* * * * *

T. H. GUEST, Grafton, Chautauqua county: I have lived in this county

twenty years. Have an apple orchard of 3000 trees ten years old. For

market I prefer Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin, White Winter Pearmain, and

Little Romanite; and for family orchard Red June, Ben Davis, Missouri

Pippin, Jonathan, Early Harvest, and Grimes's Golden Pippin. Have tried

and discarded Bellflower and Willow Twig on account of blight. I prefer

bottom land, with a black, sandy loam, clay subsoil, and northern

aspect. I prefer one-year-old trees--switches--planted with a lister. I

cultivate my orchard to corn eight years, then use a disc harrow,

running both ways, keeping a dust mulch; I cease cropping at bearing age

and plant nothing. Never put alfalfa in an orchard. Windbreaks are not

essential here. For rabbits I use lath and woven wire, and concentrated

lye for borers. I prune with a saw and shears, to increase the size and

color of the fruit; I think it beneficial, and that it pays. I never

thin the fruit while on the trees, but believe it would pay. My trees

are in mixed plantings; I have Gilpin or Little Romanite growing beside

Missouri Pippins; they blossom the same time. At picking time in the

fall I have noticed a very marked difference in the Gilpin, it having

the peculiarities of the Missouri Pippin: the increase in size, with the

white specks and oblong shape peculiar to the Missouri Pippin. I also

noticed a difference in the Romanite for two rows in; I tried keeping

some of them until spring; some were quite mellow, and the flavor was

much superior to that of the Romanites not near the Missouri Pippins. I

fertilize my orchard with stable litter, but would not advise its use on

heavy soils. Do not pasture my orchard; it is not advisable, and does

not pay. My trees are troubled with canker-worm, tent-caterpillar, root

aphis, flathead borer, fall web-worm, and leaf-roller; and my apples

with codling-moth, curculio, and gouger. I spray successfully when the

fruit buds appear in the spring, with Paris green, London purple and

Bordeaux mixture for canker-worm, tent-caterpillar, and curculio. I

hand-pick my apples in sacks and baskets from step-ladders, and sort

into two classes--first and second--as we pick them; put them into two

different vessels, and let the culls drop. I pack my apples in

two-bushel packages, with blossom end down, mark with the grower's and

consignee's names, and haul to market on a heavy truck. I sell some

apples in the orchard to buyers from the territory. I make cider and

vinegar of the culls, but do not dry, store nor irrigate any. Prices

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

* * * * *

G. W. RHODES, Lowe, Chautauqua county: I have lived in Kansas twenty-two

years. Have an orchard of 500 apple trees from five to twenty years old.

For market I prefer Ben Davis and Jonathan, and for family orchard Ben

Davis, Ortley, Maiden's Blush, and Grimes's Golden Pippin. Have tried

and discarded Lawver, King and Baldwin on account of shy bearing. I

prefer hilltop, with deep loam, limestone soil, and clay subsoil, with

northeast slope. I prefer straight one-year-old trees, with plenty of

roots, set in squares of twenty-five feet. I cultivate my orchard to

corn or potatoes while the trees are small, using a plow and cultivator,

and cease cropping after ten years; plant nothing in a bearing orchard.

Windbreaks are not essential, but would be beneficial; would make them

of evergreens. For borers I wash the trunks of small trees with carbolic

acid and strong soap-suds. I prune to thin the tops, so I can get in to

gather the apples; it pays. I have thinned the fruit while on the trees,

but not lately; haven't time; but think it pays. My trees are planted in

rows, each variety by itself. I fertilize my orchard with barn-yard

litter while I am cultivating; when the trees get larger I mow the grass

and weeds and let lay as a mulch, and afterwards as a manure; this is

all needed. Never have pastured the orchard, but think hogs with rings

in their noses would be a benefit. My apples are troubled with

codling-moth. I spray after the blossom falls with arsenates, for all

kinds of insects that come early, especially the codling-moth; think I

have reduced them. I pick my apples by hand from a ladder, bench, or get

into the tree. We sort into two grades, large and small; sell them in

the orchard to people from the west and Oklahoma, who haul them off in

wagons. We have a great many dried apples, dried by the neighbors on

shares; we find a ready market for them. I am quite successful in

storing apples in bulk in a cave arched over with stone. Ben Davis,

Winesap and Missouri Pippin keep best. Prices have been from twenty-five

to sixty cents per bushel in the fall, and from $1 to $1.50 in the

winter.

* * * * *

JASON HELMICK, Cloverdale, Chautauqua county: Has lived in Kansas

twenty-seven years. For all commercial purposes he prefers Missouri

Pippin and Winesap, and adds a few summer and fall varieties for family

use. Has tried and discarded Bellflower, because the fruit drops off,

and Ben Davis, because it cannot stand heat and drought--the trees decay

early. He prefers north or northeast slope, bottom land, with a deep,

porous soil, the more porous the better. He pastures his orchard with

horses, cattle, and hogs, and thinks it advisable if done with care; it

pays. His trees are troubled with tent-caterpillar, flat-headed borer,

and leaf-roller, which do little damage. His greatest drawback is

drought and heat. He does not spray, and cuts borers out in August or

earlier, and kills the caterpillars. Picks his apples by hand. Never

sells them in the orchard; raises mostly for home use. Stores some in

boxes in a cellar. Does not irrigate. Marketable apples usually sell for

twenty-five cents per bushel.

* * * * *

J. W. GOODELL, Sedan, Chautauqua county: Have lived in Kansas fifteen

years; have an orchard of 200 trees, which are nine years old. For a

commercial orchard I would plant Ben Davis, Winesap, and Missouri

Pippin; and for a family orchard would add Early Harvest. Have tried and

discarded Lowell and Yellow Bellflower as too tender for the climate. I

prefer bottom land having a black, sandy loam, and a northern slope,

and plant one-year-old trees, thirty by thirty feet. I cultivate with a

disc, and am still cultivating, growing corn in the orchard for nine or

ten years. Windbreaks are essential. I would make them of natural oak if

possible. For borers and rabbits I use concentrated lye and lath

jackets. I prune my trees with a saw and shears, and think it pays and

is beneficial. I never thin apples while on the trees, and have never

fertilized. Do not pasture my orchard. My trees are troubled with

canker-worm, tent-caterpillar, root aphis, fall web-worm, and

leaf-roller, and my apples with codling-moth and gouger. I spray for

canker-worm and all other insects before and after the foliage appears,

and think I have reduced the codling-moth. I dig the borers out with a

wire and wash the tree with lye. Pick my apples into baskets, and sort

into firsts, seconds, and culls. I sell in the orchard, and make cider

of the culls. Do not dry any. I store some for winter market in a cave.

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

bushel.

* * * * *

A. D. CHAMBERS, Hartford, Lyon county: Have been in Kansas thirty-two

years. Have 3500 apple trees; 1500 of them have been planted twenty-five

years; 2000 of them six years. I prefer for market Ben Davis, Missouri

Pippin, and Winesap, and for family orchard would add Early Harvest, Red

Astrachan, Maiden's Blush, and Rambo. Have discarded Yellow Bellflower

because it won't bear; Milam, because it is too small; Rawle's Janet,

off on color. Only a few varieties should be in a commercial orchard. I

prefer bottom land; mine slopes to the north. Any soil is good, either

clay or loam. I would set thrifty two-year-old trees in furrows. I have

raised thousands of root grafts in the nursery, growing my own seedlings

to graft on. I cultivate in corn until they begin to show fruit, then in

millet twice; I have never cultivated the orchard without a crop. When

the ground gets bad, break it up and put in millet to shade the ground.

I have never used any windbreaks; plant my trees close, to protect each

other from the wind. I use axle grease for rabbits, and have had very

little trouble with borers. I prune in the early years to shape the

tree; later, to remove surplus wood, and think it increases the size of

the apple. I believe stable litter is beneficial; I have applied it only

on heavy clay soil. I pasture my orchard to a slight extent with horses

and cows. I do not gather the down apples, but let my stock gather them.

I have sprayed with London purple for canker-worm and tent-caterpillar;

I use a barrel and a wagon, from first of May on, and am only partially

successful; I think I have reduced the codling-moth some. I pick with

baskets and wagons, and pile the apples in the orchard. I sort into

three classes--first, shipping; third, culls; second, betweens. As I

sell to shippers at wholesale, I put in the first class as small ones as

the contract will allow; the second class includes all that look

salable, and I sell them in the home markets; I sell what culls I can,

and make cider of the others. I do not ship any. My apples mostly go

south. I tried shipping once, but it did not pay. I do not dry any, nor

store any for winter. Have never irrigated. Prices vary from 20 cents to

$1.25 per bushel, according to variety, time of year, etc. I use men and

women for picking, and pay three cents per bushel.

* * * * *

B. RONEY, Benedict, Wilson county: Have lived in Kansas since the fall

of 1869; have 1400 apple trees, planted from six to twenty-seven years.

For market I prefer Baldwin, Winesap, Missouri Pippin, Jonathan, Ben

Davis; for family, Red June, Maiden's Blush, Winesap, Rawle's Janet, and

Jonathan. I have discarded the Russets (the fruit is inferior), and

Bellflower (the trees are not hardy). I prefer north-slope upland with

deep limestone soil and clay subsoil. I plant thrifty three-year-old,

not overgrown trees with good heads, thirty feet east and west, twenty

feet north and south, to protect from the wind. I set in the spring, in

a rye-field or stubble ground, running out furrows and putting in with a

spade. I cultivate with a small stirring plow with one horse, for the

furrows next the tree. I grow corn until the trees should bear, and then

change to red clover, and mow to keep the weeds down. I believe

windbreaks are essential, but care should be taken not to have many

soft-wood trees near the orchard to breed insects. An elevation on the

south or southwest will be found beneficial. For rabbits, wrap in the

winter; for borers, wash with lime in the spring. Keep out all

watersprouts; thin the top of the tree, so that the sun may penetrate;

balance the top; cut out the center shoot--it pays. After trees begin to

bear I would fertilize with stable litter. Hogs are good in the orchard

in the spring to destroy insects, but should not be allowed to root

much. I spray with London purple and Paris green when in full bloom [how

about bees?], and again in ten days, and give a third spray a few days

after, if any insects are on the trees. We have a good home market. For

winter I find that Rawle's Janet and Romanite keep the best. Prices have

ranged from forty to seventy-five cents per bushel.

* * * * *

GEO. HILDRETH, Altamont, Labette county: Have lived in Kansas

twenty-nine years; have an orchard of 1225 trees, from ten to

twenty-seven years old. For commercial orchard prefer Ben Davis,

Missouri Pippin and Jonathan for winter, and Early Harvest and Red June

for summer; for family use I prefer Early Harvest, Maiden's Blush,

Rambo, Missouri Pippin, and Jonathan. Have tried and discarded Golden

Russet and many others. I prefer a porous or well-drained soil, north by

northeast slope; it is too hot in bottom, and too dry on hilltop. I

plant two-year-old trees in rows running north and south, trees twelve

to sixteen feet apart in the row; have grown very few seedlings. I

cultivate with corn while young, and rye or wheat and keep it pastured

down when bearing. I plow between rows once in fore part of July. I have

a tall hedge for windbreak. I prune to keep the top balanced, and do not

allow it to get too thick; I think it has been beneficial. Have never

thinned apples on the trees. My trees are in mixed plantings, the

varieties are Missouri Pippin, Ben Davis, and others. I fertilize

sometimes, I think it beneficial and would advise it on poor land. I

pasture my orchard with hogs and sheep, and think it advisable; it pays.

Have some insects but not in great quantity. I spray with London purple

after the bloom falls off--one pound of London purple in from 50 to 100

gallons of water. Think I have reduced the number of codling-moth. In

picking I use a sack swung over the shoulder, and a light ladder. I

classify to suit the purchaser, doing the sorting in a cool place and

usually packing the best in barrels, and sell at wholesale, often in the

orchard; feed the culls to hogs; never tried distant markets. I

sometimes store for winter market in barrels and keep in cave surrounded

with hay; am not always successful. I find those that keep best are

Little Romanite, Rawle's Janet, Ben Davis, and Missouri Pippin; never

tried artificial cold-storage. Seldom have to repack stored apples

before marketing; lose about one-fourth. The prevailing price this year

has been fifty to seventy-five cents per bushel.

* * * * *

A. S. DENNISON, Columbus, Cherokee county: Have lived in Kansas

thirty-one years; have an apple orchard of 200 trees, fourteen years

old. I prefer for commercial purpose Ben Davis, Winesap, and Missouri

Pippin; and for family use Red June and Early Harvest. I prefer bottom

land, with black loam, gravel subsoil, and northeast slope. I prefer

one-year-old trees, set sixteen feet at first; thin to thirty-two feet.

