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share of any sort of long keepers; this remark applies to those who buy their supply of apples at the time of gathering in the fall. For late spring sales, we must rely solely on the best long-keeping varieties.

Pears and peaches, as yet, have not proved profitable, but should be on every farm, in limited quantities. The pear has but one serious drawback, the fire blight. Our cold winter destroys the peach crop in this vicinity, three years out of four. Of cherries, the most profitable is the early Richmond or May. English Morello is very good for preserving. These two sorts are both hardy and profuse bearers. The Belle Magnifique ripens late and is desirable. The only drawback I find in raising cherries, is that birds are so numerous as to destroy large quantities. The only way I find to save the cherries is to shoot the birds as fast as they come. The cat bird, robin, brown thresher, and black and white red headed woodpecker are the most destructive. Gov. Wood cherry has fruited very well about every other year, ripening earlier than any other sort, and sweeter; the best variety I have: but it is not hardy enough to stand the severe changes of some of our winters without some shelter.

In preparing orchard ground, I prefer to have it planted in corn, or some other hoed crop, a few years previous to setting the trees, so it may be well subdued and friable. Before setting, it should be fresh plowed, and to save labor, plow in lands of the width the trees are to be set, having the dead furrow come where you want the tree. By plowing several times back and forth, in the dead furrow, it gets mellowed nearly deep enough, Stake off the ground, leaving a stake where every tree is to be set; then take a board, 6 inches wide, 6 feet long, with an inch and a half hole near each end. Exactly in the center, between the holes, bore, on one edge, a two-inch hole, and cut it out open on the edge; this is the guide to set the tree to Put the opening on the edge of the board against the stake where the tree is to stand, then have two pins or short stakes even thickness; put one in each hole at the end, and push them into the ground firmly. Lift up the board, lay it one side; then dig or make the hole for the tree where the stake stands, leaving the stakes at each end standing. When the hole is ready for the tree, place the board on the stakes, taking care that the edge that has the opening in it is the same way as before it was lifted up; then place the tree in the hole, and into the opening on the edge of the board, and it will stand exactly where wanted.

In setting trees, I have found by experience that it is best to set from 4 to 6 inches deeper than they stood in the nursery. They stand better, are not near so liable to lean over by high winds, and the roots are less liable to be drawn out of place. This, too, prevents sprouting at surface of the ground, where the graft unites with the stock or root. In a very dry season, it is more likely to insure life to the trees, as the roots are below ordinary dry spells. This applies more particularly to apple trees; other trees are not injured by it. Every one should exercise judgment; in wet, moist land it might be injurious, in fact such land is not suitable for any fruit trees. After an orchard is planted, it should be cultivated into some crop every year; I prefer corn, for the reason that it prevents weeds from growing in the latter part of the season, and is some protection to the young trees for a few years against summer winds. Always give four or five feet on all sides of the tree for light and air; and always cut and shock the corn, leaving the ground clear through the winter. This prevents, in a measure, the damage caused from rabbits and mice.

Never allow any brute in the orchard, until the trees are sufficiently grown to be in no danger of being rubbed over. Then nothing should run among them unless colts; they will do no harm to trees of bearing size.

Pruning should be attended to, so as to keep out all surplus sprouts and limbs that cross each other. Some varieties need much more pruning than others. Any man of common observatiou, can soon see what is needed. It is better to prune too little rather than too much; for oftentimes in the blossoming season we have high winds, that take off the blossoms before they become fructified; a tree with quite a thick top will escape, on the side from the wind, and be full of apples.

I have found from experience that, in order to have apples keep well, they must be carefully picked just before they begin to ripen. For instance, the Wagner, Greening, red seek-no-farther, Milam and other varieties, begin to drop quite early, particularly after frost, usually followed by wind. Those varieties I begin to gather in the latter half of September, and endeavor to gather all before they fail much. They can be put into barrels, headed up and kept in a cool place, away from the sun, or put into the fruit house. The cooler they can be kept, and not freeze, and as dry and not shrivel, the better.

So far as my experience goes, I am satisfied that, as a general rule, there can be the most realized by selling at gathering; then there is but one handling. By keeping through the winter, the extra labor, shrinkage, etc., will balance the extra price obtained in spring.

In packing for market, apples must be placed in the barrel carefully with the blossom end next the lower head, one course at a time; then the barrel filled carefully with good sound apples. Occasionally jolt the barrel back and forward lightly, to settle them tight, as the barrel is filled. When full, place the top layer all stem up, and have them as level as possible, and a little higher than the top of the chime; put on the head and press it down until it comes into its place. Start the hoops down, so as to hold it and take it out of the press, then finish driving the hoops, nail and head up secure. Packed in this way, they may be sent to a great distance without getting loose. In carting the barrels, they should always be loaded with the head up, the same as when filled, and never on sides of the barrel.

