JAMES McNICOL, Lost Springs, Marion county: Have been in Kansas twenty-seven years. Have an apple orchard of 12,000 trees, set from three to ten years. Prefer Missouri Pippins alone for commercial orchard, and Early Harvest, Maiden's Blush, Missouri Pippin and Grimes's Golden Pippin for family orchard. Have discarded White Winter Pearmain as not hardy. I prefer bottom land, northern slope, with rich surface soil and porous subsoil. After plowing out deep furrows, subsoil with a lister; then select well-rooted, two-year-old trees and plant carefully. Distance apart is an important matter; if too close, the trees, no matter how well cultivated, will suffer for moisture; if too far apart, the wind will play havoc with trees and fruit. I would plant close rows running east and west, as each row would help break the wind when the trees in the row reach each other. I would plant twenty feet apart in the row, and the rows thirty feet apart, and would recommend planting a row of cherry, dwarf pear, plum or peach between the apple rows, provided they are cut out at the proper time to not allow them to rob the orchard of moisture. Cultivate often to a good old age with a disc and Acme harrow. Grow corn or Kafir-corn for five or six years, leaving a good space next the trees, not for weeds, but to be well cultivated. A silly policy is to cultivate the corn that costs less than five cents per row for seed four times, and leave the tree row that costs two dollars or more uncultivated. Do not use a stirring plow; it hills up around the trees too much. If you list your corn, go east and west one year, north and south the next year. Keep the ground well cultivated; grow nothing after five or six years, not even weeds or clover. Cultivate at right angles and diagonal. Whenever you are blessed with a good rain in summer don't wait until the weeds start, but cultivate as soon as the ground will bear it. Keep a dust mulch on by cultivation; few know the great value of a dust mulch. For a family orchard a five-tooth cultivator near the trees, and a two-horse cultivator for the middles, will do. Use the harrow often. Six days' work at the proper time will keep a five-acre orchard in good shape through the season. Some say this is not a fruit country. It is not and never will be to the one who has no time to cultivate; but to the careful cultivator there is great reward, for the very same reason. I believe it essential to have windbreaks, and advise planting three or more rows of honey-locust and Russian mulberry for windbreaks, on the south and west sides. For rabbits I use wooden tree wraps, also traps, guns, and dogs. I prune a little, to keep the top balanced. I use no fertilizers, and would never allow stock pastured in orchard. Am troubled with root aphis, leaf-crumpler, and codling-moth. I practice spraying with blue vitriol for codling-moth. I prevent borers by keeping the ground well cultivated. * * * * *