I cultivate my young orchard with potatoes and strawberries for ten

years, then sow to clover, plowing again in two years; I never cease

cropping; cultivate with plow, disc, and harrow. I wrap the trees for

rabbits. I prune with a saw and knife, and think it beneficial. I never

thin apples. I fertilize my orchard with stable litter, but would not

advise it on all soils. I pasture my orchard with hogs and calves, and

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

tent-caterpillar, and my apples with codling-moth. I spray for

codling-moth with London purple and Paris green immediately after the

blossoms fall, and again in ten days. I think I have reduced the

codling-moth. I dig borers out. I pick my apples from a ladder in a

basket. I sort into three classes--sound, medium, and small and unsound.

I pack in barrels carefully, and haul to shipping point in spring wagon.

I sell in orchard; also wholesale, retail, and peddle; market most of

them at home; make vinegar of the culls. My best market is home. Never

dry any. I store some for winter in barrels in cellar; am not always

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

marketing, and lose about ten per cent. Do not irrigate. Prices have

been from twenty-five cents to one dollar per bushel. I employ men at

one dollar per day.

* * * * *

D. C. SEIBERT, Columbus, Cherokee county: Has been in Kansas twenty-two

years, and has an orchard from five to twenty years old. For commercial

purposes he prefers Ben Davis and Limber Twig, and for the family adds

Maiden's Blush. Prefers dark soil with a low southern slope, if not wet.

Prefers two-year-old trees set about thirty feet apart. Cultivates with

a disc harrow until four or five years old. Grows corn for five or six

years. Thinks windbreaks essential; would make them of Osage orange all

around the orchard. Prunes his trees, and thinks it beneficial, and that

it pays. Does not thin apples on the trees; says the wind does that for

him. Fertilizes his trees while young with stable litter, and would

advise it on all soils. Pastures his orchard with calves and hogs, and

thinks it advisable, and that with the hogs it pays. His trees are

troubled with bark-louse and leaf-roller, and his apples with

codling-moth. He sprays his trees with London purple, and thinks he has

reduced the codling-moth; for borers, and other insects not affected by

spraying, he throws salt over the roots of the trees. Picks his apples

by hand. Wholesales, retails and peddles them. His best markets are in

his county; has never tried distant markets. Does not dry any. Is

successful in storing apples in bulk in a cave for winter markets, the

Limber Twig and Rawle's Janet keeping best; has never tried artificial

cold storage. Does not irrigate. Prices have been from forty to

sixty-five cents per bushel.

* * * * *

JOHNSON KELLER, Arkansas City, Cowley county: Have lived in Kansas for

twenty-one years. Have 2000 apple trees fourteen years old. I grow for

market Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin, and Smith's Cider. For family orchard

I prefer Early Harvest, Maiden's Blush, Cooper's Early White, Ben Davis,

and Missouri Pippin. I have discarded Gennetting, Winesap, Rambo, Red

Astrachan, and many others that were worthless in this locality. I

prefer second bottom, dark sandy loam, with north and east aspect. I

plant two-year-old trees thirty feet apart, in holes four feet square,

dug one foot too deep, and filled up with surface soil. I cultivate

thoroughly as long as the orchard lives, with stirring plow and disc,

and crop with corn as long as it will even make fodder, or until the

trees shade the ground too much to raise anything. For small orchards I

would recommend a windbreak of Osage orange set far enough apart on the

south to grow in the shape of trees. For rabbits I use nothing but

corn-stalks tied around the trees. I prune in moderation to keep the

trees low; much pruning will kill trees in this locality. I thin apples

some on the trees, at any time after they are the size of hickory-nuts.

I find the best pollinators are a good apiary of bees. I believe in

using plenty of stable litter well mixed with potash, but in moderation

near the trees. Nothing except hogs should be allowed in an orchard.

They destroy nearly all the insects. I spray for canker-worm as soon as

they begin to hatch, and believe I reduced the codling-moth fifty per

cent. last spring. For borers I wash the bodies of the trees early in

spring and twice in May with soft soap and lime. For picking I use a

long-handled device of my own invention, and sort into two classes: No.

1, best and largest; No. 2, medium. One week after they are put in the

packing-house we pack in barrels, with hay or straw between the layers.

We market our best apples and sell our second and third grades at home,

and make all culls into cider and vinegar. Have tried distant markets,

but did not generally pay. Never dried any. We store for winter in a

fruit house and cave, in barrels, and are successful. Our best keepers

have been Missouri Pippin and Winesap. Our loss on winter apples runs

from three to five per cent. Prices in the fall, twenty-five to forty

cents; in winter, 75 cents to $1.25 per bushel. For help we use common

laborers at from seventy-five cents to one dollar per day.

* * * * *

WM. N. SMITH, Brownsville, Chautauqua county: I have lived in Kansas

twenty-eight years. I have an apple orchard of fifty trees twenty years

old and twelve inches in diameter. For commercial purposes I prefer Ben

Davis, Missouri Pippin, and Winesap, and for family orchard I would add

Maiden's Blush and Bellflower. I prefer bottom land, black, sandy loam,

with a clay bottom and a north slope. I plant my trees thirty-six feet

each way. I plant my orchard to corn and potatoes, using a disc, and

plant tame grass in a bearing orchard, and cease cropping when they

begin to bear. Windbreaks are essential. I would make them of Osage

orange, and would surround the orchard with a fence of the same. I prune

to keep the limbs from rubbing, and I 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; am on bottom land, which does not need it, but

think it would be beneficial on some soils. I pasture my orchard with

hogs, but do not think it advisable; it does not pay. My trees are

troubled with canker-worm, tent-caterpillar, flathead borer, roundhead

borer, twig-borer, and leaf-roller. I spray with Paris green and London

purple when the worms are at work on the leaves. I dig borers out. I

hand-pick my apples in baskets from ladders, and sort into two

classes--large and perfect in number one, small and perfect in number

two; the balance for cider. I pack in barrels filled full, and mark with

the grade; then haul to market in a wagon. I make the culls into cider.

Coffeyville is my best market. I dry some and find a ready market for

them; it pays. I am successful in storing apples in bulk in a cellar,

and find Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin and Winesap keep best. Prices have

been about fifty cents per bushel; dried apples, five cents per pound.

* * * * *

C. E. HILDRETH, secretary Altamont Horticultural Society, Altamont,

Labette county: I have lived in Kansas twenty-seven years. I have an

apple orchard of 15,000 trees eight years old, five inches in diameter,

and prefer Ben Davis, Jonathan and Missouri Pippin for market; and for

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

and Missouri Pippin. I prefer gray or red soil, porous subsoil, with an

eastern slope. I set first-class, two-year-old, well-branched trees, in

large furrows, deeply plowed out, twenty feet north and south, and

thirty-two feet east and west. For six years I grow corn in the orchard,

cultivating well; after that nothing. I plow shallow, and disc or harrow

until midsummer as often as the weeds start. I cultivate as long as the

trees live. To protect from rabbits I use sixteen-inch lath woven with

four strands of wire. I prune, to allow only three or four main

branches. I believe in fertilizer, and would use it if I had it. I think

pasturing in the orchard advisable, with young cattle or hogs, and that

it pays. Am troubled some with canker-worm, tent-caterpillar, and

codling-moth; for these I spray with London purple, using a tank, with a

pump run by a sprocket and chain, from a wagon wheel. I believe I have

reduced the codling-moth by spraying. We pick in a sack over the

shoulder, as used in sowing oats. I sort only into first class and

culls, as emptied by the pickers on canvas-covered tables. I use

eleven-peck barrels, marking the name of variety and quality. Sell only

at wholesale, making cider of the culls. Have shipped to distant

markets, but it did not pay. Have never dried any, but think I ought to.

* * * * *

J. S. HACKNEY, Walton, Harvey county: Have lived in Kansas twenty-seven

years. Have an orchard of 325 apple trees twenty-four years old, eight

to sixteen inches in diameter. For commercial orchard I prefer Ben

Davis, Winesap, Snow, Maiden's Blush, Huntsman's Favorite, and Grimes's

Golden Pippin, and would plant the same for family orchard. Have tried

and discarded Winter Strawberry and Paradise Pippin for shy bearing. I

prefer high land, rich subsoil, with north slope. I prefer two-year-old

grafts, the more fibrous roots the better. I checked my land to corn and

then dug out the hill of corn where tree was to stand. I raise my own

root grafts. I cultivate my young orchard with corn, wheat, and oats,

using disc and smoothing harrow. I plant a bearing orchard to clover,

and cease cropping when the limbs interfere with work. I think

windbreaks are essential, and would make them of rapid-growing

forest-trees. To protect the trees from rabbits, I wash them with blood

and liver and tie up. I prune while young to shape and balance the top,

and think it beneficial. I never thin apples. I fertilize with barn-yard

litter and wood ashes. I pasture my orchard with hogs and young cattle;

think it advisable, and that it pays.

My trees are troubled with tent-caterpillar; my fruit with codling-moth,

curculio, and gouger. I spray for the above-named insects after the

blossom has fallen and until apples are as large as quail eggs. I think

I have reduced the codling-moth. For the insects not affected by

spraying I wash with soap and strong lye. I spray with London purple,

Paris green, and kerosene emulsion. We pick apples by hand and are

careful not to bruise them. I sort into two classes; the small and

defective go to the chickens. I generally retail my apples toward

spring; sell second and third grades wherever I can; make cider of

culls. My best markets are home and Newton. Do not dry any for market. I

store 300 or 400 bushels of apples in a cellar 32x32 feet, cemented

sides and bottom, with plenty of windows and doors for ventilation; am

fairly successful; Ben Davis and Winesap keep best. I have to repack

them before marketing. I do not irrigate. Prices have been 40 cents to

$1.75 per bushel. I employ ordinary farm hands at $200 per year.

* * * * *

P. C. BROWN, Cherryvale, Montgomery county: I have lived in Kansas

eighteen years; have an apple orchard of 600 trees from six to

twenty-four years old. For commercial orchard I prefer Ben Davis and

Jonathan, and for family orchard would add Maiden's Blush, Lowell, and

Grimes's Golden Pippin. Have tried and discarded Missouri Pippin,

Lawver, and Roxbury Russet. I prefer a first or second bottom, with a

northern or western aspect, sandy loam with gravelly subsoil. I prefer

two-year-old, well-headed trees, set thirty by thirty. I have some set

thirty by fifteen feet, but intend to grub every other one out when

large. I plant my orchard to corn or potatoes, cultivating two or four

times a year until they begin to bear, using a stirring plow, Acme

harrow, and Planet jr. horse cultivator. Never cease cropping, but

pasture with hogs. Sow grass and clover in a bearing orchard. Do not cut

and take crop off more than twice after they begin to bear. Windbreaks

are not essential, but if they were I should make them of any kind of

trees or hedges, by planting on south and west sides. For rabbits I

inclose the tree with wire screening. I dig the borers out. I prune

trees while young, until they begin to bear, by cutting out the cross

branches and watersprouts. This will promote wood growth, if done in

early spring. It is generally beneficial. I have thinned the fruit

sometimes, but it does not pay. Can't see any difference whether trees

are in blocks of one variety or in mixed plantings. I fertilize my

orchard with lime and ashes in limited quantities. It is beneficial only

on loose, loamy soil; would not advise its use on heavy clay soils. I

pasture my orchard after it comes into full bearing with swine and

poultry. I think it advisable and that it pays, if too many are not put

in.

My trees are troubled with canker-worm, tent-caterpillar, root aphis,

twig-borer, fall web-worm, and leaf-roller. I spray just after the

leaves start and three times afterwards, a week or ten days apart, using

London purple and lime water for the foliage and fruit-eating insects;

think I have reduced the codling-moth materially. I spray early for

canker-worm, and just after the blossoms drop for codling-moth and

curculio. I hand-pick my apples from a step-ladder, in a sack hung over

the shoulder; sort into three classes--first, smooth and not specked;

second, rough and specked; third, partly rotten, for vinegar. I sort

into baskets from a table which has a rim around the edge. I pack my

first-grade apples in barrels pressed full, then headed, marked with a

stencil, and hauled to market on a wagon. I wholesale my best apples to

home buyers, and also fill orders from a distance; sell my second- and

third-grade apples to home buyers, and make into sweet cider; make

vinegar of culls and feed them to hogs. My best market is at home; have

tried distant markets; did not pay. Do not dry any. Am fairly successful

in storing apples in barrels, boxes and shallow bins in a cellar; find

Rawle's Janet, Ben Davis and Jonathan keep best. Weather is too warm in

the fall in this latitude to keep apples successfully. I have to repack

stored apples two or three times, losing from one-third to three-fourths

of them; it varies with the season and time of picking. I do not

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

bushel. I employ the best help there is to be had, at from 75 cents to

$1.25 per day.

