304 



FIRST FRUITS. 



same land for seven consecutive years and his last crop 

 vi'as the best, while a neighbor has used the same land 

 sixteen years without apparent ill effect. The land 

 should be plowed in the fall, turning under about twenty 

 loads of stable manure per acre. Crescent is the most 

 profitable variety. Besides strawberries, Mr. Dawes 

 cultivates other small fruits "and the annual varieties 

 brought around by agents — the varieties which look so 

 well on paper." Raspberries and blackberries require 

 protection in Cumberland county. Cuthbert is the most 

 profitable raspberry, and Snyder heads the list of black- 

 berries. 



S. C. Harlow, of Bangor, spoke at length on the "Re- 

 sults of Spraying." Mr. Harlow's display of apples, 

 protected by spraying with Paris green, was very choice, 

 and added weight to his arguments in favor of the uses 

 of the arsenites. He finds Paris green safest for general 

 use, and uses only one pound to 320 gallons water for 

 apples, and a pound to 400 gallons for peach and plum 

 trees. 



Plum Culture. — Elijah Low, of Bangor, a veteran 

 pomologist, presented the results of his long experience 

 in raising plums. He has successfully withstood the 

 attacks of the black-knot, which has devastated so many 

 orchards of the state, by a vigorous use of the knife. 

 His rule is ; "A sharp knife and courage to use it." 

 One reason plum culture is not more widely extended in 

 the state is that people are ignorant of what can be done. 

 The fairs and fruit exhibits are held before the fruit 

 ripens. The varieties selected, after fifty years experi- 

 ence, as best suited for this region — the Penobscot valley 

 — are : Washington, McLaughlin, Bradshaw, Green 

 Gage, Lawrence Favorite, Reine Claude, Smith's Or- 

 leans, Penobscot, Columbia, Victoria, Imperial Gage, 

 Lombard and Moore's Arctic. The soil where these 

 varieties are grown is a heavy clay — once a brick yard. 

 As fertilizers, bone meal and hard wood ashes — with 

 about a pint of coarse salt around each tree in spring — 

 give the best results. 



"Care and Embellishment of Cemeteries" was the 

 subject of a paper by John G. Barker, Superintendent of 

 Forest Hill Cemetery, Jamaica Plains, Mass. Great 

 care is necessary in the first arrangement. Lay out the 

 grounds and make the map afterwards ; and don't try to 

 make natural features conform to pen and ink plans. 

 The entrance should be especially neat and attractive. 

 Well kept avenues and walks will aid greatly in retaining 

 the interest and making the grounds attractive. The 

 avenues should be 18 feet wide, and the walks 3 feet. 

 Wherever possible, plant a nice tree or shrub, and do 

 not allow marble to monopolize the space. The custom 

 of putting several large headstones, of different styles, on 

 a lot is in bad taste ; better put one large stone, and 

 simply small markers at each grave. Plant with a view 

 to permanency. Among the desirable trees for the cem" 

 etery are the elm — especially the Huntingdon elm for 

 broad avenues — the maples, [Acer saccharhmm and 

 Wier's cut-leaved) the catalpas, the birches, beech — 

 especially the copper beech — Magnolia tripelala, ginkgo 



and the tulip tree. Of desirable shrubs, among others 

 mentioned were white fringe [C/iionaiithiis Virginicas), 

 Cormis Jiorida — audits var. rubra — the spiraeas. Hydran- 

 gea paniculata, grandijlora, and, when the soil will per- 

 mit, rhododendrons and kalmias. 



Professor Elijah Cook, of Manchester, in speaking 

 upon " Agriculture — its Present Needs and Future Pros- 

 pects,'' took a very hopeful view of the situation. He 

 thinks agriculturists do not appreciate their advantage, 

 and that Maine is specially favored because of her adap- 

 tation for orchard culture. 



" Better Care of Orchards" was advocated by J. W. 

 True, of New Gloucester. Mr. True urged careful pre- 

 paration of the soil before setting the trees, and thorough 

 cultivation for several years afterwards. By liberal 

 manuring, other crops may be made to pay the cost of 

 cultivation for eight or ten years, but the best results 

 can not be expected from starved trees. Potatoes and 

 corn — the latter planted thinly and not very close to 

 the trees, are the best crops. Do all pruning with a 

 knife. For the less hardy varieties, the trunk should 

 should not be more than 4 or 5 feet high. Dig out the 

 borers every year, and remove clusters of eggs of tent 

 caterpillar in March. Baldwin, Rhode Island Green- 

 ing and Northern Spy prove most profitable in Cumber- 

 land county. 



In the discussion following this paper, the question 

 as to the proper time for pruning in this region was 

 brought up. There was much diversity of opinion on 

 the subject, but the general drift of discussion pointed 

 to early spring as the most satisfactory time for heavy 

 pruning, if such must be performed. 



" Orchard Fertilizers " was the subject of a paper by 

 Professor Walter Ballentine, of the State College. The 

 fertilizing elements required are the same for trees as 

 for other plants, and stable manure is a safe fertilizer . 

 but the supply is limited and we must often look else- 

 where, A good fertilizer to use in connection with 

 stable manure may be made by mixing equal parts of 

 wood ashes and finely ground bone ; moisten, and cover 

 with land plaster. Apply 600 to 800 pounds per acre. 

 Plaster should be used in the stable, rather than in the 

 field, as the ammonia will thus be saved. Various sub- 

 stances furnishing the essential elements were enumer- 

 ated, and samples were exhibited. 



" Fruit Culture — Its Possibilities in Maine " was dis- 

 cussed by Secretary D. H. Knowlton, of Farmington. 

 The outlook is very promising. Maine fruits come at a 

 time when they have a monopoly of the markets, and 

 can command high prices. After urging more extend- 

 ed culture of cranberries and blueberries, the speaker 

 mentioned several striking examples of the profits of 

 fruit culture. But few have been raising apples for 

 market, for more that thirty years. Phineas Whittier, 

 of Franklin county (Maine's "Apple King"), began 

 forty years ago, by the purchase of 90 acres of old 

 rocky pasture for the sum of $400. Mr. Whittier was a 

 poor man and commenced on a small scale, but during 

 the past ten years, his receipts have averaged $2,000 



