Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-11-08
What's an Apple Tree WORTH

What's an Apple Tree WORTH
What is a good vigorous apple tre'
worth to q farmer? Who can tell? w
asked the question "a we drove past th'
young orchard of Mr.. w. F. Mills at hiI
farm overlooking Webber Pond on th'
road running from East Vassalboro II
South China. It's charming location
| and the orchard Is one of the best BeI
Davis orchards We have seen for lone
time. Mr.. Mills told us that he set the
trees some II years ago and nearly all Of
them are In bearing. Many of them viii
produce full barrel Of handsome frui'
this year. There are something like II.
trees in the orchard and majority oi
them will soon be producing from two
to three barrels of fruit year. What is
one of these vigorous young trees worth
Everyone ought to be able to figure II
out. We suggested that there were
trees there and quite q number OF them
apparently that would earn their owner
a thousand dollars If no accident befell
them. Mr. Mills glanced at several OF
them as tenderly as fond parent would
consider his children and replied that In
his judgment we were not far out OF the
way.
The trees were not only loaded with
fruit, but with great large, rich looking
leaves showing the vigor OF the tree and
its ability to earn much money for its
owner for years to come, provided OF
course, it continued to receive a good lot
of nourishipg food.
1t is worthy of note in considering the
growth and development Of this young
orchard that it has been cultivated each
year and splendid crop of corn has just
been harvested. Mr.. Mills tells us that
iu his opinion this has gone far enough
and he does not intend to take Oh anotb-
or crop. The trees have reached such q
great size that he thinks the drain Is too
much on the soil to require it to feed the
trees as they should be fed and produce
a crop in addition.
For this reason the orchard will be
kept cultivated to conserve the moisture
and encourage the further development
of the trees and their fruit.
But this ia not all, much work will be
done in pruning and caring for the trees.
Mr.. Mills says they should have prac-
tically the work of man much younger
than he is. He feels that he has done
his share of the labor in this vineyard, Z,
and that now the trees are we'll establish
ed, some younger man should take the
helm and steer the ship.
What a pity it Is that We can't plant
the seed and then sit back and pick the
fruit as a pastime rather than a back
aching task that grows harder each year
as we get more feeble rather than the
reverse. But then we should not think
too lightly of the pleasure of seeing the
fruit mature that we made possible, even
IL we can't continue to care for the plant
as it increases in size and efficiency.
There is something to that.
Before we leave Mr.. Mills orchard We
want to emphasize the fact that he
has been on the farm % years, and this
orchard has grown to its present very
respectable size in half that period.
Supposiug he had set this orchard
when he took the farm in 1888. He
would have been getting good crop OF
apples the past dozen years and the farm
and orchard would have paid for them
selves several times over just from the
returns from the trees.
Moral: Never say it's too late to set q
tree but get at it at once, for in dozen
years at the outside you will be getting
all kinds of returns from your labor
Turf, Farm and Home.