110 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETr. 



half of these are in bearing condition and in 1892 bore 300 barrels 

 of fruit. He writes : 



"If the value of the land is fifty dollars before set to trees, 

 the first yesiv after being planted, the value is increased the cost 

 of the trees and setting, from a business stand point. We will 

 now estimate the value of that land five years hence. If it has 

 been properly cared for, it is worth $300 ; but if it has had no care 

 for the five years (quite a per cent of our Maine orchards do suffer 

 from neglect) the land will decrease from its cost before planting, 

 from the fact that it costs something to pull the shrubs up, so that 

 the next practical orchard man can have a good start. I have 

 some acres that I value at $1,000, — trees set out fifteen years ago. 



"We should advise from our own experience. I think for the 

 past fifteen years there have been more of my trees neglected than 

 taken care of properly. We must first impress upon the minds of 

 the amateur pomologist that to grow up a good orchard, so as to 

 make it a profitable investment, it means a great deal of work and 

 considerable money. We know that men who are now realizing 

 good profits from their orchards have had the above experience. 



"We must exercise good judgment where to hold our winter 

 meetings. Maine is becoming a great fruit growing State, piinci- 

 pally apples. The receipts are into the hundreds of thousands of 

 dollars, and the magnitude of the orchards, with proper care, is 

 sufficitnt to reach into the millions. The unoccupied land, well 

 adapted to apple trees, is almost unlimited. 



"It is important, I think, to hold our meetings in apple-growing 

 sections, not in cities, and hold them for the special interest of 

 fruit growing, not to accommodate some board of agriculture, and 

 have the most of the time devoted to some impracticable papers, 

 entirely foreign from our work. There was a time we were able to 

 go alone, and now we think we must be lead by some other society. 



"I well know that we have had help from the Board of Agriculture 

 financially in holding our conventions, however, I think we had 

 better come down to hard pan and hold our meetings in rural dis- 

 tricts, and depend more upon home experience and talent, (although 

 I regret very much that I have not the ability to aid the society as 

 I recommend). The two or three days that are assigned to the 

 feeble apple grower of Maine should be carefully considered and 

 planned by the executive board, and plenty of time given for dis- 

 cussion after each paper. 



