FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT. 25 



down the apple trees for firewood and raise blackberries — the financial 

 returns will surely be greater." The number of large old broken-down 

 limbs was so great that, to work the teams in the orchard, it took two 

 good active men two days with a cross-cut saw to drop them to the 

 ground in order that they might be removed so that the team could work 

 beneath the trees. This orchard was "broke-up" or ploughed in Novem- 

 ber, 1905, and was thoroughly, and apparently to others, recklessly prun- 

 ed the following winter. The pruning expense alone ranged from 50c 

 to |1.00 per tree. The crop from this orchard during the previous five 

 years totaled less than 300 barrels. I have marketed fruit from this 

 orchard as follows: 



1906—369 barrels. 1909—507 barrels. 



1907—427 barrels. 1910—275 barrels. 



1908—300 barrels. 1911—376 barrels. 



a six-year average of 376 barrels. The annual returns have averaged 

 1996.52. This orchard passed from my care in 1911, and the care it 

 has since received lias been ordinary with results in proportion. 



It might be of interest to state that the resultant success following 

 the reclamation of this old orchard was a big prop back of the faith 

 with which some of our most unpromising Oswego county propositions 

 were tackled. 



Orchard No. 5 contains 120 trees, about 45 years old and consists of 

 the following varieties: 80 Baldwins, 25 Russett, 10 Greening, and 5 

 other varieties. This orchard is located across the road from Orchard No. 

 3, Soil stony clay loam, with good drainage. While working in the 

 latter during the fall of 1905 and spring of 1906 the owner had at various 

 times endeavored to induce me to take charge of this one and finally 

 in May, 1906, at the time the blossom buds were showing pink he offered 

 to give me a five year lease and furnish stable manure for its immediate 

 covering (of which there was a year's supply in his barnyard) at an an- 

 nual rental of |100.00. This I accepted. The land on which this orchard 

 had been set was ideal for orchard purposes, but the orchard itself had 

 been neglected and the land used for pasturing cattle and other stock 

 and was nearly ruined. The total returns for the three years previous 

 had been less then 100 barrels of fruit. The Baldwin trees, in particular, 

 were in such a bad condition that all of the large lower limbs were 

 dead and had to be removed. I have marketed fruit from this orchard 

 as follows: 



1906—311 barrels. 1909—191 barrels. 



1907—232 barrels. 1910—550 barrels. 



1908—600 barrels. 



a five-year average of 377 barrels. The average annual returns have been 

 1951.60. This orchard passed from my care in 1910 to that of a tenant 

 who had been in my employ for a number of years — the previous treat- 

 ment was continued with results equal to those of the past, in fact the 

 crop of 1912 was the best in both quality and quantity this orchard ever 

 produced, and for that season was recognized as one of the blue ribbon 

 ones of our county. 



The average annual yield per acre from all of my Orleans county apple 

 orchards has been 117 barrels; the average annual returns per acre for 



