68 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



Met at 2 o'clock P. M. 



Voted, That a selection of specimens of the fruit on exhibition be 

 made and forwarded to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society ; 

 and Messrs. Blossom, Sweetser and Briggs were appointed as a 

 committee for that purpose. 



The following paper was then read, the author remarking that he 

 had omitted considerable portions of the paper as originally' pre- 

 pared, on account of similar matter having been presented in the 

 papers previously read at this meeting : 



SOME DEFECTS IX ORCHARD MAXAGEMEXT. 



By L. H. Blossom, of Turner. 



"What are the chief defects in our present system of orchard 

 management? This question embraces a large field for discussion, 

 and I shall attempt to touch upon but a few of the most important 

 points. 



In conversation with a noted farmer of our county, a short time 

 since, I asked him if he was going to attend the pomological meet- 

 ing at Gardiner. "■AVell," said he, "I don't know; what are you 

 going to talk about down there?" '-Oh," I replied, "we are going 

 to try to learn something new about fruit raising, if we can." 

 "•Well," he replied, "if that is what you are going to talk about I 

 shall stay at home. The fruit question is all worn out, has been 

 talked to death, and is worn threadbare, and getting monotonous. 

 No, I shan't go. I know all I want to about fruit raising now. It's 

 all a humbug and I won't go." With that we parted. 



Now, Mr. President, I know the subject is an old one, 3'et an 

 ever new one. It has been written upon, been talked about, and 

 studied upon by hosts of pomologists all over this broad land of 

 ours, and the end is not reached yet. We are still somewiiat in the 

 daik in regard to several of the most important questions of fruit 

 raising, and I hope to see them well discussed before the end ©f 

 this meeting. In the hope of bringing out that discussion, I will 

 mention some of the most prominent defects in the management of 

 our orchards. And first among those I shall mention will be the 

 size and age of our fruit trees when set in the orchard. For me, I 

 want a three-year-old tree, at least not over four years old, and 