* * * * *

JOHN HART, Sedan, Chautauqua county: I have lived in Kansas twenty-seven

years, and have an apple orchard of 400 trees, ten years planted. I

prefer for commercial orchard Ben Davis, and for family orchard Early

Harvest, Maiden's Blush, Winesap, Ben Davis, and Arkansas Black. I

prefer sandy bottom land, and plant my trees in furrows. I cultivate my

orchard to corn as long as it is possible to grow anything, but plant

nothing in a bearing orchard. Windbreaks are beneficial. I would make

them of Osage orange or wild goose plums. I prune with a saw, to thin

out the centers and keep off suckers. I think it beneficial. I fertilize

my orchard with barn-yard litter. I think it beneficial, and would

advise its use on some lands. I do not pasture my orchard, nor would I

advise it. I spray with London purple in the spring, and am successful.

I sell my apples in the orchard, and do not dry any for market.

Missouri Pippin keeps better than other stored apples.

* * * * *

JAMES McNICOL, Lost Springs, Marion county: Have been in Kansas

twenty-seven years. Have an apple orchard of 12,000 trees, set from

three to ten years. Prefer Missouri Pippins alone for commercial

orchard, and Early Harvest, Maiden's Blush, Missouri Pippin and Grimes's

Golden Pippin for family orchard. Have discarded White Winter Pearmain

as not hardy. I prefer bottom land, northern slope, with rich surface

soil and porous subsoil. After plowing out deep furrows, subsoil with a

lister; then select well-rooted, two-year-old trees and plant carefully.

Distance apart is an important matter; if too close, the trees, no

matter how well cultivated, will suffer for moisture; if too far apart,

the wind will play havoc with trees and fruit. I would plant close rows

running east and west, as each row would help break the wind when the

trees in the row reach each other. I would plant twenty feet apart in

the row, and the rows thirty feet apart, and would recommend planting a

row of cherry, dwarf pear, plum or peach between the apple rows,

provided they are cut out at the proper time to not allow them to rob

the orchard of moisture. Cultivate often to a good old age with a disc

and Acme harrow. Grow corn or Kafir-corn for five or six years, leaving

a good space next the trees, not for weeds, but to be well cultivated. A

silly policy is to cultivate the corn that costs less than five cents

per row for seed four times, and leave the tree row that costs two

dollars or more uncultivated. Do not use a stirring plow; it hills up

around the trees too much. If you list your corn, go east and west one

year, north and south the next year. Keep the ground well cultivated;

grow nothing after five or six years, not even weeds or clover.

Cultivate at right angles and diagonal. Whenever you are blessed with a

good rain in summer don't wait until the weeds start, but cultivate as

soon as the ground will bear it. Keep a dust mulch on by cultivation;

few know the great value of a dust mulch. For a family orchard a

five-tooth cultivator near the trees, and a two-horse cultivator for the

middles, will do. Use the harrow often. Six days' work at the proper

time will keep a five-acre orchard in good shape through the season.

Some say this is not a fruit country. It is not and never will be to the

one who has no time to cultivate; but to the careful cultivator there is

great reward, for the very same reason. I believe it essential to have

windbreaks, and advise planting three or more rows of honey-locust and

Russian mulberry for windbreaks, on the south and west sides. For

rabbits I use wooden tree wraps, also traps, guns, and dogs. I prune a

little, to keep the top balanced. I use no fertilizers, and would never

allow stock pastured in orchard. Am troubled with root aphis,

leaf-crumpler, and codling-moth. I practice spraying with blue vitriol

for codling-moth. I prevent borers by keeping the ground well

cultivated.

* * * * *

MIKE GAMER, Strong City, Chase county: Have lived in Kansas since

February 14, 1877. Have 180 apple trees from one to twenty years old.

For commercial orchard would prefer Maiden's Blush and Ben Davis. Have

tried and discarded Rambo and Pennock, because of rot. I prefer dry

bottom. I prefer trees four to six feet high, planted thirty feet apart.

I cultivate in corn for ten years, and seed a bearing orchard to grass.

I think windbreaks are essential; would make them of Osage orange or

trees, a row outside of the orchard. Am troubled with rabbits and

borers. I prune, and think it beneficial. I pasture my orchard with

pigs, and think it advisable. My trees are troubled with flathead borer,

and my fruit with codling-moth. I wash the trees with soap-suds for

insects. I sell my apples in the orchard; make cider of the culls. I

store apples in bulk in a cellar, and find the Romanite and Missouri

Pippin keep the best. Prices have been from twenty-five to sixty cents.

* * * * *

GEORGE SCHENCK, Le Roy, Coffey county: Have lived in Kansas eighteen

years, and have 1200 apple trees from ten to thirty years old. For

commercial purposes I prefer Ben Davis and Winesap. I prefer bottom

land. I cultivate my orchard to corn, using a lister and other tools; I

crop as long as it is possible to cultivate. Windbreaks are not

essential. I think fertilization with barn-yard litter beneficial on

upland orchard, but would not advise its use on rich bottom. I have

pastured my old orchard with calves and hogs.

* * * * *

C. F. PFLAGER, Elk, Chase county: I have lived in Kansas twenty-seven

years. Have 300 apple trees from one to twelve years old. For commercial

orchard I prefer Ben Davis, Willow Twig, Missouri Pippin, Winesap, and

Romanite; for family orchard, Maiden's Blush, Early Harvest, Yellow

Transparent, and Baldwin. I have tried and discarded Sweet Gennetting,

because of rot, and when ripe it is too small for market; Caswinculet,

because it sun-scalds and dries up, and Early White will not stand the

climate. I prefer bottom land, with sandy soil. I prefer two-year-old

trees, with low top, without forks, set four inches above the graft, at

an angle of thirty degrees south. Have grown some seedlings with good

success. I cultivate my orchard with potatoes and tobacco, using a plow

and cultivator, until four years old; I plant nothing in a bearing

orchard, and cease cropping when they commence to bear. Windbreaks are

essential here, and I would make them of Osage orange and forest-trees;

if Osage orange is used, plant it twenty feet from the orchard, or it

will injure the fruit-trees. I wrap my trees with corn-stalks or rags to

protect from rabbits, and wash the trees with lye water for borers; I

also dig them out. I have pruned with clippers, and found it injurious

to the trees; I only cut out watersprouts. I never thin my apples; they

thin themselves. My trees are in mixed plantings and bear well.

I fertilize my orchard with barn-yard litter; I also use fertilizer from

the chicken yard, and would advise its use on all soils. I never pasture

my orchard; it injures the trees, and does not pay. My trees are

troubled with canker-worm, tent-caterpillar, flathead borer, and

leaf-roller. Curculio trouble my apples. I do not spray, but my

neighbors do, and are not successful. I pick my apples by hand into

half-bushel baskets, and put them in a wagon, with hay in the bottom. I

sort into three or four classes, putting the red, yellow and green in

separate piles. I pack my apples in sacks, and haul to market in a

wagon. I often sell in the orchard; retail my best at stores, peddle the

second and third grades, and make cider for vinegar of the culls. My

best markets are Elmdale, Chase county, and Marion, Marion county; have

never tried distant markets. We dry a few apples; use a parer, corer,

and slicer; it is satisfactory; then pack them in flour sacks; but it

does not pay. I store some in boxes and barrels in a cave; am

successful; those that keep best are Romanite and Red Winter Pearmain.

Never have tried artificial cold storage. We have to repack stored

apples before sending to market; lose about five per cent. Prices have

been from fifty cents to one dollar per bushel, and dried apples five

cents per pound. I employ farm hands at from ten dollars to eighteen

dollars per month.

* * * * *

THOMAS W. SMITH, Baxter Springs, Cherokee county: Have lived in Kansas

twenty-eight years. My trees were destroyed in the storm of 1895. For

commercial purposes I prefer Ben Davis, Winesap, and Missouri Pippin.

Prefer hilltop with an east slope. I cultivate at six years; seed a

bearing orchard to clover. Windbreaks are not essential. Never thinned

apples. Pasture my orchard with cows and horses. Prices during winter

have been forty cents per bushel.

* * * * *

S. H. BAILEY, Uniontown, Bourbon county: I have lived in Kansas fifteen

years, and have an orchard of 150 apple trees thirty years old. I prefer

Canada Pippin [Downing calls this White Pippin], Ben Davis, Rome Beauty,

Jonathan, Missouri Pippin, and Maiden's Blush, for all purposes. I

prefer hillside land, with a northeastern slope. I plant apple trees

thirty feet apart each way. I cultivate in potatoes, corn, or any hoed

crop, using a hoe and cultivator. I sow a bearing orchard to clover, and

cease cropping at ten or twelve years. Windbreaks are essential, and I

would make them of Osage orange planted thirty feet from the trees. I

prune a little every year, to get rid of dead limbs, and also thin out

the center of trees, to improve the fruit. I use a saw and knife. My

trees are in block. It is beneficial to mulch with old hay or straw in

drought. I pasture my orchard with small calves, but would not advise

it, as it does not pay. I sprayed with a pump, using London purple, but

it did little good. I cut borers out, and then pour coal-oil in the

holes. I hand-pick my apples in a sack, using a ladder. I sort into two

classes--good and second best. If for home use, I put them in rail pens

for about three weeks; then sort out the good ones and make cider of the

culls. I pack in three-bushel barrels, and ship to Kansas City. I sell

my best apples to shippers. I dry and make cider of the second- and

third-class apples, and feed the culls to the hogs and cows. I store

some for home use, and would store more if I had cold storage. We have

to repack stored apples before selling, and lose about one-half of them.

I have sold Canada Pippins from fifty cents to two dollars per bushel. I

employ men and boys, and pay from fifty cents to seventy-five cents per

day and board.

* * * * *

W. T. WALTERS, Emporia, Lyon county: I have been in Kansas nearly

twenty-one years. I have 700 apple trees; 200 thirty years old, 100

eleven years old, and 400 seven years old. Market varieties, Ben Davis,

Winesap, Missouri Pippin, and Jonathan; and for family have added Red

Astrachan, Red June, Early Harvest, Maiden's Blush, and Rambo. I prefer

bottom land if not too low; I have apples when they dry up on the hill.

Prefer a rich, dark loam, with a slightly porous subsoil, and northeast

slope. Use two-year-old thrifty trees, with well-balanced head. Fall

plow deeply, throw two or three furrows each way, leaving a deep dead

furrow, cross lightly with one furrow, and plant at the crossings. I

grow corn, sweet and Irish potatoes for eight or ten years, then seed to

clover. I cultivate with a one-horse plow, using a hoe around trees. In

my oldest orchard I grow nothing, but use the disc freely. I believe

windbreaks necessary on upland, but not in our bottom. Use corn-stalks

tied around the tree for rabbits. I prevent borers by keeping the trees

thrifty. I prune with knife and saw only to remove dead limbs and keep

others from rubbing together, and I think it pays. I think thinning

would pay, with cheap labor. Have used coarse stable litter in my

orchard; think it has paid in larger and better-colored fruit; would

advise its use for bearing trees. I would pasture my orchard with

calves, hogs, and sheep, if I had them; I believe if judiciously done it

would pay. I spray before the buds open, after the bloom drops, and ten

days later, with London purple and lime, for canker-worm and

codling-moth; have kept the canker-worm in check, but have not prevented

my apples from getting wormy and falling. I hand-pick in sacks and

baskets; pack in tight, eleven-peck barrels; but sell most of my apples

in the orchard to teamsters from the West. I sell culls to the cider

and canning factories. My best market is in the orchard. Never shipped

but once; not satisfactory. I store some in tight barrels in the cellar,

and find Winesaps keep the best. We lose from ten to twenty-five per

cent. of them; some winters they keep better than others. Never dried

any, and have not irrigated. Prices from thirty to fifty cents per

bushel at picking time. I use men and boys at from fifty cents to one

dollar per day.

