68 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



Soil. 



Almost any apple will grow on almost any soil, but it is 

 generally agreed that red varieties color better on sandy or 

 gravelly soil, than on the heavier types, and that green apples 

 grown on heavy soil, keep better, and lack the blush that is 

 undesirable in many markets. The color is closely related to 

 the degree of ripeness of the fruit, and as apples on a light soil 

 or in sod usually mature earlier than those on clay or under 

 cultivation, so will the former usually show better color and 

 drop earlier, and ripen earlier in storage than the latter. Good 

 color is desirable in colored apples, but often the late spring 

 market will pay a premium for small, green Baldwins, for in- 

 stance, because they look green when most offerings are over- 

 ripe. 



An elevation protected from high winds but having good air 

 drainage is desirable for planting, for it gives not only protec- 

 tion from frost but also from apple scab and other fungous 

 diseases. 



The mistake has often been made of planting the orchard 

 on the poorest land on the farm. Competition in the fruit 

 industry is keen and is growing keener every year and only 

 those producing fruit of high quality are going to find it profit- 

 able. To produce good fruit on an economic and commercial 

 basis you want all the advantages you can get, and that includes 

 good, well drained, fairly level soil, that can be worked at the 

 minimum expense. When you consider how small is the rent 

 or interest on the investment of the land, compared to the cost 

 of the trees and the annual expense of care and cultivation, it 

 is surprising to see how many people are looking for chea^.^ 

 land, rather than the best land that money can buy. 



Varieties. 



The question of what variety to plant can be answered better 

 by a local grower than by any one coming from the outside. 1 

 prefer the red apples to the green or yellow varieties, because 

 they do not show the effects of apple scab or bruises, or scald 

 so plainly, and I have always felt that a red apple shows up 

 better and meets a better and wider demand on the market 

 than a green or yellow one. 



