, and cease cropping after twelve years.

Windbreaks are not essential. I protect against rabbits and borers by

eternal vigilance in hunting them. I prune by cutting out limbs, so they

will not crowd each other; think it pays. I do not thin the fruit while

on the trees. My trees are in mixed plantings. I do not fertilize my

orchard; I think shallow cultivation is better. I do not pasture my

orchard with anything excepting chickens. Trees are troubled with

tent-caterpillar; some worm affects my apples. I sometimes spray with

lime and copperas, and have not been very successful. Insects not

affected by spraying I dig out with penknife and wire. I pick my apples

by hand from a common ladder; sort into three classes--first, smooth and

free from worms; second, free from worms; the balance in the third

grade. I sell apples in the orchard; also retail them. I handle the best

apples very carefully, one at a time, and place in crates. Keep the

second and third-grade apples at home; feed the culls to hogs. My best

market is in the orchard; never tried distant markets. Never dry any. I

store apples for winter in a cellar on shelves, one layer of fruit on

each shelf--am successful; Ben Davis keeps best. Never tried artificial

cold storage. Do not irrigate. Price has been fifty cents per bushel. I

employ women, because they handle the fruit with more care than men do;

I pay one dollar per day.

* * * * *

ISAAC CLARK, Oberlin, Decatur county: I have lived in Kansas ten years.

I have 1250 apple trees, eight years planted, as fine as they can be. My

market varieties are: Winesap, Missouri Pippin, Rawle's Janet, and Ben

Davis, and for family I added Maiden's Blush, Red Astrachan, and Sweet

June. I prefer clay soil, on hilltop; any slope is good. Plant trees in

good condition and fine appearance, on ground plowed deep and disced

just as deeply. I cultivate very often with five-tooth cultivator, and

never quit. Every third year I plow with a one-horse diamond plow. I

raised melons for the first three years; after that nothing. I have no

use for windbreaks. I tie with corn-stalks, to protect against rabbits.

I prune very little, to form the top, with knife and saw; keep

straggling branches out. I use very little fertilizer; only on thin

soil. I never pasture the orchard. Have some twig-borers and

leaf-crumplers. I have never sprayed yet; it may soon be necessary. I

have kept my trees tied up with corn-stalks for six years; the bodies

are healthy; no sun-scald and no borers. My best market is at home. I

have stored some for winter, in barrels in a cave, and find that the

Winesap, Missouri Pippin, and Rawle's Janet keep best, the latter

keeping until July. I have been able to sell in the spring at fifty

cents per peck.

* * * * *

JOHN M. C. KROENLIN, Lincoln, Lincoln county: I have resided in Kansas

twenty-one years. Have an apple orchard of 178 trees, from four to

fourteen years old, three to twelve inches in diameter. For market I

prefer Winesap and Missouri Pippin, and for family use Missouri Pippin,

Cooper's Early White, and Winesap. I prefer bottom land, with a black

loam soil and sandy subsoil; I believe a level location best. For

planting I prefer two-year-old trees, set in holes dug three feet square

and one and one-half feet deep; throw out all soil and use good surface

soil; never apply water to the roots. I cultivate my orchard until the

trees are seven years old, using a disc, and then a harrow to level the

ground, and plant no crop. Windbreaks are essential; would make them of

Russian mulberries, on south and west sides. I have cottonwood

windbreaks on the east and north of my orchard; those on the east

protect the trees from the morning sun, thereby lessening the danger

when there is frost on the buds, and those on the north I keep trimmed

high, so as to admit of a free circulation of air, which is a protection

against frost. For rabbits I wrap my trees with corn-stalks, which I

think the best way. I prune with an ax, knife, and saw, and think it

beneficial and that it pays. I do not thin the fruit while on the trees.

My trees are in mixed plantings. I fertilize my orchard with well-rotted

cow-stable litter, which I think has been beneficial. I do not pasture

my orchard; I do not think it advisable. My trees are troubled with

canker-worm, but not bad, and my apples with codling-moth. I spray after

the blossoms fall, with London purple (which will kill every time), for

canker-worm. I stand on step-ladder and pick my apples by hand. I sell

them in the orchard, at retail, and feed the culls to the chickens.

Lincoln is my best market. Have never tried distant markets. Don't dry

any; it does not pay. I am successful in storing apples in bulk in a

cellar, and find Winesap and Missouri Pippin keep best. I do not

irrigate. Prices have been from ten cents to two dollars per bushel, the

same season; dried apples four cents per pound.

* * * * *

J. H. SAYLES & SON, Norcatur, Decatur county: Have been in Kansas

fifteen years; have 300 apple trees, eight years planted, six inches in

diameter. For market I planted Ben Davis, Winesap, Missouri Pippin,

Winter Duchess (?), and I added for family use Jonathan, Duchess of

Oldenburg, and Red June. I have tried and discarded the Mann, Walbridge,

Baldwin, Northern Spy, and Red Astrachan. I have black, northwest Kansas

prairie soil, with northeast slope. Our well is seventeen feet deep, and

fruit never fails. Plant low, healthy, two-year-old trees, in deep

furrows, plowed parallel with the slope, putting the trees twenty by

thirty feet. I have raised some splendid seedlings. I draw on large

quantities of stable litter. I grow nothing in the orchard; cultivate

with double shovel, drag, and hoe, keeping the ground flat. I believe

windbreaks are essential, and would make them of Russian mulberry and

white elm, set one row of elm one year old, twelve to twenty-four

inches, then two rows of Russian mulberry six feet apart, alternating.

