STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 83 



Chester, and in that of John W. True, New Gloucester. No 

 doubt but he makes mistakes and failures but at the same time 

 these experiments are teaching the fruit growers of Maine many 

 valuable lessons. Above all they clearly show that we have got 

 to do something for our orchards if we would succeed. I shall 

 speak of these experiments later. 



I believe that over one-half of the fruit trees, that have been 

 set out during the last fifteen years have never paid the first cost 

 of the tree. The trees, as a rule, are all right but the fault is 

 with us. Wie are allowing the trees to starve to death. Noth- 

 ing on our farms will show good care quicker or make a surer 

 return than a fruit tree. More than this there are thousands of 

 trees by the roadsides and fences that are a damage to the 

 owner and all his neighbors. They are the breeding-places of 

 borers, coddling moth, trypeta and I fear we may soon add the 

 brown-tail and gypsy moths. Now if a tree isn't worth caring 

 for cut it down. Josh Billings says, " Advice is like castor-oil, 

 easy to give and hard to take." Now I am ashamed to say I 

 do not do this. There are lots of the best farmers who grow 

 weeds with their crops, they know better but it is a fact. I sum 

 it up like this : With the scarcity of help we fail to do as well 

 as we know. Some of us are learning better and if you pass 

 my way and find I am not giving these things attention, remind 

 me of it and you shall have as good a dinner as the farm affords. 

 When I find a nice piece of corn or potatoes or a fine orchard 

 I make up my mind there has been some brain work as well as 

 muscle work there. I am desirous to know how it has been done 

 and what methods have been adopted that I may profit by it. 

 Sometimes a person may do ever so well and then comes a freeze 

 or a drouth or floods to blast his hopes but in the end such 

 disasters usually work for our good. 



I believe we are making a mistake in allowing our trees to 

 bear too heavily. I believe a tree properly dressed, pruned and 

 thinned will bear every year. When a tree is allowed to over- 

 bear it brings such a strain upon the tree that it takes years for 

 it to recuperate. All small and wormy fruit should be picked 

 off before it ripens. It is just as much a strain on the tree to 

 grow the seed in a small or wormy apple as in the best speci- 

 men. And when such apples are picked they are good for noth- 

 ing but to feed out. When I was at Mr. Pope's a little over a 



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