STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 121 



practice in caring for the trees the}' ah-eady have, rather than in 

 multiplying their orchards. Said a good farmer and orchardist of Lew- 

 iston to us a short time ago, "Although apples are low there is more 

 money in raising them at Si. 50 a barrel than in raising any other 

 crop." "And," continued he, "if I was a .young man just starting 

 out on a good farm and could be assured of f 1.00 a barrel for all 

 the good winter apples I could raise, I would go into orcharding as 

 heavy as my circumstances would warrant, in preference to a gen- 

 eral system of farming. I would make more money out of it." He 

 recognized the fact that while the apple was on the increase, sys- 

 tematic cultivation and care in the selection of varieties and pruning 

 and adaptation of varieties to markets, would bring good returns 

 for many years to come, at least, 



AN EDUCATED TASTE. 



Another consideration we will mention, and one already touched 

 upon in the last proposition, is the quality of the fruit produced. 

 Our markets have become fastidious. This is so in relation to nearly 

 every production of the farm. The class in our cities who are satis- 

 fied with the rubbish and second-quality articles in the markets is 

 very small. The best is none too good, hence a good article is 

 readily taken at prices ten to twenty per cent, above inferior articles, 

 while the latter go begging for a market or perish on the dealer's 

 hands. 



Markets are fastidious as regards the eye. The looks of a thing 

 goes a great way with a man when he buys articles for his mouth 

 (with one or two exceptions). Handsome fruit and all of the same 

 kind in a package will bring a good price in advance over equally as 

 good fruit mixed several varieties together. We said to a grocery- 

 man on Main Street in Lewistoa : "Can you sell a bushel or two of 

 apples, sound and nice, but several varieties mixed together?" 

 " Yes," said he, "we can get something for them, but they will sell 

 for more to sort them over and sell each kind b}' itself. Somehow," 

 he added, "customers don't like the looks of a mixed-up mess of 

 anything, and they won't buy it readily." 



MAINE FRUIT THE BEST. 



And here it may be proper to remark that the Maine orchardist 

 enjoys peculiar climatic conditions over most other portions of the 

 country, enabling him to produce fruit superior, and hence appreci- 



