114 agriculture; of maine. 



purchased 80 acres of good orchard land for $400. The land 

 was in timber to a large extent. So was the famous Nova 

 Scotia orchard of Ralph S. Eaton less than a dozen years before 

 it began to bear fruit. The young man said he was going to 

 get enough for the stumpage to pay for the land, and then he 

 was going to set it out to apple trees. Measure this with a city 

 clerkship or a nine-hour-a-day job in a shut-up factory. The 

 money is well invested, and the young man has graciously ac- 

 cepted the opportunity. 



Just out of the village of New Vineyard a lot of land contain- 

 ing about 80 acres of land was purchased 18 years ago for about 

 $700. Like many other tracts there were many seedling apple 

 trees upon it. These were worked over and in a few years be- 

 gan to bear fruit, and from the product of those trees the owner 

 built a good home and at his death left to his widow a handsome 

 annuity from the orchard. This year there were about 150 

 barrels of good fruit for market. Oh, how many places there 

 are of this sort that need only the hand of a willing worker to 

 become productive and profitable ! 



There are few farms in the State upon which there are not 

 many good seedling apple trees. In many cases they are of lit- 

 tle value for tillage, but with a little care and pruning the trees 

 will grow and thrive and bear fruit. They need the trained hand 

 to prune and graft and care for them. The interest on the in- 

 vestment is slight and the fruit is near a good market. Add to 

 these volunteer trees enough from some good nursery to cover 

 the land and there is nothing in Maine that will pay better. 

 There are here and there neglected farms and orchards of this 

 class. Under good care they will soon come into profitable pro- 

 duction. They are opportunities for men in and out of the 

 State. 



I realize the shortage of men to operate such farms, and it is 

 much to be regretted that our rural schools are not training the 

 boys to prune and graft and care for the orchards. It has long 

 been a neglected opportunity for practical school work. The 

 boys are entitled to it and the farmers of the State should help 

 along this line. This situation is all the more important when it 

 is learned that these trees of which we speak have been produc- 

 ing natural fruit, and that thousands of barrels are sold for can- 

 ning and cider every year. The trees are ready ;' in fact, as in 



