5 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



of sheep or hogs ; more orchards are dressed with chemical 

 fertilizers. The trees themselves show the care, and when ques- 

 tioned by the observer point to the treatment they receive. 

 Nearby orchards, neglected as they are, bear witness to the same. 

 "Treat me well," the tree says, "and give me a fair chance and 

 I will fill the barrels with the choicest Maine fruit." 



MORE ORCHARDS. 



The Secretary thinks more trees have been set this year than 

 any previous year in the decade. It seems unfortunate that it 

 was necessary to go out of the State for the stock, as the care- 

 less treatment of nursery stock in other states threatens the 

 introduction of the most injurious insects and fungi. One lot 

 of trees was so badly infected, it was destroyed root and branch 

 after it reached the purchaser. Though there were several vari- 

 eties, inquiry convinces your Secretary that the Stark was a 

 leading variety, due perhaps to the influence of the salesman. 



THE 1906 FRUIT CROP. 



Although the crop for 1906 is much smaller than last year, 

 the fruit itself is of superior quality, being large and highly 

 colored. The early figures sent out were much inflated and 

 misleading and those tabulated later credit Maine with a crop 

 of 700,000 barrels — more by nearly 200,000 barrels than last 

 year. Perhaps these figures will do us no injury, but we fail 

 to discover any advantage in such inflation. 



The prices started at one dollar and fifty cents and have 

 slowly advanced to about $2.00 and we predict a little more 

 later on for choice lots. 



SMALL FRUITS. 



There was a small crop in most cases of strawberries. Con- 

 ditions were not altogether favorable, but the fruit that set 

 ripened up well. The cold weather — frost — injured some beds, 

 and other beds were injured by worms. The prices were good 

 and the quality better than in ordinary seasons. 



Raspberries, when not protected, winter killed, so that there 

 were few berries for any one. The expense in labor to protect 

 raspberry canes is not great, and the local markets in Maine 

 are rarely well supplied. It is believed that the increased yield 



