Author: Fruit Growers Association of Adams County Title: Proceedings of the. . .annual convention Place of Publication: Bendersville, Pa. Copyright Date: 1910 Master Negative Storage Number: MNS# PSt SNPaAg016.5 ! i THE Fruit Growers Association of Adams County u Pennsylvania ORGANIZED DECEMBER 18, 1903 PROCEEDINGS :^ OF THE SIXTH ANNUAL CONVENTION HELD IN Fruit Growers Hall, Bendersvllle, Penna. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Dec. 14, 15, 16, 1910 . ■y^r:^r ■■i i GoodSp It rests with you whether your apples are wormy, whether your trees lose their foliage and are eaten by disease. You can prevent all these losses by using Goulds They make it possible to spray thoroughly with a fine, fen mist that covers every leaf and Inch of bark without wastmg the liquid and without extra hard work. Don't buy a cheap sprayer; It makes the work harder and is always out of order— they always cost more in the end. Gould's Sprayers last for years. All working parts are made of bnmze to withstand chemical action of^^spray solutions. ' ' You can always depend on a Goulds. Send £or Our booklet How to Spray — When to Spray— What Sprayers to use," It contains most valuable information about sprayorsand sprayin^r niixtures: how andjvhen to use and all about them. W cMl be glad to mail this to you if you say so, on a postal. THE GOULDS MFG. CO. 1 13 W. Fall St., Seneca Falls, N.Y. We make hand and power pumpa for every service. Officers President, Robe:rt M. Eldon^ Aspers 1st Vice President, C. J. Tyson, Flor^ Dale 2nd Vice President, C. A. Griest, Guernsey ^rd Vice President, C. E. Raffensperokr Arendtsville 4th Vice President, E. P. Garrettson, Biglerville Sth Vice President, J. G. Stover, M. D., Bendersville Recording Secretary, Josiah W. Pricke^h, Biglerville Corresponding Secretary, Edwin C. Tyson, Flora Dale Treasurer, Wm. S. Adams, ;. . .Aspers Executive Committee Robert M. Eldon, Aspers C. J. Tyson, Flora Dale C A. Griest : Guernsey C. E. RAi-rENSPERCER, Arendtsville E. P. Garrettson, Biglerville J. G. Stover, M. D., Bendersville Josiah W. Prickett, Biglerville Edwin C. Tyson, Flora Dale Wm. S. Adams, Aspers Membership Roil Adams, Wm. S., Aspers, Pa. Adams, Mrs. W. S., • Aspers, Pa. Asper, D. C, Aspers, Pa. Asper, Chas. F Aspers, Pa. Anderson, H. W., Stewartstown, Pa. Anderson, Joseph W., Stewartstown, Pa. Anderson, H. M., New Park, Pa. Arnold, J. Raymond, York, Pa. Armold, Wm. H., Gettysburg, R. F. D., Pa. Bream, Samuel, Biglerville, Pa. Bream, Dill, Bendersville, Pa. Bream, Wm. E., Biglerville, Pa. Bream, H. J., Aspers, Pa. Bream, M. F., York Springs, Pa. Boyer, W. W., Arendtsville, Pa. Black, Wm. H., Flora Dale, Pa. Baugher, H. G., Aspers, Pa. Baugher, Ira Aspers, Pa. Baugher, Martin Aspers, Pa. Buchcr, John, Bendersville, Pa. Boyer, Martin Biglerville, Pa. Belt, J. E., Wellsville, Pa. Butt, J. L., Gettysburg, Pa. 1 i i, Oi M Ml In b: Z0 Apple Barrel Cushions and Corrugated Caps ^The progressive fruit growers use my goods. fl Corrugated Caps protect your fruit on the face end of the barrel from flat marks, bruises, etc. ^ Cushions prevent bruising on the pressed end and take up slack on those barrels which have been stored. ^ Write for samples. G. P. READ 1 99 Duane Street New York :q 5- Rosier, Frank C, Carlisle, Pa. Brough, Edward, Biglerville, Pa. Busey, Rev. B. P. S., Bendersville, Pa. Bassett, Charles E., Fennville, Mich. Batterman, D. F., (Gettysburg, R. F. D. No. 5. Pa. Boyer, (George E., Arendtsville, Pa. Butler, Allen, Elkins Park, Pa. Bushman, S. F., Gettysburg, R. F. D., Pa. Bushey, J. Blain, Biglerville, Pa. Brandt, John Ira, Mount Joy, Pa. Behrhorst, C. E., Pittsburg, Pa. Baltzley, S. L., Orrtanna, Pa. Cocklin, Miss Alice, Bowmansdale, Pa. Cocklin, J. A., Siddonsburg, Pa. Cocklin, B. F., Mechanicsburg, R. F. D., Pa. Cook, Arthur E., Aspers, Pa. Cook, J. W., Flora Dale, Pa. Crawford, John B., Fayetteville, Pa. Cushman, (G. R., Baltimore, Md. Cluck, J. C Biglerville, Pa. Carey', Calvin, (Gettysburg, R. F. D. No. 5, Pa. Carson, E. E., • Bendersville, Pa. Cole, A. W., .Orrtanna, R. F. D., Pa. Cruiii, Levi, Biglerville, Pa. Crouse, E. A., (Gettysburg, Pa. Deardorff, Anthony Mummasburg, Pa. Deardorflf, Henry, Arendtsville, Pa. Deardorff, H. W. Tillic, Pa. Deardorff, W. B., Gettysburg, R. F. D. No. 5, Pa. Deardorff, J. A., Cashtown, Pa. Dull, Thomas, Aspers, Pa. Dunlap, Tames M., Walnut Bottom, Pa. Dunlap, F. S., Xewville, Pa. Day, T. F Aspers, Pa. Dougherty, Dorsey, ( Getty sliurg. Pa. Eldon, Robert M. Aspers, Pa. Eldon, Mrs. R. M., Aspers, Pa. Engle, E. B., Harrisburg, Pa. Eppleman, John, Jr., Aspers, Pa. Eppleman, J. W., Aspers, Pa. Everhart, G. W., "^'ork. Pa. Elliott, Chas. H Philadelphia, Pa. Eiholtz, S. Mc, Biglerville, Pa. Finnef rock, Thomas Bendersville, Pa. Fohl, (George E., Biglerville, Pa. Fiddler, F. B., ^^^P^^^' ^^' Forney, D. J., Gettysburg, Pa. Funt, J. W Biglerville, Pa. t ■■ t I i » it vl'i The One Best Remedy for SAN JOSE SCALE as well as all other scale insects that infest the orchard, is Bo wker^s Lime-Sulphur (CONCENTRATED SOLUTION) ALL READY TO USE by adding clear water; one gallon Bowker's makes 1 0 of spraying solution. Every tree in your orchard, whether known to be infested or not, should be sprayed THIS winter with Bowker's Lime-Sulphur. Send for Special Circular BOWKER INSECTICIDE COMPANY 43 Chatham Street, BOSTON. Sticks Like Paint Rain Won't Wash It Off BOWKER'S PYROX CThe one best all around spray for all fruits and vegetables. Kills all leaf-eating insects and prevents fungus troubles, blights, leaf spots, leaf curl, etc. C POTATO BUGS and other leaf-eating insects attacking garden vegetables, melons, cucumbers, beans, etc., are de- stroyed, and the many fungus troubles affecting these crops are prevented by the timely use of Bowker's Pyrox. BOWKER INSECTICIDE CO., 43 Chatham Street, : : : BOSTON ii'm 7 Griest, C. Arthur, Guernsey, Pa. Griest, Mrs. C. A., Guernsey, Pa. Griest, C. S., Guernsey, Pa. Griest, A. W Baltimore, Md. Griest, Frederic E., Philadelphia, Pa. Garrettson, J. V., Aspers, Pa. Garrettson, Frank, Aspers, Pa. Garrettson, Eli P., Biglerville, Pa. Garrettson, Harriet, Biglerville, Pa. Garrettson, J. B., Aspers, Pa. Garrettson, Robert, Flora Dale, Pa. Garrettson, John, Aspers, Pa. Garrettson, Eli, Gettysburg, R. F. D. No. 6, Pa. Grove, W. E., York Springs, Pa. Gardner, L. M., Jr., York Springs, Pa. Gochnauer, J. D., York Springs, R. F. D., Pa. Gochnauer, Jacob S., Aspers, Pa. Gracey, Robert, Newville, Pa. Gove, Mary E., Bendersville, Pa. Guise, D. H., Emmittsburg, Md. Gardner, C. W., York Springs, Pa. Haskell, H. F., Uriah, Pa. Hiester, Gabriel, Harrisburg, Pa. Heyser, Wm., Jack's Mountain, Pa. Harrison, Orlando, Berlin, Md. House, O. P., Aspers, Pa. Harris, Edwin, Aspers, Pa. Hoflfnian, W. C Biglerville, Pa. Hoffman, E. N., Biglerville, Pa. Hoffman, Clarence, Biglerville, Pa. Hoffman, George, : Arendtsville, Pa. Hoffman, Willis, Biglerville, Pa. Harshman, U. W., Waynesboro, Pa. Hoke, David, Hanover, Pa. Hubcr, Charles H., Gettysburg, Pa. Hartman, Geo. R.,. Biglerville, Pa. Hull, D. W., Waymart, Pa. Heiges, Aaron M., Biglerville, Pa. Heckenluber, G. Orie, Biglerville, Pa. 1 leckenluber, G. T., Biglerville, Pa. Hummel, P. T., Harrisburg, Pa. Huber, Henry S., Gettysburg, Pa. Hazard, Willis Hatfield, West Chester, Pa. Jacobs, Samuel, Gettysburg, R. F. D. No. 5, Pa. Keller, H. M., Gettysburg, R. F. D. No. 5, Pa. Klinefelter, U. S, Biglerville, Pa. Kane, J. A.. Biglerville, Pa. Kane, J. Lewis, Gettysburg, R. F. D. No. 6, Pa. Knouse, J. A., Arendtsville, Pa. Knouse,' David, Arendtsville, Pa. vf 1 ! li .i ! 1 i 8 BUY YOUR ARSENATE of LEAD IN POWDERED FORM And save freight on the 40-60% of water all insecticide pastes contain Electro Arsenate of Lead (IN POWDERED FORM) is the only successful dry Arsenate of Lead, because it is the only one in amor- phous (not flaky, granular, or crystalline) form. This is made possible through our Electro Process which assures, also, at least 33 percent, arsenic oxide,mak- ing Electro the strongest Arsenate of Lead made, and consequently, the most effective and economical. As it contains less than )4 oi 1 per cent, soluble arsenic oxide, it is harmless to even peach foliage. Because of its finely divided form Electro goes into suspension at once and remains so a long while. This assures an even distribution and enables the Arsenate of Lead to get into the plant tissues where it will be death to in- sects months after application. It won't wash off. Analysis of Electro Arsenate of Lead made by the New^ Jersey and Con- necticut Agricultural Experiment Stations prove our claims. Send to the sta- tions or us for these reports and satisfy yourself. We supply Electro in paste form if you prefer. It is packed with the least quantity of water (40 per cent.) because Electro paste goes into suspension readily even after drying. Dectro Lime-Sulphur Solution (CONCENTRATED) is guaranteed to average not less than 32 per cent. Baume and to contain the maximum percentage of poly-sulphides of calcium. This gives an excess of soluble sulphur, the active insecticide. Electro Lime-Sulphur is an abso- lutely clear liquid, and conforms to all State and Federal laws. It is certain death to San Jose Scale, and all scale and sucking insects. Washing the bark with it gives a smooth, healthy growth. Electro Lime-Sulphur Solution is packed in 50-gal. bbls. ; 30-gal. }4 bbls. ; 5-gal. and 1-gal. cans. Visit our booth at the convention and investigate Electro products thor- oughly. The material exhibited is the material lue ship. The Vreeland Chemical Co. "Depl. C," 50 Church St., New York City f 7.?T7^;>?i.'^Ss J-i'i^'si-y 9 Koser, Rev. D. T., Arendtsville, Pa. Koser, O. W., Biglerville, Pa. KJepper, C. H., Arendtsville, Pa. Longsdorf , C. L., Biglerville, Pa. Lawver, Ruf us W., Biglerville, Pa. Lawyer, J. Edw., Biglerville, Pa. Longsdorf, Dr. H. H., Dickinson, Pa. Lower, Reuben *. Biglerville, Pa. Lady, Hiram C, Arendtsville, Pa. Lupp, Reuben, Biglerville, Pa. Lau, L. B., East Berlin, R. F. D. No. 3, Pa. Large, Mrs. E. S., Orrtanna, Pa. Large, Miss Katherine, Orrtanna, Pa. Michejier, Chas., Bendersville, Pa. Alichener, Mrs. Chas., Bendersville, Pa. Myers, (George P., Biglerville, Pa. Mcllhenny, Wm. B., Gettysburg, Pa. McKay, Geo. H., Philadelphia, Pa. Mayer, Dr. L H., Willow Street, Pa. Morrison, Mrs. W. S., Aspers, Pa. Miller, John H., Aspers, Pa. Minnich, D. N., Chambersburg, Pa. Miller, N. G., Marion, Pa. Miller, C. C, Marion, Pa. Minter, Thomas L., Biglerville, Pa. Musselman, C. H., Biglerville, Pa. Minter, D. G., (Gettysburg, R. F. D. No. 5, Pa. Myers, Levi M Siddonsburg, Pa. McCauslin, Abram W., • Biglerville, Pa. McCauslin, George W., Biglerville, Pa. Moyer, Mrs. H. P Cape May, N. J. Mickley, J. W., Fairfield, R. F. D., Pa. Mickley, L D., Cashtown, Pa. Morgan, Miss F. K., Orrtanna, Pa. Musser, Will. M., Lampeter, Pa. Myers, Emory J. York Springs, Pa. Newcomer, Aaron, Smithsburg, Md. Newcomer, J. M., Waynesboro, Pa. Osborne, C. L., Biglerville, Pa. Osborne, Allen Biglerville, Pa. CK'ler, Geo., Gettysburg, R. F. D. No. 5, Pa. Oyler', George C, Gettysburg. R. F. D. No. 5, Pa. Ogden, David, Aspers, Pa. Orner, P. S., Arendtsville, Pa. Prickett, Josiah W., Biglerville, Pa. Prickett, Mrs. E. M. G Biglerville, Pa. Peters, Earl, Mt. Holly Springs, Pa. Peters, Z. J., Guernsey, Pa. i ' \ I • r 1 Ml lO "One for All," No. 1 Made of Wool Grease, Arsenate of Lead, Lime and Sulphur, is both a contact and poison spray ; both an insecticide and fungicide ; is positively the only thing needed for any pest or fungus diseases that can be controlled by spraying. Port Treverton. Pa,, Sept. 26, 1910. Manhattan Oil Company, 51 Front St., New York City. Gentlemen :— I used your "ONE FOR ALL" last spring. As soon as possible in October I will use it again. . . t- t I was able to sell peaches and plums from three year old trees. From 900 trees I gathered two bushels to a quart of very tine peaches, I did not see any marks of cur- culio, nor scale, these results could not have been obtained on three year trees without spraying as I did. The grease seemed to protect the trees from frost and insects and curl We cannot expect much on 3 year set out trees. I used "ONE FOR ALL" also on Japan Plums, and got such a crop that I propped up, and sold such sorts as Red lune Abundance, Burbank and Yellow Japans at ten cents a quart. Other people right along- side of me had no plums at all. I had no curculio, and used no other spraying than with vour "ONE FOR ALL" on these trees. , . . , ,. r I found out another point which I used profitably, we made bands of muslin four to six inches wide, and bound them around covered with "ONE FOR ALL" on sweet and sour cherries, Japan Plums and apple trees, and had no aphis upon these trees, while I m not sure that it kept back the curculio. I think curculio found sticky walking. I have been terribly pestered with black aphis on cherry trees and on \\ ickson (Japan Plums) but this bank of "ONE FOR ALL" kept them oft. spring and summer. It is just as effective on currant bushes for worms and on rose bushes for lice and bugs. I used it on cucumbers and melon vines with clean results, I think well of it, gentlemen. Yours truly, *^ F. L. HANCOCK. P. S. -Perhaps vou or someone might ask "how many trees, and stuff has this man got? ' Well, I have' 3038 trees out and truck some, and grow small trees for nursery budding. I did not use "ONE FOR ALL" upon all my trees, having used some oil, home-made lime and sulphur and some bought lime and sulphur, but when one con- siders that yours is ONCE FOR ALL, with time saved and less cost, why it pays to use "ONE FOR ALL." for when I used the other thing I had to spray afterwards with arsenate of lead and risk burning of my foliage, besides the time lost. Yours truly. F. L. HANCOCK. Arlington, N. Y., Sept. ist, 1910. Manhattan Oil Company, u Front St., New York City. . . , , Dear Sirs:— Please excuse me for not answering your inquiry before, as 1 was wait- ing for the plum season to be over. ,, , ^^r^r^ ,^r- » T T .t I think the name "ONE FOR ALL." is not right, it should be "BEST OF ALL." The Japan plum trees used on were more than thatched with scale. I gave one thorough sprayiug just before the blossoms op)ened, and failed to find more than one or twp plums with any on them. The trees are doing well this summer. The apple trees are hne, the bark looks bottle green, and no scale. Wishing vou success, \ ours truly, W. H. BROWER. PRICES F. O. B. NEW YORK One for All, No. I. Barrels, 425 lbs 05c. a lb. yz Bbls., 200 lbs 05^ ** 100 lbs 06 50 lbs 06>^ " 25 lbs 08 MANHATTAN