STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 29 



thousand men contending with each other in the market. The 

 sudden severe drop in price September 12 to 15 told simply of 

 the indiscriminate crowding upon the market of stock, good,, 

 bad, and indifferent, by growers from every portion of New 

 England. A well organized association would have divided 

 and diverted shipments and prevented that glut so welcomed 

 by the commission dealers at the great centres. It was not the 

 result of a heavy crop but of bad business methods in handling. 

 This must continue until growers are brought to see the impor- 

 tance of organizing for protection, and this campaign of edu- 

 cation lies legitimately in the path of this State Pomological 

 Society. Important as is the right setting and care of new 

 orchards the burden of obligation is in line of protection of 

 those now planted and the best possible disposal of the yearly 

 product. Because of neglect of good orchard principles there 

 is a tremendous loss to growers, not necessary, but resulting 

 from causes which easily might be remedied. Too many take 

 counsel of their fears rather than their judgment. Reports 

 of the Department of Agriculture show that in the face of a 

 rapidly increasing demand, owing to the growth in population, 

 the annual production of apples in the United States actually 

 decreased more than 138,000,000 bushels between 1896 and 

 1908, during which period our population increased fully 12,- 

 000,000. In 1895 the yield of apples in this country was 

 60,453,000 barrels and in 1910 only 24,000,000. In view of 

 these facts the fear of over-production may well be discarded. 



At the same time, because of the claims made by certain 

 newspaper and magazine writers, it will be necessary to hold 

 constantly before the public the fact that this is no get-rich- 

 quick scheme. A positive and lasting injury is being inflicted 

 on innocent parties as well as the industry, by these writers. 

 Men are giving up occupations and homes, and with little 

 means, and no experience, reaching out to buy an orchard, 

 expecting to pick gold dollars from the branches without labor. 



Over and over must the lesson be emphasized that the well 

 cared for orchard will insure substantial returns and is today 

 one of the sanest, safest, and most lucrative investments a man 

 can make, but with this there must go in big type the fact that 

 these returns come only to him who plants, fertilizes, cultivates, 

 sprays, prunes and has constant supervision over each and 

 every tree. Experience is demonstrating that the scope of this 



