istance apart? Grown trees really need about thirty feet apart
each way. If you run the rows north and south and put them thirty feet
apart, and sixteen feet or a rod apart in the row, with a view to
taking out every other tree, you might have to go under bonds to take
them out when they are needed to come out (laughter), or else you would
leave them there until you hurt your other trees. If you would take out
every other tree when they get to interfering after several years, eight
or ten years, you can grow a double crop of apples in your orchard, but
if you do the way you probably will do, leave them right there until
they get too close, you will--

Mr. Hansen: Spoil all of them?

Mr. Andrews: Yes. Then you better put them out a little farther apart,
and, as I said, two rods apart each way I don't believe is too far. Our
old orchard that we put out in 1877 is just on its last legs now. At
that time, you know, we didn't know anything about what varieties to
plant, we didn't have as many as we have now. The old orchard only had
the Duchess and Wealthy for standards, and half of the orchard was into
crabs, because I thought at that time crabs was the only thing that
would be any ways sure of staying by us. Well, those trees are about
through their usefulness now, the standards. They have borne well until
the last two years, generally loaded, and they were put out at that time
fourteen feet apart each way, breaking joints so that they didn't come
directly opposite. And when they got to be twelve or fifteen years old,
it was difficult to get through there with a team or with any
satisfaction, it was rubbing the limbs too much. Then the next orchard
we put out on the farm was twenty-four feet by fifteen or sixteen feet
in the row, the rows twenty-four feet apart. I wish they were a little
farther apart, although that hasn't bothered very much about getting
through between the rows, but it shows that a tree that is any ways
spreading in its habit really needs about two rods each way. Are there
any other questions?

Mr. Brackett: Do you think a Wealthy orchard under thorough cultivation,
making a rank growth, do you think it is as hardy as an orchard seeded
down, and do you think that a Wealthy orchard would blight more than
other kinds?

Mr. Andrews: If the ground is rich and under thorough cultivation it
does tend to cause fire blight. I haven't followed it on anything but
young orchards. When they have commenced to bea