OIL CO. 51 Front Street NEW YORK II Peters, W. R., Aspers, Pa. Peters, Geo. M., Aspers, Pa. Peters, Curtis, Biglerville, Pa. Peters, John N., Bendersville, Pa. Pitzer, Harry C, Aspers, Pa. Pitzer, Ira D., Biglerville, Pa. Patterson, Jas. A., Stewartstown, Pa. Pratt, B. G., New York City. Pittentorfif, C. S., York Springs, Pa. Raffensperger, Chas. E., Arendtsville, Pa. Raffensperger, Roy, Arendtsville, Pa. Rice, E. E., Aspers, Pa. Rice, C. E., Biglerville, Pa. Rice, Waybright, Biglerville, Pa. Rice, C. S., Arendtsville, Pa. Rice, Luther S., Arendtsville, Pa. Rice, Oscar C, Arendtsville, Pa. Routzahn, George R., Bendersville, Pa. Rinehart, E. S., Mercersburg, Pa. Rinehart, J. J., Smithsburg, Md. Roberts, Arthur, Gettysburg, R. F. D. No. 5, Pa. Rittenhouse, Dr. J. S., Lorane, Pa. Repp, Albert T., Glassboro, N. J. Riddlemoser, H. E., '• McKnightstown, Pa. Roth, John, Biglerville, Pa. Rice, Edwin A., Arendtsville, Pa. Stover, Dr. J. ()., Bendersville, Pa. Stover, Mrs. J. C, Bendersville, Pa. Slaybaugh, E. B., : Aspers, Pa. Slaybaugh, Elmer, Aspers, Pa. Smith, G. Frank, Aspers, Pa. Smith, J. H., Biglerville, Pa. Shank, C. G., Biglerville, Pa. Shank, (George H. Biglerville, Pa. Shank, C. B., Biglerville, Pa. Sheely, Daniel M., Tillie, Pa. Sheely, Allen, Bendersville, Pa. Schlosser, Ira, Aspers, Pa. Shull, Jno. A., 'I^*"^^' Pa- ShuU, Robt. H., "^'^^'^^ Pa- Sandoe, H. P., Biglerville, Pa. Stoner, C. A. (Gettysburg, Pa. Schuchman, G. W., Carlisle, Pa. Sterrett, D. Kerr, OakviUe, Pa. ^ ^ ^ Sharpe, James A., Shippensburg, R. F. D., Fa. Stable, Charles E. , Gettysburg, Pa. Spangler, George E.." • - • Gettysburg, Pa. Stewart, Prof. J. P., State College, Pa. Snyder, E. B., Jack's Mountain, Pa. Snyder, Jacob S., Idaville, R. F. D., Pa. Snyder, W. L., Bendersville, Pa. '» i;*' ji' t II 1 1 11 i 12 The State of Pennsylvania Appropriates $30,000 ANNUALLY to teach the farmer how to use LIME-SULFUR, yet apples from trees sprayed with "SCALECIDE" for the past five years took all the first prizes at the State Horticultural Society meeting at Tunkhannock. THE REASON:— The longer trees are sprayed with "SCALECIDE," the more beautiful, healthful, and fruitful they become. ^^SCALECIDE'' not good for peaches? Mr. Roy Lamer of Cobden, Illinois last year sold $12,361 worth of peaches from 2000 trees which have been sprayed for several years with "SCALECIDE.*' Do not fail to make a trial of our "SULFOCIDE" the cheapest and most effective substitute for Boadeaux Mixture. B. a PRATT COMPANY MANUFACTURING CHEMISTS 50 Church St., NEW YORK CITY EDWIN C. TYSON, Flora Dale Pa., State Agent for Pennsylvania •3 Stauffer, Chas. B., Gettysburg, Pa. Spangler, A. R., Aspers, Pa. Sachs, Edw., Biglerville, Pa. Shoemaker, J. M., Mechanicsburg, Pa. Sharrah, Jacol), McKnightstown, Pa. Strasbaugh, E. F., • Orrtanna, Pa. Sheaffer, Henry C, Dillsburg, No. i, Pa. Sheely, A. D., * Arendtsville, Pa. Tyson, Edwin C, F^lora Dale, Pa. Tyson, Mrs. M. W., Flora Dale, Pa. Tyson, Chester J Flora Dale, Pa. Tvson, Mrs. B. H., Aspers, Pa. Tyson, Wni. C, Guernsey, Pa. Tyson, Mrs. M. E., Guernsey, Pa. Tyson, A. R. Norristown, Pa. Tavlor, I. P., Biglerville, Pa. Ta'vlor, Hanson VV., Biglerville, Pa. Taylor, Daniel R., Biglerville, Pa. Tavlor, Henry, Biglerville, Pa. Tavlor, A. M., Biglerville, Pa. Taylor, Jacob, Arendtsville, Pa. Tavlor, Jerry Aspers, Pa. Trostle, Francis, York Springs, R. F. D., Pa. Thomas, Mrs. Dr., Gettysburg, Pa. Weidncr, A. I., Arendtsville, Pa. \\ cidner, (^eo., Aspers, Pa. Wolfe, C. A., Aspers, Pa. Wolfe, Harrv, Aspers, Pa. Wolf, Dr. W. E., Arendtsville, Pa. Wolf, Charles M., York Springs, Pa. Weaver, Mrs. C. M., ^>w Oxford, Pa. Weaver, David, Biglerville, Pa. Wilson, B. F., Biglerville, Pa. Weaner, Chas. C, Bendersvdle, Pa. Weaner, W. C, Aspers, Pa. Wert, R. S., Biglerville, Pa. Wertz, D. M., • Quincy, Pa. Wiblc, R. E., (Gettysburg, Pa. Wickersham, Ruth A., Bendersville, Pa. Wickersham, Robt. A., Bendersville, Pa. Wagner, Harry, Carlisle, Pa. Woodbourne, D. Sterrett, Shippensburg, Pa. Woodbourne, John S., Xewville, Pa. Wright, Ryland, Aspers, Pa. Weigle, H. M., Harrisburg, Pa. Wisotzkey, J. M., (Gettysburg, Pa. Williams, J. L., (Gettysburg, Pa. Walter, J. C, Biglerville, Pa. Warren, Blai'n Bendersville, Pa. I I! h n\ i 14 Best Wishes for a HAPPY NEW YEAR AND A Big Crop of Apples TO ALL Adams County Fruit Growers Musselman Canning Co. Biglerville, Pa. 15 CONSTITUTION Pre;amblE. Being interested in fruit growing and believing that, by organization, we may materially advance our common interests, we hereby adopt the following Constitution and By-Laws: Article L — Name. This Association shall be known as The Fruit Growers' Association of Adams County. Article IL — Object. The object of this Association shall be to encourage the co-operation of the fruit growers of Adams County for the protection and advancement of their common interests. , 1st. By securing and disseminating such scientific and practical mforma- tion as shall promote the general advancement of the fruit growing interests in this county, and shall tend to the improvement of the quality and quantity of our products. 2d. By securing such legislation as may be advantageous, and prevent- ing that which may be detrimental. . , 1, j 3d. By securing such improved facilities in transportation as shall tend to give us more expeditious and economical distribution. 4th. By endeavoring to secure a better and more uniform system of packing and package. , . 1 • 1 -n 5th. By devising some system of marketing our products which will open up and develop the markets and give to the grower a fair and remunera- tive return. . , • , . r 6th And bv endeavoring to obtain such improved systems of crop re- porting as shall' furnish, through co-operation with other similar Associa- tions, accurate information concerning production; thereby enabling the fruit grower to know the exact situation. Article ITT. — Membership. 1st Candidates for membership may be elected by a majority vote of the members present, and upon the payment of $1.00 into the treasury shall be entitled to membership until the next AnnUc-jl Meeting. 2d Any member may renew his membership by the payment of annual dues, but upon failure to pay dues within three months after Annual Meet- incT, shall require re-election. , ^ c • • r ^ ^^^^ u\ \o member shall receive the benefit of commissions or of co-oper- ative buying by the Association, to an amount greater than $1.00 for the term of one year after election to membership. Article V^.—Ducs. The annual dues of this Association shall be One Dollar ($if)) pay- able to the treasurer at the meeting immediately preceding the annual meet- ing for which the treasurer shall issue a receipt, this receipt to constitute a certificate of membership for the succeeding year. Article N.— Officers. Tts officers shall consist of a President, a First. Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Vice President, a Recording; Secretary, a Corresponding Secre- ?ary and a Treasurer, all of whom shall be elected hy hallot at each An- un^\ Meetine to serve for the term of one year or until their successors shall be chofen The'e nine (9) elective officers shall constitute an Execu- tive Committee. 1 M ; I >ri t • iji :' [41 i8 Plant, cultivate, spray and dig your potatoes with IBONASE Machines IRON AGE PLANTERS Plants 100% perfect, no misses, no doubles, even spacing, perfect plac- ing. No injury to seed — no pick- ers are used. Fertilizer does not touch seed. IRON AGE RIDING CULTI- VATORS are adjustable for any width rows and to suit all condi- tions of^crop and soil. Can culti- vate in rows 28 inches wide. IRON AGE SPRAYERS Protect against bugs and blight. Furnished with Single or Double Acting Pumps, Wood Wheels or Steel. 55 gal. Steel Tanks or 100 gal. Wood Tanks. Thills or Com- bination. imASE DIGGERS Harvest all your crop without waste. Light draft and convenient. Ask fot 1910 complete IRON AGE catalog of potato machinery' garden tools, cultivators, horse hoes, etc. Manufactured by BATEMAN MPG. CO. BOX 54 GRENLOCH, N. J. '9 hihitT'^^nHT*'' ^''? P^^'^*"' .Shall be chairman of the committee on ex- saml\rd'i4Td^T;?,e'tl'=ciatior"""^ '^"'' '°^ ^^'"'''^^ ^"^ '^'^P'^'^'"^ The Fifth Vice President shall be chairman of the committee on crop "f'tre^'ATsociaHon'"'"' '"''"^'^ "' '""^^''"^ ^"' ^""^^'^"^^ ^^^^ ^"^ ^- ARTici.e lll.—Dutics of Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary shall write the minutes of the meetings of the Association and have charge of its Records and Reports. "^^^"^^^ ^t tne Article lV.~Duties of Corresponding Secretary. The Corresponding Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Association and shall receive for so doing his necessary Tpens^^^^^^^ src"';)fThaT^offi "' '''" '^^" ""'' ^^ ^^^^^^'"^ ^'^-'-^ "^ ^^- ^b'- Article V.— Duties of Treasurer. The Treasurer shall receive and keep an accurate account of all moneys .finLTh^ I? P ^^.'f ^l'^^'?!^' Pp'\'?S out same on an order of the Association, signed by the President. He shall make a report of all receipts and disburse- ments at the annual meeting or at any time at the request of the Associa- tion. He shall mail a. notice of dues to all members one week prior to the November meeting at which time all dues are payable, and shall issue cer- tihcates of membership in exchange for all dues received. He shall also keep a roll of members who have complied with Article IV of the Constitution and embody same in his annual report. Article YJ.— Duties of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Association, auditing all bills and accounts and carrving out the pur- poses of the Association. Article VU.— Meetings. There shall be a regular meeting of the Association on the second Satur- day of each month at 7: 30 p. m.. unless otherwise ordered. The meeting held in December to be regarded as the Annual Meeting. Special meetings may be convened by the Executive Committee at such time as they may appoint. Article YWL— Initiation of Officers. All new officers shall assume the duties of office at the opening of the meeting immediately following the one at which they were elected, except that the newly-elected Executive Committee shall prepare and announce, at the January meeting, the membership roll of the five (5) committees speci- fied in Art. 9, and the chairman of program committee shall prepare a pro- gram for the February meeting and announce same at the January meeting. Article \X.— Order of Business. Tst. Reading of minutes of previous meeting. 2(]. Nominations and elections. 3d. Reports of committees. 4th. Deferred business. 5th. Communications. 6th. New business. 7th. Discussion of questions. i * '1 f 'U ' 1 1 1 I i 41 •i 'i m Ill m If 20 SCALIME IS A CONCENTRATED loLUTION OF LIME & SULPHUR "Equal to the Best, and Better Than the Rest" "TABLE A" From Bulletin of November, 1909, PennaDept. of Agriculture, Dr. H. A. Surface, Economic Zoologist. , SOLUTION OF BRAND Diluiion us- ually recom- Pounds of Sulphur mended — di- Solulion per 50 gal luted accord-. Ions spray, ingly. I , 1 Dilution nee in Spe^^'fi^: e"^>ssarytoequal ityof dilutedj^^g strength solution at 15Lf ^^^ 17-22- deg. C. I5Q formula. Lion Brand Niagara (clear) ..•• Thomson (Orchard) Rex Snavelly's '"" Grasselli's / • Niagara (dark— top liquid) Sulfocide (Pratt) ;• v","" J Home boiled 17-22-50 ( boiled 2 hours) closed Saliinene • '' \\ Neverscale (powder 1 lb. to I gal.J. 17-22-50 boiled 4 hours, closed kettle- Snow's L. & S Scalime •• • • Sherwin William's L. & S 111 l-ll 1-11 1-11 1 11 1-11 1-11 1-11 1-11 7 2 lbs. 9.5 lbs. 10.5 lbs. 12.5 lbs. 5 lbs. 10 lbs. 9.5 lbs. 30 percent, sol. sulph 16 to 17 lbs. i 6.7 lbs. 1-11 1-9 1-10 1.020 1.025 1 026 1.030 1.016 1 026 1.025 1.041 1.042 1.004 1.019 1.041 1.020 1.0 ',0 1.028 About 1 to 6 About 1 to 7 About 1 to 8 About 1 to 10 About 1 to 4 About 1 to 8 I About 1 to 7 About 1 to 6 About 1 to 10 About I to 9 the author of Pennsylvania State Col- riorMT lOHM P STFWART, who is the authoF ot fennsyiN aiiia oia.^ v-w. PROF. JOHN P. ^^^^^^'; Vr ;^^ o„ir,hnr savs • *'A concentrated Lime- Sn'ifruirbei^'cirsxr.^^t"'^^^^ -^ --'- -o*^- GUARANTEE SCALIME. We^--r 'Xor'i^^l^^^sXt: ,3"SeerBa^'m:)" aU the SAN JOSE SCALE with which it comes m contact. Don't buy any Lime and Sulphur Solution unless the strength is ouaranteed We handle the Hardie Sprayers and carry a full lin^ of their goods consiS of" P:wer Sprayer. Barrel Sprayers Hose Nozj^es B-,^o Rods and other accessories and repairs at our Plant in Mart.nsburg, w. Va. WRITE US FOR PRICES. 1210 COMMONWEALTH TRUST BUILDING PHILADELPHIA. PA. Horticultural Chemical Co., ;«• < a: UJ a. o > ■ »«„y; --^r-'" COLOR PLATE T" 20 c L I M SCALIME IS A CONCENTRATED loLUTION OF LIME i SULPHUR "Equal to the Best, and Better Than the Rest" From "TABLE A" Bulletin of November, 1909, Penna.Dept. of Agriculture, Dr. H. A. Surface, Economic Zoologist. SOLUTION OF BRAND I Dilulion nee Dilution us- . Specihc grav- 1 . ^^^,^1 ually recom- Pounds of i>l' P^ur in .^^. ^j dHuled^^f ^3\"^^^^^^^ mended - di- SoUiuon per 50 gal- Isj^imion al 15 f ^^^ ^y.oi - luted accord- Ions spray. deg. C. Jsp formula. ingly. — '- Lion Brand Niagara (clear) Thomson (Orchard) Rex Snavelly's • • CJrasselli's 111 7 2 lbs. 1-11 9.5 lbs. 1-11 10.5 lbs. 1-11 12.5 lbs. 1 11 5 lbs. 1-11 10 lbs. 1-11 **.5 lbs. 30 per cent. sol. sulph 6.7 lbs. Niagara (dark --top liquid) ^^ ^ Sulfocide (Pratt) •.••.■;.V " \",{LLa .. 16 to 17 lbs. Home boiled 17-22-50 • boiled 2 hours) closed Salimene • ," \\ Neverscale (powder 1 lb. to 1 gai.»- • 17-22-50 boiled 4 hours, closed kettle- Snow's L. & S ; Scalime •• • • i Sherwin William's L. & S- 1-11 1-11 1-9 1-10 1.020 1.025 1 026 1 030 1.016 1 026 1.025 1.041 1.042 1.004 1.019 1.041 1.020 1.0,0 1 028 About 1 to 6 About 1 to 7 About 1 to 8 About 1 to 10 About 1 to 4 About 1 to 8 About 1 to 7 About 1 to 6 About 1 to 10 About I to 9 ,,„,,^. u^uK P srrWART who is the author of Pennsylvania State Col- PROP. JOHN P. ^ A *^^^ ^^^\\ . ' Q, i„u,,r eavq- "A concentrated Lime- obtain spray- -■ , and Water, the added substances are of no a< GUARANTEE SCALIME. We guarantee that SCM-l ME contains -'g^^-;,!;;::,- Sulpl^r and Water, and that the f,«"S|h or dens.t>^sl.M)s. ^J^^^^^^^^^ ^^..,„ ^i„ and if diluted in the proportion of 1 gallon bCAl.lMr, to -^ ga all the SAN JOSE SCALE «ith which it comes .n contact. Don't buy any Lime and Sulphur Solution unless the strength is guaranteed We handle the Hardie Sprayers and carry => f"'' J'"^ ^^ .^f 'l^^t consisting of Power Sprayers, Barrel ^P-yers, Hose No.zle^ Rods and other accessories and repairs at our Plant in Martinsburg. Va. WRIIE US FOR PRICbS. 