62 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



of Secretary Gilbert, its first president, the Society entered upon 

 its career of usefulness. Since that time it has held annual exhi- 

 bitions and annual winter meetings without interruption. In hastily 

 examining the reports of the Society during these ^'ears I recognize 

 the unselfish work of those who identified themselves with it. Our 

 State is large in area and the climatic conditions vary greatly in dif- 

 ferent parts, and man^' fruits thriving in York County would perish 

 in Aroostook snows. The published reports show what has been 

 done by the Societ}' from year to year. The ground covered by the 

 doings of the Society may be summarized under four general heads, 

 culture, varieties, marketiyig and esthetics. 



THE CULTURE AS TREATED IN THESE REPORTS. 



In many parts continuous cropping has exhausted them of those 

 elements essential to the growing of the best fruit. The raising of 

 good stock from the seed, the preparation of the soil for setting, the 

 fertilizing, the pruning, the protection of the trees from mice, the 

 borers and other enemies, these and other matters connected with the 

 culture of fruits of all kinds may be found in these reports. It was 

 a notion of our fathers that only the most valuable tillage land was 

 adapted to orcharding, but the teaching of Maine fruit growers to- 

 day leads us to the conclusion that upon a large part of our rocky 

 hillsides apples of the best quality niaj- be raised. Moreover, that 

 when raised in these localities the fruit is much less anno^'ed bj' in- 

 sects, while the trees are hardier from their exposure, the fruit more 

 highly colored and having far better keeping qualities than apples 

 growing in more sheltered spots. This fact is an important one, for a 

 knowledge of it enables the farmer to retain for tillage the land best 

 adapted to it. 



There are several notable instances in Franklin County where in- 

 dividual farmers have increased the value of their farms by orchard- 

 ing, and to a few of these I invite your attention : 



On a rocky side-hill with northwesterly slope, in the town of Chester- 

 ville, is a tract of land covered with fruit trees, some 4,000 in number. 

 The hill is so steep and the outcropping boulders so large and plent}' 

 that a man can hardl}' drive a sheep among them. Mr. Whittier in 

 his excellent paper has told you how much he paid for this tract of land. 

 Sixteen hundred barrels of apples on paper does not look very large, 

 but when these apples put $3,000 into the farmer's pocket-book, there 

 is a substantial commercial value in orcharding. This is about what 



