lOG BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



fruit. This quality of fruit demands a good price, even in 

 a year like this. We are also aware to-day that the King 

 apple and Spitzenburg are bringing good prices in our own 

 market. I heard a wholesale dealer state that the Spitzen- 

 burg brougjit a price ahead of any other apple in Massachu- 

 setts. How true this is, I do not know. I do know that 

 our returns from the King apple were $2.50 per barrel. A 

 w^eek ago Saturday w^hat the return was from 1,200 barrels 

 of Baldwins that we sent into market I cannot say ; but we 

 do know that good Baldwins are bringing $2.50 for A-1 

 stock. I was a little surprised this morning, in calling upon 

 a market in Springfield, to find the price of Greenings was 

 $2.50 per barrel. I saw nice ones in Boston for $1.75, and 

 had supposed that $1.50 to $2 was the outside price. 



I believe there is money in the apple business. And I 

 believe, as our speaker has stated, that better care and better 

 treatment should be a point which we should consider, and 

 what w^e must consider if we expect to succeed in the fruit- 

 growing business in Massachusetts. 



The Chair. Mr. Wood stated that his friend had so 

 cultivated his orchard that he got a crop off every year, 

 part on the even year and part on the odd year. Will he 

 inform us what system of culti^'ation brought that about? 



Mr. Wood. He told me this was brought about by cul- 

 tivating the land different years. One part of the orchard 

 was cultivated one year, and the other portion the next 

 year. He claimed he brought his crop in this way regu- 

 larly. Some twenty-five years ago, — the even year is our 

 apple year in New England, — down in Marshfield he saw 

 on the odd year an orchard of 6 acres that was loaded with 

 fruit, — borne down to the ground, — and in all other parts 

 of the State w^e had few or none that year. His curiosity 

 was excited, and ho stopped over on the train and sought 

 out the man who owned the orchard, and asked him how it 

 was done. He said he bought the trees of a New England 

 merchant, and when they first blossomed they blossomed 

 on the even year. He had the blossoms all picked off, and 

 the next year there were a few. When the second even 

 year came, he had them picked off again : and when the 



