FAILURE OF THE APPLE. 91 



to supply that which has been taken from the soil ? Is it pos- 

 sible that at this late day there is no man among us, (and we 

 have the most scientific man in the world in this meeting,) who 

 can tell us what to apply to those soils, and that we must remain 

 open to that charge, that our soils are worn out and can no 

 longer produce fruit ? I will not admit it for a moment. 



My theory about the cause of the failure of the apple crop is 

 this. It is well known that we had, three or four years ago, two 

 years in succession, the greatest droughts that were ever known 

 in this part of the country. So extreme were these droughts, 

 that hundreds of thousands of forest trees, where the soil was 

 not deep, were actually killed. I say my theory is, that during 

 these years the apple trees suffered to such an extent that they 

 have since then been incapable of producing fruit. They made 

 very little wood in most cases, and had all they could do to sus- 

 tain themselves and keep alive without making fruit. In proof 

 of this, I give two or three facts that have come under my obser- 

 vation. One is, that a year ago last spring we had a consider- 

 able number of blossoms, and although the season was wet, the 

 blossoms dropped off in many instances, and in others the fruit 

 dropped after it had got to be some considerable size. How do 

 you explain this, you ask ? My theory is, that the tree had not 

 become sufficiently strong to carry the fruit ; that it wanted 

 more time to recuperate. In proof of this position I give this 

 fact. Three years ago I visited quite a large orchard in Newton, 

 where I live, in a sheltered position, and I found several 

 Nonsuch trees full of fruit. I said to the owner of the orchard, 

 whom I know very well, " How is this ? " Said he, " Those 

 trees were watered regularly." " Is it possible that you watered 

 those trees, large as they are ? " " Yes, I carted the water and 

 watered those trees, so that they did not suffer from the drought 

 last year." In the second year of the drought, when the apple 

 was an entire failure in our section, his trees were full of fruit. 

 There was no other reason for the difference. If you say it was 

 protection, I say there were other trees, protected in just the 

 same way, with scarcely an apple. I give that for what it is 

 worth. I know it to be so. I think the trees were unable, 

 having suffered in that way, to bear fruit ; but they went on 

 recuperating their energies to get into good condition. Last 

 year was not a bearing year, and therefore, if the season had 



