WHAT VARIETIES OF APPLE TREES TO PLANT. 49 



The world was not made in a day and we do not look for a com- 

 plete revolution in method but we are rightly hoping that the 

 day is not distant when all our cities will be supplied with a first 

 class article of pure milk at a price which will be satisfactory 

 to the farmer. 



WHAT VARIETIES OF APPLE TREES TO PLANT. 

 By D. H. Knowlton, Farmington. 



As people realize more and more the profit from Maine 

 orchards, they are setting more trees. From all parts of the 

 State information reaches us that this is going on, and there 

 are frequent inquiries as to varieties. Now this matter of vari- 

 eties is all important, for this alone may determine the profit in 

 growing fruit. As it now goes, the variety is largely a matter 

 of fancy with many, rather than of mature judgment. Years 

 after the trees are set, these people find out to their sorrow that 

 others are getting more profit from the orchard than they are. 

 To be sure the trees may be worked over into some other vari- 

 eties, but all this represents a loss to the owner which might 

 have been avoided had he started right. In spite of all the 

 advice given by the best fruit growers, the farmer seems always 

 ready to listen to the smooth-tongued agent. He ignores those 

 varieties that he knows his neighbors have found profitable, and 

 instead sets something that pleases his fancy under the influence 

 of the agent and his book of beautiful colored plates. 



In what is known as the "apple belt" of the State the Baldwin 

 has been the one variety that has succeeded best. It may be 

 urged as an objection to it that one does not get a good tree 

 from New York nursery stock without working over Talman 

 Sweet or some other variety. The reason for this is not very 

 well understood, but the fact is well known that Baldwin trees 

 from the New York nurseries do not withstand the cold and 

 many of them are killed back and oftentimes entirely killed. 

 As evidence of the value of this variety, reference only is neces- 

 sary to the many growers who are successfully growing Bald- 

 wins for market. Growers in the vichiity of Winthrop are 

 4 



