66 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



plum trees, alternating the plums between the apples with the idea 

 that by the time the apples had grown so as to require the entire 

 space, the plums would have exhausted their energies and ended 

 their existence. The plums began to produce a paj'ing crop the 

 fo irth 5'ear from planting, and with the exception of one or two 

 off years, each succeeding year increased their crops for several 

 years following. They were the admiration of all who saw them, 

 many of whom had ridiculed the idea of growing plums so far from 

 the markets of our great cities. Indeed, they had been pronounced 

 *'VVillard's Folly," but net returns of ten to twelve dollars per 

 tree was an argument beyond controversy, and an impetus was 

 given to the business that has been followed by the planting 

 of thousands of trees in that vicinity, many of which, from a lack 

 of intelligent care, will never realize anticipated results. The 

 seventh year from planting the Baldwin orchard, set wi h one 

 year trees, mside an average of one barrel to the tree, but $1.50 per 

 barrel made the net returns so insignificant as compared with the 

 plums — while both had been treated with equal liberality in food, 

 made of barnj'ard manure, wood asbcs and bone meal — that I well 

 remember saying to my wife one evening when riding through the 

 orchard, "I am about to dig out those apples and fill up with 

 plums." She plead for the apples, and my confidence in her supe- 

 rior judgment caused deferred action until a few years later, since 

 ■which time seven-eighths of them have been dug out to make room 

 for those that will give quickest and m*ore profitable returns. 



The old plum trees originally planted have been a source of a 

 fine income. Many have died of late and others show the infirm- 

 ities of age. But other fields have been planted so that several 

 thousand trees are now included in our acreage. I fancy many 

 will say as others have said, '-Well, I would never have made fire 

 wood of those beautiful apples just coming into their full vigor," in 

 response to which, I can only say it seemed to me that life was too 

 short and percentage too low to waste it on raising apples with the 

 probabilities all on the side of tlie plum. 



But the question to be treated fairly, should be viewed from all 

 sides. The plum is a capricious fruit, requiring soil, climate and 

 surroundings all congenial, to be profitable in its returns. Liberal 

 food is required of the right sort. An excess of nitrogenous mat- 

 ter is not wanted and may be injurious, while potash and phos- 



