STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 47 



Sometimes the fruit entered is not properly placed and the 

 judge cannot be expected to spend time hunting for the missing 

 plates. He says "Well, I will pass on these," and he makes his 

 mark on the judge's book, and that comes as the verdict of the 

 Society. A man who has got a plate of the same kind over 

 here in another part of the hall, comes to me and says, "What 

 does this mean? Are not these better than those?" "I don't 

 know." — I am not judging the exhibition. I always swear by 

 what the judge does, whatever it is. At the same time I know 

 in my judgment that the judge, while he has not made any mis- 

 take — the verdict of the Society goes out wrong — the man who 

 has the overlooked fruit is mad with the Society and says he 

 has been treated unjustly, and it is all because this kind of 

 work I am speaking of has not been well done. 



WHAT A TREE TOLD ME. 

 Dr. George M. Twitchell, Auburn. 



I like, — yes, I love an apple tree. Somehow, getting out 

 among the trees the last two or three years when I have been 

 free from other cares and have had the opportunity — I found I 

 had not been doing my duty by them. 



I bought an orchard a few years ago and noticed limbs where 

 the wood growth had been but one or two inches for the season. 

 It seemed to me as I went among them that they whispered to 

 me and said "I am hungry." So I opened up the soil and began 

 to fertilize, applying bone and potash and stable manure. The 

 next season I was surprised to see how they responded in 

 woody growth and since have yielded good crops of fruit. Two 

 years ago, going on the farm where I have been I found the 

 same condition, and the trees seemed to me still more stubborn 

 in insisting that they wanted something to eat. So I began 

 experimenting ; on one lot we put 14 lbs. of Fisher formula 

 fertilizer per tree, applying it on the outer circle of the branches ; 

 on another we put a horse load of strawy horse dressing per 

 tree and in another portion I fenced and introduced the hogs. 

 That introduction paid, for the hogs opened the earth about the 

 trees and fertilized in grand shape. It was a case of friendship 

 from the first and the only thing for me to do was to see to it 



