146 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



I have often seen statements of great productiveness and profit 

 attending fruit culture — of fifty, sixty or more bushels of apples 

 on a tree in one season — of as many dollars received from the crop 

 of a pear tree — of a thousand dollars from an acre of pears in a 

 year ; and there is good reason to believe many of these state- 

 ments to be strictly true ; but 1 would never quote them as having 

 any bearing on the profits of simpl^'^ good orchard culture — such 

 culture as I would recommend to the farmers of Maine, and such 

 as they can bestow, if they will, to a very considerable extent ; and 

 for the simple reason that such cases are exceptional ones, being 

 sometimes the v#sult of a fortunate combination of accidents, and, 

 at other times, of a high degree of skill and a lavish expenditure 

 of labor and manure in preparation, connected with the most favor- 

 able natural conditions. 



But such statements as are quoted above, based, as they are, on 

 the observation and experience of plain, sensible farmers among 

 us, not given to exaggeration, and who, by their own testimony, 

 have rarely bestowed, or seen bestowed by others, as good culture 

 and attention as yields the most profit, may be relied on as fully 

 sustaining the proposition which I maintain, viz: That no other 

 crop, nor any other branch of rural industry, promises more satis- 

 factory returns in Maine than fruit culture, if judiciously pursued. 

 It is believed to be safely inside the fact to say that good orchards, 

 at, or nearly approaching maturity, on suitable soils, treated as 

 well as other crops are treated, will pay an average annual net 

 profit of fifty dollars per acre ; say the interest of eight hundred 

 dollars. Why then cultivate whole farms with hard labor^for a net 

 proceed of how much ? I do not know how much your farm pays of 

 net profit per acre. Is it five dollars ? ten dollars ? twenty dollars ? 

 Reckon and decide as you find sufficient cause. Neglected or- 

 chards don't pay mucli. Why should they? Would corn or 

 potatoes pay better with such neglect ? 



Before entering on the more practical portion of our subject it 

 may be well to devote some thought to the physiolgical principles 

 involved in it, in order the better to understand the why and the 

 wherefore of suitable practice. 



