STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 71 



It should be stated that in the figures bearing upon profits in apple 

 culture, with one or two exceptions, the inferior fruit is not taken 

 into account. Nor as yet, so far as I can learn, is any one in Maine 

 producing apples for the purpose of evaporation. This exception is 

 in Winthrop, where an orchard of several hundred Duchess were set 

 for this purpose. The 1890 crop, I am informed, however, was sold 

 green fcr four dollars a barrel, which ought to be quite as satis- 

 factory to the owner. The demand for canned apples is rapidly 

 increasing, and a foreign demand is already developed far beyond 

 the supply. One of our largest exporters the other day assured me 

 that in his judgment the foreign demand for canned apples would be 

 greater for the next few years than could possibly be supplied. 



It is not the purpose in this paper to discuss the difficulties of fruit 

 growing, nor have I any disposition to ignore them. Mice and 

 countless hordes of insect pests are ready to kill our trees and 

 destroy our fruit. Diseases of fruit are apparently increasing in 

 number and severity. But the answer to all this is, that the same 

 skill and industry that makes a man or woman successful in other 

 vocations will win eminent success in fruit culture. Further than 

 this it may be said that fruit culture is free from many of the annoy- 

 ances of most other pursuits, for active life in the open air, inhaling 

 the sweet odor of flowers and eating luscious fruits, is always rich in 

 the way of health, happiness and prosperity. It may be added that 

 there is no place where childhood is happier than among fruits and 

 flowers, and if there were more of both on our farms there would be 

 less desire on the part of boys and girls to leave them for the weary 

 hum-drum of factory life, or the unhealthy air and crowded homes 

 of city life. 



AN INVESTMENT PLAN OUTLINED. 



But few orchards are held as investments in Maine outside of the 

 farmers who carry them on. And I am not aware of any organized 

 efforts to produce fruit for market. Some of our most conservative 

 orchardists say that capital is not willing to wait ten or fifteen years 

 for dividends, while an orchard is growing and getting into bearing. 

 We know of some investments that have waited longer and without 

 dividends, but there are none in which the property involved is 

 increased in value as an orchard does. Ten dollars to $50 an acre 

 will purchase desirable land, which at the end ot ten years, set in 

 good varieties of fruit, will be worth from $100 to 8300, and at the 

 end of fifteen years will yield a large dividend on $300 to 81,000 an 



