8 



sides, would add much to the beauty and fertility of our 

 farms, and a proper alternation of the maple, ash, beech, and 

 chestnut, would produce a very pleasing and beneficial effect. 



If the roads, especially near our houses, were kept clean 

 of bushes, and instead of unsightly holes, piles of stones 

 and other rubbish, the rough places were made smooth and 

 sown down to grass, — then might our roadsides present the 

 appearance of beautiful lawns, and at the same time be made 

 profitable from the crops of grass, which could every year be 

 taken from them. Formerly hogs were allowed to run at 

 large in the public roads, but modern civilization has confined 

 these animals to proper limits ; it is to be hoped that at no 

 distant day cattle and horses will be thus restrained, and not 

 allowed to trespass where they have no more legal right than 

 in your neighbor's fields and garden. 



Many of the apple orchards of this county have of late 

 years been sadly neglected. Perhaps the trees were formerly 

 planted too thickly, and there were too many of them, but if 

 they had received proper care and been protected from in- 

 sects, they would today have been a source of great profit, 

 Thirty years ago, according to a careful record kept at that 

 time by my neighbor Maj. Poore, there were fourteen thou- 

 sand barrels of apples raised in the town of West Newbury 

 in a single year — very largely of Roxbury Russets. Now 

 there are probably not over five thousand barrels raised in 

 the same town in a productive year. Good winter apples, 

 like the Baldwin and Russet will always sell at fair prices. 

 Foreign markets are just being opened for them, and wo, 

 near the sea coast, have the advantage for shipping, of those liv- 

 in<y inland- Let us learn to pick and sort our apples with more 

 care, and put them up honedly in clean nice barrels, then our 

 fruit will soon have a reputation abroad, and will be always 

 sought for at good remunerative prices. 



There are other fruits which might be raised to advantage 

 in this county, and with experience, and a fair amount of 

 skill, could be made as profitable as any other farm crop. 



