STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 95 



«pent in our orchards as from other parts of our farms? And if so, 

 is not the future outlook such that we, who have had nearlj' a life- 

 long experience in fruit-growing can encourage the young man to 

 extend his orchards? or shall we sa}- to him, raise fruits sparingly? 



It is but a few years since that our market for fruit was only our 

 large towns and villages in our immediate vicinity. Later it extended 

 to our larger distant cities and occasionally buyers came among us 

 to purchase for other more distant markets. 



Gradually new markets opened until now State of Maine fruit is 

 quoted in the price list of many a foreign city and quoted too, higher 

 than that of any other State. New outlets are opening so that to- 

 day, no fiuit-gjower has an3^ fear that he cannot sell his surplus. 

 The only question is the right time. Late keeping Maine apples 

 stand at the top of the market in the larger foreign cities, and if 

 we put them up honestly we may be as sure of selling them at pay- 

 ing prices as any other crop we raise upon our farms. With our 

 new markets, with our proximit}' to the seashore, where we can easily 

 ship to any market in the woild, I feel like saying to the young man, 

 not the language of Horace Greely, *'Go West," but "sta}' in Maine, 

 set out an orchard and when that one is set, try another and another. 

 Make it a life business and you need have no fears but what success 

 will crown 3 our efforts." The great drawback to us, as Maine farmers, 

 we were brought up to do business on too small a scale. 



Our ancestors commenced farming with about one hundred acres 

 each and these divided between woodland, pasturage, grass, grain, 

 roots and orcharding having a small ar-ea of each, and this idea of 

 small farms has been handed down from generation to generation 

 until the idea of that &ize has become so fixed, that if any one in- 

 creases the number to even double that amount with half a dozen 

 acres devoted to orcharding he is known as a great farmer. 



Now transport the Maine boy to the west where everything is 

 changed and you will soon see him changed to correspond with the 

 place. You will soon see him with his hundred acres of corn, the 

 same in wheat, hundreds of head of neat stock, swine almost with- 

 out number and we at home stand with open mouths and hear with 

 wonder the stories told of the amount he raises (but always with 

 little reference to prices) ; of the wealth he is accumulating. 



Now, brother farmers, if we expect to make any march in farming 

 we must extend our operations. We must imbibe some western 

 push. We must not expect to be successful in trying to make auger 



