December 24 1959 Wally Smith

Dear Santa:

When you check your list
For gifts at Christmas time
Please don’t forget the orchardist
Who hasn’t got a dime.

It isn’t much I ask of you
(I hope it’s not a sin)
Give me just enough bloom to do,
So I’ll not have to thin.

And then, of course it would be nice
To have insecticide
That kills all bugs and mites and mice
These I never could abide.

For irrigation I would like
(It is my fond desire)
Self-moving style of sprinkler pipe,
(With these I’ll never tire).

And when it comes to harvest time
There’s nothing I’d like better
Than a picking machine — Oh how divine!
(I hope you get this letter).

For grades and sizes I would take
All extra fancy, medium size,
Cee grade is just a big mistake
That only Ian Greenwood buys.

And substitutes — I’d like a few,
They help smooth out the rocky way,
And tariffs help a little, too,
To make fruit growing pay.

But if this load is too much strain
For your 12 deerpower glider,
The thing I’ll need to ease the pain
Is a case of apple cider.