STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 55 



an experienced man, or take the plow yourself. Do not 

 plow deep at first, and more especially under the trees, and 

 work the soil a little deeper each succeeding year, until satis- 

 fied that you are deep enough ; in time you will have a deep, 

 rich, mellow soil, and that is what you want for fruit trees. 



One of the most healthy and productive fruit gardens of 

 which I have any knowledge, is that of Mr. Calvin Spaulding 

 of Hallowell. The trees consist of the apple, plum and pear, 

 some of them quite old. The only dressing is a yearly appli- 

 cation of horse manure, spread on in the spring and spaded 

 in. On the land he raises a large amount of garden stuff, 

 such as early peas, early potatoes, squashes, sweet corn, cur- 

 rants, strawberries and grapes, while the trees are always 

 heavily loaded with fruit. 



Lies not here the very foundation of all success — the yearly 

 application of manure, though of but one kind, and the con- 

 stant stirring of the soil ? Can there not be some lesson drawn 

 for us out of all these facts ? And would it not be well for us, 

 at least those of us who have old orchards, to plow and culti- 

 vate them? Cultivate them just as we would a field of corn 

 or potatoes ; apply, yearly, a dressing of manure, and occa- 

 sionally one of lime and ashes. Prune them more frequently. 

 Scrape off the rough bark early in the spring on wet days, 

 and wash the limbs and trunks in a strong solution of soap or 

 potash. 



This ought to be a work of love and duty. "Freely ye have 

 received, freely give," may be applied to temporal as well as 

 spiritual blessings. He who robs his orchard, either in money, 

 labor, or dressing, eventually defrauds himself. The work of 

 renovating and replenishing our orchards may be a gigantic 

 one, but our faith should also be gigantic. If we would see 

 the land flowing with milk and honey, and the trees burdened 

 with fruit, we must combine the highest intelligence of the 

 mind with the wisest application of the plow. Theory and 

 practice must go hand in hand. 