* * * * *

C. L. KENDRICK, Waverly, Coffey county: I have lived in Kansas

twenty-five years. Have an apple orchard of 375 trees, eighteen years

planted. For commercial purposes I prefer Ben Davis, Jonathan, Missouri

Pippin, and Winesap; for family orchard, Early Harvest, Summer Queen,

and Sherwood's Favorite [Chenango]. Have tried and discarded Bellflower

and Rawle's Janet; they are a failure. I prefer hilltop, with a deep

clay soil, slightly sandy, and a north or northeast slope. I prefer

two-year-old trees, with smooth, heavy bodies, and a low top, set in

holes forty feet apart, with a little loose dirt thrown in the bottom,

the trees leaning a little to the southwest. I cultivate my orchard to

sweet corn and castor-beans, using a disc run deep, excepting close to

trees; I cease cropping after five years, and sow a bearing orchard to

clover. Windbreaks are essential, and I would make them of maple,

Russian mulberry, or Osage orange, set in rows close together, and cut

top off maples at four feet. I use building paper as a protection

against rabbits, and for borers I whitewash the trees; then remove about

three inches of earth from the trees and pour some around the roots. I

prune with a saw and shears, to admit more air and sun; I think it

beneficial, and that it pays. I never thin my fruit on the trees. My

trees are in mixed plantings, and I find them and Mrs. Garrison's and

several others' are thus more fruitful; the varieties used are Ben

Davis, Jonathan, Winesap, Missouri Pippin, and Sherwood's Favorite,

planted in alternate rows east and west. I never fertilize my orchard; I

think clover left in an orchard for two years and then plowed or cut in

with a disc is the best fertilizer for an orchard after it begins to

bear. I never pasture my orchard; do not think it advisable.

My trees are troubled with bag-worm, roundhead borer, bark-louse, and

fall web-worm. My apples are troubled with curculio. I spray with London

purple and lime, with a pump, just after the fruit is formed, for

web-worm and curculio. I think I have reduced the codling-moth by

spraying. I get after insects not affected by spraying with a knife. I

gather apples by hand in a sack, and sort into three classes: the large

and smooth, second size, and culls. I sort from the piles after picking;

then sell or bury them. I prefer two-and-one-half-bushel barrels, with

straw in the bottom and around the sides, marked with a tin tag, and

hauled to market in a heavy spring wagon. I sell in the orchard,

wholesale, retail, and peddle; I sell my best apples to shippers, peddle

the second and third grades, and make cider of the culls. My best market

is Ottawa; have never tried a distant market. I store apples in bulk or

bin, in a fruit house built on a well-drained place; the house is made

of flax straw, posts, and wire or boards to hold the straw in place; the

walls are three and one-half feet thick, four and one-half feet high,

and the roof two and one-half feet, with ventilator in the center. The

door is in the east end. I use two doors, one on the inside, and one on

the outside, filling the space between with flax straw. Am successful in

keeping apples, and find those that keep best are Jonathan, Winesap,

Missouri Pippin, and Smith's Cider. Winter apples have been forty-five

cents per bushel.

* * * * *

W. J. ALBRIGHT, Julia, Kingman county: Have lived in Kansas eighteen

years; have an apple orchard of 500 trees, six to seventeen years old,

four to ten inches in diameter, I prefer bottom land for an orchard. I

cultivate my orchard by subsoiling and shallow cultivation, using a disc

and Acme harrow; I grow nothing in a bearing orchard, not even weeds.

Windbreaks are essential; would make them of Osage orange or Russian

mulberries. Am not troubled with rabbits or borers. I prune some; it

makes better trees. I do not thin the fruit while on the trees. I

fertilize my orchard with cow-stable litter, but do not think it

beneficial. I do not pasture my orchard. My apples are troubled with

codling-moth. I sprayed five years with Paris green and London purple,

and was not successful. I gather my fruit off the ground. My best market

is at home. We dry apples for home use, and do not store any. I irrigate

with a windmill and earth reservoir; it makes big trees.

* * * * *

L. J. HAINES, Galena, Cherokee county: Has been in Kansas nineteen

years. Has an orchard of 2500 trees, fourteen years planted, averaging

eighteen inches in diameter, planted for commercial purposes, and

comprising Willow Twig, Ben Davis, and Winesap, which varieties he would

also recommend for family orchard. Has tried and discarded Snow and

Missouri Pippin, as they would not bear fruit; cannot tell why. Prefers

alluvial soil, with clay subsoil susceptible of good drainage, south

slope preferred. Cultivates always with plow, leaving a deep center

furrow. Tries to eradicate all growth between the trees in a bearing

orchard. Believes windbreaks are essential; uses maple. Prunes, to

stimulate trunk and fruit growth. Fertilizes with wood ashes, and says

they should be used on all soils that lack potash. Pastures his orchard

in spring with calves and hogs, and believes it pays. Sprays April 1,

April 30, and June 1, with London purple, copperas, Paris green, and

Bordeaux mixture. Not fully successful, but believes he reduces the

codling-moth. For borers he lixiviates the ground. This, he claims,

kills by contact under the ground. Plow in fall in time to let the rains

settle in, and too late to keep it from freezing; freeze them out. Sorts

into three classes: Middling [fair], bad, and worse. Hand packed in

barrels, stem down, best on top, and marked "First class." He sells at

wholesale, sometimes in orchard. Feeds culls to stock. Has found Kansas

City, Omaha and Denver to be the best markets. Dries apples on Fay

drier, made in Cincinnati, for home use only, and not satisfactory.

Stores apples for winter in bulk in cave, and finds Ben Davis the best

keeper. For help he uses boys at fifty cents per day, and men at one

dollar per day.

* * * * *

A. J. SALTZMAN, Burrton, Harvey county: I have lived in Kansas

thirty-one years. Have an apple orchard of 500 trees from one to twelve

inches in diameter. For commercial orchard I would prefer Early Harvest,

Maiden's Blush, Ben Davis, Cooper's Early White, and Jonathan; and for

family orchard Early Harvest, Lawver, Jonathan, and Winesap. Have tried

and discarded Willow Twig and Large Romanite on account of blight, and

the fruit rots and specks. I prefer hilltop, with sandy loam and clay

subsoil, and a north or northwest aspect. Prefer two-year-old trees,

with good, thrifty roots, planted thirty feet apart each way. I

cultivate my orchard to corn, potatoes, Kafir-corn and cane for five or

six years, with plow and cultivator, and cease cropping when the orchard

begins to bear. I plant bearing orchard to rye, oats, and artichokes,

and then turn in hogs. Windbreaks are essential; would makes them of

evergreens or Russian mulberries, planted four feet apart. I prune with

a saw, pruning-hook, knife, and sometimes an ax, to give proper shape to

the tree, and to let in air and light; I think it pays. I do not thin

the fruit on the trees, but think it should be done. I fertilize my

orchard with barn-yard litter, and think it beneficial; I would advise

its use on all soils. I pasture my orchard after five or six years with

hogs, and think it advisable and that it pays. My trees are troubled

with root aphis, but not bad, and my apples with codling-moth. I do not

spray. I hand-pick my apples, in baskets, or in a sack over the

shoulder, and put them in barrels, boxes, or wagon. I sort into two

classes: first, sound, for market or home use; second, for vinegar. I

sort them as I pick, and drop the vinegar ones on the ground, and gather

afterwards. I pack my apples in bushel boxes (that is the best way)

while picking. I sell apples in the orchard; also wholesale, retail, and

peddle. I make second- and third-grade apples into vinegar, or feed them

to hogs. My best market is at home. Have tried distant markets, and

found it sometimes paid. I do not dry any, and am successful at storing

apples in bulk in a cellar; sometimes I bury them; I find Winesap,

Limber Twig and Little Romanite keep best. We have to repack stored

apples before marketing, losing from ten to fifteen per cent. of them. I

do not irrigate, but think it would pay. Prices have been from forty

cents to one dollar per bushel; dried apples from five to six cents per

pound.

* * * * *

J. B. SAXE, Fort Scott, Bourbon county: Have lived in Kansas twenty-nine

years. Have an apple orchard of 800 trees from fifteen to twenty-seven

years old. For commercial orchard I prefer Ben Davis and Willow Twig,

and for family orchard would add Winesap and Jonathan. Have tried and

discarded Baldwin, Yellow Bellflower, Maiden's Blush, Early Harvest,

Sweet Bough, Bailey's Sweet, Roxberry Russet, Fall Strawberry, King of

Tompkins County, and several Russian varieties; all are worthless. I

prefer hilly land, with loam soil and clay subsoil, northeast slope. I

prefer one- or two-year-old medium-sized trees, set twenty to thirty

feet apart. Plant my orchard to corn, raspberries, and blackberries,

using a plow and cultivator--a one-horse cultivator between the rows,

for five or six years; cease cropping when the trees begin to bear.

Windbreaks are not essential. I poison the rabbits, and am not bothered

with borers. Prune a little with a pruning knife to keep the head open;

think it pays, and is beneficial. Have never thinned apples while on the

trees. I do not fertilize; our soil is rich enough; ashes or potash

might be beneficial. I think hogs beneficial in an orchard. My trees are

troubled with root aphis, and my apples with codling-moth and curculio.

Pick apples by hand from a ladder into a bag. Sort into two classes,

perfect and imperfect, from piles on the grass or ground. Pack my apples

in barrels by hand, mark with my name, and haul to market in a spring

wagon. Generally sell apples in the orchard, also wholesale; peddle the

second and third grades, and make culls into cider for vinegar. Never

dry any. I stored some in boxes in the cellar last fall, also buried

some in the ground, and was successful. Found Limber Twig and Rawle's

Janet kept best. We had to repack stored apples before marketing; lost

about one-half of those in the cellar, but very few of those buried in

the ground. Do not irrigate. Prices were about forty cents per bushel at

wholesale in the fall on the trees.

* * * * *

S. F. C. GARRISON, El Dorado, Butler county: I have lived in Kansas

twenty-seven years; have an apple orchard of 1000 trees, twenty to

twenty-five years old, ten to twelve inches in diameter. I prefer for

commercial purposes Ben Davis, Winesap, King of Tompkins County, and

Rawle's Janet; and for family orchard Maiden's Blush, Milam, Jonathan,

and Sweet Bough. Have tried and discarded Keswick Codlin, Willow Twig

and Dominie on account of blight. I prefer second bottom, reddish soil,

with liver-red subsoil, and a north slope. I prefer two-year-old,

short-trunk, smooth and round trees. In planting, plow both ways with a

coulter and subsoiler, then dig out. I cultivate my orchard to corn for

three or four years, using a plow; I cease cropping after eight years,

and plant nothing in a bearing orchard. I use sulphur mixed with axle

grease to protect against rabbits. For borers I use fish oil spurted in

with sewing-machine oiler. I prune the under limbs to prevent hanging on

the ground. It does not pay, and is not very beneficial. I thin Rawle's

Janet apples when the smallest ones are as large as marbles. My trees

are in mixed plantings. I fertilize with stable litter, and think it

beneficial; but would not advise its use on all soils. Never pasture my

orchard. My trees are troubled with canker-worm, root aphis, twig-borer,

leaf-roller, and bark-louse, and my apples with curculio. I spray with

London purple and strychnine when the leaves are small; think I have

reduced the codling-moth. I pick my apples (from step-ladders where

high) into baskets. Sort into three classes: cider, specked, and sound.

We leave them in piles until they sweat, then dry and sort. I prefer

two-and-one-half bushel barrels, packed with a nice layer on the bottom

(this will be top when opened), then mark with the name of fruit, and

haul to market by rail or wagon. I sell in orchard, wholesale, retail,

and peddle, and make cider of the culls. My best markets are Wichita,

Pueblo, Leadville, the Strip, and Eldorado. Have tried distant markets,

but it does not pay.

I never dry any for market. I store some apples for winter market in

bulk; am not very successful; find Winesap keeps the best. Have to

repack stored apples before marketing; lose about ten per cent. I do not

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

bushel; dried apples, four and one-half cents per pound. I employ young

men, at from seventy-five cents to one dollar per day. I have sprayed

carefully for three years, and am glad to report no worms this year

[1898]. Winesap not full--too full and dry last year, Maiden's Blush

full, Rawle's Janet very full, Sweet Bough full, Limber Twig full, Milam

full, Ben Davis fair, Northern Spy fair, Little Romanite light, Jonathan

light, Willow Twig and King (of Tompkins county) full, Talman Sweet

full, and Pound Sweet full.

Trees must not be trimmed up too high, as is too much the practice. A

low, broad top will hold the least sprinkle of rain longer, and the wind

will not have much chance to dry the earth under the trees. There are

millions of hair roots just at the surface, in the compost, or loose

earth, to immediately absorb the moisture if wind and sun are kept off.

