The independent-reporter., 1910-09-08
YOUNG ORCHARD IS
AMONG THE BEST
On J. G. Griffin's S Mad
ison Farm
Hardly Poor Growing One Among
11OS Trees.

| After inspecting the. orchards in the
vicinity of Skowhegan last Saturday.
| G. A Yeaton, representing the De
partment of Agriculture, said: y. e.
Griffin has the finest young orchard
that | have yet visited in the State
of Maine" While that might not have
been so much of a surprise. TO Mr..
Griffin few of his neighbors were
aware of the excellent work he has
been doing.
Mr.. Griffin is a great believer in
real estate, particularly in Maine real
estate He bought a run out farm
in Madison several years ago. and
since then has been quietly improv
! ing it. The location is what has
| kept his work from being conspicu
Gus. The land adjacent to the high
way is covered with timber, and thus
the tillage land is screened from
view. But the things to be seen over
back of the trees are we'll worth the
necessary effort.
There was an old seeding apple
tree in the corner of one lot when
Mr.. Griffin bought the farm. The
fruit on it was of little value, but
the tremendous yield year after year.
suggested that the location was par
ticularly favorable for orchardng
( Experts from the University confirm
ed this suspicion. They pronounced
the grayelly soil ideal for apple trees,
and commended the rolling topo
graphy as providing the air drain
age" so essential to the fullest sue
cess.
That settled the question. Fifteen
acres were plowed that fall, and the
j following spring set with apple trees
These were located thirty feet apart,
so the intervals between the rows
were planted with beans, potatoes,
and buckwheat. These crops paid
for the labor involved, leaving only
the trees and part of the fertilizer as
net cost. Two hundred more trees
were put out last year, and the first
section seeded with clover and oats
More trees were planted this year so
that now the orchard contains 400
30 Macintoshs, and enough odd sorts
for home use to bring the total up to
| i10S. These are spread over twenty
five acres of ground and the long
straight rows of vigorous young trees
are a sight to please any nature low
er's eye
Mr.. Griffin certainly struck the be-
ginning of a bull market when he
bought his trees. The first year he
year twenty-seyen cents, and this
spring thirty-fiye cents. Since he or
dered his last lot the price junlRad
to fifty cents each in lots of one hun
dred or more, and seventy-hve ceuts
for small orders. An expert on such
matters figured that the three-year-
old portion of the orchard was al
ready worth five dollars per tree.
with the tendency to advance rapidly
almost certainty. .''.'T.
In all this lot of trees one that had
died or WAS growing poorly could
hardly be found Yet the manage
ment of the orchard had been such that
the net investment is quite low. A
large crop of oats was harvested last
year, and splendid crops of hay this.
Grass and weeds had been put around
many of the trees that were in SOD,
to act as mulch. and fine wire
shields had been added to keep off
the mice. Spraying had not seemed
necessary heretofore, but the preva-
lence Of the web worm may make 1t
desirable another year
Mr.. Griffin has fondness for life
in the country, and already he is
looking forward to the time when he
shall retire from his business in
Skowhegan. While anticipating that,
he haa the comforting assurance from
the experts, that ten or a dozen years
will bring his orchard into bearing
and give it a value of $1,000 per acre
if all goes we'll. No wonder Mr.
Griffin insists that Maine real estate
I I,Otye oooJ 20 bi,,