As to profit of an orchard, compared with other farm crops, I have no statistical data to refer to, but think it safe to say that, with judicious selection of varieties, the same amount of ground will produce four times as much clean profit in orchard as the same ground in any other crop, provided the ground be suitable for an orchard. But still I would not be understood to recommend or advise every one to go into fruit raising, no more than I would advise the exclusive cultivation of any one particular farm product, as that would prove ruinous, by glutting the market. The apple tree borer is a great pest, and unless well looked after and cut out, will soon destroy an orchard, especially young ones.

The apple moth was very injurious last year, destroying nearly or quite one-half the crop of some varieties, by working into the apple through the blossom end and coming out near the stem, causing the fruit to fall from the size of a hickory nut until grown. The fruit was almost worthless until the apples were matured enough to be fit for making cider to work into vinegar. This worm, I had always been taught to believe, left the apple when it dropped to the ground, and burrowed in the ground through the winter; but from the great number that come out of the apples after being put in barrels, and wind themselves up in their web, under the hoops and in other places, remaining until very cold weather without any perceptible

change in form, leads me to believe they never winter under ground. How to prevent their ravages, is yet a mystery; no doubt by keeping the apples picked up as fast as they drop, and fed to swine or ground into pumace, would diminish them. I have thought sometimes of placing lights or lanterns in different places in the orchard, with a vessel of water directly under them, during nights in the summer. The light would attract the millers, they would flutter round, and finally fall into the water and drown. I expect to try this plan this season.

A. Rankin.-I consider the best varieties of summer apples to be the early harvest, red June, sweet June, summer queen, America, summer, Pearmain, sops of wine. Fall apples-autumn, strawberry, fall wine, Fameuse.

Winter apples-Jonathan, yellow bellflower, Fulton, Rawle's Janet, and Northern

spy.

The Newark pippin, white pippin, white pearmain, and some other varieties, also do well,

The ground should be trench plowed to prepare it for an orchard; plow very deep. The holes for the trees should not be any deeper than the ground was plowed. I set trees from 18 to 25 feet apart in the rows; prefer low heads. Prune to keep them open, so as to admit light, heat and air.

G. W. Minier-I really can't write an essay on this question. Fruits pay better than almost any other crop, are more healthy as food, and so easily produced that no one who owns a rood of land is excusable for not having them in abundance. Ground should be prepared by deep tillage, and all over the field alike; no holes or pits should be dug for water to stand in and keep their roots wet. Gather by careful picking with the hands; and for winter keeping, roll each in a paper like oranges are put up, and you will be well paid.

For insects, I refer you to Dr. Walsh.

J. R. Tull-My experience in the cultivation of fruit in this country reaches back about 25 years, during which time I have made it a specialty. I have found it a pleasant as well as a profitable business. I will give you a list of fruits which I consider the best, commencing with apples:

Summer apples: Early harvest, red June, red Astrachan, summer pearmain, summer queen, sweet June.

Fall apples: Drap d'or Dradar, fall pippin, fall wine, maiden's blush, porter, rambo, seek-no-farther.

Winter apples: American golden russet, Hubbardston nonesuch, Jonathan, ladies' sweeting, winter sweet, paradise, red Canada, Rawle's janet, Roman stem, New York pippin or Ben. Davis wine sap, white winter pearmain, Rome beauty, Roman sweet pippin, white bellflower, yellow bellflower.

Summer pears: Bartlett, bloodgood, Doyenne d' Ete, Osband's summer.

Autumn pears. Beurre Diel, Doyenne white, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Louise Bonne 'd Jersey, seckel, Stevens' Genesee.

Winter pears: Glout morceau, Vicar of Winkfield, winter Nelis.

Cherries: Heart cherries, black eagle, early white heart, Gov. Wood, yellow Spanish, Napoleon Bigarreau, white ox heart, duke cherries, early Richmond or pie cherry, early May, May duke.

Plums: Coe's golden drop, green gage, Jefferson, magnum bonum, Smith's Orleans, Washington, golden drop, Pond's seedling.

The above list of fruits does not embrace all the varieties worthy of cultivation; only those best in all respects for this locality. Nor will it hold good in other sections of the country, for I have found by experience that what is No. 1 in the east in quite a number of varieties, is very inferior here in the west, and some entirely worthless. And very many of these sorts are sent west by eastern nurserymen. The best locality for an orchard in this State, so far as my experience goes, is near the timber where the land is sufficiently rolling to drain itself, with a yellow porous clay subsoil; or if in the prairie, the dry rolling land should be selected. Trees on flat, hard prairie will not do well. The ground in which to set an orchard should be plowed deep and well pulverized, and from the time the trees are set out until they come into full bearing, they should be cultivated every year in some kind of a crop, such as beans, potatoes, pumpkins, corn or anything, so that the ground is well cultivated. But if, after setting out your trees, you sow the ground in oats and then seed down to timothy, you had better not purchase them, but give the amount which they would cost to some charitable object, and save your labor.

T. Gregg. Our soil is peculiarly adapted to fruits-we think especially to apples and grapes-although all do well, excepting the tender sorts of stone fruits. For fruit planting, our soils should certainly be underdrained, or at least subsoiled. Most orchards are, however, planted without this necessary pre-requisite. Vineyards are mostly subsoiled or trenched.

