i66 The Connecticut Pomological Society 



if you do you need not be afraid about there being a market 

 for it." 



A Member: "Mr. Skillman, tell us how you set out your 

 Japanese plum trees so as to get a profit out of them ? " 



Mr. Skillman: "I will do it. You take Japanese plums 

 and plant them fifteen feet apart. That is far enough. I 

 have got them fifteen, fourteen and sixteen. You plant them 

 fifteen feet apart each way, and you get over two hundred to 

 the acre. You will have a few bad trees and a few that will 

 break down from one cause or another. When the trees 

 commence to bear well they ought to give you a peach 

 basket of plums per tree. If they do not do that there is 

 something wrong with the grower. When they are four or 

 five years old they should give you two baskets, and if they 

 do not do that there is something wrong with the grower. 

 Now with 200 trees to the acre, when they are only yielding 

 one basket, if you are getting fifty cents for them, there is a 

 hundred dollars, and if they don't net you but twenty-five 

 cents there is $50 to the acre, and when you are only getting 

 one basket to a tree. As your trees get older, of course you are 

 getting more. If you are getting 400 baskets, as you ought to, 

 that is $200. Now, gentlemen, I think you will agree with me 

 that that is as good as an acre of wheat. That has been my 

 experience. I do not expect to get rich in growing fruit. 1 

 believe in growing good fruit, and if you grow good fruit I know 

 from my experience that you won't have to go out into the 

 world with fear and trembling to know how you are going to get 

 along. You hear some people tell about the good old times, but 

 I tell you there never were such times in the fruit business as 

 we have right now. There never were such good prospects for 

 success. I am optimistic in my views, I know. If I am not 

 I try to be, and this great, broad-minded, liberal-minded Hale 

 of yours feels the same way." 



The President: ''Our program at this point calls for a 

 report from the Committee on Nominations." 



Prof. W. E. Britton: "Mr. President, and members of 

 the Society: Your committee begs leave to present the fol- 

 lowing nominations for officers of this Society for the coming 

 year: For president, N. S. Piatt, of New Haven; vice-presi- 



