A. D. Barnes-I would do the most of my plowing across the slope and seed to clover as soon as I could. I would mulch and use the spading fork around the trees.

A. L. Hatch-You say that you recommend planting fourteen by twenty-one feet. How many does that take to the acre?

A. D. Barnes-Between 140 and 150 trees to the acre.

A. L. Hatch-When you say, plant fourteen by twenty-one feet, do you mean all kinds of trees?

A. D. Barnes-I do. It would not pay to plant one tree one way and another tree another in the same orchard. If you plant on prairie soil you may have your trees farther apart, if on sandy soil, closer together. It largely depends on the kind of soil you have.

B. S. Hoxie-I understand you recommend planting evergreens by the side of apple trees.

A. D. Barnes-I do. I have a Flemish Beauty planted between two cedars and I know it is an advantage to the tree. In certain cases I do it, but I do not generally advocate it. I find it is some trouble.

A. L. Hatch-Your little circular is still going out recommending that method.

A. D. Barnes-Recollect, that little cedar is a dwarf. I do not let it grow up high, neither do I recommend any one's doing it.

J. C. Plumb-How long have you been planting your trees in the quincunx form?

A. D. Barnes-I have one orchard of 1,200 trees that I have cultivated for seven years, and it is planted in that form. It would not be exactly the rule for every one to go by to plant in quintex form, fourteen by twenty-one feet, on all soils and with all kinds of trees. They would stand further apart, however, than if they were set twenty feet apart each

way.

J. C. Plumb-Some fifty years ago Mr. Cox, the original apple man of New England, recommended that method of planting. In 1845 my father planted an orchard in that form and it fell to my lot to cultivate it for ten or twelve years, and there was not a year that I did not feel sore over the way the or

chard was set out. I am surprised to see a young man advocating that old, worn-out theory to the world, and I am afraid that such a course will counteract all the good he may do in other directions. I do not know today of any large orchard planted on that plan. I learned a good while ago that even when apple trees are planted but one rod apart they will find a forty-foot space for themselves when they get ready for it. If Mr. Barnes had left out just one-half his trees it might do' very well, but he has just twice too many trees on his land. The impracticable quincunx form is "played out."

A. D. Barnes-I am going to keep on planting in that form. I not only recommend it, but I practice it. I cultivate with a steel tooth harrow. There is an advantage to be gained from planting trees closer together north and south than east and west, but in our climate, 150 miles north of Mr. Plumb's locality, our trees will not grow so large as they grow on Mr. Plumb's ground, that makes some difference. I am devoting the ground for the benefit of the trees, I am not devoting it to other crops. We do not expect the trees in our part of the state to make as large, or as rapid growth as they do in Mr. Plumb's locality.

PRUNING THE TREE.

A. L. Hatch, Ithaca.

I have never yet seen a tree grow one season but that it could be improved by pruning. I never prune except in the spring before the sap begins to flow. Pruning should not be done after a hard winter because the tree will not be in the necessary, good condition to bear it, and the first establishment of growth is an exhaustive process. The stored up plant food is required to be sent down to re-establish the root growth, before there can be any food drawn from the soil. If you cut off a large portion of the tree top, when the tree has been nearly winter-killed, you take away part of the power of the tree to begin growing again.

Pruning should not be done in summer, because at that time the tree is drawing material from the earth and from the air. If you take away the leaves, you take away the feeding ability of the tree to that extent. We prune for vigor, for growth and for fruit, and we also prune for thinning the fruit. If the tree is to make good growth it is necessary that it have good foliage, and if you rob it, it is like taking away the food of any domestic animal when the animal is feeding. If you have a bearing tree that is bearing) fruit to excess, remove some of the limbs in the spring and it will be found, beneficial. Of course in pruning and managing trees, you have all found what we call "water sprouts." Frequently these will be found covered with lice, and for that reason, if for no other, it will pay to remove them; they should also be taken away to prevent them from sapping the tree.

