36 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Avhich wo did, because we believed that that Avas the way to 

 make it pay. I have repeatedly said, and I want to take this 

 occasion to say again, that I do not believe fruit growing in 

 Massachusetts could be given a greater impetus than by in- 

 ducing 50 or 100 men throughout the State to plant from 

 10 to 100 acres of orchard. The trouble Avith our orchard- 

 ing is, that it is usually a mere side issue to the general farm 

 work. As Professor Bailey has said, " Men do not grow 

 their crojis of ai)ples, they discover them." But when men 

 go into the business of orcharding more largely, making it 

 their principal line of work, then the orchard becomes an 

 object of jjride and care ; it is no longer compelled to compete 

 with the cows and the bugs and the hay crop, but is sprayed 

 and cultivated and pruned and fertilized for its own sake. 

 But in urging this desirability of large-sized plantations I 

 wish it distinctly understood that I am well aware that it is 

 sometimes overdone, • — ■ that men plant out acres of orchard 

 where they should plant square rods. But for every orchard 

 that is neglected because it is too large, there are hun- 

 dreds Avhich are neglected because they are too small. It is 

 very difficult for any man to become enthusiastic over a dozen 

 Baldwin trees up in the back j^asture, which every alternate 

 year give a few barrels of wormy apples; it is impossible 

 not to become enthusiastic over a 10-acre orchard which is 

 every year the best paying part of the farm operations. 



I might go on to cite cases where men have made com- 

 fortable livings out of small orchards and have become well 

 to do with larger ones ; for it has certainly been my observa- 

 tion that in those sections where orcharding flourished as a 

 business, — where, as some one has said, it is an industry 

 and not merely an incident, — there you will find the most 

 prosperous farmers and the best farm homes. I say I might 

 go on to discuss this phase of the question, but I shall pass 

 that over and proceed with the real subject which I want to 

 discuss with you, — the planting of a commercial orchard ; 

 or shall I make it personal, and say, the planting of our com- 

 mercial orchard ? 



And first just a word in regard to the soil conditions 

 which confronted us ; for in any orchard proposition this is 



