I08 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



and anything in boxes just as quick as they will in barrels, and 

 I think a great many will buy them quicker. The question is 

 also raised about the percentage of fancies. We barreled some 

 200 barrels of Mildings from the tree, as they were picked. The 

 orchard was fair, nothing extra, and as I remember the figures, 

 fancy, 3%, No. i, 17%, No. 2, 35%, culls balance 45%. I 

 think it is typical of most of the orchards. 



Mr. Gardner: I was in an orchard this year, and in a Mc- 

 intosh grade I will guarantee that 80% of them could have been 

 boxed as fancy this year. 



Mr. Keyser: That is where you need to box. 

 Mr. Gardner: It seems to me, however, in addition to that, 

 as long as we are doing an export trade, that we have got to 

 consider the barrel pretty seriously, because it doesn't appear 

 to me that the box would ever stand up under it. 



Mr. Yeaton : I went into an orchard which packed out 97 

 I's and fancies with three that were culls — tho.se that dropped. 



Mr. : I would like to hear No. 5 discussed. I 



should like to hear from Prof. Hedrick on this question. 



No. 5. On acount of the cultivation of orchards producing 

 heavy foliage should not the trees have thorough pruning to 

 let in the sun? 



Prof. Hedrick : One principle of pruning is to stimulate 

 growth, invigorate the tree, renew its youth. I would be afraid 

 if you undertook to prune a tree severely you would get an 

 even greater growth the next year. On the other hand, without 

 any question, it is necessary and altogether desirable to thin 

 out the top of the trees, occasionally, so that the sun can get in. 

 But to prune heavily, to cut out a lot of the foliage, will give 

 you more foliage and greener fruit the next year than you had 

 before. That is a remedy that will have to be applied pretty 

 carefully, and more often the remedy will fail than work. The 

 pruning knife is often like a sword in the hands of a child. It 

 must be used skilfully and carefully, if you are going to get good 

 results. 



Mr. Gardner: You consider that also applies to pruning or 

 thinning, taking out small branches? 



Prof. Hedrick : Well, that is pruning, and the more you cut 

 out, the more you stimulate the growth, the more you are going 

 to get the next year. Unquestionably, some pruning should be 



