74 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



was full of pine. I went to work and cleared off the pine. To 

 go back, I wrote to three different parties, the Experiment Sta- 

 tion at Orono, the Agricultural College at Amherst, Mass., and 

 to Dr. Fisher whom I knew of as being one of the horticultural 

 lights of Massachusetts, stated the case, told them that I hadn't 

 any fertilizer to start this orchard up and asked for their advice. 

 All three parties sent me formulas. I studied them over and 

 came to the conclusion that Dr. Fisher was as near right as any- 

 one of them, if not more so. I took his formula and went to 

 work. When my friend, Mr. Dawes, asked me what I was going 

 to do, I told him. "Now," he says, "young man, go slow." He 

 says "I have used lots of commercial fertilizer on my orchard," 

 or "I have used commercial fertilizer and I never got a new dol- 

 lar for an old one." When I told him I was going to use $150 

 worth, he said "Don't do it, your money is gone." I had faith 

 in the stuff and I put it in. Mr. Dawes came over and as he says, 

 he was surprised at the results, and I was surprised, and when he 

 came round the following winter and says, "Well, Breed, if you 

 have got anything there that you are willing to give away, or 

 willing to let me know," I thought I had captured one good con- 

 vert. The result as he has outlined it with him is everything that 

 he has stated. But here is one point that I wish to raise in con- 

 nection with that middle row of Baldwins which he did not fer- 

 tilize. His trees are only 24^ feet apart and those roots of 

 course are interlocking roots. The roots from the unfertilized 

 row went over into the other row, couldn't help it. They got 

 some fertilizer from the next row, and I claim that that middle 

 row from which he got the 21 barrels was several barrels ahead 

 of what it would have been if nothing had been put on either 

 row. And the consequence is that the showing, if you get right 

 down to facts, would be even greater than he shows. But it is 

 not my purpose to take up your time. I will say however that I 

 trust that every one won't go into this business. If you do bar- 

 rels will be worth a dollar and a half apiece and the filled barrels 

 will be worth about fifty cents. I don't think there will be much 

 money in it. 



Mr. Gilbert : Will you please to state how many barrels of 

 apples you have picked the present year from that run down 

 orchard ? 