The buds set better when the trunks are short, and kept as cool as

possible, so that the sap can run freely to the terminal buds, and also

make buds, when, if high and dry, no bud formation can occur. Trees

should be short in trunk, broad top, and limbs nearly to the ground. No

hogs nor calves should be allowed in the orchard, but all the chickens

possible. Cut off all dead branches, and fill up vacancies. Trees should

be two or three years old when set. When setting make a good large hole,

and in the center make a hill or cone of earth. Then spread the roots

out in their natural position, and after this fill in some earth and

press lightly. Set two or three inches deeper than they grew in the

nursery, trim close, and leave no acute forks. Compel the limbs to start

at obtuse or right angles from the trunk; if they bend over to the

north, anchor with string and stake. The art and science of horticulture

are little studied in Kansas. It takes good judgment and a scientific

turn of mind to be successful in orcharding. Chemistry, botany and

physiology are especially necessary to make it a delightful work in

life. We must run back to the original, which was no doubt far beyond

anything we as yet have, or we could not improve at all. The beauty ran

down as man did, and it will be a long time before perfection is

reached.

* * * * *

D. M. ADAMS, Rome, Sumner county: I have lived in Kansas fourteen years;

have an apple orchard of 140 trees from eight to twelve years old. For

market I prefer Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin, and Winesap. I prefer bottom

land for an orchard. I prefer three-year-old trees set fifteen by thirty

feet; mine are planted thirty by thirty. I plant my orchard to corn for

four years, using a cultivator and harrow, and cease cropping after four

or five years. I plant nothing in a bearing orchard. Windbreaks are

essential here. For rabbits I use a gun and traps, and for borers I wash

with soap-suds. I should thin my apples if there was a heavy crop. I

fertilize my orchard with stable litter, and think it beneficial. I do

not pasture my orchard; it is not advisable. My trees are troubled with

borers. I do not spray.

* * * * *

WILLIAM PRICE, El Dorado, Butler county: Have lived in Kansas

thirty-five years; have 1200 apple trees, planted twelve to eighteen

years, running from eight to twelve inches in diameter. My market

varieties are Winesap, Missouri Pippin, Ben Davis, Large Romanite, and

Jonathan; for family I have added Early Harvest, Red June, Red

Astrachan, and Maiden's Blush. I have discarded Rawle's Janet, as they

grow in clusters and rot on the trees. My location is on hilltop, with a

loose clay soil, and a north aspect. I plant two-year-old upright trees,

with good roots, in deep furrows thrown out each way, and subsoiled. I

cultivate same as corn, and grow corn as a crop, for small grains and

millet breed insects. In the bearing orchard I grow nothing. I cultivate

with the disc harrow, cultivator, and plow, until the trees cover the

ground, from twelve to fifteen years from planting. I wash the trees

three times a year with a solution of soft-soap suds and crude carbolic

acid. I believe windbreaks are essential, and would make them of rapid,

dense-growing trees; I use Russian mulberry, planted in three rows,

twelve feet apart, mismatched. For rabbits I rub the trees with sulphur

and grease. If trees are washed with carbolic acid and soap-suds, no

borer will ever attack them. I trim very slightly to keep down

watersprouts; to trim as they do in the East does not pay here. I do not

thin, but believe fruit would sometimes be larger and better for it. I

believe in fertilizing, and prefer cow-yard litter, sheep litter, and

hay; on rich bottom land I would use hay mulching. Mulching should be

removed from around the trees for hoeing, and then replaced. I never

pasture an orchard.

Am troubled some with canker-worm, twig-borer, and codling-moth. I spray

three or four times in a season, from eight to ten days apart, according

to the weather, beginning as soon as the blossoms appear, with a large

force-pump, and a rod with double nozzle, for canker-worm, web-worm, and

codling-moth. I have lessened the codling-moth by using copper sulphate

solution very early [?]. For borers I use London purple, copper

sulphate, Bordeaux, and Paris green [?]. We pick by hand, and sort into

two classes: First, the finest fruit; third, the culls, and second,

betweens. Sell some in the orchard, from a bushel to wagon-loads. Sell

my best apples on orders from merchants and citizens. The second grade

same as the first, if desired. The culls I make into vinegar, which I

sell in the home market. Our best market is at home. I tried shipping,

but transportation charges were too high; have not tried drying. I store

for winter outdoors, covered with hay and dirt, so as not to freeze. The

Romanite keeps best. I make my piles of twenty bushels, and lose perhaps

one-twentieth. Do not irrigate. Prices of late: First class, fifty

cents; second class, thirty-five cents per bushel. I use young men and

boys at from fifty cents to one dollar per day and board. I have one of

the best small orchards in the state. Have been successful in planting

and growing trees.

* * * * *

R. E. LAWRENCE, Wichita, Sedgwick county: I have resided in the state

twenty-eight years; have an apple orchard of 300 trees from twenty to

twenty-four years old. For market I prefer Missouri Pippin and Ben

Davis, and for family orchard would add Winesap, Early June, and

Grimes's Golden Pippin. I prefer bottom land with a sandy loam soil and

porous subsoil. I prefer two-year-old trees set thirty feet apart each

way. I cultivate my orchard to corn or potatoes for several years, using

a common cultivator; cease cropping when they begin to bear, and sow to

orchard-grass. Windbreaks are essential; would make them of

forest-trees. I prune to thin the branches; think it beneficial. Do not

thin the fruit while on the trees. My trees are in mixed plantings. I do

not fertilize my orchard. I do not pasture my orchard. Codling-moth

troubles my apples; have not sprayed. Pick my apples by hand; sort into

two classes--marketable and cider. I sell some apples while in the

orchard at retail. Sell my best apples in home market, and make cider of

culls. Never tried distant markets. Do not dry any. Don't store any. Do

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

bushel.

* * * * *

S. S. WEATHERBY, Le Roy, Coffey county: Have lived in Kansas

twenty-seven years. Have 500 apple trees, twelve years planted, six

inches in diameter. Grow only Ben Davis, Winesap, and Missouri Pippin.

Have discarded Willow Twig on account of blight. My location is in the

bottom, with rich loam and sandy subsoil. I have planted in rows

thirty-two feet distant; cultivate in corn for four years after

planting, and use the disc harrow as much as possible. In a bearing

orchard I would put clover. Believe windbreaks are essential, made of

any kind of forest-trees, planted thickly, in two or three rows around

the orchard, and cultivated while small. Protect from rabbits with a dog

and gun, and also by wrapping the trees. Prune very little; simply keep

down sprouts and remove crossed limbs. Have never thinned on the tree,

and believe barn-yard litter useful as a fertilizer. I pasture with a

few calves, but think it does not pay. Am troubled with some insect, and

spray moderately in May with London purple, for web-worm and

leaf-crumpler. Pick from the wagon, driving under the trees. Sell at

both wholesale and retail, and my best market is the commercial buyer.

Feed my culls mostly to the pigs. Never have dried any, nor stored any

for winter. Have a pipe running from my water-tank, by which means have

watered a few trees for a number of years, and these trees are very

large and yield very fine fruit. If I were to start again, instead of

planting 500 apple trees I would plant sixty, and dig a well and put a

windmill in the midst of them; and I am confident I would get more

satisfactory returns.

* * * * *

J. A. MULLINEAUX, Cherryvale, Montgomery county: I have been in Kansas

twenty-nine years. Have 350 apple trees of various ages and sizes,

mainly Ben Davis and Missouri Pippin. Have tried and discarded the

Romanite as too small. I prefer bottom or second-bottom land, red soil,

with sandy subsoil, and a south slope. I plant two-year-old trees in the

spring, 32x32 feet; cultivate for four years, growing oats as a crop;

also grow oats in a bearing orchard. Believe windbreaks or an

Osage-orange hedge are beneficial. I tie corn-stalks around my trees to

keep off the rabbits. I never prune at all. Do not thin fruit on the

trees. I fertilize with stable litter while trees are young. Believe it

pays to pasture orchards with hogs, as they destroy worms. I am troubled

some with borers, web-worms, and codling-moth, but have never practiced

spraying. I pick by hand, and sort into first and second classes, and

pack in bushel boxes, selling at wholesale; haul to market on a rack;

make my culls into cider. My best market is Cherryvale. Never have

dried any. Do not irrigate. I store for winter in bulk in the cellar,

and am successful in keeping Missouri Pippin and Ben Davis. Price here

is $1.50 per bushel.

* * * * *

O. M. RECORD, Thayer, Neosho county: Have lived in Kansas twenty-one

years; have 400 apple trees eight years old. My land is eastern slope,

clay subsoil; I plant 20x28, first subsoiling the row. Cultivate to corn

and potatoes with a plow, common cultivator, and five-tooth cultivator,

until eight years old; then sow to clover. I believe a windbreak is

essential, and like Russian mulberry planted on the south and west. To

protect from rabbits and borers I use a wash made of soap, lime, and

crude coal-oil. I prune with the shears to balance the top properly, and

think it pays. I think varieties that grow in clusters like Rawle's

Janet should be thinned to a single specimen. I use stable litter, as my

land is a light, sandy loam and needs it. I pasture my orchard with

hogs, but not too many; if they run short of feed they will sometimes

bark the trees. I am troubled some with canker-worm, tent-caterpillar,

leaf-roller, and codling-moth. I spray as soon as the bloom is off and

twice afterwards with lime and crude oil, to kill the leaf eaters and

fungus, and have probably reduced the codling-moth. I look for borers in

the fall and dig them out with a knife. My orchard is yet too young to

describe picking, sorting, etc. I intend to build a pond and try wetting

the ground when the trees need it.

* * * * *

CHAS. DIEMURT, Murdock, Butler county: I have been in Kansas thirty

years; have 400 apple trees eight years old. I have Ben Davis, Winesap,

Missouri Pippin, Dominie, Grimes's Golden Pippen, Rome Beauty, Rambo,

Early Harvest, Bellflower, Rawle's Janet, Willow Twig, Red June,

Maiden's Blush, and Duchess of Oldenburg. I prefer hilltop, with sandy

soil, and a red, sandy subsoil, with western slope. I plant

two-year-old, low, stocky trees, two rods apart each way. I cultivate

with plow and cultivator. I whitewash with lime and blood to keep the

rabbits off, and lime to keep off borers and other insects. I prune,

taking off only surplus limbs, and think it beneficial. I never thin

apples. I fertilize to improve the tree; I think it advisable. Am

troubled with canker-worm, leaf-crumplers, and codling-moth. I spray

when the leaves are just out with London purple for canker-worm, and

think I have reduced the codling-moth. For insects that are not affected

by spraying, I wash the trees with lime during the fall, and in the

spring with strong soap suds. I pick my apples by hand, and sort into

two classes--best for eating, second for cider. For packing I prefer

boxes made of slats [lath?], two feet wide by four feet long, and one

foot deep. I sell some in the orchard, make cider of the culls, and

store some in boxes, and am successful. I find the Missouri Pippin and

Winesap keep best. Prices have been from fifty cents to one dollar per

bushel.

* * * * *

F. M. SAVAGE, Burden, Cowley county: Have been in Kansas twenty-seven

years; have a small orchard of 375 trees that have been set from four to

twenty-two years. I would recommend for all purposes Ben Davis, Winesap,

and Missouri Pippin. Tried Northern Spy, but it did not do well. My

location is on hilltop, north slope, with a black loam soil and clay

subsoil. I plant two-year-old thrifty trees with a spade, in large, deep

holes. Would cultivate as long as they live, with a plow, and grow no

crop among the trees. I think a windbreak of several rows of Osage

orange on the south side is a necessity. For borers and rabbits wash

with whale-oil soap, digging out any borers that may be in with a knife.

I prune with a knife, saw, and ax, and believe it pays. I use stable

litter in my orchard. Tried pasturing my orchard once with hogs, but do

not think it advisable. Have some borers, tent-caterpillars, and

codling-moth, but have never sprayed any. Pick in baskets, buckets, and

sacks, and sort into two classes--first, to sell or put away; second,

culls. Prefer large boxes, with the fruit laid in carefully, each kind

by itself. I wholesale as many as possible, sell some in the orchard,

and make cider of culls. My best market is at home. Have never tried

drying. Keep them successfully over winter in bulk in the cellar for

family use; Winesap keeps best. Prices have run from twenty-five cents

to one dollar per bushel.