1210 COMMONWEALTH TRUST BUILDING PHILADELPHIA. PA. Horticultural Chemical Co., . :, Mil < LU CL O > 1' INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE 22 THE YORK IMPERIAL. The York Imperial apple is the standard commercial variety grown in the Adams County fruit belt. The trees, being thoroughly acclimated, are uniformly thrifty and vigorous wherever proper cultural methods are followed. The excellent quality of the York Imperial apple and its attractive ap- pearance, as indicated by the accompanying illustration, have been large tac- tors in building up the excellent reputation of the apples from this section. Historical. The following excellent historical account of the York Imperial is given bv Tavlor • ''The variety bearing this name originated early in the last cen- turv on a farm adjoining the then borough of York, Pa. The attention of the' owner, Mr. Johnson, was attracted by the presence of schoolboys who visited it in carlv, spring to get the apples that had passed the winter on the ground, covered bv leaves. On securing some of the fruit he found it in hne condition, and when the next crop was ripe took specimens to Mr. Jonathan Jessop a local nurseryman, who began the propagation of the variety betore t8^o under the name 'Johnson's Fine Winter.' Under this name it was known until after the middle of the century, when after an inspection of specimens the late Charles Downing pronov«iced it the Imperial of Keepers and suggested that it be named 'York Imperial.' Mr. Jessop did not find ready sale for trees of the variety at first, and dumped the surplus trees from his nursery into a hollow beside the turnpike passing his place. They were picked up by farmers returning from market and taken home for planting on their farms in the lower end of York County. After its merits as a variety for market orchards was established, it became widely distributed throughout Pennsylvania, .Maryland and Virginia, and soon became a leading market variety in those States.'* Appreciative. Dr Funk, in his ''Fruits for Pennsylvania," has the following to say in appreciation of the value of York Imperial as a commercial proposition : ''There is no apple on the list that has gained more rapidity in popularity than the York Imperial. It has been steadily forging to the front until it is now one of the leading export apples, bringing prices almost equal to the famous Newton and Albemarle Pippin. Thousands of trees of this variety are being planted annually in Adams County. This section is becoming noted for producing this apple in the highest state of perfection, and buyers from distant parts come and purchase the fruit in the orchard. Fruit is above medium in size, skin greenish yellow, nearly, and sometimes entirely covered with bright red; flesh crisp, tender and juicy, aromatic; retains its flavor and keeps well with or without cold storage; season all winter." Numerous instances are on record where this variety has produced an average annual net income of over $200.00 per acre, some special cases show- ing a net return of over $500.00 per acre in one season. PROCEEDINGS OF THE SIXTH ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE FRUIT GROWERS ASSOCIATION OF ADAMS COUNTY, PA. The Sixth Annual Convention was called to order by the Presi- dent, Robt. M. EUlon, at 2:00 p. m., Wednesday, December 14, 1910, in Fruit Growers' Hall, Bendersville, Pa. The convention was opened with prayer by the Rev. B. P. S. Busey. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. ROHT. M. Emx)n. The problem of the Adams County Fruit Growers' Association is to hold each year a better convention. We shall be pleased in- deed to do this during this week. There is no expectation of fur- nishing a program that shall be novel throughout or in large part, even if that were desirable, but new tailors for new clothes, may add interest to subjects which have been discussed more or less regularly since the growing of fruit was begun and discussions had. It will be, then, not so much the declarations of new methods as the perfection of old ones by addition of elimination. We are willing and anxious to hear the latest and best of everything from the planting of raw land to the receipt of returns for fruit mar- keted. Can planting be overdone, and especially will planting in the Fast be overdone is a question which is frequently heard. Some say that it is now too late to plant trees; if they were now grown and ready to bear, all well and good, but by the time the new- planted ones are ready to bear in seven to eleven years the market will be overstocked. We certainly think that the year 1900 was a lietter year for planting than the year T910, being first on the field is always a great advantage, but that there will be a good mar- ket for the good crops of the 1910 planted trees we also fully be- 23 1 .1 mi 24 lieve Not everybody is planting trees or expects to do so, and many of the trees planted so lately as 1900 are dead as he^ can be Certainly manv of those planted earlier are gone. It is the excepdon to see even in A' J.^^ nlants We were to be congratulated on our fruit exhibit, £ were cautioned by our delegates not to use same f^"'t for more than one exhibit At this meeting information was furnished bowing the p^ss He crops the railroad will be called upon to move n he near future. A transportation comnnttee was appo.n ed with instructions to wait upon the railroad management and bring lo their attention the necessity of liberal siding and car accommo- dations. ^^ , i,, ^. March Meeting. The March meeting was held at Arendtsville. The Lafean Apple Package and Grade T>>ill was discussed and explained hy he corresponding secretary. The question was asked, ni view of the fact that we are confronted with so many enemies to the peach, is itadliShle to keep on planting, commercially? ^^^^ feting co^^ eluded that, with the present means at our ^7"^^"! V;^' J^ \^^^^^ these enemies, we are justified in planting, and by the Proper use of this fighting machinery, might expect profi able returns Select high ground and tree free of Yellows, and plant not less than i6 feet apart. 27 April Meeting. R. M. Eldon, as one of the delegates to the hearing on the La f can Apple Package and Grade Bill, before the House Commit- tee on Agriculture at Washington, called attention to several reasons why those favorable to the bill failed to secure affirmative action by the committee. The most conspicuous being the presence on the bench, of a member from Oregon, who, because of the necessity of facing liis constituents next fall for re-election, was naturally a vigorous advocate of Oregon's opposing position. Oregon's princi- pal objection to the bill is based on their desire to force the con- suming public to accept their box, which is practically a Winchester bushel, as being a legal heaped bushel of apples, which is, of course, an absurdity. May Meeting. Small fruits came up for discussion at this meeting. A mem- ber called attention to a seedling strawberry he is growing success- fully, it being the result of a cross pollenation between Gandy, Sharpless and Lawyer. The varieties recommended for a succes- sion are as follows: First, the seedling Lawyer; second. Senator Dunlap, followed by Glen Mary, Oswego and Nick-Ohmer. For blackberries, first, Early Harvest, followed by Blowers. Both are early bearers and the Blowers is a very large, sweet berry. In regard to raspberries, success has been had with Gregg and Mammoth Cluster varieties. Set plants three feet apart, in rows five feet apart, cut off tips of new growth, thus encouraging stocky growth, remove all old canes as soon as fruit is harvested, give thorough cultivation and thin canes in the fall • Several members mentioned the susceptibility of currants and gooseberries to the attack of San Jose scale and the great difficulty of eradicating it. A discussion on plums brought out the fact that the reason that the Red June plum does not bear is on account of its imper- fect blossom, which can best be remedied by internlanting with the Wickson variety. In considering the advantage in spraying for coddling moth while apples were in full bloom, results both here and in New York, where it has been practiced, indicate that there is nothing gained by this practice, very favorable reports come from the use of Lime-sulphur as a summer spray when used in proper proportions, which is about 3 gallons Lime-sulphur to 100 gallons of water. Though, where more than one application was made, some burning of the foliage was noticed. June Meeting. Plant diseases were discussed at the June meeting. One mem- ber referred to the small amount of fungus trouble apparent this spring even where no spraying has been done, probably due to cold weather. Another member has noticed quite a good deal of Frog- eye fungus on his trees, even where they had been well sprayed with Pyrox. Attention was called to the fact that at a recent convention, III SMmHH! 28 especially of luirservmen, tliere has been a tendency to minimize • the danger from root gall, but it was the testimony of growers present that on examining trees in their orchards that seemed to be in a weak condition, as shown bv foliage, in almost every m- stance such trees were found to be affected by crown gall, and, even if it does not actually kill the trees, it seems to have a weakenmg effect, and it was concluded best not to deliberately plant trees so affected. ^ . ^ ^ . , , The necessity for selectine bright, new, Crnnson clover seed, for planting, was emphasized, one member stating that he would rather pay several dollars per bushel more for such seed than for that which had been carried over. July Meeting. Handling of the peach croj) was under consideration at the July meeting: first, as to thinning, Geo. Oyler opening the subject by saying that he thinks it pays well to thin but says his trouble is, usually, not to get them thin enough. :\Ir. Alyers, of I^>owmans- dale would measure with the eye about what a limb will stand and thin' accordingly. Second, as to package, the meeting concluded that it was a good thing to put fine fruit in small packages, but the canning trade preferred half-bushel baskets. Third, as to picking, i^acking and grading, Mr. Myers would make two or three pickings to a tree, and recommends leaving the fruit in jMcking baskets to be transferred to packing house. In grading, recommends usually t\yo grades, never more than three. ^ Fourth, as to marketing.' In discussing this phase of the. busi- ness it was thought well for the producer to keep as near consumer as possible. In many cases better net returns being realized by selling right out of the orchards to hucksters and consumers. . October Meeting. The question as to what receptacle we shall use in picking apples received considerable attention. It was the impression that the ideal method was vet to be discovered. There were advocates present of both the basket and bag-hung-on-the-shoulder method, but it was concluded a good compromise might be had by picking in baskets the fruit obtainable from the ijround and step-ladders, and using the bag for hi^h climbing. A careless operator w^ill bruise the fruit bv any method. November Meeting. Growers prefer a three-leg: step-ladder for picking all fruit that can be reached in that way, and a strais:ht ladder with pointed top for hieher trees. The packing of the fruit bv the growers, under supervision of the buyer, instead of by packing gangs organized by the buyer, was strongly urged bv several members, so that all crops may be picked and packed directly into packages instead of placinjgr on ground, or allowine to hang beyond the proper time, as is often necessary when waitine for packing gangs. All members who have not already done so, are urged to perfect themselves in this work, so as to take care of their fruit at the proper time with- out loss. 29 I. n\ * i\ * {1 Packing Fine Adams County Apples. (Maminoth Black Twig.) LIME-SULPHUR PREPARATIONS FOR THE SUMMER SPRAYING OF ORCHARDS. W. M. Scott, United States Department of Agriculture. I. Dilute Lime-Sulphur Solution for Apple Diseases. Bordeaux mixture has been the standard fungicide for the con- trol of ap])le diseases since sprayingr apple orchards came into vogue. It has made profitable apple growing possible, where it would otiierwise have been a failure, and has been the means of untold wealth to the commercial api)le growers of the country. It has formed ])ractically the sole remedy for apple scab, bitter rot and various apple leaf-diseases, and has been universally used on grapes, ])otatoes and other cro])s. In recent years, however, there has develo])ed a verv serious objection to the use of l>ordeaux mixture as a fungicide on aonles owing to the injurious effect it ])ro(luces on both fruit and foliage. The fruit of many varieties like the Uen Davis and Jonathan becomes russeted and often dwarf- ed and distorted from the toxic action of the copper in the Bor- deaux. This injury is ])roduced mainlv by the applications made within three or four weeks after the blossom petals fall and is especially serious in a wet spring. Mid-summer or late spraying, such as is recuiired for bitter rot, rarely russets the fruit, the skin at that time having become tougher and more resistant. The skin of the young fruit is injured by the copper and as the apple de- 30 • velops, the injured portions enlarge, resulting in russet blotches and streaks. In wet seasons the russeting of the fruit is sometimes so serious as to reduce its market value twenty-five per cent., or in come cases even fifty per cent. The pathologists and apple growers have, therefore, been driven to seek a less caustic fungicide and the result has been the development of various lime-sulphur preparations. During the past four years the Bureau of IMant Industry, and some of the Experi- ment ' Stations, have been conducting experiments with lime-sul- phur fungicides and the results have been such as to warrant the recommendation of dilute lime-sulphur solution as a substitute for Bordeaux mixture in a large part of the apple spraying operations. The Lime-Sulphur Sprays. For two or three decades a preparation known as the lime- sulphur wash has been used in the dormant season for the control of the San Jose scale and other scale insects. It has been known for years that the same sprav applied to peach trees in the early spring two or three weeks before thev bloom would prevent peach eat- curl and it is now a common practice to spray for scale and leaf- curl at the same time using the lime-sulphur wash. The lime-sul- phur solution, now rapidlv coming into use as a summer spray for apples, is only a modification of th^ old lime-sulphur wash. Home-made Lime-Sulphur Solution.