94 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



In any attempt to solve the problem of cost or possible profit, 

 more attention must be given to increase of that variety which 

 finds in our soil its most favorable environment. Never mind if 

 actual experiments must be made on every farm to finally decide 

 this problem, it lies so close to the pocket book of the grower 

 that its importance cannot be overlooked. Make the environ- 

 ment of your trees so congenial that they may be incited to do 

 their best and the problem of profitable orcharding will be solved. 



OUTGO AND INCOME OF A TEN-ACRE APPLE 



ORCHARD. 



Prof. U. P . Hedrick, Horticulturist, Geneva Experiment 



Station, Geneva, N. Y. 



I take it that you men before me are all g^rowing fruit for 

 the money you can make. In common parlance you are business 

 men. Yet in this day, in which efficiency is the slogan of busi- 

 ness, how many of you have precise knowledge of what your 

 capital and labor are accomplishing? How many figure accu- 

 rately profits and losses? If making money, how many can find 

 the goose that lays the golden eggs? If losing, how many can 

 locate the leak? How many have made a physical valuation of 

 the property in his possession and actually know his assets and 

 liabiHties? At the risk of being thought presumptuous I ven- 

 ture to say that not many in this audience can give anything like 

 a clear statement of the financial condition of their business. 

 Yet I do not believe that any one of you is wilfully negligent of 

 your money matters, but, lacking data with which to start and 

 method with which to keep track of the outgo and income of 

 your orchard, life spins past with your business affairs in a 

 tangled skein which you hardly dare attempt to unravel. 



No doubt before me are a number of men from city or town 

 who are planting orchards — beginners embarking upon what 

 seems to be a pleasing hobby and yet one capable of giving a 

 living and an income for old age. Possibly all will go well. It 

 is to be hoped that your castles in the air will materialize, but 



