78 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



would be, and the roots o;o out there aud feed upoa it. I do uot thiuk 

 they absorb food just at the base of the tree very much. 



All these questions of cultivatiug the orchard, of plowing or not plow- 

 ing or plowing with a side-hill plow are local questions. It depends upon 

 the character aud condition of your soil. A thorough culture of some 

 kind is needed; shallow culture and level culture will bring the best 

 results. If you have a rocky hillside you must adapt yourself to the 

 situation, and feed the tree from the top; let food and mulch take the 

 place of cultivation. But where it is possible to cultivate there is nothing 

 that will equal cultivation. It stimulates a vigorous, healthy growth. 

 Where the very best of culture is given you have a vigorous growth, a 

 tree or plant that is less susceptible to disease than it would otherwise 

 be. I believe the apple question is one of great importance. The apple 

 tree planting of New England is not beginning to keep pace with the 

 consumption of apples, and there is no better opportunity for a sure, 

 safe income for the Xew England farmer where the soil and climatic con- 

 ditions are suitable, than to plant a large, permanent apple orchard of 

 winter apples. I believe it is the largest industry that is open to us 

 to-day. You have no idea of how^ the apple consumption is increasing, 

 to say nothing of the export trade. There are a few large oi'chards in 

 New England but there are more old trees than young ones. There are 

 but few well cared for orchards. I have a friend away down in Xew 

 Mexico who is urging me to come down and help him plant apple trees, 

 and he hopes to sell half of his apples in New England ; and he cannot 

 begin to grow as fine colored or flavored apples as you can in manv sec- 

 tions in Maine. I believe j'ou can get rich in Maine bj' growing apples 

 at $1 a barrel, but you must do it on a business basis. Plant large 

 orchards, feed liberally, cultivate thoroughly, spray and thin j'our fruit 

 every j-ear. 



They talk about off years in apple culture. There never ought to be 

 an off year with an apple tree unless it is in the hands of an off man. 

 Once in a while climatic conditions may kill the buds, but there is no 

 reason why a tree should bear one year and uot the next. Judicious 

 bearing every year is the natural condition of the tree ; but if you let it 

 over bear One year, and do not let it have nutrition enough to develop 

 that fruit and the germ life of the new fruit it does not make any new 

 buds for the next year. But the next year it has time to make the buds 

 for the following j'ear, and so it goes, steady by jerks. It is just as essen- 

 tial to thin the apple as it is to thin the peach. You tiud the finest 

 peaches, pears or plums on the market are from trees where the fruit 

 has been thinned. And if you want a fine crop of apples every year you 

 must thin the fruit from the time the tree begins to bear. If a tree when 

 it begins to bear wants to produce twentj'-five apples do not let it pro- 

 duce more than five ; the next year if it would produce fifty, let it pro- 

 duce but twenty; and the next year if it would produce 200, let it pro- 

 duce only fifty. Then yon have left vitality in the tree for future vears. 



