B. S. Hoxie-Isn't that a large per cent?

A.-Well, no, when you consider that we remove all the small, weak blossoms.

Prof. Goff-Do you not think it desirable to leave the sack on to preserve the fruit?

A.-I do, then you are are careful to label the tree so as not to lose it.

Prof. Goff—This is a very important question. Mr. Collman thinks it is not worth while to raise seedlings. I will admit that with some fruits it would not be profitable, but with the apple it is different. A variety that has once been crossed will vary to show that crossing for many generations; with tomatoes I have found it to be surprisingly true that we will continue to get variations. I planted the seed of scarlet tomato, I found in two generations that the fruit was all scarlet, but in the third generation there was the yellow tomato, it was the first time the yellow had appeared. Variations will continue through several generations. Suppose we plant the seed of the Duchess apple, if that has been crossed, we will get variations; the probability is that a majority of the seedlings will imitate the parent. This was shown in Mr. Freeborn's experiments. I think it is an excellent thing to take time to grow seedlings. If we have the patience to wait, crosses are all right.

A. F. Collman-I agree with Prof. Goff exactly. I know many would not have the patience to make crosses; it must be done at a time when one is apt to be very busy, but it pays sometimes to take pains. I also think it is a good plan to plant seedlings, but still I think it will pay the careful experimenter to make crosses. When settled in Iowa in 1872, I went into the nursery business. I located on the prairie, two miles away from any trees, and had quite a number of seedlings. I went to work with the boys and plowed a trench and planted the seedlings, thinking I could use them for whips any way; not more than one-fourth of them proved to be hardy enough for our section. Some recommend us to experiment on the wild crab, but that would be going back just thirty years, and I believe in going forward.

Elmer Reeves-Prof. Goff, suppose you have a Duchess standing this year where it was cross fertilized, and suppose it was removed in the next five years, would it then show the influence of that cross fertilization?

Prof. Goff-No. I mean that one particular seed would show varieties for years.

Geo. J. Kellogg I apprehend that a Talman Sweet standing forty rods from any other tree, if its seeds were planted, would continue to produce apples like the Talman Sweet. How is that?

A. L. Collman-I have heard people say that bees would carry pollen on their wings four miles, if so, I think you would stand a chance of getting a different variety.

M. Pierce-Mr. Gideon has two apples that are better than the Wealthy. They are the Peter and the Gideon; both hy: brids, both nice, red apples. The trees sell for one dollar apiece. I believe we have something that is fine.

Elmer Reeves-The Peter is one of Mr. Gideon's most valuable seedlings; the tree resembles the Wealthy, but it is a better tree. It has been distributed considerably over Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. Although the stock is rather limited at present, it is not necessary to pay one dollar apiece for the trees.

A FEW IDEAS AND OBSERVATIONS OF MY OWN CONCERNING APPLES AND APPLE CULTURE.

W. E. Thrall, Omro.

Twenty years ago I had a nice orchard of large, bearing trees of very good fall and winter apples; today but one of the old family orchard trees remains and that one has never yet failed to fruit. Its fruit is small and very sour, and is only good for cooking purposes.

It has never been pruned or mulched but stands near the barnyard where no grass grows. The only cultivation or care

which it received has been given by the hens, as it is a favorite place for them to scratch and wallow, while its dense foliage affords a grateful shade.

The rest of the orchard was seeded and the ground elevated to some extent around each tree and received much better care, but the trees died.

I now have a young orchard in its place, some of the trees of which have been set ten or twelve years and the others were set a few at a time every year since.

Sweet corn has been planted in the orchard and the trees mulched and the ground enriched yearly since setting.

My trees look very well and I believe that the shade the corn affords has been a great help to them during the dry, hot weather.

I think that the secret of the one tree surviving the dry seasons and still annually bearing, is simply due to the fact that it received so large a supply of food from the drainings of the barnyard and the droppings from the hen house which stands close by.

I advocate plenty of well-rotted manure for an orchard from its infancy up, if you would expect good results.

I have also observed, in my own and other orchards, that the limbs that grow perpendicularly, or nearly so, bear but sparingly, with very small fruit, while on limbs of the same tree, the fruit would be larger and more plentiful on the limbs that grew straight out or were inclined downward.

I set some of my trees so that they would lean a little to the southwest, so that the top might shade the body from the scorching rays of the sun.

I believe we too often err in not training our trees systematically, and another mistake is by not thinning out when a tree over bears.

The McMahan is a splendid tree with excellent fruit and has done better since it commenced fruiting than any other tree we have. This year the trees were burdened with fruit, but it was very much smaller than formerly. I fear that my allowing them to over bear last year may interfere with the yield this year.

I see nothing in your reports concerning the Northwestern Greening. We have quite a number of these and they are the thriftiest and best looking trees we have; the fruit is beautiful and is keeping very nicely in our cellar.

What we lack in our vicinity is an early and good keeping apple.

Much is said about the location of an orchard, and some say that it is of no use to set one unless you have a northern slope. This may be best, as it would be less work to care for the trees.

My orchard descends to the south, so I mulch my trees out as far as I think the roots reach, but do not do this until after the ground is well frozen. I do not think the sap starts any earlier than on the northern slope.

But no matter where they are raised or what their name may be, give us apples that will bear well, keep well, and sell well.

DISCUSSION.

Mr. Robinson-I have been thinking of planting out an orchard, but I have been told that my land is not suitable. I am right on the edge of the marsh, the highest point of land is about ten feet above water. Are there any varieties that I could put out that would do well on such a location?

Geo. J. Kellogg-I would say, you can put out Hibernal and Longfield and a few crabs. You will have a water supply; your trees can go down and get a drink any time they want to, but I would say, "go slow." I would also add Duchess.

A.. F. Collman-While I was at the world's fair, atfer the fruit was arranged, I used to spend one hour each day, towards night, in visiting the tables of the different states, and I learned a good many things about fruit and localities. For lowland, north of 40 degrees latitude, I would plant Duchess, Fall Orange, Noble Red Streak, Silken Leaf, Varonist Rosa.

I think the gentleman would be safe in putting out Anton

ovka and Basil's Sweet in addition to those mentioned by Mr. Kellogg.

A. G. Tuttle—The Antonovka would not blight in the nursery, but it's a poor tree to grow; any nurseryman that grows a good tree ought to get fifty cents apiece for them; it is one of the best orchard trees. We talk about the Duchess, and about its great value, and then say, we have nothing valuable among the Russians. If any one could change my Duchess trees to Longfield or to Antonovka, I would be glad to pay one dollar apiece to have it done. The location Mr. Robinson spoke of is one of the worst for an orchard. I would much rather have sand than a soil that is low, black and mucky.

Herbert B. Vlieland-What about Russian pears?

A. G. Tuttle-The Russian pears are not worth anything.

MY EXPERIENCE IRRIGATING WITH AN ARTESIAN

WELL.

E. E. Wolcott, Sparta.

We have about three and one-half acres of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries growing on a rather sandy soil; the ground is nearly level. In 1893, after the dry weather had ruined most of our berries, we put down an artesian well for irrigating; it has a four-inch pipe placed in the center of the patch. The well is 280 feet deep. The water will raise about ten feet above the ground and will throw about 150 barrels of water per hour at the well, but when running through a lot of pipe and hose, the amount is considerably less. Well, hose, pipe, etc., cost about $255.

Last summer we commenced irrigating the last of May and kept it up for three months, we did not have any rain to speak of during the time. We have 225 feet of two-inch iron pipe which we attach to the well laying it on the ground out into the berry patch, then we put seventy-five feet of two-inch