— Concentrated lime-sul- phur solution to be diluted and used as a summer spray on ap- ples may be prepared as follows: Boil 16 ix)un(ls of sulphur and 8 pounds of lime with 10 gallons of water for aboiit an hour, hn- ishirg with 8 gallons of concentrated solution. Theii strain and dilute it with water to make 200 gallons of spray This makes 4 pounds of suli)hur in each 50 gallons of spray, which in our ex- periments, has proved to be about the right strength for summer spraving of apples. It may be made in larger c|uantities by using TOO pounds of sulphur and 50 pounds of lime and boiling them to- gether with enough water to finish with 50 gallons of concentrated solution The boiling mav be done in a kettle over a fire, or in a barrel or other tank with steam. In diluting for summer spray- ing 2 gallons of this solution should be used in 50 gallons of water. Used at this strength in our experiments it controlled apple scab, leaf-spot, and cedar rust, fullv as well as B>ordeaux mixture, with- out '^eriouslv injuring the fruit or foliage.'^ Commercial Lime-Sulphur Solution.— A number of manu- facturers are now placing on the market concentrated lime-sulphur solutions to be used as a fungicide and an insectituc e. Most ot these preparations test 32° to 33^ on the Baume hydrometer and contain in solution about 2^/2 to 2^4 pounds of sulphur to each gal- lon They are practically the same as the home-made solution, *For further information in regard to the P/eparation of concentratecl lime-siibliur solution see bulletin Xo. 99, Pennsylvania Agricultural Experi- ment Station by Prof. John P. Stuart. 31 but are a little more concentrated and therefore require more dilu- tion. K strength of ij^ gallons of the solution to 50 gcillons of water gives about 4 pounds of sulphur in each 50 gallons of spray, and produces the same results as the home-made solution diluted to contain the same amount of sulphur. We have experimented with several different brands of these commercial products and have found very little difference in them. All that were tested gave fairly uniform results and compared favorably with the home-made solution. It appears, therefore, tiiat, except in the matter of cost, it makes very little difference whether the preparation is purchased from the factory or made at home. The home-made ])roduct is less expensive but more trouble- some. Results of Experiments. Experiments comparing the lime-sulphur preparations with Bor- deaux mixture in the treatment of apple diseases have been conducted by the lUireau of Plant Industry in \ irginia, Michigan, Nebraska, Missouri, and Arkansas. Exceptiiig bitter rot and blotch, all dis- eases of the fruit and foliage in all the ex])eriments were as thor- oughly controlled by the lime-sulphur solution as by the Bordeaux mixture. The lime-sulphur ])roduced very little or no russeting of the fruit and no serious foliage injury while the liordeaux injured both fruit and foliage of Ben Davis, Tonathan, Yellow Newton, and some other varieties. The lime-sul])hur sprayed fruit was invari- ably superior in ap])earance to that sprayed with 1 Bordeaux. Experiments for the control of apple scab on Winesap were conducted in X'irginia during 1909 with the following results: On the plots sprayed with lime-sulphur solution less than one per cent, of the fruit was affected with scab; on that sprayed with Bordeaux mixture about two per cent, of the fruit was affected; and on the check or unsprayed plot thirty per cent, of the fruit was scabby. During the same year similar experiments were conducted in Michigan with like results. The scab was held down to four per cent, of the crop bv the lime-sulphur solution and to three and one- half per cent bv r>or(leaux mixture, while eighty per cent, of the uns])rave(l fruit' of the same variety (Wagener) was affected. Results of experimerts conducted in Arkansas by the Depart- ment of Agriculture were not favorable to the lime-sulphur solu- tion in the control of bitter rot and apple blotch. These two dis- eases were checked by the spray but not thoroughly controlled. There is, therefore, some doubt as to the efficiency of the lime- sulphur solution as a remedy for bitter rot and blotch. In both the Virginia and the Michigan experiments the com- mercial lime-sulphur solution at a strength of 2 to 50 slightly scorched the leaves particularly on the terminal shoots, but this did not prove to be serious and at the end of the season the foliage was in good condition, the apple leaf-spot having been controlled and the cedar rust held in check. It was found also that arsenate of lead used with the lime-sulphur solution did not result in injury to fruit or foliage and that it controlled codling moth as thoroughly ! , 32 as when combined with Bordeaux mixture. A full account of these experiments was published in Circular No. 54 of the Bureau of Plant Industry. Experiments of 19 10. During the past season experiments were conducted at Waynes- boro, Va., on Winesap, York Imperial and Ben Davis. From 75 to 200 trees of such variety were sprayed and a check of about ten trees of each variety was left unsprayed. Each variety was divid- ed into 4 plots and treated as follows : Plot I. Commercial lime-sulphur solution, iVz to 50, with 2 lbs. arsenate of lead. Plot 2. Home-made lime-sulnhur solution, 2 lbs. of lime and 4 lbs. suli)hur to .so gals, water, with 2 lbs. arsenate of lead. ' Plot 3. Bordeaux mixture, 3 lbs. bluestone and 4 lbs. lime to 50 gals, water, with 2 lbs. arsenate of lead. Plot 4. Check, not sprayed. The Winesaps were sprayed, (i) after the cluster buds open- ed, just before thev bloomed '(April 5) ; (2) as soon as the petals fell (April 19) ; (3) three to four weeks later (Mav 17) ; and (4) nine weeks after the petals fell (June 26). The Ben Davis and York Imperial received only three treatments, the first application given the Winesaps having' been omitted from these varieties, for the reason that in \'irginia they do not suffer seriously from attacks of scab. Effect on the Foliage.— The weather was unsually cold and wet during April and :\rav and the conditions were favorable for spray injury. Toward the end of May, soon after the second spray- ing of the lien Davis and Yorks, the leaves of these varieties showed considerable spray injury on all the plots. On the lime-sulphur plots the leaves o/the voung shoots were somewhat scorched around the margins, and as a consequence, some of them were crooked or curled. A few dead spots appeared on some of the leaves and at that time it looked as though the injury might prove serious. It did not progress anv further, however, even after the next appli- cation, and the trees soon grew out of it. V>\ mid-summer nearly all evidence of injury had' disappeared and during the remainder of the season the foliage was in excellent condition. In respect to injury there was practicallv no difference between the home-made and the commercial lime-sulphur. Bordeaux mixture caused more injury than either of the lime- sulphur per])arations and this injury increased as the season ad- vanced. The leaves were more or less spotted with circular, brown areas and a considerable percentage of them turned yellow and dropped off. The trees sprayed with the lime-sulphur solutions wxnt through the season with much better foliage than those spray- ed with Bordeaux mixture, demonstrating the superiority of the former fungicide over the latter in this respect. 33 The apple leaf-spot disease was controlled equally well by both fungicides and about the same was true of cedar rust. The lime-sulphur solution, however, showed some superiority over Bor- deaux in controlling cedar rust. This disease seems to yield more readily to sulphur sprays than to copper sprays. Effect on th'e Fruit. — There was practically no difference be- tween the lime-sulphur solution and Bordeaux mixture in the con- trol of the diseases that occurred on the fruit. Apple scab, fruit spot and sooty blotch were controlled equally well by both fungi- cides. In the case of the Ben Davis, particularly however, there was a decided difference in the appearance of the fruit sprayed with the two kinds of fungicides. The fruit sprayed with Bor- deaux was russeted considerably, although very little of it was dwarfed or distorted as often occurs with Bordeaux sprayed fruit. The Winesaps were also russeted but not so much as the Ben Davis, while the York Imperial showed only a slight roughening of the skin. The latter varietv is almost immune to Bordeaux russet. The fruit of all varieties sprayed with the lime-sulphur solu- tion was almost free from spray russet. The natural russet at the stem end was enlarged slightly and on some specimens this ran over on to the side of the apple, but as a rule, the fruit was smooth, clean, and highlv colored. The high color and general appearance of this fruit would place it in a grade higher than that sprayed with Bordeaux which would mean 25 cents to 50 cents a barrel in price. The Control of Apple Scab. — In order to determine the com- parative efficiency of the sulphur and copper sprays in the control of apple scab, the fruit from four Winesap trees in each plot and six check trees were sorted and the results, in terms of percentage of fruit aff'ected with scab, are given in the following table : Table I. — I.ime-sulphur solution vs. Bordeaux for apple scab. No. of Plot. Spray Mixture Used. Per cent, of scabby fruit I. Commercial lime-sulphur solution (ij^^ to 50) plus 2 lbs. arsenate of lead. 2.2 2. Home-boiled lime-sulphur solution (2-4-50) plus 2 lbs. arsenate of lead. 6.1 3- Bordeaux mixture (3-4-50) phis 2 lbs. arsenate of lead. 6.2 4. Check, not sprayed. 99.8 It will be seen from this table that the home-made lime-sul- phur solution and the Bordeaux mixture both held the scab down to about 6 per cent, of the crop, while practically all of the un- sprayed fruit was scabby. The plot sprayed with the commercial solution had the lowest percentage of scabby fruit (2.2 per cent.), but this was ])robably due to a difference in the plots and not in the fungicides. Plot t contained medium sized trees easily spray- ed, while the trees in plots 2 and 3 were large and rather dif- ficult to sprav with the outfit used. It would seem from these results and those obtained in previ- ous experiments that the efficiencv of the lime-sulphur solution as a remedy for apple scab could no longer be questioned. i! m \i 34 Adoption of Lime-Sulphur in Virginia. As a result of the experiments conducted in Vi-^gi-ji^ f (Ifg ,nm bv the lUireau of Plant Industry, practically all of the Vir S ajp le or ards were sprayed with the lime-sulphur solut.on V" . T^ „^„t season We personally exammed some of these S." ™Jt.r;S"r.,^U Iron, ,„iy of ...».- ^^^S --; tory both as to uie c ^^ ^,^^ ^^^^^^^ ^,,^^6 JJnowedi; applications of P.ordeaux ^7" ^f ^ ^^ , J "f £ was entirely successful, the russetm^ of the truit havm^ .avoided and the bitter rot disease controlled. Conclusions and Recommendations. The evidence obtained from various experiments conducted bv the U S Department of Agriculture. a,ui several of the experx- ment stations .eems to warrant the followmg conclusions : """^iSeaux mixture often russets the fruit -hI JX^n ^f t ; age of many varieties of apples and its use m the early pait of the Jp<;nn should therefore he avoided as much as possible '""'T^S:Z^ur solution. diluteH so as to contain four poun J of sulnhur in each fiftv gallons of spray, is a good substitute for Kon lea X mi^Kture in the treatment of apple scab anc some o her Sses a, d w 1 not materially russet the fruit nor injure the o i- te The concentrated solution may he purchased ^^om tlie actory and diluted at the rate of i>/. gallons to 50 gallons of water, or it ""'iTnrKaJed at the proper time with IW.rdeaux for bit- er roHuis avoi.ling the russet ami vet co"tro Img the ro^. The e is also some doubt about the efficiencv of '""f"^ J;/"'' '"ko°i,, irolhng apple l)lotch and where this disease is bad bordeaux shouUl ''' "Arsenate of lead mav be safelv ami successfully "sed in com; bination with the dilute lime-sulphur solution for the control of the ^°'"SeTc:;;s^"o\ tltJrSst suited to this section may be out- ""'V^e^Sle^rommercial lime-sulphur at a strength of VA gallons to>o gallot of water, or an ecuivalent strength of tl- -me-.n^^^J prq^aration. with the ad.lition of 2 lbs. ^^ ^""^^"f ° '^,";^, " ^^ 50 gallons of sprav. Spray the varieties subject * fpple scab^ m as soon as the buds have opened, just l)efore blooming. (2) as soon 35 as the ])etals fall, beginning when they are two-thirds off; (3) three to four weeks later; and (4) nine to ten weeks after the jjctals have been shed. The first application may be omitted from varieties like York Imperial which do not suffer seriously from scab. Where it is necessary to spray for bitter rot the first three applications outlined above shoidd be followed by two or three ap- plications of llordeaux mixture at intervals of two weeks, begin- ning about June 25 to July i. II. Self-Boiled Lime-Sulphur Mixture for Peach Diseases. Owing to the susceptibility of peach foliage to injuiy by appli- cations of fungicides, the peach grower has been j^ractically power- less to comliat the diseases affecting the fruit and foliage. The use of l'>ordeaux mixture has been frequently attempted and in some cases, especially in dry seasons, the results have been satisfactory, l;ut as a rule tlie injury jiroduced by this and other copper fungi- cides is so great as to prohibit their use on the peach. The efforts of the L'nitcd States Department of Agriculture, during the i)ast few years, to develop and j^erfect a satisfactory fungicide for use on the peach during the growing season, have lieen crowned with unusual success. We have found that a prepa- ration known as the self-boiled lime-sulphur mixture can be safely and ^ucccssfullv used on the j:>each for the control of brown-rot and scab or black spot. The mixture, when properly applied, con- trols tliese diseases almost completely and does not injure the fruit or foliage. . . ^ • \--.. The experiments have been conducted 111 Georgia, Virginia, West \ irginia. Arkansas. Missouri and Illinois, .and in every case the treatment was successful. During the past year many fruit "rowers in Georgia. West \'irginia. and other sections, sprayed Their orchards with the mixture, and so far no adverse reports ot results have been received. So far as it has been tried the treat- ment a))iicars to have been universally successful in controlling both peach scab and brown-rot. , Arsenate of lead mav be added to the mixture for the control of tlie curculio. which not only i)rodiices wormy fruit but increases the brown-rot infections bv puncturing the skin and opening the wav for the fungus. This insect occurs in destructive numbers in nearlv all eastern peach orchards and in most cases where spraying with the self-boiled lime-sulphur for scab and brown-rot is done, arsenate of lead should be added. Preparation of the Mixture.