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WINTER MEETING.
but actually exists in Canada, Penn., Mich., and New York.
With the exception of the Pacific states and possibly Missouri
and Arkansas, there is no concerted movement toward making
the apple crop the main crop.
In the orchard named above there had been no spraying for
rot, blight or the codling moth; no clean cultivation; trees
growing in sod with more or less rubbish, straw, etc., for a
mulch; an indifferent and careless method of handling the fruit
and yet we who live in the wormy belt are confused by the mar-
velous results attained where our so-called modern treatment of
orchards is wholly ignored.
In these counties singled out for special consideration and in
nearly every other county of our state the expansion of the apple
orchard is an assured fact.
This progressive movement our Society haiis with delight for
we are positive that no man who will use ordinary judgment in
selecting fertile ridges with limestone as the basic rock and who
will post himself regarding the varieties of apples to plant and
who will acquaint himself with the few necessary facts and
principles of spraying and cultivation need worry one moment
over the results of a venture in apple growing in Wisconsin.
Jan. 10th, 1910.
A CHIPPEWA COUNTY ORCHARD OF 60 ACRES.
JAMES W. MELVILLE, Chippewa Falls.
My orchard is in what is known as the Melville Settlement,
about nine miles Southeast from Chippewa Falls. This settle-
ment consists of about four sections of land on the divide be-
tween the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers. The land is rolling
and the general elevation is over one hundred feet above the
surrounding country. The soil is a fine porous clay on the hills,
and in the valleys it is a dark loam, with a dark porous subsoil,
which affords natural drainage. This land was formerly cov-
ered with a heavy growth of timber.
The planting of apple trees in the Melville settlement began
about forty years ago.
My first planting consisted of 500 trees. 400 of which were
Duchess, 50 Wealthy, and 50 crab trees. These trees are now
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