The dozen varieties of apples I should select, from my own experience and that of my neighbors, as being most suited to this section, for their hardiness and productiveness, as well as for their market value, are as follows, viz:

Summer, 3.-Early harvest, red June, sweet June.

Autumn, 3.-Fall wine, rambo, maiden's blush.

Winter, 6.Ben. Davis, wine sap, Rawles' Janet, Westfield seek-no-farther, Rome beauty, Hubbardston nonesuch.

To which add another dozen: Benoni, red Astrachan, golden sweeting, red bellflower, snow, fall pippin, Jonathan, Peck's pleasant, white winter pearmain, Ortley, ladies' sweeting, Pryor's red.

Several other sorts do well also in this vicinity, viz: American golden russet, Esopus Spitzenberg, Tallman sweeting, Stannard, Newtown pippin, Tulpehocken, Autumn, Swaar, Roman stem, Wagner, Dominie, etc.

In peaches the best results are obtained from seedlings, most of the budded sorts failing badly of producing crops. There are some fine seedlings here, among which is one known as Felt's rareripe, which has been propagated for near thirty years from the seed. It is a fine yellow freestone, of large, but not largest size, and very productive. Much attention is lately being paid to the selection and propagation of best seedlings, and I am convinced that very fine peaches can be annually produced in this way.

The peach is short-lived; fifteen years being about the limit. This fruit is usually very much neglected; but with proper care and due attention to cutting back, doubtless five to ten years longer may be added to its life.

Pear culture is comparatively in its infancy-though it is believed that both standards and dwarfs will succeed; the former is most planted. Bartlett's and Seckel's as standards, and Bonne de Jersey and Duchesse d'Angouleme, as dwarfs, are the most popular varieties.

Many of the finer sorts of cherry have been planted here with poor success, so that few are now planted, excepting the old Morello and the early Richmond. The

English Morello is comparatively hardy, and will be planted as a late sort. The mooted question: whether the early Richmond is best on its own roots, or top worked on the Morello, will find no solution here-as both are doing remarkably well in certain instances.

The insect enemies of our orchards are chiefly the codling moth, borer, curculio, and peach grub. The first of these is becoming very destructive-infecting almost all the apple orchards in this region. The hog, sheep, chicken, ashes and lime, and soap-wash remedies, are all being tried with varied success. Against the other insect enemies a moderate share of vigilance is generally effectual.

Pear blight is frequent, both in the standard and dwarf, and so far our cultivators are at a loss for the cause or a remedy.

The leaf curl in the peach often occurs; but I have found little damage to result. Budded and seedling sorts are equally liable.

A. C. Hammond.-The following varieties of apples succeed well in this county, and give a succession from the 1st of July to the 1st of June:

Early harvest, red June, American summer pearmain, fall wine, maiden blush, rambo, Peck's pleasant, Rome beauty, Rawle's Janet, wine sap and Ben. Davis

These varieties are all productive, and are extensively grown for market. There are other varieties of better quality, but less productive, which every farmer should grow for his own use. Among them are the early Joe, Benoni, Fulton strawberry, Jonathan, King of Tompkins county, American golden russet, yellow bellflower, white winter pearmain and Newtown pippin.

Among pears, the Bartlett, Seckel, Duchess, Louise Bonne, white Doyenne, Beurre Diel, Flemish beauty, Lawrence and Vicar of Wakefield, are the most desirable. The blight is the only drawback to successful pear culture.

I prepare my Plant shallow seven or eight

The early May is our only valuable market cherry. Some of the finer kinds are grown for family use, but the birds generally get most of the fruit. ground for tree planting by trench-plowing, as heretofore described. and plow towards the trees for several years. I cultivate in corn years, and then seed to meadow. It can scarcely be expected that the product of the orchard will ever be of any great value to the farmer as a market crop, as few can give their orchards the attention requisite to protect from diseases and insects that are so rapidly increasing.

H. Sodowsky.-For early fruit, I like best the early harvest and red June. For fall apples, would select the rambo, fall pippin, Baltimore sweet, sweet bough, maiden blush, Rome beauty, sweet bellflower. I think the Baltimore sweet the best. It is very large, with red streaks on yellow ground, and capital when fully ripe. For winter apples, I would say the Thompson cooking, bellflower, white winter pearmain, black gilliflower, Hubbardson's nonesuch, Newtown pippin, Vandeveer pippin, northern spy, Pryor's red, Rhode Island greening, Esopus Spitzenburg. Early pears: The Bartlett and Seckel. Fall pears: White Doyenne, Duchesse d' Angouleme, Flemish beauty, Louise Bonne d'Jersey, Swan's orange.

Winter pears: Buerre, Bachelier, Columbia, Doyenne, Joubert, Glout Morceau, Lawrence, Soldat, Vicar of Winkfield.

For cherries, would recommend the early May, May duke, black eagle, black heart, black Tartarian, Elton, early white heart, Governor Wood, great bigarreau, Belle de Choisey, early Richmond, English Morello, Kirtland's large Morello, Kirt land's mammoth.

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