ORCHARDING ON NEW ENGLAND HILL FARMS 93 



fruits who have not decided what line of business they 

 will follow, I would say to them : Do not despise and turn 

 your backs upon the hills of New England, for there still 

 lies beneath their surface, for those who are not afraid to 

 pay the price of success, a competence far greater than has 

 been or will be attained by the majority of those who seek 

 their fortunes in the city. A young orchard well cared for 

 increases in value each year : to plant one is the same as 

 placing so much money at interest. Stick to our New 

 England hills, and care well for the orchard while it and 

 you are young, and when you have grown old it will care 

 for you. 



At the close of Mr. Clark's paper some one asked when 

 thinning should be done. 



Mr. Clark: Thin the fruit as early as it begins to show 

 size. It is better to thin twice during the season. This 

 will result in giving very fine fruit, of superior color and 

 good shape and size. This work of thinning looks, at first, 

 like a big job, but it is not. We cannot afford not to thin, 

 is the way I look at it. 



Mr. Clark further said that he sets his apple trees 24 

 feet apart, and when they begin to crowd he cuts out every 

 other tree on alternate rows. Later on, he cuts out again 

 in the same way. The trees are then at proper distances 

 for a permanent orchard. In pruning he would aim to 

 make a strong tree with healthy foliage, for the leaves are 

 the digestive organs of the plant. In Massachusetts or- 

 chards come into bearing in 10 to 12 years after planting. 

 By thinning the fruit properly it is possible to make apples 

 bear every season. The Baldwin, especially, is inclined to 

 overbear, and its fruit should always be thinned. 



In spraying, Mr. Clark uses 5 pounds copper to 50 gal- 

 lons of water, and then puts in enough lime to make the 

 mixture safe. He always tests the mixture when putting 

 in the lime, and often puts in Paris green at the same time. 

 Mr. Clark stated that his apples, grown according to the 

 rules given in his paper, have brought highest prices in 

 the Boston market. 



