66 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



fear of immaturity. I have used quite a lot of buckwheat. It 

 makes a very good cover crop under our conditions. I might 

 say that I have never seen a case where clover, in our country 

 up in the hills, ever got a stand sufficient to be worth while as 

 a cover crop in Maine. I would advise men to try out these 

 different things under their conditions. But first, try something 

 light, like rye or buckwheat. And in case the trees were get- 

 ting too heavy I would not hesitate to use a crop of oats and 

 turn them under the following spring. In dry seasons, in 

 fact, every year, the moisture is a large factor in this annual 

 bearing. I think we have never appreciated what soil moisture 

 does for an apple tree, in producing the wood growth and 

 also good sized fruit, but I believe it should be controlled to 

 some extent in the latter part of the season. A cover croj) 

 helps take care of the surplus moisture and seems to get the 

 trees into condition where they can mature their fruit. What 

 little I have said to you refers to the cultivation — tillage system 

 we might term it. You can get these same results, men are 

 getting these same results under different conditions, or under 

 certain conditions in the state under what they call a mulch 

 system. It seems to lighten the soil and make available this 

 plant food quickly. The fertilizer sown into the mulch leaches 

 down into the roots of the trees. It is rather expensive, I 

 think, and if once adopted must be lived up to. But you can 

 get results. 



Conclusion. 



In closing I want to tell you something about a little of my 

 own practical work with a block of Northern Spies, fifty-four 

 in number, standing on an acre, planted too thick. Those trees 

 are about thirty-five to thirty-eight years old. They have pro- 

 duced apples for the last seven years. Those trees are cared 

 for and looked after, and I try my best to see that they have 

 just what they seem to need, with the result that under these 

 varying climatic conditions that we have had for the past few 

 years, those trees have come out with wonderful success. The 

 largest crop taken in the seven years was 250 barrels, the least 

 was 100 barrels, taken in 191 5, when we had a frost on June 

 3 that took off a large percentage of the young fruit then set. 



