Show A GIU3YT API113 ORCHARD Mr Phil A Creager of Topeka Ran gives in the biennial report of the Kansas Board of Agriculture just issued is-sued an interesting account of the Wellhouse apple orchard located in Ltavenworth and Osage counties and said to be tIm largest in the world It comprises about 1500 acres of which 440 are in full bearing 800 are just beginning to bear and the remainder have yet to yield their ° first fruit air AVellhouse made his first planting of 320 acres in 1S76 Two years later he planted 1GO acres and the following year added another quarter section The first fruit 1501 bushels was gathered gath-ered in 1SSO four years after the first planting The plating on the 800acre tract that is just coming into bearing was made in 1889 1890 and 1891 and the smaller additions making up the total of 1300 acres have been planted later Yields and Profits During the fourteen years since the orchard came into bearing there have been but two crop failures the seasons sea-sons of 1S92 and 1893 The highest yield yet received from the orchard was 79170 bushels of apples in 1890 Last year the yield was 47374 bushels The actual expenses in 1890 were a trifle more than 13000 and the gross receipts from the sale of apples 552 000 The gross receipts for 1S91 were 16493 the cost of gathering and marketing mar-keting SSS53 leaving a net profit of 7640 The 1894 crop not all sold in February when the report was made has a present market value of 18716 the cost of gathering and marketing is G400 leaing a net profit of 12316 The total yield of the orchard up to date has been 351235 bushels The gross sales have amounted to 160327 The cost of gathering and marketing was 559991 leaving a net return from the investment of 100336 It will be observed that only a small proportion of the orchard is yet in bearing less than onethird The profit and percentage per-centage of profit will undoubtedly be largely increased as the later plantings plant-ings which have so far been a source of expense only come into full bearIng bear-Ing Under these conditions the cost of growing the apples culls and all has been about 25 cents a bushel and the average selling price 53 cents leaving leav-ing a net profit of 2S cents a bushel Varieties The proportion in which varieties have been planted indicate Mr Wellshouses preference in a commercial way He has 630 acres of Ben Davis 320 of Missouri Mis-souri Pippin 260 of Jonathan 100 of the Gano 95 of the York Imperial 60 Vmesap 16 Maidens Blush and 16 Coopers Early White the latter being the only variety that has not paid Neither it nor the AYinesap will be planted to any further extent Mr Wellhouse is very favorably impressed with the Gano fag his latitude it being be-ing a variety which is making its way into the place now occupied by the Ben Davis which it strongly resembles resem-bles and many authorities claim that it is but an improved strain of that i standard appl The York Imperial though not thoroughly tested as yetis yet-is looked upon with special favor as a commercial variety The tree is thrifty thrif-ty hardy and very productive although al-though difficult to raise in the nursery The fruit is of good and uniform size well colored a good keeper and preserves pre-serves its quality as to crispness and flavor as long as it lasts never becoming becom-ing spongy or flabby Method of Planting j Jlr Wellhouse sets his trees so that j the north and south rows are 32 feet i apart with the trees 16 feet apart in the rows There are three main reasons rea-sons for adopting this plan 1 With the trees so close together they form their own windbreak making hedges or belts of timber unnecessary 2 The dense shade makes the evaporation evapora-tion of moisture from the soil less rapid and the danger from sun scald of the trunks and branches less imminent im-minent 3 It is easier to secure a good permanent stand by the close planting and the excess of trees if there are any can be removed as is desirable Trees are always set in trenches rather than in holes for several reasons rea-sons It is a more rapid and less ex pensie method and it insures better drainage of the trees Besides this it loosens the soil to a greater distance around the trees than is the case where the holes are dug as ordinarily Mr Wellshouses plan is to strike out a land about four ordinary furrows where each row of trees is to be From this land he turns two furrows each way leaving a dead furrow In the bottom of this dead furrow an ordinary ordi-nary listing plow is run to a depth of fourteen inches from the surface if possible Very little digging is required re-quired in this trench to prepare for the setting of each tree Caring for the Trees Trees are always headed very low and the heads kept as dense as possible possi-ble to protect the trunks and branches from sun scald Mr Wellhouse says that he invariably refuses employment to men who will confess to any knowledge knowl-edge of horticulture for such persons always persist in disobeying orderain regard to pruning They insist on trimming the body of the tree high and trimming out the head which is not desired under any circumstances Mer avho know nothing about pruning do a4tnev are toW Sparing the pruning prun-ing I ICe also promotes early bearing |