y3 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



chimb, place the head on and press it down with a lever or screw. 

 You will spoil the upper layer, but you had far better spoil that 

 the than have apples loose. 



In regard to facing- the fruit in the barrel ; I do not believe in 

 " deaconing " a barrel of apples — that is to say, putting good ones 

 on top and anything that happens underneath ; but I do believe 

 in "facing." What is facing? I suppose you all know, it is 

 simply taking some good, fair apples, and placing them on the 

 bottom of your barrel, the stem end down. Then fill up your 

 barrel, head it up, and turn it over, and mark the other end for the 

 top end. When that barrel is opened you see a layer of very 

 handsome apples. Now, the dealers to whom I sell my apples 

 say, "We do not want you to 'deacon,' but we can sell you* 

 apples better if you will just face them." There is no cheating 

 about it. It is understood that if you face a barrel of apples, it is 

 simply for the beauty of the apples when the barrel is opened. 

 That is a very simple thing, and inasmuch as it is not dishonest, I 

 have begun to practice it. I must say, that when I go into Port- 

 land and see the Western apples opened there, every barrel faced, 

 they look beautifully ; and our apples will look just as well if we 

 take the same care. 



In regard to marketing, we must either market ouselves, or sell 

 to agents. If we market ourselves, we must keep the run of the 

 market, and know what apples are worth. If we market through 

 an agent, we must take care that we have an honest man to sell 

 for us. 



I have already occupied too much time, but I cannot help urg- 

 ing the farmers of Cumberland and Oxford and all the country 

 towns on these granite hills, to plant new orchards. Some of us 

 have got pretty well along in life ; I see many gray heads here. 

 I did not begin to plant pears until I was past forty, but I am 

 enjoying the fruits now. I thought then it was pretty late, but if 

 a man is forty or fifty years old, it is not too late to plant an apple 

 orchard. If he wants to leave a good farm to his children, a good 

 orchard is the best thing he can leave, and he will know better 

 how to take care of it than young people will. Let him start one, 

 then. I intend to start one. I have seven acres which I intend 

 to uuderdrain and put out apple trees. I may not see any fruit 

 from it, but I intend the trees shall be there if I live two years. 

 Certainly apples can be grown upon this soil better than any other 

 crop. We must raise other things ; there are farms which will 



