63 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



I know him to be good authority, and secondly, because I am much 

 interested in that subject myself. We are always interested about 

 that in which our profits lie. Mr. Gold has endeavored to give us 

 general principles rather than specific instructions. Very good ; 

 now if you will allow me a short time, I will confine m} 7 self more 

 particularly to details. There is but very little new to be said. 

 Nearly all that I propose to say may be found in many fruit books 

 that have been published, but sometimes when we hear the ex- 

 perience of any one from living lips, it has more influence upon 

 us, and does us more good than to read it in a book. I will speak 

 more particularly of apples, because this, in my judgment, is an 

 apple region. Pears need not be excluded ; but the lands of Ox- 

 ford, Franklin, northern Kennebec, and northern Cumberland, 

 where I am best acquainted, are peculiarly adapted to the growth 

 of apples. We often make a mistake in undertaking to raise that 

 upon our land which the ground was never designed to produce. 

 We may make that same mistake in planting orchards. The best 

 judgment should be exercised in selecting the site. I will speak 

 of Oxford county, because we are now upon its soil. It will be 

 observed by all those acquainted with these ridges, that they grad_ 

 ually slope to the north and usually break down rather abruptly 

 to the south. 



Professor Agassiz gives us the reason why we find the soil on 

 the northern trend of these hills deeper. Generally in selecting a 

 site for an orchard in Oxford county, I would select a northern 

 trend, first, because it has a better exposure, and next, because 

 we get a greater depth of soil. The soil is almost invariably 

 deeper upon the northern than upon the southern side, and in my 

 observation, the best orchards are to be found upon the northern 

 side. In regard to the adaptation of the soil to apple orchards, 

 my observation is this : that the poorest soils that you can plant 

 an orchard upon (trees will grow almost anywhere,) are sand, stiff 

 clay and muck. The best soil upon which you can plant an 

 orchard with a prospect of success is limestone or granite soil, 

 where the granite is largely composed of feldspar. 



Professor Emmons tells us that in one hundred parts of the ash 

 of apple wood, (sap wood,) there are sixteen parts potash, eigh- 

 teen parts lime, and seventeen parts phosphate of lime. In feld- 

 spar and granite we find a considerable per centage of potash ; in 

 limestone soils we certainly find lime. Now, if we would plant 

 our apple trees in the right soil, we should take those which nature 