For rabbits I fence with wire. I prune with knife and saw, thinning out

the tops, and think it pays. I believe in thinning the fruit as soon as

it is large enough, and would plant mixed varieties. Our Jonathan never

bore until the Ben Davis near by bloomed. I scatter stable litter as for

grain, and it is beneficial, as trees not fertilized die out here; it is

good on all kinds of soil. Never pasture the orchard. We have some

leaf-roller, fall web-worm, and codling-moth, but have never sprayed

any. We dig borers out with a wire. We pick by hand, and sort into three

grades: numbers 1 and 2, and cider stock. We never sell in the orchard,

but retail our best in one-bushel crates. Our culls we feed out to farm

stock early. Our best market is at home and west; never tried distant

markets. Have never tried drying or storing for winter. Do not irrigate,

but cultivate often. Prices range from 60 cents to $1.25 per bushel. We

use some farm help at fifteen to eighteen dollars per month.

* * * * *

W. J. BRUMAGE, Beloit, Mitchell county: Have lived in Kansas twenty-four

years; have an orchard of 1000 very large apple trees, from twelve to

twenty years old. For commercial purposes would prefer Ben Davis,

Winesap, Missouri Pippin, Duchess of Oldenburg, Early Harvest, Red June,

Willow Twig, Maiden's Blush, Cooper's Early White, and Pewaukee, and for

family orchard Ben Davis, Winesap, Early Harvest, Maiden's Blush, and

Duchess of Oldenburg. I prefer hilltop, clay loam, with northeast slope.

I plow a ditch and set two-year-old trees a little deeper than they were

in the nursery. Have tried root-grafts and seedlings; were no good. I

cultivate with garden-truck until twelve or fourteen years old, using a

plow to stir the ground, and seed bearing orchard to grass. I use no

windbreaks. I prune to keep the tree from getting bushy; I think it

beneficial. I never thin my fruit. Cannot see any difference in trees

whether planted in blocks or mixed up. Use no fertilizer, and would not

advise its use. Do not pasture orchard; do not think it advisable. My

trees are troubled with canker-worm, flathead borers, twig-borer, and

leaf roller. Codling-moth and curculio trouble my fruit. I spray with

London purple, using a pump, just after the blossom falls, for the

codling-moth, and think I have reduced them. I pick my fruit by hand,

and pack in barrels. I sort into two classes, good and bad. Have sold

them in the orchard; sometimes retail; my best market is home; have

never tried distant markets. I make vinegar of the culls. Never dry any.

Store some for winter market in bulk in a cave; am successful; Winesap,

Willow Twig and Ben Davis keep the best. Have never tried artificial

cold storage. Have to repack stored apples before marketing; we lose

about one-fourth. Do not irrigate. Prices average about fifty cents per

bushel.

* * * * *

JOHN E. DAVID, Winona, Logan county: Have lived in Kansas thirteen

years; have an apple orchard of ninety trees from seven to ten years

old. I prefer level land, black loam with a clay subsoil, and an eastern

slope. I prefer thrifty, healthy trees, set in holes three feet deep. I

cultivate my orchard to beans and melons, using a cultivator and plow

for six years; then cease cropping. Windbreaks are essential; would make

them of honey-locust, planted in rows on north [?] and south. For

protection from rabbits I use wire screening, and dig the borers out. I

prune my trees with a knife to give big growth, and think it beneficial.

I never thin my apples while on the trees. My trees are planted in

blocks. I fertilize my orchard with stable litter; think it beneficial

and would advise it out here. I never pasture my orchard. Am not

troubled with insects. Do not spray. Do not irrigate.

* * * * *

P. F. JOHNSON, Oberlin, Decatur county: Have lived in Kansas seven

years; Have 200 apple trees, four to eight years old, and seven to

fifteen feet high. For commercial purposes I prefer Ben Davis. For

family use, Red June, Winesap, Grimes's Golden Pippin, Jonathan, and Ben

Davis. I prefer bottom land, with deep, black loam and clay subsoil,

north slope. I plant two-year-old trees, in rows north and south, as

close as the different varieties will allow. I cultivate as long as the

trees live, with plow and cultivator, allowing them to go no deeper than

three inches. I plant the young orchard to beans, pumpkins, and

squashes; the same in a bearing orchard, and never cease cropping.

Windbreaks are essential. I would make them of Russian mulberry and

ash, and keep them cultivated. I tie dry corn-stalks around young trees

to protect from rabbits. Never prune. Never thin. I use stable litter as

a fertilizer and mulch; I think it advisable in this latitude. I pasture

my orchard in fall and winter with hogs, and think it advisable. My

trees are troubled with roundhead borer, twig-borer, and grasshoppers. I

do not spray. Have never irrigated, but intend to soon. Prices have been

from $1 to $1.50 per bushel.

* * * * *

The Apple The Kansas Apple, the Big Red Apple; the Luscious, Red-Cheeked First Love of the Farmer's Boy; the Healthful, Hearty Heart of the Darling Dumpling. What It Is; How to Grow It; Its Commercial and Economic Importance; How to Utilize It. · 第 119 / 188 题

GODFREY FINE, Maxson, Osage county: Have lived in Kansas twenty-nine