Now, the distance 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 bear then we have generally seeded down and turned in the hogs, and we have rather neglected the cultivation after that.  I do think that if we had cultivated a little more often it would have been better.

Mr. Older:  What do you consider the best to seed down with, clover or alfalfa?

Mr. Andrews:  I have never tried alfalfa.  I don’t see why it wouldn’t be all right, if you don’t try to keep it too long.  It would furnish the nitrogen all right.