30 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



harrowing the ground about the trees, though if the roots are 

 found near the surface very shallow plowing should be prac- 

 ticed. Spraying must be regularly practiced. If the trees are 

 infested with scurfy, oyster shell or San Jose scale, they should 

 either be sprayed when dormant with "Sculecide" or given the 

 lime-sulphur treatment. This treatment which I have sug- 

 gested has been fully tested in many sections and has never 

 failed to bring satisfactory results when persisted in until the 

 effect of previous neglect has been overcome. In these old 

 orchards the trees are frequently too closely planted. In such 

 case every other tree should be removed. Where the orchard 

 is found to be badly located as far as surface drainage is con- 

 cerned, one of two things is necessary, to properly drain the 

 land where the trees are located or to at once cut them down. 

 Forest trees may flourish in a swamp but profitable apple trees, 

 never. 



Varieties are largely a matter of locality and of individual 

 taste. Too close planting, and the planting of too many varie- 

 ties, were two of the most serious mistakes formerly made. 

 For the best results the average orchard should not consist of 

 over four varieties and those of the kinds that are the best 

 adapted to that particular locality. 



STARTING THE ORCHARD. 



In starting an apple orchard it is of prime importance to have 

 it well located ; that is, on land that is well drained, either 

 naturally or artificially, likewise on such soil as may be depended 

 on to produce reasonably good crops of either corn or potatoes. 

 It is as a rule economy and good wisdom to take one's best land 

 for the establishing of an orchard, for such land may be more 

 easily tilled and it is the tillage or cultivation that is to create 

 an environment in which the trees may more quickly grow and 

 become able to produce profitable crops of fruit. This, I 

 believe, is the one great problem our eastern fruit growers have 

 got to solve, surely before outside capital may be influenced to 

 invest money in apple orchard propositions. When we 

 can get better results in ten years with a more intensive method 

 of treatment than our fathers have gotten in twenty or thirty 

 by their method of semi-neglect, then we shall have solved a 