* * * * *

S. B. BROWN, Waverly, Coffey county: I have lived in Kansas twenty-six

years. Have 1100 apple trees from three to twenty-five years old. My

market varieties are Winesap and Missouri Pippin; for family orchard I

add Yellow Transparent and Grimes's Golden Pippin. My location is

hilltop, with a northern slope. I plant two-year-old trees by running a

furrow with a plow and opening holes with a shovel. I cultivate with a

plow and cultivator from ten to twelve years, growing corn for ten

years; after that, nothing. I believe windbreaks are essential, and

would make them of Osage orange or maples, on the east, north, and

northwest. For rabbits I wrap the trees; for borers I wash with soft

soap. I prune to make the apples larger. I use stable litter between the

rows. I do not think it advisable to pasture the orchard. I do not

spray, and am troubled with canker-worm, flat-headed borer, and

curculio. We hand-pick into sacks, and sort into four grades--No. 1, No.

2, No. 3, and culls. I peddle my best apples; make culls into cider. My

best market is Waverly; never tried distant markets. I have dried apples

on the Zimmerman drier with satisfaction. I box the dried product and

find a ready market for it, and think it pays. I do not store any

apples. The prevailing price for apples is fifty cents per bushel, and

for dried apples twelve cents per pound. I use men for help, and pay one

dollar per day.

* * * * *

DICK MAY, Elk, Chase county: Have lived in Kansas since 1860. Have a

family apple orchard of sixty trees eighteen years old. I prefer Ben

Davis and Winesap, on bottom land with a second slope. I cultivate my

orchard fourteen years, using a cultivator, and plant corn in a young

orchard and orchard-grass in a bearing orchard. Windbreaks are

essential; I would make them of timber by planting in groves. For

rabbits I wrap the trees; and use soap-suds for borers. I prune with a

pruning-knife, and think it pays. I do not thin the fruit while on the

trees. I would advise the use of fertilizers on all soils. I do not

pasture my orchard; do not think it advisable; it does not pay. My trees

are troubled with roundhead borer, and tent-caterpillar. I do not spray.

I pick by hand and sort into two classes. I haul to market in a wagon

and wholesale them. I have put apples in cold storage and find Winesap

and Missouri Pippin keep best and satisfactorily. I have to repack

stored apples before marketing. I do not irrigate. Prices have been from

fifty cents to one dollar per bushel, and dried apples six cents per

pound.

* * * * *

E. O. BEAVERS, Ottumwa, Lyon county: Have been in Kansas twenty-three

years. Have 2000 apple trees, from one to twenty-three years planted.

Prefer for market Winesap, Mammoth Black Twig, Gano, Ben Davis, and

Missouri Pippin; and for family use Winesap, Mammoth Black Twig, Gano,

Ben Davis, Jonathan, and Early Harvest. Have tried and discarded Lawver,

because they do not hang on until maturity. I prefer a north slope of

high, level, bottom land, with black soil and clay subsoil. Plant

two-year-old, whole-root, round-topped trees, in large holes dug two

feet deep and filled for six inches with surface soil, packed well. Have

now in bearing some good seedlings. Grow corn in orchard from eight to

ten years, and cultivate the tree rows well with shallow plowing, and

harrow and cultivator. After ten years sow to red clover. Want a

windbreak of timber on south. Shoot the rabbits. Prune with saw and axe

to "get nicer apples," and think it pays exceedingly well. Prefer to

plant in blocks of a kind, as they are more fruitful. Use stable litter,

but not close up to the trees. Believe it pays to pasture with hogs, if

not overstocked. Have canker-worm and codling-moth; spray three times,

the first before blooming, for canker-worm. Have surely reduced

codling-moth by spraying. Borers never bother any. Pick by hand from

common ladders, with sack over shoulder. Sort into three classes: No. 1

perfect, No. 2, and culls. Have a different man to pick out each grade.

Use eleven-peck barrels; face two layers, then fill, shake, and press.

Usually sell marketable fruit in orchard to shippers. Sell culls by

wagon-loads in orchard. My best near-by market is Emporia, Kan. Have

shipped to a distant market and made it pay. I have stored some in

barrels in cellar, and all kept well, Winesap perhaps a little the

better. Prices range from forty to sixty cents per bushel. I employ the

best experienced men I can get, and pay one dollar per day of ten hours.

* * * * *

J. ELLISON, Chautauqua, Chautauqua county: Has lived thirty-two years in

Kansas. Has an orchard of 800 trees--300 fifteen years, and 500 twelve

years planted. Prefers Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin, Rawle's Janet and

Jonathan for market, and for family use adds Maiden's Blush. Has

discarded every other kind; the above are the only profitable ones.

Prefers sandy loam with clay subsoil, high eastern slope, protected on

north. Sets three-foot yearling trees in spring, marking out with

fourteen-inch plow, thirty-five feet apart each way, and set at

crossing. Cultivates with stubble plow in April, then keeps harrow going

until August 1. Uses hoe around trees. Grows corn in orchard until ten

years old; then keeps ground well cultivated. Does not desire

windbreaks. Feeds the rabbits poisoned fruit. Says borers are not

troublesome if cultivation is kept up every two weeks through June and

July. Prunes any time from January to June, to improve the fruit and

prolong the life of the tree. Says stable litter on all sandy loam, not

nearer than three feet from the tree, will make the fruit larger,

crisper, and better flavor. Allows no stock but poultry in the orchard.

Sprays with London purple, on April 10, 20, 30, and May 10, for

canker-worms, and destroys them completely. Has cleaned out the

codling-moth, too. For borers he washes his trees in June and September

with carbolic acid ten pounds, sulphur forty pounds, lime enough to make

a thick whitewash. On picking he sorts into three grades: No. 1, select,

large, sound, smooth; No. 2, small and sound; No. 3, knotty and specked.

Uses for marketing one-bushel baskets packed full. His best market is in

the orchard, selling by wagon-loads. He uses some culls for vinegar and

gives many to his neighbors. Does not dry any. Stores some for winter in

trenches in bulk, in the soil, covered with pure earth, and they keep as

follows: Missouri Pippin, first; Rawle's Janet, second; Ben Davis,

third. Prices vary from forty cents to one dollar per bushel. Uses

common farm help at sixty cents to eighty cents per day.

* * * * *

N. SANFORD, Oswego, Labette county: I have lived in Kansas twenty-seven

years. Have an apple orchard of 150 trees, twenty-four years old, ten

inches in diameter. For all purposes I prefer Red June, Jonathan,

Grimes's Golden Pippin, Rome Beauty, and Winesap. Have tried and

discarded Ben Davis, White Winter Pearmain, Red Winter Pearmain, and

Missouri Pippin; they don't do well here. I prefer clay bottom land with

north aspect. I prefer well-grown two-year-old trees, set a little

deeper than nurserymen recommend. I cultivate my orchard to corn or

potatoes four years, using a five-tooth cultivator, and cease cropping

after six years. I plant nothing but raspberries and blackberries in a

bearing orchard. Windbreaks are not essential. For rabbits I wrap the

young trees with cloth. I prune the tree while young to give shape and

get rid of dead branches; I think it pays. I do not thin my apples while

on the trees; it does not pay. I fertilize my orchard with stable litter

and ashes; would advise their use on all soils. I pasture my orchard in

early spring and during the fall and winter with horses and cattle;

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

canker-worm, bud moth, root aphis, and twig-borer, and my apples with

codling-moth, curculio, and gouger. I spray with a force-pump; use Paris

green, London purple and Bordeaux mixture for canker-worms and all other

pests. I pick my apples from ladders with care; sort into two

classes--first, all large and sound; second, small and sound; pack them

in eleven-peck barrels as we pick them; fill the barrels full with a

little pressure; mark with variety and grade. I wholesale, retail and

peddle my apples; I evaporate the second and third grades and culls. My

best market is Colorado; I have tried distant markets and found they

paid. I dry apples with a home-made drier, which is quite satisfactory;

after they are dry we pack in fifty-pound boxes, but do not find a ready

market; they pay some years if the quality is good. Am successful in

storing apples in barrels in a stone cellar, and find Winesaps keep

best. I have to repack stored apples, losing about one-sixth or

one-eighth of them. Do not irrigate. Prices have been from fifty cents

to one dollar per bushel; dried apples from five to nine cents, if

fancy. I employ women at fifty cents per day for preparing the

evaporated apples.

* * * * *

C. G. WICKERSHAM, Parsons, Labette county: I have lived in Kansas

twenty-six years. Have an apple orchard, the oldest of which are

twenty-seven years. For all purposes I prefer Jonathan, Grimes's Golden

Pippin, and Winesap. I prefer hilltop, with the very best of black soil,

having a north or northwest slope. I prefer two- or three-year-old

medium-sized trees, set in holes dug for them. I cultivate my orchard to

potatoes, using a common cultivator, and cease cropping after ten or

fifteen years; nothing should be planted in a bearing orchard.

Windbreaks are essential; would make them of three to six rows of elms.

We destroy all the rabbits we can. I prune the trees when first set out

to shorten in the limbs; then keep it up every year; it pays big. I do

not thin the fruit on the trees; the wind does it for me; it pays to not

have the trees too full. Makes no material difference whether the trees

are in block of one variety or mixed plantings. I fertilize my orchard

with slightly rotted stable litter, and think it pays, and is

beneficial. I would advise its use on all soils, but not as extensively

on rich soils. I pasture my orchard with chickens only; they are a

benefit and pay well. My apples are troubled with codling-moth,

curculio, and bud moth. I spray with London purple, Paris green, and

Bordeaux mixture. I pick my apples by hand, sort in from three to six

grades, and put them on hay in the shade. Pack in one- and

one-and-a-half-bushel packages. I wholesale, retail and peddle a very

little. Give the culls to neighbors who have no apples. Have tried

distant markets, but it did not pay. Home market is best. I do not dry

any. I store some in a frost-proof house. Have to repack stored apples.

I water my orchard frequently.

* * * * *

O. W. HECKETHORN, McPherson, McPherson county: I have resided in Kansas

twenty-four years; have an apple orchard of 350 trees; 180 of them are

twelve years old; the balance are younger. For market I prefer Missouri

Pippin and Maiden's Blush; for family use, Maiden's Blush. I prefer a

sandy loam with an east or northeast aspect. I prefer two-year-old,

low-headed trees, planted in rows thirty feet apart. I cultivate my

orchard as long as the weeds grow, and plant a young orchard to corn,

using a small cultivator and disc. Cease cropping after eight or nine

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

would make them of peach trees planted close together. I have pruned to

shape trees, but do not prune at all now. 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 do not pasture my

orchard. My trees are troubled with tent-caterpillar, and my apples with

curculio.

* * * * *

A. B. MANN, Toronto, Woodson county: I have lived in Kansas twenty-eight

years. Have an apple orchard of fifty trees, twenty years old, twelve

inches in diameter. For all purposes I prefer Ben Davis, Winesap,

Jonathan, and Missouri Pippin. My trees are planted on a hilltop, with

north slope, having a black limestone soil. I prefer two-year-old trees,

set in rows twenty feet apart. I cultivate my orchard to sweet corn

until four years old, using a plow and harrow, then cease cropping; put

clover in a bearing orchard. We make windbreaks of Osage orange on the

north side of the orchard. For rabbits I use lath, and dig borers out. I

prune with a chisel and mallet; think it pays. I do not thin the fruit

while on the trees. I do not mix my trees when planting. I fertilize my

orchard between the rows with stable litter; would not advise its use on

all soils. I have pastured my orchard with hogs, but do not think it

advisable, as it does not pay. My trees are troubled with

tent-caterpillar and flathead borer, and my apples with codling-moth. I

do not spray; my neighbors do, without success. I hand-pick my apples.

* * * * *

D. W. COZAD, La Cygne, Linn county: I have resided in the state

twenty-five years. For market I prefer Ben Davis, Jonathan, Willow Twig,

and Missouri Pippin, and for family orchard, Early Harvest, Maiden's

Blush, Winesap, Rawle's Janet, and Huntsman's Favorite. Have tried and

discarded Lawver, Yellow Bellflower, Gilpin, and Cooper's Early White,

on account of shy bearing, poor quality, and small size. I would choose

hill for some and valley land for others, according to variety planted;

would prefer southeast aspect with limestone soil and porous subsoil. I

prefer one-year-old trees. I cultivate my orchard to corn and potatoes,

using a surface cultivator and harrow; cease cropping at bearing age and

sow to clover. Windbreaks are essential. I would make them of double

rows of evergreens on the north and west. Protect from rabbits and

borers by "eternal vigilance." I prune with a saw and knife for

symmetry, air, and light, and think it pays. I thin the fruit while on

the trees, at different times; it pays. I fertilize my orchard with

stable litter and clover; would advise its use on all soils. I pasture

my orchard with hogs; think it advisable, and that it pays. My trees are

troubled with canker-worm, tent-caterpillar, root aphis, flathead borer,

and woolly aphis; my apples with codling-moth and curculio. I pick my

apples by hand; sort into three classes, sound and large, sound and

small, and culls. I sell apples in the orchard, wholesale, retail, and

peddle. Sell my best apples from the cellar, also second grade. Of the

culls we make cider and feed to the hogs. My best market is at home. I

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

and a cave; I find the Gilpin, McAfee, Rawle's Janet and Willow Twig

keep best. I have to repack stored apples before marketing, losing about

one-twentieth of them. I do not irrigate. Prices have been: Summer,

twenty-five to thirty cents; fall, forty to fifty cents; winter sixty to

eighty cents per bushel. I employ men at ten cents an hour.

