70 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The certainty of the industry, the rapidly increasing competi- 

 tion New England is to meet, the rigid sorting, grading, and pack- 

 ing followed elsewhere, force a study of the situation not necessary 

 before. New England holds the best markets of the East and her 

 manufacturing towns are multiplying rapidly. In location the 

 apple grower here occupies a vantage ground of priceless value 

 if he will but step in and occupy it. The hill slopes, cooler climate, 

 and abundant springs insure a texture, juiciness, and flavor not 

 to be equalled on irrigated lands. All that is required is that we 

 balance the soil, feed the trees, prune, protect, spray, and carefully 

 pick the fruit, for the New England apple to take its place in the 

 great markets and bring increasing prosperity to all this section 

 of country. 



In the competition of the near future something more will be 

 demanded than trueness to name, evenness in color, or uniformity 

 in size, and New England orchardists should be prompt to apply 

 the lesson. An apple carries 82 to 85 per cent of water. Sugar 

 8.16, sucrose 4.16, ash .26, acid .59, and insoluble organic matter 

 1.85. The skill of the orchardist must be directed to increasing 

 the essential qualities of his fruit. Apples as food owe their value 

 largely to the acids they contain, as well as the starch and sugar, 

 in that these play an important part in the complete digestion 

 of other food. With the call everywhere for a finished product 

 and the Far West putting on our market fruit of size and color 

 we can hardly hope to equal, for the present it behooves the 

 Eastern grower to intensify quality, texture, flavor, juiciness. 

 These are the essentials of our fruit and the field is ours if we will 

 but occupy it. 



More trees are dying from starvation than are injured by excess 

 of food. 



In setting a new orchard allow ample space between the trees. 

 Never employ a man who boasts of how many trees he can set in a 

 day. You are here at the gateway of a full century and thorough- 

 ness should be the word. Give every young tree a four feet square 

 hole of good depth. Look well to root development. Trim oft' all 

 bruised roots. Work into the soil two quarts of fine bone meal 

 about every tree. Later when the leaves start give them one-fourth 

 pound of fertilizer upon the basis of 200 lbs. nitrate of soda, 400 