— To prepare self-boiled hme- sulphur, use 8 lbs. of fresh stone lime and 8 lbs of ^" phur o each SO gallons of water. In order to get goo.l action from the lime fhe^nixture shouhl be prepared in rather large quantities, say eroii I i 1 h 42 no.h nl;,re The sprav tank holds from 135 to 140 gallons The each place, i ne spray wagon like two tliat up to 200 iJounds when the tank is full. r T Tvson Can vou control that pressure? Mr-^'Son. Without any trouble whatever. The man on the ^^ago.^^as no trouble at all ^^S^^^^^ ^ SZ^-^J^. '^"'^M? CoSIl" Do you prefer compresseress air enters and you can hear it boiling all the time I think oui MarSirg friends have been improving on that by using some kind of sprocket chain agitator. , , ^ T W Prickett.— I lave vou used self-boiled lime sulphur? Answer. Not to any extent. Will try it more fully this com- ing summer. Question. How large are your spray tanks? Answer. About 140 gallons. Mr. Lupton. T bought a small air compressor and found that it took me three-quarters of an hour to pump up the tank. It was in air pump ancH^ot an air compressor, and the back pressure tore it all to pieces so I got another and larger one. BOH :! 43 E. P. Garrettson. Is the liquid you use for spraying hard on the tank? Answer. No, 1 expected it would be but it has now been in use four years and the tanks are all right. They are made* of galvanized steel. E. P. Garrettson. Is not sulphate of copper hard on steel? Mr. Lupton. I have used almost every thing — Bordeaux lime sulphur and arsenate of lead but the meanest thing I have to use is arsenate of lead and lime-sulphur. E. P. Garrettson. Is 100 pounds sufficient? Mr. Lupton. 1 think so. Maybe I did do a little better with a higher pressure, but I remember when we had the old- fashioiied hand-pump and thought we were doing pretty well with probably not over forty pounds, and now we think we are not doing good work unless we are going a little higher than 100. One hun- dred is the best we can do with compressed air. That is the limit of the pressure. E. P. Garrettson. Is it dangerous on that account? Mr. Lupton. I have thought about that and talked about it to people that ought to know, and hardly think it is. E. P. Garrettson. The trouble is we cannot see inside the tank to know how much it is rusting. J. W. Prickett. What sized pipe do you use in your well ? Mr. Lupton. A 1 >4 inch pipe. J f you have proper conditions in a dug well it will answer the same i)urpose. I have had consid- erable trouble ni getting water out of a deep well with an ordinary pump. Mr. Cohill. Has your compressed air been entirely satisfac- tory ? Mr. Lupton. There is only one objection that I can see and that is the agitation. My friencls at Washington asked me to send a sample from the tank when I first began to spray and another when it was nearly out, and they say there was no dilYerence. The first two or three trees that are sp^rayed show an excess of lime. I called attention to this and tliey say there would naturally be an excess of lime which would come out first from the bottom of the tank and would do no harm. J. W. Prickett. Do you think that comes from the Nozzle being clogged? Mr. Lupton. No, when you first begin to spray you spray from the bottom. I try not to leave any liquid in the tank over night, so as to start fresh each morning. E. P. Garrettson. Do you use Lime-Sulphur for scale? Mr. Lupton. Yes. I bought an orchard a year ago very badly infested with scale and used oil on it twice and lime-sulphur twice. LUed oil in the fall and lime-sulphur in the spring, and after two applications I got an expert to come up from Washington and ascertain whether he thought best to use another application of oil. He thought I had better try the oil one more time. The second vear I used oil in the fall and lime-sulphur in the spring as before fi. 44 and can find no sign of scale whatever. I shall spray it thoroughly again this winter with lime sulphur as a precaution. E P. Garrettson. What brand do you use principally t ^ ' Mr Lupton. I have been using the Thomsen Chemical Co. s goods. I read a very interesting statement from Prof. Stewart of vour state as to the affect of the summer spray of lime-sulphur in controlling scale, and I take it from that article, that Prof Stewart thinks that the summer spray of lime-sulphur will probably result in your being able to leave off the winter spray, perhaps two years out of three. That is my interpretation of his article which 1 hope may prove correct. There is one other point about this qestion of fruit growing _ that is interesting and that is the selling of the fruit. If we do our dutv and grow the right kind of fruit and put it up in the right way it will sell itself. I don't believe we need worry about selling the 'fruit. Perhaps this branch of the subject can better be dis- cussed under the head of organization. We are so bountifully blessed in this country both in locaHty, soil, climate and markets, that we have more than fair returns for our labor. Another big thing that has always impressed me as being one of the chief values of fruit growing in this or other countries, is that it keeps the yoimg men at home. It is sad to me to see a sturdy old farmer and his wife and hear them talk of their boy who has gone to tl^ city. It has seemed to me that this develop- ment of fruit growing will keep the young men at home. W hy not set apart a few acres on thc-farm for the boy's orchard and get him interested in fruit growing before he begins to think about go- ing to the city. W. C. Tyson. How a1)out the packing, do you think we should use the box exclusively or the barrel, or both ? Mr Lupton. This year there is something wrong about the box packing. The situation is a puzzle to me. I have been talking to everyone who would listen to me about boxed apples, for some reason.' unknown to me, the boxed package seems to be having a hard time this winter. Just what this means I do not know Jt may mean there was a larger crop in the Pacific Northwest than wa^ expected. Certain it is we must get some better package than the barrel We tumble the fruit into the barrel and roll it about and put a press on it and smash the apples all to pieces. We ought to have some better method than that. The labor question is a serious one with us and of course this has to be considered when deciding on the form of package. . , , ^ . *i Perhaps you can get labor better here in .Adams County than we can but with us it would be impossible to secure enough labor to handle our crop in the time necessary. This season I had over eleven thousand barrels to pick, pack and deliver, and the work had to be done in a month. I have always been much in favor of the box package but 1 confess the situation this year has staggered me. I understand that this year many apples are being taken out of boxes and put in bar- rels and I do' not quite understand the situation. And then again 45 while box apples are very low, barreled apples are higher than I have ever known them to be. Mr. President, we fruit growers of the east are having a great opportunity and I believe are doing a great work Fruit growing is the highest form of agriculture and if prop- erly and intelligently conducted will do much to put the profession ot agriculture in its proper place among the arts and sciences 1 use the word profession advisedly, Mr. President, and would like to see every farmer and fruit grower regard himself as a pro- fesional man, and insist that his profession be given proper con- sideration everywhere. Let us strive always to grow good fruit pack It honestly and be sure it will bring a fair price in t!ie market' 1 am very glad indeed, Mr. President, to have had this opportunity to meet with the Adams County fruit growers and would like very much to see many of you visit our own great Valley. 1 feel tliat there is room enough for all in the fruit business and have no fear that it will be overdone. Hoping to have the i)leasure of another visit to your beautiful county I thank you for your very close attention to my somewhat ramblmg description of the way we do things in Virginia. Wri,i.T.\Ms' Eari.v Rep. A very satisfactory Red .^pple for early suninier. 1; 46 SOME SUGGESTIONS ABOUT THE MANAGEMENT OF ORCHARDS. H . P, Gould, U. S. Dcpt. of Agriculture In the management of orchards we Hke to think we are pro- gressive and modern in onr methods and np-to-date, hlazn.g the way along new trails. For quite a good many years now I have been talking orchard n.anagement at horticnltural society meetings and other stnilar places and I have been thinking all the tmie that 1 was advocating modern i)ractices to meet modern conditions. However, listen to this: 'TUit the misfortune is, that too frequent- ly after orchards arc planted and fenced, they have seldom any more care bestowed upon them. lUnighs are allowed to hang dangling to the ground, their heads are so loaded with wood as to be almost impervious to sun and air, and they are left to be ex- hausted bv moss and injured by cattle, etc." ^ Doesn't that sound very much like a description ot some of the present day conditions? And again : '^The feehngs <,f a Uwer of improvement can scarcely be expressed on observing the almost universal inattention paid to the greater number of our orchards, and that people who go to considerable expense in planting and es- tablishing them, afterwards leave them to the rude hand o nature; as if the art and ingenuity of man availed nothing, or that they mer- ited no further care." Verily a repetition of much that is said about many orchai ds of the present dly. lUit if modern conditions are thus represente ^o anv extent somewhat ancient coaiditions are also portrayed in L saU S^ for it is thus that old Ikrnard AFMahon vsrote or anTSrecl vears ago in his '^^merican Ganleners^ Ca e.- ler'' ^^^ich was published in 1806. It is interesting to note in pac- ing tl^a this is probably the first distinctively Ai^erican book rela - in| to gardening and fruit growing that was published m this '""''"The statements I have quoted above therefore apparently rep- resent common conditions with reference to the orchards at a er> early dav. Unfortunately such conditions have persisted to a crreater or less extent to the present time. "it necessarily follows then that there is nothing new or mode n in the oft-repeated observations of the present day re ative o our neglected orchards. There have been such orchards froni the be- gS^^^^^^ there doubtless will be such ones when the end of tin.e '""''''I'have been wondering a good deal lately what r^'^; Pj-J^^ we have made anvwav in the management of orchards during the present period ofVapid extension of the fruit industry. 47 ^^1latever other changes there have been, none are greater than the changes in the '^poiTit of view" regarding fruit production. And our present understanding of fundamental principles surely represents marked lines of advancement. Listen again to Bernard JM'M'ihon to show a contrast between some of the notions of a luindred years ago and present-day conceptions about the same thmg: "When a tree has stood so long, that the leading roots. have entered into the under strata, they are apt to draw a crude fluid, whicli tlie organs of the more delicate fruit trees cannot convert int;> such balsamic juices as to produce ^\\q fruit." Even if the orchards of Bernard M'Mahon's day were re])resep.tative in many respects of the orchards of our own time, the understanding of his time regarding tlie nutrition of the trees was indeed not the modern one. And we note a very marked advance towards what we believe is the truth when it comes to the matter of plant foods. Nearly 25 years later than the time when r>ernard AFAIahon wrote— in 1829 — Jethro Tull said, ''It is agreed that all the following materials contribute in some manner to the increase of ])lants, but it is dis- ])ute(l which of them is that very increase of f(X)(l. i. Nitre: 2, Water; 3, Air; 4, Fire; 5, Earth." Further on in his argument this ancient writer states ai)parently to his own satisfaction, that it is in reality earth that is the true' food of ])lants. And he says: "Too much earth, or too fine, can never possiblv be given to roots; for they never receive so much of it as to surfeit the plant, unless it Ijc deprived of leaves, which, as lungs should purify it." Ilis ])hil()S()pliy of tillage was that it inade the earth sufficiently fine so that the roots could take up and assimilate its very minute particles. Tn other words, as he viewed it the roots of ])lants literally ate up the earth when it was made sufficiently ^v.^ for them to do so. And no doubt these views re])resente(l the best information and thought of the times 75 and 100 years ago. lUit we want to turn now to some of the more living issues. What I have said thus far, however, is by way of stating that in talking about the management of orchards here to-day I have no new story to tell and ] don't suppose there is any originality in the manner of ])resentati()n. lUit if I can aid any of you in better understanding the ichy of things, or if I can help you to gain a better "point of view" — a better way of looking at things, my com- ing here will perhaps have been worth while. The more T study orchard management, however, and the more I try to tell about it, the more T think there is in it — in the telling — a strong similarity to trying to tell how to choose a wife or when to spank the small boy. t should like some intelligent advice regarding the latter proceeding, myself, but somehow the things that work well in other cases fail flatly in my own experiences. That is just the way it is in managing orchards. No rule-of-thumb methods can be api)lie(l. What is good in one case is not necessar- ily good in another because of differences in conditions. Right at the very outstart there are a number of important considerations in which great numbers of fruit growers fail. The American ])ropensity for doing big things is at the bottom of one t 48 of the commonest failures and that is in planting too large or- chards The fruit gro^^•ers of this country have become so fully imbued with the idea of quantity that in great numbers of cases he 1 as lost sight of quality. Where this has occurred the grower he consumer and the fruit industry have suffered. An orchard is tooTarge when its extent precludes the possibility of applymg m- tensive methods of management. , ^ i t.u^ The average American fruit grower has been slow to learn the fact that qualitv of product should dominate every other consulera- io, ruit production ; that just as soon as quality is sacrificed to quantity or to any other thing, all the interests concerned are made to suffer thereby. In manv cases of over-sizci high ground. 