CONCLUSION. 



2I 3 



and the fruit, though immature and only partially colored, 

 was, without thinning, as "large as Baldwins," and Mr. Pierce 

 suggests a sheltered place to protect its wonderful crops, and 

 also a mulch of straw to save the "large and heavy apples" 

 from bruising when they fall. Remembering that results 

 come only from adequate causes, and not by chance, is there 

 any adequate cause for the regular and abundant crops on 

 this tree, except that it had struck its several tap-roots, as 

 shown in the cut (page 212), deep down to permanent moist- 

 ure, and that its surface roots were left entirely undisturbed ? 

 I earnestly invite a calm, unprejudiced consideration of 

 the various facts and suggestions contained in this little 

 book, which, though opposed to the current opinion sof the 

 day, are founded on the bed-rock of nature's teachings. 

 There is not a single really important operation of our 

 modern orchards, starting with the form of tree, character of 

 ground preparation, planting of the tree, and its after-treat- 

 ment, all through its poor, persecuted life, that is not a plain 

 violation of nature's methods, by which she grows trees so 

 far superior to ours that any but a blind man must stand 

 abashed at the comparison. 



