REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



The industry represented by our society has gradually devel- 

 oped during past years, but its magnitude has been more con- 

 spicuous the past year in consequence of the large crop, and 

 the difficulty of finding a market for it. While in years past 

 it has been largely the ofifice of our society to teach methods of 

 culture, the present conditions are now leading the society to 

 a fuller consideration of the markets and the selling of the 

 fruits. At our winter meetings the topics involving the market- 

 ing of the fruit were those in which the liveliest interest was 

 apparent. During the year the Secretary has had numerous 

 subjects connected with fruit growing under consideration — 

 some of these are elaborated in the papers and at our meetings 

 by various speakers; some have appeared at our exhibitions 

 and others must remain for future work. The following pages 

 will alTord the members of the society and others who may 

 read them some idea of the general scope of the work. Com- 

 pared with a dozen years ago, it will be seen the society is 

 doing, as it certainly ought to do, a larger work. 



OUR FRUIT CROP. 



The fruit crop in 1896 was very large in the United States, 

 nearly every fruit growing section having its full proportion. 

 This made our crop in Maine appear, if anything, larger than 

 it really was. With the exception of some of the small fruits 

 there was a surplus of everything in the fruit line. Figures 

 compiled by the American Agriculturist state that in Maine the 

 apple crop for 1896 amounted to 2,080,000 barrels, and in 1895 

 to 790,000 barrels. The crop for New England is placed at 

 8,530,000 barrels in 1896 and 3,968,000 in 1895. While in the 

 United States the figures amount to 58,960,000 barrels in 1896 



