30 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



During the past season my attention was called to a tree in the corner 

 of an orchard which is worthy of note. On one side of the tree is a culti- 

 vated field, well manured; on another side was the hen-yard. Thus the 

 tree had plenty of room and sunlight, and manure on two sides at least. 

 As we might expect, it was loaded with bushels of fine fruit, while the 

 rest of the orchard bore very little and inferior fruit. 



Another cause of the famine for which we are to blame is neglecting to 

 plant a new orchard every twenty years. We expect too much of the old 

 orchard. It has paid for itself many times over, and we wonder why it 

 does not keep on doing so forever. As well expect a good day's work 

 from the ol.d man who goes tottering on his cane. 



For the insect enemies and fungous diseases we think we are not to 

 blame. But even this is questionable. Nothing would help to multiply 

 these enemies faster than simple neglect. We now have. I believe, reme- 

 dies or preventives for every known enemy to the apple. Neglect of 

 our orchards under these circumstances would seem about as reasonable 

 as neglect of our children when they have scarlet fever or small-pox, or if 

 starving to death. 



Still, the question that confronts us on every hand is, will it pay to 

 grow apples? It would be more sensible to ask, will it pay to grow fifty- 

 cent wheat? We seldom hear such a foolish question asked, yet the busi- 

 ness of wheat-growing goes right on as though it were paying the mort- 

 gage and putting money into the bank. 



The question of apple-growing should meet with a decided answer in 

 the affirmative. The day for profitable apple-growing is not yet past by a 

 long way. The production of apples seems to be diminishing, while the 

 demand is steadily increasing. Even apple scabs and worm-holes have 

 found a ready sale of late years, while first-class apples bring almost any 

 price named. 



Science also comes to our aid to increase the demand for apples. It 

 finds the apple composed of albumen, sugar, chlorophyl, malic acid, gallic 

 acid, lime, and a larger per cent, of phosphorus than any other fruit or 

 vegetable. This phosphorus is of immense value in toning up the nervous- 

 system. It was doubtless this property that gave the ancient Scandinav- 

 ians the idea that the apple was the fruit of the gods, who, when they felt 

 themselves to be growing feeble or infirm, resorted to this fruit for renew- 

 ing their powers of mind and body. 



The patent-medicine man has caught this idea, and is furnishing the 

 phosphoric water of life in the bottle at great expense to us. Likewise- 

 the dentists all over the land are growing rich because we do not eat more 

 apples. In the meantime we groan with toothache. And, strange to say, 

 the acids of the apple correct, rather than provoke, acidity of the stomach. 

 These acids are of immense value to people of sedentary habits, in elimi- 

 nating from their disordered livers those noxious matters which, if 

 retained, make the brain heavy and dull, inducing dyspepsia, jaundice, 

 and skin diseases. 



A knowledge of this fact, perhaps, led to the use of apple sauce with, 

 pork roast, rich goose, etc., the malic acid of the apple neutralizing the 

 excess of chalk and fatty matter in the meat — a sort of a reciprocity treaty, 

 as it were, between the fat goose and the rosy apple. 



Though the question of the growing demand for apples is conceded, we 

 are yet told that we can no longer grow them. 



