J. B. SCHLICHTER, Sterling, Rice county: I have lived in Kansas since 1871. For market I prefer Missouri Pippin, Winesap, Willow Twig, and Rawle's Janet, and for a family orchard Maiden's Blush and Early Harvest. I have tried and discarded Ben Davis because they died when eighteen or twenty years old; they are no good here. I prefer a northeast slope, with a sandy loam and a clay subsoil. I prefer small two-year-old trees, set 16x24 feet, rows running north and south. I plant my orchard to corn up to bearing age, using the plow and harrow, and plant nothing after they begin to bear, but keep up the cultivation. Windbreaks are essential; I would make them of two or three rows of Russian mulberries, on the south side of the orchard. I do not prune my trees; it does not pay. I do not thin the fruit while on the trees. My trees are in mixed plantings. I do not fertilize my orchard. I do not pasture my orchard; it is not advisable. I do not spray. I pick my apples by hand, the old way; sort into two classes. I dry some. FRUIT DISTRICT No. 4. Following is the fourth district, composed of twenty-four counties in southeast 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 fourth district, as compiled from the statistics of 1897. Many thousands were added in the spring of 1898. _Bearing._ _Not bearing._ _Total._ Allen 122,015 64,449 186,464 Anderson 111,372 46,719 158,091 Bourbon 175,961 40,570 216,531 Butler 182,827 53,966 236,793 Chase 46,762 25,191 69,953 Chautauqua 96,865 22,853 119,718 Cherokee 238,331 92,067 330,398 Coffey 167,255 68,247 235,502 Cowley 172,648 50,767 223,415 Crawford 143,089 34,798 177,887 Elk 101,601 34,343 135,944 Greenwood 117,840 70,224 188,064 Harvey 85,471 30,613 116,084 Labette 257,915 83,345 341,260 Linn 108,654 45,285 153,939 Lyon 161,295 116,176 277,471 Marion 86,838 64,359 151,197 McPherson 122,538 38,498 161,036 Montgomery 121,282 35,572 156,854 Neosho 159,443 61,754 221,197 Sedgwick 182,363 74,742 257,105 Sumner 140,613 36,961 177,574 Wilson 139,869 47,876 187,745