278 agriculture: of MAINE. 



problem. Where one succeeds another fails, although the 

 environments of each may be the same. Success does not 

 depend wholly on the kind of soil or the location of the 

 orchard; these are minor factors. 



With a young orchard the first object, after the trees are 

 well set in soil that has had at least two years' preparation, is to 

 adopt such methods of cultivation and fertilization for the land 

 as shall give the best possible healthy growth to the trees. The 

 few years that intervene between the setting and the bearing 

 periods are the most vital to the future productiveness of the 

 orchard. During this period a judicious method of pruning 

 must be systematically followed in order to grow trees of the 

 desired shape. 



No orchard will yield good returns unless it receives good 

 care and attention. 



Clover is the apple tree's best friend and right hand sup- 

 porter. It is the economical nitrogen storage battery, the most 

 essential element for the production of the tree. 



In any case it is much better for each individual orchardist 

 to try his own experiment to determine what his own particular 

 orchard needs in the way of fertilizer than to go haphazard 

 and think that he must do just as his neighbor or some one else 

 does. The fertilizers required on another orchard might be 

 entirely thrown away on his own. A few years spent in a care- 

 ful, judicious manner will be the only way to reach a satis- 

 factory solution of the fertilizing problem. 



We will assume that the belief is prevalent that it pays to cul- 

 tivate and spray whatever the other conditions of the orchard 

 may be, so in order to make the fertilizer test one should treat 

 the trees of the whole orchard alike as to all other conditions. 

 This is the only way to make a satisfactory test and if it is 

 not thoroughly and accurately done the owner will be the only 

 loser and the experiment will be a total failure. It is one of 

 the things to be deplored that the average farmer does not try 

 to use his own individuality in his business, but is willing to 

 follow the same methods from year to year that he has learned 

 from those who went before. These tail-end methods are not 

 successful and never will be. 



The business methods of a decade past could never succeed 

 under the present system. If not in business why should they 



