50 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



from ail organized fruit growers' association will be through the 

 educational benefit the members derive from the work, inde- 

 pendently of the financial benefit. It is the happy combination 

 of the two that will enlist and hold the interest and suppoit of 

 our people. 



I think, ]\Ir. President, the Pomological Society should take 

 an active part in the organization of a fruit growers' associa- 

 tion in this state. And right in here, I believe that the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture should and will, with sufficient funds at 

 their disposal, give you just the man that Prof. Hurd outlmed, 

 a fruit growers' instructor, who should travel from coirimumty 

 to community in our state and assist the people who are growing 

 fruit. 



This idea of governmental assistance is growing everywhere, 

 and wherever it is practiced most, there we get the greatest 

 benefit from it. For instance, just across the line in Canada, 

 during the past summer, and during every summer for years, 

 there are many dairy inspectors traveling from cheese fac- 

 tory and creamery to cheese factory and creamery, until uni- 

 form methods are adopted, and you can hardly tell the product 

 of one factory from that of another. The same thing holds 

 true in other rural countries. I thank a^ou very kindly for the 

 invitation to say a word on cooperation. 



ORCHARD TILLAGE. 



By V. R. Gardxer, Prof, of Horticulture, Orono, Me. 



Some of us may be in the fruit business because our fathers 

 were before us, some of us may be in it because we like the 

 kind of work, some because of our health — we've got to be out 

 in the open — but most of us are raising fruit because of the 

 money there is in it. Our first object is to make it pay — and not 

 only pay but pay well. For us it is not the system of manage- 

 ment that with the least amount of labor will make the account 

 just balance, but the system that will give the greatest possible 

 net returns that we want. If we can invest $5 per acre per 

 year in care and attention and get $10 in return, it is a good 

 investment ; if we can invest $25 per acre per year and get back 

 $100 it is a better investment. In the first case there is just 



