Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-11-07
MAINE FRUIT,
The Address Of President z. A. Gill;
bert at Dexter.
Al the State Pom illogical Socicys Op.nioo
Session. Wednesday.

WAS gwen ny Il. y. Gilbert presi,lent
81 the society. AT the opening. Wcdnes-
day. OF the annual convention and .y-
hibti"n of the society at Dexter:
Members of the State PomnlocicaI So
"i"ty.
Ladies and Gentlemen: An estah
lished custom of this society. handed
down from its first rganization makes
III Incumbent upon me to address Won
az the opening of this annual conv,n-
ton on such points connected with
tn" work Of this society ana related
TO the industry it was Instituted 10
promote. as may be considered impor,
ant To its further usefulness.
The work Of such an urganiZa ton
can never BE- completed. AS stcn by
step progress is made new conditions
al Use. new obstacles are met urw enc
mics encountered. These make new
demands upon our intelligence. Study
and experiment must ever keep on.
New conditions must br fathomed
obstacles in the way must be over
come. enemies must be subdurd
thus Will there ever continue to be a
demand for such an organization as
ours. and always problems in sight
callin" for solution.
Fruit growers ar. to h.. conyratu-
lated on the condition Of th,. fruit
market the present year. Demand is
sharp ana prices high. Maine apples
"t lat" hay" been gaining an cnviablc
reputation among both dealers and
consumers wherever they have been
distributed. The crop of fine Main
apples Of last year found Il market
largely in the South and West. Their
sup t:ioiitv was such as to create Il
sharp demand for more. II was t."
stimulate this demand. and stil
further show the merits of thu. prod
uc;s 81 Maine orchards that this or
Sanization made an exhibit last spring
Cf our l?te keeping commercial van it-
ties of apples at the Pan American
Exposition AT buffalo. The reputa-
ton thus gained and kept up is plain
~ manifest III the sharp demand ana
WiG" can from the same quarter for
IL" crop Of Maine apples IF the pres
ent ytar. Such facts may We'll b. a
source OF cncouIa cement to our soci.-
~ in the noble work it has done for
tn" fruit industry of the state. and
should be an incentive To further
1ftort along similar lines.
There never was a better outlook
for the fruit grower than at the pres
cnt time. The population Of the
country. all hungry for fruit. is in
crcasing YEAR by year. ana far more
rapidly than is our ability T. respond
to the calI for more. Far ana wide.
..y ,,t,t A..
states and other countries. the de-
mInI is ful more fruit and that Of
III. highest merit without regard To
cost. business is booming in all dire
tons. p"opl, are at work and likely tn
be for a series of years t" come. wages
are good and money plenty, and among
Americans it is ready L" b. spent
freely.
The only unfortunate feature Of The
situation the present year with the
grower Of fruit is that there is not Il
full crop of fruit with which to meet
the Wid,. demand and liberal prices at
command. This leads directly To- the
important question of fruit every
year. and tn. means through which
annual bearing may be promote !. ]
am aware this is an old problem. but
in Maine orcharding it is still impor-
tart. We want not only better fruit.
the best but We want it in tn" of
years. our fruit * too much a V"lun-
teer crop: vs.. want it at command
While it may never he possible I"
overcome III full damaging cundi-
tons OF weather. Yet ! maintain that
a compromise. at least. can generally
h secured with those climatic condi-
tons that otherwise would result in
q total failure. Maine orchards are
starving. thar is. the most Of them.
\ more liberal policy Of manurin- and
o. culture is Imperative with ncarlN
all CDR Maine orchards. cur so irtE
can do no better ScrVic. than 10 dwell
upon this one fact until common III an
a gement is greatly improved in this
direction. The means through which
cur expanding orchards may be fer
tilted mp to the limit Of the ability Of
tho trees to respond is the most I'M
pCrtant problem that controntS Main"
fruit growers at the pres, Mt time.
Fruit growers need inspiration as
we'll rs instruction. Knowledge of
how to grow fruit is of little avail
where tntle Is not nrSt Il IHlln III Tue
business and a coniidenc" that il may
he made successful. The great fruit
croD of 1896. when there was more
fruit grown than consumption called
for or the market could handle. gave
rise to the question withs growers
whether the country at large had not
already passed the limit of demand
with their planting Of orchards. Ger
tairlv evidence at that time I'M
mjstakably showed there was more
fruit than market. 1t is not strange
perhaps that confidence in the orchard
as source of profitable revenue vas
shaken for the time. But since that
wear every barrel Of choice apples pro-
d,lced among us has found a profitable
market awaiting it clear down To the
present autumn's harvest when pur-
chaserS are on the run All through
the State after them at 81 and up
ward a barrel before they We're placed
in storag &c. ! claim il a safe conClu-
sion and believe that events prove that
there will always be Il paying demand
for all the fruit we may grow. save
,lnn.. the. rar.. occurrence OF Il fun
-, E. II tn, f,1tit growing sections