116 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETi'. 



hand "that orcharduig would be overdone, that apples would be 

 raised in such abundance that they would be worthless." Many 

 doubting Thomases have kept up the or}' and will tell you to-day that 

 they have no faith in future orcharding in Maine. How is it after 

 twent^'-five years have elapsed since that cr}- was first heard, that 

 note of alarm first sounded? Has there been any over-production of 

 good winter varieties of apples in Maine? Are there an}- more indi- 

 cations to-day of an over-production of winter fruit in our State than 

 there were twent^^-five years ago? It is true, ^ears like the present 

 will come, when the crop is large and prices low. Do not depressions 

 come in all branches of farming and all kinds of business? Does it 

 fall upon orcharding an}- oftener than upon other branches of farm- 

 ing? And even at the low price of apples this year, is not the net 

 income of a well-kept orchard of winter fruit as great as that of any 

 other crop we have produced? 



The future outlook for the production of popular varieties of win- 

 ter apples in our State is to me particularly encouraging. Now let 

 us glance at a few reasons whj' we come to this conclusion. There 

 is no doubt but the next decade will see a large increase in the 

 number of apple trees planted in Maine, but many failures will also 

 be made. Scores of men will take the fever for orcharding who are 

 novices at the business. Some will plant on unsuitable land ; some 

 will plant more than the}' (!an or will take good care of; some, lured 

 b}' the pretty pictures and glib tongues of the tree agents, will buy 

 varieties not adapted to our climate, varieties not wanted in the 

 markets ; some will plant and neglect them, thinking when the tree is 

 planted their duty is done ; some will plant for cattle to browse and 

 rub, so that thousands of trees purchased and planted will never 

 live to produce a paying crop of fruit. The future increase in num- 

 bers of paying trees will be small in comparison to the number 

 planted. 



No doubt there will be an increased production of apples in the 

 future, but need there be an}' fears of an over-production on that 

 account? Will not the increase of consumers who are not producers 

 keep pace with the increased production? Are not new foreign 

 markets likely to open for our best varieties of shipping apples ? 



Can the future orchardist improve on the present one? It is an 

 established fact, in this section of Maine at least, that our high, 

 rocky hill-sides, where deep soil is always found, is our best orchard 

 land, particularly for the Baldwin. Would it not be wisdom for 



