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On the northerly side of the Merrimaek and not far from its 

 borders there is an old hill pasture, on which sprang up many 

 years ago bushes and young wood, with a large number of 

 thrifty young apjile trees. The apple trees were grafted with 

 various kinds of fruit, baldwins, however, predominating. The 

 young wood was partially cut away from time to time in order 

 that the apple trees might have the ascendency. Many of 

 these trees are on a sleep side hill with the road at its foot. 

 When passing in on an Autumnal day, with the sun shining on 

 the bright red apples, it is not unlike an oasis in the desert, a 

 very pleasing sight. 



The owner of this orchard informs me that the apples are 

 usually of good size and quality, and that it has produced in 

 one year more than four thousand bushels. It is still kept as 

 a pasture and has no cultivation whatever. The soil is a rich 

 deep loam, with some stones. There has been no trouble as 

 yet from canker-worms. We have alluded to the color of these 

 apples which is an important consideration. The rays of the 

 sun cause the color and also improve the quality of the apples. 

 A red apple is better than one that is not red of the same 

 variety, hence it is desirable so far as possible, that trees should 

 be broad but not high, that they may receive more of the rays 

 of the sun and also be easier to gather. An orchard in our 

 town on what is termed gravelly land, produced five years ago 

 a good crop of apples without cultivation or manure. The 

 apples were picked and a portion of them sold to go to Europe. 

 They were marked with the initials of the owner's name, and 

 sent with others. Soon after a message came back for more 

 of the apples marked with this man's initials, but none of the 

 other kind. The next year another message came saying, 

 those apples were unusually good for keeping and for quality, 

 and more of the same kind was wanted ; unfortunately for the 

 owner the orchard did not bear that year. In the same 

 orchard there were trees on a low rich spot that produced 

 larger apples which attracted the attention of the neighbors, 



