no AGRICUIvTURE OP MAINE. 



PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE TO DATE IN CO^IMER- 



CIAL ORCHARDING. 

 Prof. P\ C. Sears. 



Two years ago, I spoke before your Association on "Personal 

 Experiences in Starting a Commercial Orchard in Massachu- 

 setts," and I want this afternoon to review briefly what I said 

 at that meeting and to bring the matter up to date. 



Perhaps I ought to explain, as I did then, that in the spring 

 of 1908 Professor \\^augh and I decided that, having attempted 

 for fifteen years to teach other people how to conduct the or- 

 chard business, we would venture out in that business ourselves. 

 We therefore bought 150 acres of land near the Agricultural 

 College, which has since then been increased to 250 acres, and 

 began setting out fruit trees. The first year we set between five 

 and six thousand trees, and we have added to our plantings each 

 year until now we have about 120 acres in orchards. Our m.ain 

 plantings have been apples, though we have also set peaches, 

 quinces, and plums, and we expect to set a few pears the com- 

 ing spring. It is in reference to the many problems we have 

 met and solved (either rightly or wrongly) that I wish to speak 

 this afternoon. 



May I first state briefly the considerations which led us to 

 undertake such an enterprise, for it is, of course, a very unusual 

 thing for college professors to venture into such a work. I pre- 

 sume that sentiment undoubtedly had something to do with 

 our decision, for we had both been classed with the "theorists" 

 so long that we wanted a chance to show that our theories 

 would work. Rut in the main, it was a plain business proposi- 

 tion with us. We wanted some business to fall back upon when 

 we should retire from teaching and we felt that orcharding, 

 properly carried out, offered as certain returns as one could ex- 

 pect to get in any ordinary commercial venture. We believed 

 emphatically in the quality of our New England apples, and 

 we felt that our nearness to market, our cheap lands, and our 



