ne too deep to cut out I take a No. 20 wire six or eight
inches long, bend a very small hook on one end, and run it up in the
hole he has made, and ninety-nine times out of 100 pull him out. When
done put some alkali of some kind around the tree, such as lime, ashes,
or soft soap; then cover up.

I prune with a saw or knife, cutting out the crossed limbs and shaping
the top. I think it pays while the trees are young. I never thin the
fruit while on the trees. My trees are in mixed plantings. I fertilize
my orchard with stable and hog manure; I think it very beneficial, and
advise its use on all soils, especially on old orchards. I pasture my
orchard with hogs, and think it advisable at times. It pays. My trees
are troubled with canker-worms, roundhead borers, and leaf rollers, and
my apples with codling-moths. I have never sprayed, but intend to this
spring, in April and May. I am going to use a dust sprayer with London
purple and Paris green for canker-worm. I pick my apples by hand from a
ladder into a sack, sort into two classes by hand, pack in a two-bushel
crate, fill full, with blossom end up, mark with the grade, and ship to
market-place by freight. I retail apples in the orchard; sell my best
ones in crates; feed the culls to hogs. Best market is at home; never
tried distant markets. We sun-dry some apples for home use, then heat on
the stove and put into paper sacks. I am quite successful in storing
apples in bulk, boxes and barrels in a cellar. Ben Davis, Winesap and
Little Romanite keep best. Sometimes I have to repack stored apples
before marketing, losing about one per cent. of them. Prices have been
about sixty cents per bushel, and dried apples five to six cents;
evaporated apples, seven to eight cents.

* * * * *

ALBERT PERRY, Troy, Doniphan county: Have lived in Kansas forty-one
years; have an apple orchard of 5000 trees, planted from five to
twenty-four years. I grow for commercial purposes, first, Jonathan;
second, Ben Davis, York Imperial, and Mammoth Black Twig. Ten years
hence those who now plant Ben Davis will probably regret it. [?] There
is a growing demand for a better eating apple. I now plant Jonathans and
York Imperial. The latter is a good bearer, and a vigorous tree, however
aged. For family orchard, I would advise adding to these Rambo and Fall
Strawberry [Chenango]. I have tried and discarded many others. Prefer
bottom, loess formation, near Missouri riv