MAINE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 261 



individual among the tliousands who own the soil of Maine, who 

 as giving to the culture of fruit tliat portion of his time and 

 attention, that its real importance demands. 



But what are the inducements, the encouragements, we hold 

 out to the little and the great landholders, that shall lead them 

 to cumber their grounds with fruit-trees ? 



We name first — because most potent to call the man to 

 action — pecuniary gain — sure profit. 



No man in his senses, to-day, fails to appreciate the wisdom, 

 and do honor to the men, who planted and cared for the better 

 class of orchards that now grace the valley of the Kennebec. 

 No one but sees and knows, that in favorable seasons, these 

 orchards are sources of revenue to their owners, greater than 

 all their farms besides. 



In the middle and western States, with past experience, 

 farmers are encouraged to increase their orchards beyond the 

 ratio of other improvements, and that of population, when their 

 chance for a full crop is only one in two or three years. With 

 us is not the chance greater? In the northern counties, in 

 some localities, we are allowed to say the apple crop never fails. 

 But for the past few days of inclement weather, more specimens 

 would now be before us, and some from orchards that have pro- 

 duced fair specimens of choice varieties for an unbroken series 

 of about forty years. Other portions of the State are not 

 entirely exempt from casual blights, and occasional failures, 

 through natural causes. 



The past season, with very general complaint of a scanty 

 apple crop, the dealers in Boston have penetrated to the back 

 settlements in Maine, there finding fair choice apples in consid- 

 erable quantity, which they have bought at round prices, and 

 transported over long roads to the cars and steamers. 



The greater surety of successive good crops in our locality, 

 over portions of our country warmed by earlier and more fickle 

 spring, is a matter that is being well established and very gen- 

 erally understood. 



Our apples compare favorably with those produced in warmer 

 latitudes. 



At Rochester, New York, in September last, was probably 