* * * * *

W. M. BARNGROVER, Hamilton, Greenwood county: I have been in Kansas

seventeen years, and have an orchard of 100 apple trees fifteen years

old, twenty-four inches in circumference. For market I prefer Ben Davis,

and for family use Winesap. I prefer bottom land, with a black loam soil

and a red clay subsoil. I prefer two-year-old, low-headed trees, set in

big holes. I cultivate my orchard about every four years with a disc and

harrow, and sow English blue-grass in a bearing orchard. Windbreaks are

essential to orchards on the hills; I would make them of a row of maples

between every row of apple trees. For rabbits and borers I paint the

body of the tree with a solution of coal-tar and carbolic acid. I prune

my trees to protect them from the hard winds; always trim the highest

limbs--never the low ones. I fertilize my orchard with about twelve

inches of old hay for four years, and think it should be used on all

soils, as the tree growth will be one-third larger. I pasture my orchard

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

troubled with leaf-rollers. I spray with Paris green. In picking, I use

a step-ladder and a pole with a hook on the end. On the under side of

the pole I sew a long sack [a canvas tube]; the apples fall in this sack

and roll down to me. I pack in barrels; sell in orchard; use the waste

apples at home. Have tried distant markets; it did not pay. Do not dry

any. I store apples for winter in barrels, and find White Winter

Pearmain keeps best. I have to repack stored apples before marketing;

the loss depends a great deal on the season. I do not irrigate. Prices

have been from thirty cents to one dollar per bushel. Home-dried apples,

four and one-half cents per pound.

* * * * *

DAVID LEHMAN, Halstead, Harvey county: I have resided in Kansas nineteen

years; have an orchard of 180 apple trees sixteen years old, eight to

twelve inches in diameter. For market I prefer Winesap, Missouri Pippin,

Ben Davis, and Jonathan, and for family orchard would add Maiden's

Blush. I prefer hilltop with a black loam and an east slope. I prefer

one- or two-year-old trees, two feet tall, with good roots, set thirty

feet apart in rows. I cultivate my orchard to corn for ten years, using

a harrow and five-tooth cultivator very shallow. Cease cropping after

ten years, and plant turnips in a bearing orchard. Windbreaks are

essential; would make them of red cedar, ash, or catalpa, by planting

eight by eight feet in rows. I prune my trees when young with a

pruning-knife to get rid of all unnecessary limbs; I think it pays. I

fertilize my orchard with stable litter that will not heat, and would

advise its use on all soils, but lightly on rich soils. I pasture my

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

trees are troubled with borers, and my apples with curculio. For insects

not affected by spraying, I use one box of concentrated lye and four

ounces of tincture of tobacco to four gallons of water; wash well with a

swab three times a year--the 15th of June, July, and August.

* * * * *

W. W. GARDNER, Chanute, Neosho county: Has lived in Kansas thirteen

years. Has 1000 well-grown trees, set seven years. Prefers for commerce

Ben Davis, Winesap, Missouri Pippin, and Huntsman's Favorite, and for

family orchard adds Maiden's Blush and Rome Beauty. Prefers north slope,

upland. Plants two-year-olds, with straight centers, at sixteen to

eighteen feet apart, in rows twenty-two to twenty-four feet apart.

Cultivates with two-horse cultivator, often enough to keep the weeds

down; then harrows, aiming to keep the ground mellow. Grows corn from

nine to ten years, then clover; says small grain hurts trees. Thinks

evergreens best for windbreaks, but does not think such protection

essential. Keeps dogs for the rabbits. Prunes with hedge shears, and

says it certainly pays. Believes barn-yard litter beneficial in any

orchard, on any soil. While he thinks pasturing not advisable, and that

it will not pay, he says he will probably pasture in fore part of

seasons with calves, after he has seeded to clover. Sprays with London

purple and lime as soon as canker-worm appears. Is not troubled with

borers. Would irrigate if he could. Has yet had too little fruit to

market.

* * * * *

HENRY NEIL, Weir, Cherokee county: Have lived in Kansas twenty-eight

years; have 148 apple trees, from three years old to very large. For

market I use Ben Davis; for family, Early Harvest, Winesap, and

Romanite. I prefer hilltop, with an eastern slope, black loam soil, with

gravelly subsoil. I plant two-year-old thrifty trees, thirty-three feet

apart each way, in the spring. I cultivate until they bear, growing corn

and potatoes, after that grass. I prefer a disc cultivator. I think

windbreaks are a great help; and Osage orange is the best I know of. For

rabbits I tie stalks or wire cloth around the tree. Have never had any

borers. I trim with a saw and knife to take out superfluous wood and

give light, and I think it pays. I never have thinned any. I think

barn-yard fertilizer will pay in the orchard. I pasture my orchard very

little, and think it does not pay. I have never sprayed any, and believe

tent-caterpillar is the worst insect that troubles me. I pick in a sack

tied over my shoulder, and sort into three classes--number one, the very

best; number two, those that are specked; number three, culls. I

generally sell to retailers, at our home market, and make cider of the

culls; never tried a distant market. Have never dried any. I store

sometimes in bulk in a cellar under the house, and find that Winesap and

Romanite keep the best. Prices run from twenty-five cents to one dollar

per bushel, and dried fruit from two and a half to six cents per pound.

I use regular monthly farm help.

* * * * *

JOHN A. MAGILL, Roper, Wilson county: I have resided in Kansas

thirty-one years. Have an orchard of 7000 trees, sixteen acres of it

twenty-five years old, and sixty acres six years old. I think Ben Davis

and Missouri Pippin are the best varieties for all purposes. Discarded

the Bellflower because it would not bear. I prefer bottom land with a

north aspect, black soil, and clay subsoil. Plant good one-year-old

trees, 33x20 feet. Cultivate with plow and "gopher." I grow corn and

castor-beans in the orchard as long as it will pay. Believe windbreaks

are necessary, made of anything that will check the wind; would plant

trees on the south and west. Keep rabbits off by wrapping. I prune

enough to keep in shape. I believe it pays to pasture the orchard with

hogs in the winter, and think they get away with canker-worms. I spray

for canker-worm and codling-moth with London purple, and think I have

checked the codling-moth to some extent. I pick and sort by hand in two

classes only--marketable and culls. I wholesale in bulk, make cider of

the culls, and find my best market in Texas. I never dry any; never

store any for winter; have never irrigated. Average price about forty

cents per bushel.

* * * * *

J. T. COCHRAN, Ottumwa, Lyon county: Have lived in Kansas thirteen

years; my orchard is in Coffey county, and contains 800 trees; 100 have

been planted thirty-five years, and 700 twelve years. I market Winesap,

Ben Davis, and Missouri Pippin, and add to this for family use Jonathan

and some early apples. I prefer ashy bottom land. I would plant trees in

good condition thirty by thirty-five feet. Cultivate in corn about eight

years, then sow to clover. I believe that a windbreak of hedge or

forest-trees should be planted on the southwest, in rows four feet

apart. I prune in fall and winter with a saw, and my experience is that

it makes better fruit. I have never thinned on the tree. Barn-yard

litter scattered through the orchard improves the land. I pasture with

hogs early in spring and late in fall; they eat the refuse apples. Am

troubled with canker-worm, web-worm, and codling-moth. I spray with

London purple and air-slaked lime just as soon as I see the insect, or

as soon as the trees are in bloom. I think I have reduced the

codling-moth. I pick in a sack tied and hung on the shoulder, using a

ladder against the tree. I sort into two classes: No. 1, clear of rot;

No. 2, clear of bruises. Pack in eleven-peck barrels, full and pressed.

I wholesale mostly; suits me best to sell in orchard. The culls and

seconds I sell at home. My best market is Fort Worth, Texas. Freight is

too high to send farther. Never dry any; store in a cellar in barrels

for home use only. Am not always successful. Winesap keeps best. I lose

one-fourth sometimes. Prices range from 70 cents to $1.37 per barrel. I

use good trusty men, at one dollar per day.

* * * * *

W. M. FLEEHARTY, La Cygne, Linn county: Have lived in Kansas thirty

years. Have an orchard of 325 trees, mostly thirty years old, twelve to

twenty-four inches in diameter. I prefer for commercial purposes

Winesap, Ben Davis, and Willow Twig, and for family use Winesap, Willow

Twig, Rawle's Janet, and Milam. Have tried and discarded Esopus

Spitzenburg, on account of sun-scald. Prefer hilltop with square-jointed

[?] subsoil, and northeast slope, deep, rich soil. I plant in check

plats. Have tried root grafts. I cultivate until the trees interfere

with working. I plant young orchard to corn and potatoes; bearing

orchard to nothing, and cease cropping when it injures the limbs of the

trees. Windbreaks are essential sometimes, and should be made of Osage

orange, because of its quick growth. I prune when limbs interfere. I

thin apples a little. Do not mix my trees; bees do the work. Fertilizers

are beneficial on all soils. Pasture my orchard with hogs and calves. My

trees are troubled with canker-worm, root aphis, bag-worm, flathead

borer, roundhead borer, woolly aphis, twig borer, fall web-worm,

leaf-roller, leaf-crumpler, and others. My apples are troubled with

codling-moth, curculio, and gouger. Spray when the blossoms are open,

with Bordeaux mixture; have not reduced the codling-moth. I use the

knife on borers and insects that are not affected by spraying. Sort into

two classes; have both perfect. Sell in the orchard sometimes. Store

some apples for winter market; have not tried artificial cold storage.

We have to repack stored apples before marketing, losing one to ten per

cent. The prevailing price has been sixty cents per bushel. I employ men

at from fifteen to eighteen dollars per month.

* * * * *

F. L. KENOYER, Independence, Montgomery county: I have lived in the

state ten years, and have an apple orchard of 240 trees from three to

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

Davis, and for family use add Maiden's Blush. I prefer hilltop with a

sandy loam and a porous subsoil. I prefer two-year-old, low-headed

trees, with plenty of roots. I plant them one rod north and south, and

two rods east and west. I will cultivate my orchard as long as the trees

live with a Planet jr. twelve-tooth cultivator. I plant strawberries in

a bearing orchard; they are as good as clover. Windbreaks would be

beneficial; I would make them of Osage orange. For rabbits I rub blood

on the trees. I dig the borers out with a knife and wire. I prune very

little, with the pruning shears, to remove watersprouts and interlocking

limbs. It preserves their symmetry, but does not make them more

fruitful. I do not thin the fruit while on the trees; the wind does it

for me. My trees are in mixed plantings. I fertilize my orchard with

stable litter between the trees. It is very beneficial, and I would

advise its use on all soils excepting very rich bottoms, where it would

cause too much wood growth at the expense of the fruit. I do not pasture

my orchard; it is not advisable. My trees are troubled with canker-worm,

tent-caterpillar, root aphis, roundhead borer, and leaf-crumpler, and my

apples with codling-moth and curculio. I am successful in spraying,

using London purple with a pump when the canker-worms appear, and a few

days afterward. For root-lice I remove the earth from around the trees

and pour in tobacco water. I do not dry any. I do not irrigate. Prices

have been forty cents for apples in the fall, one dollar per bushel

during the winter, while home-grown lasted, and two dollars per bushel

now (April). Dried apples sold for five to ten cents per pound,

according to quality.

* * * * *

J. H. BILSING, Udall, Cowley county: I have lived in Kansas twenty-seven

years. Have an orchard of sixty apple trees from sixteen to twenty-six

years old. For market I prefer Ben Davis, Limber Twig, Jonathan, and

Grimes's Golden Pippin, and for family use Jonathan, Grimes's Golden

Pippin, Red June, and Maiden's Blush. Have tried and discarded Big

Romanite; it is a good grower but a poor bearer. I prefer bottom land

with sandy loam and clay subsoil, and a north slope. Prefer thrifty

two-year-old trees, set in land which has been plowed as deeply as

possible, and the soil loosened fifteen to eighteen inches by digging.