This tree is past trimming for the nurseryman. Mr. Hoxie thinks this is a good form, but I would prefer that these limbs be more evenly distributed. Here is quite a cluster of limbs, there a space without any. Any limb that is subordinate to another will not bear as good fruit. I would cut away all sharp forks because they are liable to be broken down by heavy winds. Cutting back limbs tends to throw out side branches. I always take exceptions to a tree of this kind if sent out by a nurseryman. It ought to have been a more finished tree.

A system of roots should not be out of balance with the top. Some twelve years ago I got an orchard that was in very bad condition. The branches of the trees were very low and I had to cut off and prune them far beyond what my judgment said was good, but the result was that I sold eight hundred dollars worth of apples from that orchard in two years, and that was what the orchard of twelve acres had cost me. I think it bore well because I pruned it so. I am satisfied that in my own orchard I have gained thousands of bushels of apples by close pruning when I could have gained those conditions on my soil without. I grow more fruit and better fruit than my neighbors do, whose orchards are under like conditions, with that exception. I think it is the result of pruning in the right time and the right way. I have brought trees into bearing that were unfruitful before.

I would not prune after a hard winter and I would not prune in the summer. It is absolutely necessary that a tree, to make good growth, should not be robbed of its foliage. If you have a bearing tree, and you are convinced that it is going to bear to excess you will need to thin by pruning in the spring.

If I had a tree that was going to bear too heavily and I had left it until now (June) I would simply pick off the apples. I would not cut off any of its foliage because I would rob it of its vitality if I did so.

Much is said about the winds, but I do not care for the winds if I have a reasonable amount of vitality to go on. I once prunded off three-fourths of the top of a tree, where the worms had worked on the tree, and it bore a good crop for me. I think we can do a great deal for the tree by pruning.

Q. Can you prune a tree by cutting off branches six inches in diameter?

A. L. Hatch-Yes, sir; that can be done if the previous winter has been a mild one. A great deal more can be done in this way than most people think possible, but the work must be done in the right way. Pruning is not the whole management, but it is a large part of it.

Chas. Hirschinger—I want Mr. Hatch to prune that tree as it ought to be.

A. L. Hatch-I would cut all of those bad forks out. We want to get these foundation limbs as near the trunks as we can so as to have strength in the tree. I do not like a limb that all of its fruit is borne three or four feet from the tree.

F. H. Chappel-When you cut a limb off the next one below it has to take its place. My idea is to trim and make branches sufficient, no more, no less, never cut the end of a limb off, never leave the fruit out too far on the limb so that it hangs down.

Secretary-Mr. Hatch, would you cut back that tree this year if you had set it last year?

A. L. Hatch—Yes, if it had not been done last year I would prune it back now. If you set that tree with the three limbs on it that it has now, the chances are that one of them will die. You will have to correct deficiencies next year, and you will have to every year.

PROTECTING THE TREE.

A. J. Philips, West Salem.

I think my plan of protection is familiar familiar to most of you. I protect with lath. I think it affords the best protection for young trees, and all the protection that they need. I have never found any thing equal to it, it is cheap and it does not afford, a nest for mice and such vermin.

It is something that is permanent; put on a temporary protection and it is about as the old German said to me, “I take good care of my trees two years, then I build a barn and I let 'em go." I took off protection that I had on some trees for eight years and you could see a great difference in the trees.

Men have criticised me as if I was advocating this for the money there was in it. I have carried my protetor to Institutes and farmers' meetings. I have carried it to Washington to show it. I have never made a cent out of it. After a tree has been well set I do hate to see it destroyed. I heard the statement made here years ago that we wanted to set an evergreen to protect a tree, but if we do we will soon see it growing away from it.

Plant your evergreens a hundred feet away from your trees if you want to protect them with evergreens. Plant in quintex form if you want to. I am well satisfied with my trees that have been protected with lath. The common wire like binding wire will last as long as the lath will, the tree will fill up the space the protector occupies in about seven years.

Q. What about filling the nicks with dirt as some of the Minnesota farmers do?

Secretary I have tried it, but it is not practicable.

I think it has a tendency to make the bark tender. It is not a practicable protection for the average grower.

Q.—What kind of wire do you use for binding the lath together?

Secretary-I think No. 18, copper wire is the best, but it is the most expensive. The common wire will last as long as the lath will; that is if you leave the lath on the tree. If you take