74 



state: pomological society. 



Only a short time ago, in conversation with the owner of an 

 "abandoned farm" in Maine, the following interesting facts 

 were brought out : The owner, a resident of Waterford, Oxford 

 county, was a young married man and wished to branch out 

 somewhat in his farming operations. In 1886 an abandoned, 

 farm of 136 acres, one and one-half miles from home, was 

 bought for $650. This is what is known as a hill farm, and 

 apple seedlings grow almost spontaneously. At the time of pur- 

 chase there was a thick growth of natural apple seedlings over 

 the abandoned field. Some of these had been top-worked, and 

 that year yielded twenty barrels of fruit. The same year the 

 owner set three hundred young trees and began grafting the 

 other seedlings. Such wood and timber as there was on the 

 place was sold on the stump at $4.00 per thousand, instead of 

 spending time and labor in clearing. 



During the first three years the young orchard was cultivated 

 and planted to corn, the old trees being in pasture. Since 1889 

 the whole orchard has been in pasture, but there is an annual 

 application of eight to fifteen pounds per tree of a fertilizer 

 m.ade up of 200 pounds nitrate of soda; 600 pounds muriate of 

 potash ; 600 pounds ground bone. 



As indicating the earliness of fruiting, one of the top-grafting 

 trees, the third year from grafting, produced three barrels *of 

 Baldwins, and the fifth year five barrels. The tenth year (1896) 

 there were sold from the place 275 barrels of Baldwins at $1.00 

 per barrel — mostly from the top-worked trees, of which there 

 were about 300. 



In 1900 there were sold 600 bbls. at $1.43^ per bbl. 



' t 



The high prices realized are due to the excellent fruit and 

 the fact that it is held in a storage house — built on the place 

 from the profits of the orchard — until the price is satisfactory. 

 In 1900 and 1904 the net returns from this small hillside orchard 

 on one of Maine's abandoned farms was nearly $500. In 1905 



* Serious attack of pink rot. 

 t Sold in November. 



