68 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



ment has grown into the most valuable farm in Franklin county, 

 which, with his own industry and energy, he has supplied with 

 fruit-house, evaporator, and other appliances to aid him in his 

 operations. He now has nearly 6,0u0 trees, and the next ten years 

 I do not doubt that his fruit farm will produce double it has the 

 past ten. 



Another gentleman says: "I came into possession of my farm 

 in 1850, and there was quite an orchard on it for those times, 

 engrafted mostly to Roxbury Russets. The Russet is the apple for 

 me to raise, instead of the Baldwin, as it bears ever}" year, while 

 the Baldwin bears only ever}' other year, and b}' keeping until spring, 

 will bring nearly twice as much per barrel. Take it for ten years, 

 I think I get as many barrels of Russets as I could of Baldwins. 

 In reckoning the net income of the orchard, the dressing, taxes, 

 barrels, interest of money, time spent in digging borers, trimming 

 trees, picking, sorting and barrelling and hauling apples to market, 

 were considered." During ten years, this orchard of about 1000 

 trees, two-thirds of which are in bearing, has avera^^ed its fortunate 

 owner $1,000 a \^ear ; and the net profit, carefully figured, as you 

 will observe from his statements, is fifty per cent. 



For market purposes the large majority have not been raising 

 fruit over fifteen years, and a great many not over ten years. From 

 these statements it will appear that the industry is only in its 

 infancy, and that under favorable conditions it ought to grow into 

 an industry of immense proportions. 



Depending somewhat upon the stock, varieties and conditions 

 afl^ecting growth of tree, etc , the trees have begun to bear in three 

 to fifteen years, but we find the average time, when the market 

 varieties from trees set have borne in considerable quantity, is from 

 seven to ten years. The Northern Sp}' and King are among the 

 most tard}'. There is one orchard in Franklin county which has 

 been set twenty years. In 1889 there was a King tree in this 

 orchard that bore six barrels of No. 1 apples, that iSold for $6.50 

 per barrel — $39 from a single tree ! Suppose we call it $35, an 

 acre of seventy such trees would bring a net income of 82,450, 

 The best Kings have rarely sold for less than $4 the past fivd years, 

 and at this rate the income from the acre would be $1,680. Or call 

 it, if you please, $2 in an abundant year, and then the acre stands 

 at $840. Multiply this by ten acres, and a man has in Maine 

 a bonanza as rich as a silver mine in Nevada. 