50 1 Fig. 2. A soil section showing a porous subsoil which niav easily 1)o pcneratcd 1)y the roots of trees (stick by side of root is five feet long.) Practical demonstrations of the bearing which this has on suc- cessful fruit growing have lieen many times repeated during the past few years in the good crop of fruit on high ground and in the same localities their destruction l)y late si)ring frosts. P)Ut I want to discuss very hrietiy some of the fundamental operations that make u]) "orchard management." We think of orchard management as consisting of cultivation, fertilizing, pruning, spraying, etc., and perhaps we may come to add heating or smudging and other corresponding operations. lUit orchard management is really more than these things so far as re- sults go for in the handling of every orchard there goes into it the individuality of the grower or manager— the ^'])ersonal e(|uation'' and that is a most important factor in the behavior and success of every orchard. I am coming to ])ut more and more importance u])on *'the man behind the tree." A man's orchard reflects his per- sonality. Ifimm^iiauas^c 51 Taking up now some of these fundamental orchard operations we perhaps may ask first of all : Shall we cultivate or shall we not cultivate . 1 hat is a very important question. Its correct answer all depends upon conditions. The man who believes in tillage says cultivate. The advocate of the sod mulch method says "No culti- vation and there you are! Both may be right, both may be wrong: eaclrone may be right and each one wrong part of the time. t all depends It frequently is the case, however, that neither one knows just what he is accomplishing in terms of actual and ulti- mate results by the particular method he has adopted or is advo- cating. If he happens to be giving thorough cultivation, this is about what he is accomplishing by the operation: (i) improving tne physical condition of the land: (2) conserving the soil moisture! { 3 ) increasing the chemical activities of the soil, n Jl'f .influence of tillage has been very adequately set forth by J rof. J>ailey. I cannot do better than to quote him in this con- nection :'" I. (b) (c) (d) 2. Tillage improves the physical condition of the land, (a) By hning the soil, and thereby presenting greater feeding sur- face to the roots; By increasing the depth of the soil, and thereby giving a great- er foragmg and root-hold area to the plant; By warmmg and drying the soil in spring. By reducing the extremes of temperature and moisture lillage may save moisture, (e) By increasing the water-holding capacity of the soil; (f) By checking evaporation. 3. Tillage may augment chemical activities, (g) By aiding in setting free plant-food; (h) By promoting nitrification; (1) By hastening the decomposition of organic matter; (j) By extending these agencies (g, h, i) to greater depths of the soil." To these effects of tillage there may also be added a secondary influence, namely the maintenance of the surface of the soil in such condition that it will readily absorb the water that falls on it as rain, thus reducing the 'Vun-oflf" or surface drainage to a minimum. It is probably within conservative bounds to say that the vast majority of orchards require, in the average season, for maximum results, all the benefits enumerated that can be supplied or enhanced by tillage. Put I suppose the advocate of the sod mulch system claims that he is accomplishing the same thing by his methods. It should be observed, however, thus early in the discussion that a great many who claim to practice the sod mulch system are doing nothing of the kind. They are simply not cultivating. They may even be harvesting a crop of hay from their orchards. Put because it is in sod and they are not cultivating it — that to them is the sod mulch method. The sod mulch method implies a mulch — not a crop of hay. Of course there may be both but more often one of these things is at the expense of the other. You cannot use the grass i I ff! ^Principles of Fruit Growing, p. 139. II 52 that grows in an orchard for hay and leave it on the ground at the same time to decay and enrich the soil. The sod mulch system, means that there must be a mulch. As practiced by those who are the most consistent in the matter, the grass that the sod produces is allowed to lie on the ground where it falls, or in the case of young orchards perhaps it is gathered more or less under the trees, to serve as a mulch to protect the soil form the excessive heat of summer, and, in time, to decay and become incorporated into it. Commonly the grass is cut two or three times during the season, especially if it is making an abundant growth. Frequentlv it is the case, especially after an orchard has reached considerable age and the ground becomes much shaded thereby, that there is not sufficient grass grown in it to supply an adequate mulch. What does he do in that case? If he is consist- ently following this system, he mulches his orchard w^ithout fail. But he hauls straw and other similar material into the orchard to accomplish the purpose. .This may seem more or less visionary to some but the practice is a reality all the same. The effects of tillage have already been enumerated. What of the sod mulch system— what is that accomplishing in comparison with tillage? W>11, the mulch doubtless conserves the moisture to some extent so far as its evaporation from the soil is concerned because it serves as a covering for the soil if it is properly main- tained. But on the other hand, granting that the mulch consists entirely of the grass grown in the orchard, the fact that it requires a vast amount of moisture to'grow it should not be overlooked. In many cases this moisture might better be conserved for use of the trees. Then too, the mulch as it decays, works down to the sur- face of the soil through the grass stubble and becomes more or less incorporated into the surface, but it cannot be that the influence of its ameliorating effect extends into the soil to any considerable depth. Of course there is more or less decay of the fine hairy roots of the grass each year and in this way humus is added to a slight extent. But when we contrast the two methods — tillage and sod nnilch — their influence so far as soil conditions are concerned ap- pear more by contrast than they do in comparison one with the other. No one would think of growing corn or potatoes or pumpkins in sod. So far as the philosophy of tillage is concerned, if it is good for corn or pumpkins, it is also good for apples. There are no essential differences between trees and the annual crops in the manner in which they live and grow. Experience, I think, fully demonstrates that this reasoning is sound; that tillage should be the rule and that when variations from the rule are made, it should be the sod mulch method that becomes the exceptional one. It is true that many orchards which are given the sod mulch treatment, or even orchards used as hay fields, if you please, are measurably successful. But where such success appears to be marked and perhaps appears to completely vindicate the wisdom of the practice, it should not be forgotten that the measure of success that obtains may be in spite of the method rather than because S3 of it. It is often surprising how much hard treatment a tree will withstand and still reward its owner with a crop of fruit' Before leaving this matter of the sod mulch, however, I wish to add that it does, beyond any doubt whatever, have its place in fruit growing, especially in the case of apples and pears. With the latter, on. account of blight, a rather slow, firm growth is desirable in contrast to a rapid succulent growth. The influences of tillage may easily induce the latter. And with apples, it does not neces- sarily follow that seeding the orchard down for a year or two at a time when cultivation is the rule is not often times of direct benefit. The thing to do is to cultivate for the sake of the trees, not for the sake of the cultivation and when the trees by their appearance and behavior cry "enough," then seed down for a year or two to clover or grass of some kind. Fortunate, indeed, is the man who is so expert at interpreting the appearance and behavior of his trees that he knows when to cultivate and when not to do so. But this constitutes one of the fundamental differences between fruit growers. Then, too, the topography of many sites w^ell suit- ed otherwise to fruit growing is such that continuous tillage is out of the question on account of the w^ashing of the soil which would follow that practice. In such cases the benefits of tillage which might otherwise result advantageously must of course be foregone for obvious reasons. ]jut continuous tillage of an orchard year after year — that thorough tillage which means clean cultivation — will gradually work ruin to the physical condition of any soil because it means a con- tinouous diminution in the supply of humus or decaying vegetable matter which is absolutely essential to its fertility. Clean tillage then must be accompanied more or less frequently with a green manure crop. Fruit growers and others have been slow to realize or to understand the importance of maintaining the humus sup- ply of the soil. I)Ut gradually it is becoming appreciated. All over the country, even in the prairie sections where the exhaustless rich- ness of the soil has l3een the boast for years past, the necessity of growing green manure crops is becoming apparent and the fruit growers are seeing its meaning. As a rule some legume is desirable for a cover crop because of the nitrogen which it takes from the air and adds to the soil. In a cow pea country, perhaps, there is nothing better than this crop ;. but crimson clover, common red clover, vetch, etc., are frequently used. Among the non-leguminous crops used, rye is perhaps the most common. Buckwheat, rape and various other things are also> of value. These cover crops permit of tillage through the most important jXDrtion of the growing season, then following the ces"sation of that, perhaps in July, the cover or green manure crop is sowed. Thorough tillage and the use of leguminous cover crops go a long way in maintaining the fertility of the soil in an orchard. Further than this I am inclined to pass over the matter of the plant ii 54 food supply for the orchard. But I have ample justification in so doing for two reasons: Your own Agricultural Experiment Sta- tion is doing more in the investigation of these problems than any other institution that I know about. Preliminary results have al- ready been published and are available in bulletins from your sta- tion. Then, too, enough has already been said to show that the *' fertility question" of any orchard is a very local question and the only place it can be answered for any one of you is right in your own orchard. The bulletins of your station suggest how to go about answering such questions for yourselves. I therefore pass to the next fundamental tenet of orchard management— pruning. Relatively, few orchards the country over, are properly pruned. In fact, a surprisingly large number are not i)runed at all. It will help at the outset to have clearly in mind some of the more import- ant reasons for pruning. They may be stated as follows : 1. To keep the trees shapely and within bounds. 2. To remove dead or interfering branches. 3. To make trees more stocky. 4. ' To thin the fruit. 5. To open the tree tops to admit air and sunlight. 6. To make thorough spraying possible. 7. To facilitate harvesting. 8. To reduce the struggle for existence in die tree tops. 9. To produce more fruit of better quality. With this enumeration of the reasons for i)runing I do not know that very much more need be said, though each reason given of course might be considerably amplified. If the truths contained in the several cai)tions given are self-evident, as most of them must be, to take time to comment about them is to uselessly multiply words. If a word of explanation is needed at all, it is in regard to Caption 8. Perhaps few realize that there is a struggle for exist- ence going on in the top of a crowded tree top but such is the case. The fingers of one's hand are about as close together as they can well be but they are not in the way of one another and there is no struggle or competition going on among them for room or for food supply. Each has its own allotted amount which is sufficient. If one suffers for lack of nourishment or in any other way, all the others suffer with it. Not so in a dense tree top! Every limb and branch is competing with every other limb and branch, every bud with every other bud for room and sunlight and air and food. Often the struggle in this competition becomes so shar]) that whole limbs die for lack of room and sunlight and ])lant food. The com- petition is a merciless one. Now if we keep the tops sufficiently thinned out, all is peace. There is no struggle to the death and as a result every bud has food enough to (le])osit within its folds a goodly supply besides making its normal growth; we have a well-fed tree and fruit buds strong and vigorous enough to with- stand many vicissitudes of climate that would kill outright w^eaker buds. 55 / * 4 t: !7^SHhS| H^K ^^H^ -'ieJ^- 4 . w' ^Mng^w^B % ' ^Mlwt' rtlHBRr^-^v^ * """* ^ &: •V :% »^- ■■ ws^>^^ * t ' o-1?