140 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



orchard, it has not shown in new growth or the size of the 

 apples where the fertihzer was apphed. Whether there was no 

 fertiHzer apphed this spring, 500 lbs. or a thousand pounds, we 

 practically got the same results. Now that does not prove one 

 single thing to us because since the Station took over this farm 

 the trees have had thorough cultivation all the time. But in time 

 to come, it will show us whether we have got to fertilize more, 

 or whether we can curtail the expense by cutting out a part of 

 the fertilizer, or whether we have got to increase our fertilizer 

 to get the best results. 



Now foir the practical orchard man we have got to have the 

 results. Those of you that were in to hear Bro. Hale last 

 night heard him tell us that we had got to figure it so fine, if 

 we were going to have the balance on the right side of the 

 sheet, that we had got to cut out an eighth of a cent here, a 

 quarter there, two cents on the package — we must cut our ex- 

 penses down if we are going to have our profit on the right 

 side of the sheet. If we can run our orchards and produce 

 equally as good results with a small, medium or minimum 

 amount of fertilizer, we are g'oing to save some of the expense. 

 Now I don't believe it is advisable for us to favor simply a 

 growth of apples, or to get a great big, coarse, ill-flavored, un- 

 colored apple, thinking that because we produce more bushels 

 we are going to get more dollars. The people are coming to 

 distinguish more clearly quality from quantity. Qualitv is that 

 which will tell in our orchard work in the near future. Tf we 

 produce a barrel of apples and put them out onto the market, 

 and you or any one gets one of our apples, and that apple is a 

 choice, well colored and good flavored apple, you are going to 

 call for more of that kind. That is what the Experiment Sta- 

 tion is trying to demonstrate to the people, — that we nuist 

 produce quality. Unfortunately nine-tenths of the trees that 

 are set on Highmoor Farm are Ben Davis, but even with that 

 poor quality of apples we can demonstrate to you that you can 

 improve them. The Governor of South Carolina said that al- 

 most everything had been improved, even the Irish potato had 

 been improved and educated. Now I believe that we can in a 

 measure improve the Ben Davis apple. It is rather a hard 

 proposition, but I believe it can be done. Instead of bringing 



