SECRETARY'S REPORT. 



ORCHARD CONDITION. 



The winter of 1904-5 was severe and many trees that had 

 been weakened by heavy bearing, suffered to the extent of kill- 

 ing many limbs, and frequently entire trees. The Baldwin trees 

 were the greatest sufferers. For several years they had borne 

 heavily, and where the trees had been neither fertilized or culti- 

 vated, the injury was most conspicuous. This will be made 

 apparent by the papers and discussions prepared for the annual 

 meeting. It is gratifying to note that those orchards that 

 received cultivation and fertilization, although bearing more 

 fruit than those neglected, had stored up strength to resist both 

 cold and disease. There are more such orchards in the State 

 than ever before, and the number is increasinp^. 



In his travels over the State the secretary notes many neg- 

 lected orchards, some containing old trees that have long out'- 

 lived their usefulness, and only menace other trees in conse- 

 quence of the dangerous insects and diseases that abound among 

 them. Better, far better, to clear up these than to spend time 

 and money on new trees. Neglected opportunities are very 

 noticeable in thousands of seedling trees that are producing 

 only natural fruit. Worked over into desirable varieties these 

 trees would soon become a source of wealth to the owner. 



Although we read of the extensive orchard planting in the 

 West and South as reiterated over and over, there is nowhere 

 more profitable returns than come from Maine orcharding. 

 Sometimes there may be a dull market in consequence of large 

 crops, but this is equally true in every department of agricul- 

 ture. An orchard on a steep hillside was purchased last year 

 for $2850. It bore 300 barrels last year and this year 600. 

 It seemed to many a large price and 3'et it will pay better than 