«-U k . -V 'r ■9 ■ I^^H^^H^K^^ l^iyi t ^jf ^ ^ b; . -< •■ -m^ *' 4 ■ • K^ 1 . / » Fig. 3. Well pruned open headed Winesap — 9 years old. Figure 3 shows a tree that has been well i)ruiied from the first. Its head is sufficiently open to admit air and siudight, the tree can be thoroughly sprayed and the fruit harvested without the ])icker climbing through a ])ile of brush. Contrast this tree w^th the one shown in Figure 4 which is about 8 years old and has not been pruned since it was plante:!. Note the exceedingly dense head that admits neither air nor sunlight. And further, thorough spraying is a ])ractical impossibility. There is a great deal of difference in the habit of trees, and that is just where one of the difficulties comes in pruning. Every tree is a ])r()blem to itself. When it comes to spraying you can tell a man you w ant every ])art of the tree covered, and you can give him Rule of Thumb methods, and if he is willing to do as he is told, he ought not to have much difficulty in getting it accomplish- ed. Not so with pruning, you must be on the job all the time. Mr. Anderson. Is it not important to know how the pruning should be done? Would it not be unwise, for instance, to give the tree shown in Figure 4 too vigorous a pruning at one time? Mr. Gould. Yes. It is a general principle in pruning trees that heavy cutting away of w^ood during the dormant season tends to promote wood grow^th while summer pruning tends to the forma- tion of fruit buds. This should be kept constantly in mind. If a tree, such as is showai in Figure 4, is to be pruned to thin it out and to get it into a more desirable condition, it would be exceedingly unwise to proceeed with the idea of reducing the top to the de- sired extent at a single pruning. To do so would result in an ex- cessive wood growth next season. At least tw^o seasons, and per- haps better three seasons, should be' taken in which to reduce the i S6 top of a very brushy tree to a proper condition. It is far better, however, to prune a Httle each year from the beginning, in v^hich case no large amount of wood would need to be removed at any one time. Fig. 4. Eight-year-old unpruncd York Imperial Apple tree. In one of the largest orchards out in Kansas, which is now 10 or 11 years old, the manager was only there once in a while, up to tlie time it was 8 years old, the work being in charge of a fore- man. The results were not satisfactory and the manager made up his mind that he was going to make a success of that orchard if l^ossible. The first thing he did was to begin pruning. He hauled out 4,000 loads of brush from 40,000 trees the first season. lie found it would mean the cutting out of too much wood to shape the trees in one season. It would have meant the cutting out of one-third of the to])s. The next year he hauled out 2,500 loads of l}rush. Year before last he was still continuing the pruning. After three years of pruning he thought he would be able to get his trees where he wanted thcMii. Mr. Newcomer. What was the result in fruit at the end of three years? Did it i)ro(luce stronger fruit l)uds? / 57 Mr. Gould. It is in a section that suffers from severe frosts, but this year, although they had only a partial crop, that orchard had more fruit than most of the neighboring orchards had. Its lo- cation, however, is a favorable one. Mr. Anderson. I think it best to begin when the tree is young and keep at it. Mr. Frazer. If Figure 4 had been forced to bearing early would it have become so thick? Mr. Gould. Probably not. Mr.. Frazer. If the soil had been impoverished the top would probably never have become so dense. Is it not a question of locality? Should this man, being located on excessively rich soil, be growing fruit, or should he be growing forest trees?' Mr. Gould. In pruning young peach trees, more or less head- ing back is generally practiced. This makes the limbs stocky and thus better able to hold up heavy loads of fruit. If no heading back is done, the limbs become long and ''leggy" and are easily broken down with a heavy crop of fruit — to say nothing of the dif- ficulties of gathering the fruit from trees that have been allowed to grow up into the air at will. I have a photograph here which shows a row of trees in one of the most successful West Virginia peach orchards. Trees were pruned in the spring and illustrate the point in regard to pruning where thinning of fruit is needed. It must be remembered that in the case of peach the fruit is borne on wood of last year's growth. In such pruning as stiggested here it certainlv does thin the fruit. Mr. Frazer. Would you prune that way the first season and would you prune every year? Mr. Gould. I would as a general proposition. There are a great number of conditions which are liable to arise from year to year which would make it advisable to omit a year. In this par- ticular orchard owing to amount of pruning they have to do they must begin early in order to finish in time. If a very cold spell occurs while they are pruning the crews are taken out of the or- chard until weather moderates and danger of killing buds is past. Mr. Black. AMiat part of last year's growth would you re- move ? Mr. Gould. That depends on the vigor and amount of growth. It is not an infrequent practice to cut off half of it. Robert Garretson. Would you thin out much in addition to cutting back? Mr. Gould. These trees have been kept well thinned out. Keep a comparatively open head in order to give a chance for the sunlight and air to get in. C. J. Tyson. I know that objections are raised many times to heading back, but what is the result if you do not head back? Mr. Gould. By the time the peach tree is 10 years old it will be so slender that a light crop will pull it down. That is the way they develop in a great many cases. Mr. Cohill. Would it be best to head back every year? 5il 58 Mr. Gould. A very common practice is to keep that up until the trees comes into bearing. Mr. Myers. Does not winter pruning tend to procUice more wood growth. Mr. Gould. Mr. Myers, the next year ? Mr. Gould. Yes. Then why prune to make more wood to cut out That point was covered in my first reference to pruning. It makes trees more stocky and keeps them within reach for picking the fruit. J. W. Prickett. Have you anything to say in regard to re- newing a tree that has been split with too heavy a crop that was not thinned enough ? Mr. Gould. The first thing is to take the lesson of not thin- ning enough and thin more next time. After the trees have been broken dow^i the only thing to do is to cut out the broken parts and get the trees shaped up for future usefulness. In trimming care should be exercised to make the cut at the proper place. Much harm may be done by carelesss cutting. The cut should be made in a line parallel with the base of the limb. I' I m , , '^'}^ ~{l^^B *- ^^^' '^'Ji^B ^^^^^^^ "^iL «3<^^^t. 'p ^dl ^^^^^K^Q^^^ "^ J _-'.r " ^K ■/ M ^^^m .^S^^^^r^^^F' "^ ^^ <^K -m r w"^ ^^^^ }^'> t^^^ll a'.^mII^I^^^^bE i m\ ^ M ¥*:i:^ ■ m HP"^ '^sa^^m **" V ^ t 0 Fig. 7. Wound in center healing on left side ; riglit liand side is too long to permit of healing. Lower wound was made close to trunk and is healing rapidly. Fig 8. A long stub was left which could not heal over. The stuh died and decayed, making the limb hol- low. The stub at the right is adding to the trouble. Figures 7, 8, and 9, show result of improper cutting. Such wounds will never heal over and finally result in permanent damage and even death of the tree. All large wounds should be kept painted to keep rain from soaking into the wood and when .spraying with fungicides give these wounds a good soaking. ■ ^m H W^'^;".,'*;-; -^ 'tr^^V:,' ■ 4 B'-^^''-(<^iiB ^^^^^M ^^^1 f}^'^^ji^^^^ ^^^H ^^^^^^^^M ^^^^^1 ?::ij 1 ^H ■ ■«.'.j<^p ^^^^^^^^^H ^^^H^^ ■ ;■ , ''-'Mi' ■i'^t^M ^^^^^^^^^^^^H ^^H^-o.;' 59 Mr. Cohill. What would you use for covering the wounds? Mr. Gould. A good white lead paint. Mr. Eldon. Is not red lead better. It sticks much better than white lead. Mr. Gould. I am not familiar with it. The important point is to use something that will form a good covering. If we knew more about what is going on in the soil, we would doubtless frequently be in a better position to decide how to treat our trees. We can see the tops of our trees but their roots are hid- Fig. 9. The stub was left too long and has died. The wound can never heal. The stub will soon begin to decay and the limb become hollow thereby. den from us. Figures* 5 and 6 are suggestive with regard to the root system of apple trees. Figure 5 indicates the mass of roots which comprise the root system of a T5-year-ol(l apple tree, while Figure 6 gives an idea of their ramifications, the extent in this case being about 15 feet on one side of the tree and 18 feet on the other. It should be stated that these trees grew in eastern Colo- rado where the average annual rainfall is not over 16 or 17 inches. The mcjisture conditions may have had a marked influence in the formation of the root system. E. P. Garrettson. ' Would ap])le roots go as far as peach. Mr. Gould. Yes, farther. To make such a discussion as this complete of course it should include some reference to spraying but you have wisely provided for that as a subject by itself for discussion, hence it calls for no comments here, only to say that the developments in spray mix- tures during the past two or three years mark an advance in orchard practice which perhaps means more to the fruit industry than any- *The photographs from which these illustrations were made were taken through the courtesy of the Colorado Experiment Station.— H. P. G. 'I I . til 6o •*" .^p:;- ■ -i^i -1 ■■.aMM^: aJT* i I^^^^^L^-^ r^' .^ 'w^^ ; •*. ^'h- ¥ (f H| ■— •*' - "■»>, ^*if<* (fl W^ * ^ i.. - ^^311^^ ' , ' ^- i'^v; ^«>. ; L^,. .h, iLWWKfe. *.&.^ i^ Fig. 5. Stump of Ben Davis apple tree, set shallow in 1895, showing mass of roots of 15-year-old tree. thing else that has occurred since the vahie of fungicides and insecti- cides became fully recognized. Another advance step wjiich T believe will eventually be group- ed with cultivation, pruning, spraying, etc., as an orchard practice is orchard heating or smudging to prevent frost injury. Great interest has been developed in this connection, many kinds of ap- paratus have been devised as means of applying or generating the requisite heat and smoke. While the practice must still be regard- ed as in the experimental stage, material i)rogress has been made towards perfecting devices. When we know more about the range of possibilities and methods of working, it will doubtless be pos- sible to formulate fairly definite plans of ])rocedure. It is now time to say that the ])rocluction of good fruit does not consist in the tillage of the orchard, as important as that mav be, or in fertilizing the soil well, nor in pruning, spraying, smudging, etc. lUit it does consist, other things being equal, in all of these various operations properly timed and adjusted to each other. Kach one has its relationships to all the others. A break at any ])oint in these relationships and a poorer grade of fruit is the result. T am not supj^osed to say anything about the handling of fruit in the present connection, yet there is a pretty close connection be- tween the production of it and its handling. There are only one or two observations that T care to make about fruit handling, and they are based on some of the experiences of some of my co-work- ers in the Department of Agriculture who have been working in California in connection with the fruit transportation and storage investigations of the Bureau of Plant Industry. 61 Four or five years ago the losses due to the decay of oranges in transit from California had reached such an enormous amount that it became alarming. The loss was variously estimated at from seven hundred and fifty 'thousand dollars to one million five hundred thousand dollars. The Bureau of Plant Industry of the Department of Agriculture undertook an investigation of the cause of this decay and the remedies. To make a long story, with many details, short, the chief cause of the whole trouble lay in the me- chanical injuries which the fruit received while being handled be- tween the time it was taken from the tree and the time when it was packed ready for shipment. Fig. 6. Showing expanse of roots (15 feet one side and 18 feet the other side) of tree set deep in 1897. Tree 13 years old when dug. The solution of the problem has been largely a thorough re- organization of methods of handling with a view to reducing to a mininuim the mechanical injuries to the fruit. My reference to this matter is made because it touches upon one of the funda- mentals of success. The careful handling of all fruit not intended for immediate consumption is a ''permanent issue" among fruit growers and others vvbo may be concerned. A fruit is a living organism. It breathes; it gives off carbon dioxide; it lives and dies and then decays. Any sort of treatment which in any way de- stroys or injures the cells of which a fruit is composed hastens its death and, by so nuich, induces decay. In some'cases it has been demonstrated that the mere dropping of an orange no more than twenty inches onto a hard floor results in a very material increase in decay in comparison with other fruit handled in identically the same way save for the dropping. , M 62 Of course the handling of citrus fruit as such, does not inter- est you in any way but if you grasp the jirinciple involved you will see that the matter of extreme care in handling is not one of im- i:)ortance merely with citrus fruits but that it holds good for all fruits. Now if in bringing my already too long discussion to a close there is one thing more than another that I wish to say it is to refer very briefly to the matter of co-operation among fruit grow- ers. Almost every line of human effort is ahead of the farmer in having its co-operative organization for mutual welfare. From the Dagoes who attend to the street lights of our cities; from the Irish hod-carriers up to the most skilled artisans in the country, we find organizations that weld the members so that they can act as a unit and when one sj^eaks it is the voice of authority for all. Among farmers, fruit growers are undoubtedly in the lead in this respect, but still there is relatively a small number of such organi- zations in comparison with their field of usefulness. Some of the advantages of co-operation among fruit growers may be enumerated as follows : (i). All supplies, such as packages, tillage implements and other tools, spraying material, spray pumps, fertilizers, and all other kinds of materials or ecpiipment can be bought by the asso- ciation in large quantities at wholesale rates and sold to the mem- bers practically at cost. (2). The fruit being grown, picked, packed and handled in every way under the (lirectic)n of the board of managers it is prac- tical! v uniform in