80 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



ORCHARDS AND FRUITS. 



MIDDLESEX. 



From the Report of the Committee. 



The Committee on Orchards has to report only one entry, and 

 that made by Capt. George Pierce, of Arlington, who entered 

 his apple orchard. 



A visit was made to his orchard when the harvest of the Wil- 

 liams apples was being gathered. The trees were nearly all 

 loaded with fruit, which consisted of Baldwin, Hubbardston, 

 Porter, Williams, and a few other varieties. The Baldwins 

 were loaded down with fruit ; the Hubbardstons and Porters 

 with fair crops, while the Williams had been about half gathered. 



By reference to the detailed statement of sales herewith 

 annexed, it will be seen that this orchard of less than five acres 

 has yielded its owner the past season over three thousand dollars 

 for fruit and vegetables. Nor is this all. We were told by the 

 exhibitor that he had gathered fair crops every year for the last 

 five years, while very few orchards had yielded any fruit in this 

 county. 



The first thought was, How is this done ? Nothing in the 

 soil or location would seem to indicate this to be more favored 

 than hundreds of other orchards. In reply to the question, 

 Capt. Pierce says, " I have taken care of it." If that is the 

 only answer, it would be well to inquire what he means by 

 " taking care of it." By his statement, it will be seen that the 

 land has been kept in tillage for the last thirty years. His 

 method has been to dress broadcast every second year, not 

 extravagantly, and to manure in the hill every year with the 

 best manure. It was plainly manifest that he had cultivated 

 witli skill and care. He had not allowed any weeds to grow, 

 and his squashes were planted only in the open spaces, and cov- 

 ered only a small part of the ground. All the trees that had 

 fruit were well mulched with meadow hay, thus keeping the 

 ground moist by preventing evaporation, keeping the weeds 

 down, and saving the dropping fruit from harm. So valuable 

 did he think this, that he would do it " if the hay should cost 

 forty dollars a ton." 



From what we saw of the orchard, we should not think a 

 large amount of labor had been bestowed upon it. It did, 



