he
ground so that weeds cannot grow much. I grow corn for a few years, then
clover for two years, after that no crop whatever. Have no use for
windbreaks, and use lath two feet long stuck in the ground around the
trees to protect from rabbits. I prune with a saw, knife, and shears, to
keep the trees in good shape and not too brushy, and believe it pays. I
do not believe it would pay to thin apples on the tree. I would not
pasture my orchard. I do not spray. I gather in sacks hung over the
shoulder, as for sowing grain. Sort into two classes, packed into
three-bushel barrels, pressed in and marked with the name of the
variety. I sell at wholesale, but never have sold in the orchard.
Minneapolis, Minn., has been my best market. We use part of the culls
for cider. Never dried any. Do not store any for winter, and do not
irrigate. Prices have ranged at from one dollar to two dollars per
bushel. I use men and boys, and pay from two to three cents per bushel
for fruit left in baskets at foot of trees. For other work than picking
I pay $1.25 per day.

* * * * *

J. H. BATEMAN, Holton, Jackson county: Have lived in Kansas forty years.
Have 900 apple trees; 200 have been planted twenty-five years, 700 have
been planted four years. Have made more money out of Ben Davis than any
other. For family use my choice is White Winter Pearmain and Rawle's
Janet. I have tried and discarded Dominie and Winesap. I prefer hilltop,
with northeast slope, and a deep, friable soil; hard clay is not good. I
would plant two- or three-year-olds, in a deep furrow, preferably
subsoiled. Would cultivate as long as it don't cut the roots, with a
two-horse cultivator, and would grow corn four or five years, then seed
to clover. I believe windbreaks are very beneficial; would make them of
walnut or maple. Osage orange is fairly good; all may be raised from
young trees or seed. I wrap young trees in the fall with paper to
protect from rabbits. I prune with the knife to prevent friction. Never
tried thinning on the trees; believe it would be beneficial. Fertilizers
make the trees thriftier, but cause the roots to run nearer the surface;
consequently the trees suffer more in drought. I have pastured to a
limited extent with calves and horses; hogs injure the trees. The worst
insects I have are the flat-headed borer, which I cut out, and the
curculio. Have never sprayed, but think I will. We pick from a ladder
into pails or bas