44 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



AGAINST THE SOD ORCHARD. 



I want to go on record as most emphatically denouncing the 

 sod orchard. I have some myself in which there has been no 

 plow for more than 30 years, pastured with small stock, and 

 they have been exceedingly profitable, but they belong to a 

 past generation, and without question the profitable orchards 

 the country over, are those that are cultivated from their 

 youth up and continue to be so until the end of the chapter. 



FERTILIZERS. 

 I should never put any manure or fertilizer of any kind about 

 the roots of the young trees when planted. A mulch of coarse 

 manure above the ground may be a very good thing. Apply just 

 enough manure to keep the trees growing and thrifty until they 

 come into bearing and then usually it may be applied with a lib- 

 eral hand. Of course, there can be too much to induce the 

 rank growth spoken of above, but of this there need be no dan- 

 ger if one will observe his trees and refrain from applying the 

 manure when there are indications that there is too much wood 

 growth. To put a lot of fertilizer — as is often done — right 

 about the trunk of the tree and nowhere else, is as sensible as 

 it would be to tie four quarts of oats about a horse's leg, and ex- 

 pect it to get any benefit from it. As to the matter of commer- 

 cial manure, I am not so clear. I have used very much of such 

 in. my own orchard, and know of its extended use in others, 

 and in either case there was no direct benefit to the tree, al- 

 though there was an indirect one, through the growth of the 

 cover crop. This will not apply to all conditions, and I can only 

 advise each orchardist to experiment for himself in a limited 

 way with various chemicals, to determine whether for him it is 

 a profitable investment. 



WHAT ABOUT SPRAYING? 



I have said nothing about spraying, because I propose to treat 

 that by itself tomorrow but for the benefit of any one who may 

 not hear me at that time, I would say that after all these things 

 have been faithfully carried out, there must be thorough, timely 

 and intelligent spraying. 



Mr. Bailey of Wiscasset: Situated near the seashore we 

 have a great deal of rock- weed and thatch. Now what "Kind 



