138 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



ninety barrels were merchantable. The next year we got a little 

 better crop. The only note that I have made was the number of 

 barrels, and that is so very important, illustrating thoroughly 

 the value of cultivation, pruning and spraying, the treatment 

 that the orchard has had, that I am going to read from my notes. 

 In 1909 there were 200 barrels of which 90 were marketable 

 apples. In 1910, 350 barrels were produced, of which 275 bar- 

 rels were put into the market. In 191 1, 2400 barrels were 

 raised, and 2300 were put into the market. In 1912 the grand 

 total was 3217, of which 2750 were fancy No. i apples, packed 

 so that the members of the Pomological Society would be proud 

 to have any one inspect them as he would see a pack that was a 

 credit to all, and the whole State of Maine, because it is an object 

 lesson, and we say the main feature that we are endeavoring to 

 bring out at Highmoor Farm is the value of an object lesson, to 

 induce others to go and do likewise. Now to bring these results 

 about we have used systematic spraying, fertilizing, pruning and 

 cultivation. We found this year that lin order to cultivate more 

 economically than we had in the pasit, it was advisable to get a 

 traction engine or a motor plow. The trees are set in rows 

 twenty-five feet apart each way. You will understand that 

 that is so close together that the limbs come very near together 

 in the center, making it almost impossible to cultivate with a 

 team; especially if you are using 1600 lb. horses. So the Sta- 

 tion bought a traction engine or motor plow and the plowing 

 between the rov\"s as far forth as we could was done with that, 

 and then a disc harrow was attached to the corner of this auto 

 plow which allowed us to cultivate close to the trees. That has 

 been done a great deal more economically than could possibly be 

 done by the horses with the old fashioned method. One can run 

 the engine, one taking care of the harrcm', either the disc or the 

 spring tooth, and guiding it up close to the trees. It saved a 

 great deal of expense and the result has been phenomenal. The 

 trees, without any more fertilizer than has been used in years 

 past, have m-ade a wonderful growth, the leaves are in a better, 

 more healthy color than they have been in the past, and the or- 

 chard is really coming along very nicely indeed. 



Now when the Station took this farm over, the mice had 

 worked there a good deal and many of the trunks of the trees 



