ill cultivating; would plant
corn or clover in a bearing orchard. Windbreaks are essential; would
make them of Russian mulberries. For rabbits I wrap with fine meshed
wire. I prune my trees with a saw and knife to give sunlight, and make
larger fruit; think it pays. I do not thin the fruit while on the trees.
My trees are in mixed plantings. I mulch my orchard late in the fall
with coarse manure; would advise it on all soils, unless very rich. Feed
your soil if you would have thrifty trees. I pasture my orchard with
hogs; I think it advisable, and that it pays because they keep the soil
loose. Trees are troubled with canker-worm, tent-caterpillar, and
borers; and my apples with worms. I do not spray, but ought to. I
hand-pick my apples. I dry some for family use. I do not irrigate, but
am confident we need more water.

* * * * *

JESSE ROYER, Gove, Gove county: Have lived in Kansas thirteen years. I
have four apple trees seven years old. I prefer upland with an eastern
or northeast slope. For planting, I prefer good two-year-old trees. I
cultivate my orchard all the time; would plant corn, and cultivate with
any tool that would do good work and kill the weeds; would not plant any
crop in a bearing orchard. Windbreaks are essential; would make them of
any kind of forest-trees excepting walnut; plant two or three rows of
them all around the orchard. I prune some to give shape to trees and
take out all dead branches, and think it pays. I think a good rich [?]
mulching would be beneficial, and would advise its use on all soils. Do
not pasture my orchard. I would spray if it was necessary; insects are
not very bad here. I do not dry any.

FRUIT DISTRICT No. 3.

Following is the third fruit district, comprised of thirty-one counties
in the southwest quarter of the state. Reports, or rather experiences,
from each of these counties will be found immediately following. We give
below the number of apple trees in the third district, compiled from the
statistics of 1897. Many thousands were added in the spring of 1898.

_Bearing._ _Not bearing._ _Total._
Barber 12,901 16,384 29,285
Barton 25,146 24,196 49,342
Clark 735 1,942 2,677
Comanche 1,010 1,512 2,522
Edwards 3,378 6,672 10,050
Finney 6,139 10,559