My trees are set 30x30 feet; this is a little too wide north and south.

I am still cultivating my first planting of trees, use a plow, harrow,

and cultivator. Plant corn in a young orchard, and cease cropping after

eight or ten years. Windbreaks are essential; would make them of peach

groves for quick growth, or for slower and surer growth would make them

of several rows of Osage orange or ash, set fifteen to sixteen feet east

and west by breaking rows. I prune my trees from the beginning with a

pocket-knife; think it pays. Do not thin the fruit on the trees.

Fertilize my orchard with ashes and stable litter; think it beneficial,

as it keeps the ground from packing, and also keeps the trees vigorous;

would not advise its use on very sandy soils. Do not pasture my orchard;

am going to try it with young pigs and calves. My trees are troubled

with root aphis and borers, and my apples with codling-moth, curculio,

and gouger. Have sprayed three seasons, soon after the blossom fell and

until the apples were the size of marbles, using London purple; think I

killed the first brood of codling-moth, but a later brood came which

hurt the fruit.

* * * * *

F. H. BURNETT, Benedict, Wilson county: I have lived in the state

fifteen years. Have 2200 apple trees six years old, of fair size.

Planted for market Gano, Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin, and Jonathan, and

for family use Jonathan, Winesap, Gano, Early Harvest, and Maiden's

Blush. Bottom land is best in this locality. I prefer soil somewhat

clayish, underlaid with limestone, with a north or east slope. Prefer

good one- and two-year-old, stocky, low-headed trees. Would plant on

upland twenty by thirty-two feet, and on rich bottom twenty-four by

thirty-six feet. I believe in thorough cultivation, and during the first

two years I use the hoe. I cultivate until five or six years old,

usually growing corn, as it protects the trees from the strong south

winds. I then sow to clover, changing every two or three years to

castor-beans or corn. Trees planted close north and south form their own

windbreaks. For rabbits, wrap the trees. I prune a little to keep the

trees from getting too heavy on the north side. I should thin Missouri

Pippins to keep from overbearing. I should use sawdust and barn-yard

fertilizer on hard-pan spots. I allow no live stock in the orchard but

poultry. Am troubled some with leaf-rollers and canker-worm. I spray as

soon as the leaves start, for canker-worm and leaf-roller, using one

pound of London purple to 120 gallons of water. For borers, keep the

trees thrifty; borers cannot thrive, as the sap will kill them. I

believe it would be well during the first two years to wash the trees

with a solution of soft soap, coal-oil, and water, in May and June. I

sort in first, second, and cider or culls; pack in three-bushel barrels

so full they cannot bruise. I expect to put in an evaporator and use

natural gas for fuel, and think it will pay. I recommend subsoiling to

retain moisture. Prices have ranged here from thirty to fifty cents per

bushel.

* * * * *

F. S. HALL, Fulton, Bourbon county: Has lived in Kansas fourteen years.

Have 10,000 apple trees from two to eight years old. For commercial

purposes the Ben Davis and Arkansas Black are doing best. Will not plant

any more Missouri Pippins. My orchard is on a hill, with northeast

slope, black soil, set thirty-three feet east and west and sixteen feet

north and south. Set one- and two-year-old well-branched trees.

Cultivate entirely with a disc, and allow nothing to grow within six

feet of the trees. Grow only clover, and expect to grow only clover in

my orchard. Think an Osage hedge a good windbreak. Use tar paper and

traps against rabbits. Prune nothing above twenty inches from the

ground. Never thinned apples on trees. Fertilize with ashes and all the

manure I can get, and turn under clover. Think such fertilizers

beneficial for apples on all soils. Opposed to pasturing an orchard. Not

much troubled with insects. Spray before and after blooming, first with

Bordeaux mixture, then sulphate of copper and either Paris green or

London purple. Think I have reduced the codling-moth by this method.

Keep down borers by cultivation and a wash of lime, concentrated lye,

and carbolic acid.

* * * * *

R. N. MARK, Strawn, Coffey county: Have lived in Kansas thirty years.

Have an orchard of twelve acres; trees twelve years old. For commercial

purposes I prefer Winesap and Ben Davis. Timber bottom is best. I

cultivate my orchard to corn and potatoes, and cease cropping when ten

or twelve years old; plant potatoes in a bearing orchard. Windbreaks are

essential on the south; would make them of forest-trees. To protect from

rabbits I wrap young trees, or kill rabbits, cut open, and rub

thoroughly on the tree. I prune my trees to give proper shape, and think

it beneficial, especially on poor land, as it makes the trees more

productive. Do not thin fruit on the trees. I pasture my orchard

carefully with hogs and calves at any time when it is not wet. Trees are

troubled with canker-worm. I spray early and often with London purple. I

pick my apples in sacks from ladders. The shipper [buyer] sorts from

barrels in orchard. I sell my first grade in the orchard; also second-

and third-grade apples in the orchard. We sell the culls. Do not dry

any; does not pay. I store very few. Average price of apples is fifty

cents per bushel.

* * * * *

W. M. FRENCH, Chicopee, Crawford county: I have resided in the state

eighteen years. Have an apple orchard of 200 trees twelve years old,

averaging six inches in diameter. For market I prefer Ben Davis,

Winesap, Missouri Pippin, Willow Twig, and Jonathan; and for family

orchard would add Early Harvest, Maiden's Blush, and Rambo. Have tried

and discarded Limber Twig; it does not mature. I prefer bottom with an

eastern or northern slope, having a good deep soil with a clay subsoil.

I prefer three-year-old, stocky trees, set in holes dug 3x3 feet and

2-1/2 feet deep, filled with surface soil. I cultivate my orchard to

corn as long as I can without injuring the trees, and use a plow; avoid

ridging too much. I cease cropping after nine to twelve years. I sow the

bearing orchard to millet or something to be mowed. Windbreaks are not

essential, but think they would be beneficial; would make them of

catalpa or maples, set in two or three rows on north, south and west

sides. I prune my trees with a saw to keep the top from getting too

heavy; I think it beneficial, and that it pays. Shall not thin my fruit

this year. I can see no difference whether trees are in blocks of one

kind or mixed. I fertilize my orchard with stable litter, putting it in

trenches between the trees; I avoid putting it around them. I think it

has proven beneficial, and would advise its use on all soils, unless

very rich and the tree growth very strong. I pasture my orchard a little

with calves, but do not think it advisable. My trees are troubled with

tent-caterpillar. I do not spray. I hand-pick in a basket from a

step-ladder. I sort into two classes, and wholesale, retail, and peddle.

The home market takes all my best apples; the culls are fed to hogs and

made into cider. Never have tried distant markets. Do not dry any. Am

successful at storing apples in bulk in a cellar; find Ben Davis,

Winesap, Willow Twig and Rawle's Janet keep best. I do not irrigate.

Prices have been from fifty cents to one dollar per bushel.

* * * * *

J. C. ROSS, Havana, Montgomery county: Have lived in Kansas twenty-seven

years; have an orchard of 100 apple trees twenty-three years old. I

prefer for all purposes Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin, and Winesap. Have

tried and discarded Rawle's Janet and Romanite. I prefer low land at

foot of hills, with deep loam subsoil and a medium slope. I set my trees

twenty feet apart. I cultivate in oats and corn up to bearing with

common twelve-inch stirring plow. Windbreaks are essential on north;

would make them of Osage orange planted in rows. Rabbits are hard to

contend with; for borers I use a solution of slaked lime. I prune with a

saw; do not think it very beneficial, as the rain gets in, and the wood

decays. I never thin apples. My trees are in mixed varieties. I mulch my

trees with straw, and think it beneficial. I pasture with calves and

hogs; do not think it advisable; it does not pay. Am somewhat troubled

with insects; I spray with a solution of coal-oil, using a small pump;

think I have reduced the codling-moth. For borers I dissolve lime to a

paste in water, and apply to the roots with a scrub broom. I pick my

fruit from ladders. I sort into three classes: first, second, and third.

I use common barrels to pack the fruit in; mark, and send by freight to

near-by markets. I wholesale sometimes, and sometimes sell in orchard;

market my best apples at near-by towns; I make cider and vinegar of

culls. I dry some fruit; use a large pan filled with hot water; then put

in sacks and boxes. I find a ready market; think it pays. I store some

apples in a cellar in large, open boxes, and in bulk. Some rot; those

that keep best are Winesap, Rawle's Janet, and Romanite. We have to sort

stored apples before marketing them; we lose from one-fourth to

one-third of them. I do not irrigate. Prices have been from fifty cents

to one dollar per bushel. I use any kind of help I can get, and pay

seventy-five cents per day.

* * * * *

J. K. P. HOUSE, Cloverdale, Chautauqua county. I have lived in Kansas

twenty-seven years, and have 250 large trees, planted twenty-six years.

I prefer for commercial orchard Ben Davis, and for family orchard

Dominie, Early Harvest, Rhode Island Greening, and Grimes's Golden

Pippin. I prefer bottom land, with a black loam and clay subsoil, with

north slope. I plant two-year-old, medium-top trees, in well-cultivated

ground, and mix the top soil with the roots. I have tried root grafts,

but not satisfactory. I cultivate shallow every year, using the

cultivator after the tree is grown. I grow oats in a young orchard, but

nothing in a bearing orchard, and cease cropping when about eight years

old. Windbreaks are essential on high ground. I would make them of

walnut trees planted in rows. I never thinned the fruit. My trees are in

mixed plantings, and prove satisfactory. I do not fertilize, and would

only advise it on high land. I pasture my orchard with hogs, and think

it advisable. My trees are troubled with tent-caterpillar, bagworm and

roundhead borer. I pick in a sack swung around the neck. I sell fruit in

the orchard, and make cider of the culls. My best market is at home; but

I have shipped to distant markets. It paid in an early day. I have dried

some apples in the sun, then heat and pack in barrels, and find a ready

market for them, but it does not pay. I store some fruit for home use,

and find that Winesap and White Winter Pearmain keep best. I have never

tried artificial cold storage. I do not irrigate. Prices have been from

$1 to $1.50 per bushel, and for dried fruit six to eight and one-third

cents per pound.

* * * * *

WILLIAM BURDEN, Leeds, Chautauqua county: Have been in Kansas twenty-one

years. Have 400 apple trees from eight to twenty years old. I prefer for

commercial orchards Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin, and Winesap, and for

family orchard Early Harvest, Maiden's Blush, and Jonathan. Have tried

and discarded Willow Twig, Rawle's Janet, and Russet. I prefer limestone

bottom land, with north slope. I plant twenty-eight by thirty feet,

using two-year-old trees. I cultivate eight years with plow and

cultivator. I grow corn among young trees, clover in a bearing orchard,

and cease cropping after eight years. Need no windbreaks. Wrap trees

with corn-stalks to keep off rabbits. I prune to keep down watersprouts

and limbs from rubbing; I think it beneficial. Never thin the fruit on

the trees. Have not tried mixed plantings of trees. I do not fertilize.

I pasture my orchard with horses, but do not think it advisable. My

trees are troubled with root aphis, roundhead borer and leaf-roller. Do

not spray. I pick fruit by hand. I sell mostly to farmers living farther

west; sometimes sell in the orchard and sometimes retail. Make vinegar

of culls. Never tried distant markets; never dry any. Store some apples

in cave in boxes; am successful; find that Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin

and Winesap keep best. Do not irrigate. Prevailing price, thirty cents

per bushel; five cents per pound for dried apples.

* * * * *

EBERT SIMON, Welda, Anderson county: Have lived in Kansas thirty-one

years; have 300 apple trees, fifteen inches in diameter, twenty years

old. I prefer for commercial orchard Ben Davis, Missouri Pippin,

Winesap, and Gano; and for family orchard Winesap, Missouri Pippin, and

Jonathan. I prefer hilltop, with black loam and porous subsoil, with

north slope. I plant three-year-old whole-root grafts. I cultivate in

corn for five years with one-horse cultivator; seed a bearing orchard to

clover. Windbreaks are essential on the south. I prune with the saw to

let the sun in, and think it beneficial. Never have thinned apples. I

sometimes use stable litter as a fertilizer, but would not advise its

use on all soils. Sometimes I pasture my orchard with hogs and horses,

and think it advisable. I hand-pick my apples. I sell in the orchard,

peddle the second and third grades, make vinegar of culls, and feed some

to hogs; never tried distant markets. Never dry any. Prices have been

from $1 to $1.50 per barrel.