396 THE FAT OF THE LAND 



and alfalfa fields. The apple trees are very 

 heavily mulched, even beyond the spread of their 

 branches, with waste fresh from the vats, and 

 once a year a light dressing of muriate of potash 

 is applied. The trees have grown as fast as 

 could be desired, and all of them are now in 

 bearing. The apples from these young trees sold 

 for enough last year to net ninety cents for each 

 tree, which is more than the trees have ever cost 

 me. 



In 1898 these orchards yielded $38 ; in 1899, 

 $165; in 1900, $530; in 1901, $1117. Seven years 

 from the date of planting these trees, which were 

 then three years old, I had received in money 

 $4720, or $1200 more than I paid for the fifty 

 acres of land on which they grew. If one would 

 ask for better returns, all he has to do is to wait ; 

 for there is a sort of geometrical progression in- 

 herent in the income from all well-cared-for or- 

 chards, which continues in force for about fifteen 

 years. There is, however, no rule of progress 

 unless the orchards are well cared for, and I 

 would not lead any one to the mistake of plant- 

 ing an orchard and then doing nothing but wait. 

 Cultivate, feed, prune, spray, dig bores, fight mice, 

 rabbits, aphides, and the thousand other enemies 

 to trees and fruit, and do these things all the 

 time and then keep on doing them, and you will 

 win out. Omit all or any of them, and the chances 

 are that you will fail of big returns. 



But orcharding is not unique in this. Every 



