82 STATK POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



seen trees that have been dressed, that have grown beautifully 

 and blossomed full, but in the fall there would be no fruit. 

 Why? Because of growing all limbs and no fruit. I had a little 

 experience with a pear tree in regard to pruning. I want to give 

 you a few points on pruning, and then I will give way to some 

 other brother. I had a Beurre d'Anjou pear tree that blossomed 

 nicely every year and when it came fall there would be a few 

 scattering pears ; when I put them in my cellar to keep them they 

 would wither, they didn't have any sap or juice in them. I said, 

 I will graft those trees — I won't keep them in my orchard. I 

 grafted one of them and I left two limbs that I didn't cut off, and 

 the result was upon those two limbs I raised more pears than I 

 would have raised on the whole tree. It was a grand object les- 

 son to me. As those pears matured they were one of the most 

 beautiful pears I ever ate. I found the fault was in me, the pear 

 was all right. The next year I pruned my remaining trees and 

 the result was I got four or five bushels of as nice pears as you 

 ever say. So much for the pruning of a pear tree and it is the 

 same with apples. Some need pruning more than others. North- 

 ern Spies and Rhode Island Greenings need much more pruning 

 than Baldwins. The Ben Davis — well there, I ought to stop 

 right there, the Ben Davis I was going to say you ought to prune 

 right down to the bottom, perhaps I won't say it. Do you 

 realize, brother farmers, you go to one of the agents selling 

 fruit trees and ask what they are doing? Why, half to two- 

 thirds of the fruit trees we are selling today are Ben Davis 

 apples. Can you imagine what the future will be for the Ben 

 Davis apple, an apple you can't sell today in the New England 

 market, an apple today that the buyers say "We don't want it." 

 The European market will find out by and by that the Ben Davis 

 apple is not good for anything. One year ago at this time I was 

 up to Farmington and a man got up there and extolled the Ben 

 Davis apple, recommended it to the farmers, and I have not had 

 a clear conscience since, to stand upon the floor representing this 

 State Pomological Society and have a man get up and recom- 

 mend the Ben Davis to farmers of the State of Maine. I don't 

 believe, brother farmers, you want it. 



