STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 69 



EVENING SESSION. 



Tlio Convention re-assembled at 7 p. m., Hon Geo-. W. Wood- 

 man, of Portland, Vice President, in the chair. The subject 

 assigned for this evening was: "Orchard Culture," upon which 

 the following paper was presented by Hon. Washington Gilbert, 

 of Bath : 



MANURE FOR ORCHARDS. 

 The sources of supply, and the theory and practice of its application, including the 



culture of the orchard, its operation and effect, and the profits of the orchard under 



high culture. 



In the discussion of the subject assigned to me, I confine my- 

 self to the apple orchard. The peach being too tender for us, the 

 little Turk, with his ever active sabre, persists in planting the 

 crescent, the emblem of his ubiquitous power, everywhere upon 

 the plum, until that delicious fruit has ceased to be of general 

 interest to the people. Other fruits are too capricious and uncer- 

 tain for general culture with us. But the hardy, the fragrant and 

 salubrious apple, the fruit of varied and combined qualities and of 

 more value and excellence than all other fruits together, is vouch- 

 safed to us in Maine. If we can appreciate and rightly cherish 

 the boon, in its golden harvests, and in its compass and variety 

 of abounding utilities, an imperial fortune is proffered to the peo- 

 ple of the State. 



Maine Apples contrasted with those of other Districts. 



It should be a primary object of this Society to teach the people 

 the reasonable possibilities to be achieved in the culture of fruit. 

 To do this it is necessary to teach them to comprehend their 

 deficiencies and their wants. Conceit often usurps the oifice of 

 observation and reason. And a prevalent conceit seems to have 

 assumed that apples grown in Maine are superior to those of any 

 other part of the country. The fallacy of this notion is but too 

 painfully illustrated by the contrast exhibited, since the last har- 

 vest, between the apples of native production and those brought 

 here from remote districts. While those from abroad equal, if 

 they do not far surpass, those grown here, in all internal and 

 essential qualities, the size, c*lor and beauty of the former greatly 

 excel those of the latter. A groundless assumption will not 

 guide us to success. We should open our eyes to the truth. 