quality. This makes it possible to standardize grades and to a(l()])t brands that have a definite significance in the markets and an actual cash value in selling the fruit. It makes possible the building u]) of a reputation for a whole fruit section instead of for individual orchards as is generally the case otherwise. (3). It is possible through the association manager to kec]) in the closest touch with market conditions and hence take full ad- vantage of those conditions. The manager is usually the selling agent ; hence the grower is relieved of the anxiety of dealing witli fruit buyers when his whole attention is needed in the preparation of his fruit for market. (4). Under these conditions quantity is not a factor in any individual orchard, as is often the case when a single grower nnrst be able himself to ship in car lots. Oualitv becomes the aim. This makes possible small orchards or orchards of such size that the most intensive methods can be followed in the management of diem. These are some of the more i)r()minent functions of co- operative associations named without regard to their relative im- portance. A very large proportion of the thirty thousand cars, more or less, of citrus fruits that are grown annuallv in California are handled by co-operative associations. Most of the fruit from Colo- rado, Oregon, Washington and other v^tates of the Northwest is likewise so handled. You know something about the relative prices 63 of this fruit in eastern markets in comparison with the prices that prevail for most of the eastern grown fruit. You have the ad- vantage of the western growers in that they are so much further removed than you are from the large markets of the country. I doubt very much if the western fruit would reach the eastern mar- ket, at least not in large quantities, if it was not for the co-operation of the growers among themselves, working through their associa- tions. With the already important and the increasing fruit interests here in Adams county, I believe there is a grand opportunity for some very effective co-operation along the lines just mentioned. If such is the case, and you make the most of the situation, to- gether with your possibilities for the production of high grade fruit, why cannot the reputation of the Grand Valley of Colorado, the Hood River section of Oregon, the Yakima Valley section of Wash- ington, or of any other section be, in five years time and less, your reputation ? Cei,^brated Diagonal Pack. (Courtesy "Better Fruit".) mk' -/ -^ ii ^4 Fig. 10. Root of 5-year-old Peach tree, 17 feet in length, spread of branches about 18 feet, 9 on either side. SELECTING VARIETIES, PREPARING THE LAND, AND PLANTING A COMMERCIAL APPLE ORCHARD. J. Andrew Cohill, Manager Tonolozmy Orchard Co., Hancock, Maryland, Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen. — Your corresponding secretary has requested me to talk upon ''Selecting Varieties, Pre- paring the Land, and Planting a Commercial Apple Orchard," and as representative of the Tonoloway Orchards of Hancock, Md., it affords me the greatest of t)leasure'to meet and talk to so many en- thusiastic fruit growers, and to find many among you who have se- lected the same vocation as myself, namely; the culture of the ''Fruit of Eden" the apple. • ' Apple culture is no longer a branch of agriculture where it so long languished ; it has become the most important branch of scien- tific horticulture. As a result of the farmer's poor and neglectful methods, it is predicted that a few more years will see the total extinction of the small farm orchards as a business factor, and the survival only of commercial orchards, conducted according to modern horticultural methods. By this statement I mean only that the fruit grower, be he large or small, must use business and scientific methods in order to survive. It is a well-established fact that the greatest success of com- mercial apple-growing depends upon proper selection and the plant- ing of a few varieties only, taking into consideration not merely the present, but the future as well. This is the day of commercial ^*-,-' 65 orchards, and the first important stop after you have selected your land is to select you varieties. The selection of varieties has called forth the most painstaking consideration of every feature of grow- ing and marketing by the best professional judgment of well quali- fied authorities and a close observation of actual results. The Agricultural Experiment Stations and horticultural authorities of the various jitates, as well as the Pomological Division of the U. S. Department of Agriculture at Washington have for many years en- gaged upon the highly important work of recording results obtain- ed by different varieties of apples, in the various apple-growing sections, to determine the varieties best adapted to each locality. We made several mistakes in planting our orchards and I consider the selection of varieties the most serious one we made. Do not plant every variety of apples that your nursery may have in stock, or that every Tom, Dick and Harry recommends, for you will never have a commercial orchard if 'you do, but study and learn the variety best suited for your soil, climate and markets. 1 would be just as careful in selecting a good nursery before buying young stock. Decide upon wdiat varieties you want, and then wTite your nearest reliable nursery, asking if they can furnish the varieties desired, and at what price. State the number of trees of each variety wanted, the age, and specify definitely that, under no con- ditions, .will diseased or insect-infected trees be accepted, nor will substitutions of varieties be countenanced. Save the bill of sale for future reference, for the ''Court of Appeals" in New York State has decided that nurserymen may be sued for damages re- sulting from the substitution of varieties. Go to the nursery your- self and inspect the trees, and insist on getting the varieties you have selected. I prefer a well-grown, one-year-old budded tree. A one-year-old budded tree may be headed low, and the first branches may be used for the foundation branches, selecting those best placed. Furthermore, a one-year-old tree is cheaper than a two-year-old. The Tonoloway Orchard Co., of Hancock, Md., of which I am "field manager" of 350 acres, have 700 acres in apples or over 50,000 apple trees. The following are the varieties planted : 1. Yellow Transparent, 3,ooo 2. Duchess of Oldenburg, 3,500 3. Wm. Early Red 1,000 4. Red Astrachan, 600 5. Summer Ramho 1,000 6. McTntosh, 300 7. Wealthy, 4,000 8. Jonathan, 6,000 9. Yellow Bellfiower, 1,000 10. Grimes Golden, 7,000 1 1. Winesap, 2,D00 12. Stayman, t,ooo 13. Baldwin : 4,000 14. Ben Davis 3»ooo 15. Rome Beauty, 1,000 16. York Imperial, 12,000 \ 66 These varieties number sixteen, and even taking into considera- tion the thousands of trees, and the large expanse of our orchards we feel that by cutting the varieties down to eight or ten, adding the number of trees on to them, the crop would be easier handled and the company would receive better returns on the whole. All sixteen of these varieties are of the best for a commercial orchard, and so I shall make my selection from these which would be in the (^rder of ripening: Yellow Transparent i r* i c« Wm. Early Red / ^^^^>' Summer. Summer Rambo Late Summer. Wealthy ) Grimes Golden [• Fall Jonathan ) Stayman Winesap j Rome Beauty > Winter. York Imperial ) I think that all of these varieties are adapted to your soils. The Stayman Winesap that you grow over here are ])articularly fine. I have never seen any better Staymans anywhere. They are highly colored, fine in size, and the quality is excellent. Yellow Transparent is the first summer variety to ripen, and is without any doubt the earliest to bear fruit of any of our varie- ties. It even bears while in the nursery. Ours bore fruit the first year set out. We gave an order to the nurserymen for Yellow Transparent trees, and before they could be shipped to us, we re- ceived word from them to come down and pick our fruit. This variety is very profitable, but requires very careful handling. Williams' Early Red is a very beautiful, bright red apple. It is a favorite on the eastern markets for its season. Like the Yel- low Transparent and all early varieties, the skin is tender and easily bruised, and is, therefore, best handled in small packages. Under favorable conditions it becomes large and more than one picking is required to secure the fruit in prime condition. The prices we received for them were exceedingly good, and T would prefer Williams' Early Red to all other varieties of that season. Question. How often did you have to go over your Yellow Transparent to get them right when picked? Mr. Cohill. We had to go over our Yellow Transparents five or six times last year in order to get the fruit in prime condition. W. C. Tyson. What i)ackage do you use for summer apples ? Mr. Cohill. The five-eighths basket, but we are going to also try the box next year. We do not know how it will work out, but we shall give it a trial. Mr. Newcomer. Which do you find the more profitable, Yel- low Transparent or Williams' Early Red? Mr. Cohill. There is more money in the Williams' Early Red, although the Yellow Transparent is certainly good. The people seem 67 to demand a red apple, and we try not to give the dealer a red apple untd the Yellow are done, so do not ship both apples to same dealer Mrs. Michener. Do the red apples show bruises as readily as the \ellow? -^ Mr. Cohill Not quite. All early varieties must be handled exceedmgly careful. Question. Do you ship them in iced cars ? Mr. Cohill. Not last year. We expressed them. Had not enough on account of uneven ripening; could not get carload lots. W C. Tyson. Do you find them as profitable as winter apples ? Mr. Cohill. W^e find them more so. I do not advise planting an orchard without some early varieties. Question. When does the Williams' Early Red come in ? Mr. Cohill. Just before or about the time the Yellow Trans- l)arent has gone out. Mr. Boyer. Are you using the Williams' Early Red as fillers^ Mr. Cohill. Yes, we are. Mr. Nevvcomer. What is the form with the older trees? Mr. Cohill. We find the young trees very hardy and a prolific bearer, liave not had any experience with older trees, as all ours are young. Question. What is the form of the Yellow Transparent? Mr. Cohill. It is an upright grower, and is quite difficult to prune. W. S. Adams. Is Baltimore your market? Mr. Cohill. We can sell early apples anywhere. We ship- ped most of ours to New York, but Baltimore is all right on early fruit. f Summer Rambo. Is a very productive, vigorous and healthy tree, producing a large apple with red stripes or red check. This variety is a quick seller, and can stand rougher treatment than the two previous varieties. It is a very attractive, brilliant red apple of excellent (juality, a good keeper, yields well, bears early and is profitable. Mr. Eldon. Do Summer Rambo bear early? Mr. Cohill. They bear early and I think you will find them profitable for the season. If you are not going to plant a large orchard, T would advise you not to get many Summer Rambo. Mr. Eldon. How often do you pick them? Mr. Cohill. We only picked them once, but if you have any quantity it would probably be more profitable to pick them two or three times. Question. Are they as profitable as the earlier ones? Mr. Cohill. No, not for us. Mr. Eldon. Do they bear as early as the other varieties? Mr. Cohill. No, not as early as the Yellow Transparent or Williams. «' 68 Grimes Golden is a standard favorite of wonderful popularity, juicy, spicy, and rich, a beautiful, transparent apple, golden yel- low, one of the best sellers on the market, comes into bearing early, yields, crops the fifth year, it is a late fall variety. Grimes Golden is, with us, the apple. It certainly is a fine apple, and a good yielder. We get fine crops from our young trees. Your soil is adapted to them, and I would advise you to plant Grimes Golden. We have between 7,000 and 10,000 eight-year-old Grimes, and have gotten three crops. Nearly all are bearing now. Jonathan. For many years has ranked as a standard of high quality ; originated from a Spitzenburg seedling. More valuable than the parent variety on account of early bearing, longer life and greater productiveness; medium size, a beautiful, brilliant red apple; highly flavored, rich, tender, and spicy, has good keeping qualities and yields abundant crops early. Question. How many did you have this year? Mr. Cohill. We had quite a lot of them. Could not say as to prices, but they were good. Jonathan and Grimes Golden brought the best prices this year. Mr. Frazer. Are Grimes Golden trees weak in any way? Mr. Cohill. Not ours; we find them very healthy and strong. Question. How about working them on York Imperial? Mr. Cohill. Would be an advantage probably, as the Grimes is not considered a long-lived tree. Question. Would y^eu advise working the Grimes on North- ern Spy? Mr. Cohill. I have not had enough experience to tell you. Stayman Winesap as a commercial variety is surpassed by no other, and by some authorities is called the most successful apple grown; medium size, a beautiful dark, rich red, good eating quali- ties, as well as good keeper ; the fruit is far superior and the tree is much stronger than the original Winesap, long lived, early bearer, good yielder, a later winter variety. Question. Do you notice a diflfcrence in your Stayman? Mr. Cohill. No difference that I can see, only in size and color. The exhibit of Staymans by Tysons are the best I have ever seen. Rome Beauty. An established and highly profitable variety of good quality, size large, shaded with bright red, good keeping, a hardy and vigorous grower, and very reliable in its production. Tree bears earlv. Mr. Newcomer. TIow does the quality of Rome Beauty com- pare with Stayman? Mr. Cohill. The quality, I think, is much better; it is one of the best in quality. It is practically like the Smoke House. Question. Does it bear heavily? Mr. Cohill. Very heavily and early, too. It is recommended as a filler. 69 Mr. Newcomer. If you were planting a large orchard, would you use it? Mr. Cohill. Yes, we planted a great many and I should highly recommend it. Question. Do you find them more susceptible to diseases, scale, etc. ? Mr. Cohill. No, they have been free from anything that would tend to injure them. We have no scale and no fungii to amount to anything. York Imperial. A popular and reliable variety, medium yel- low, almost covered with bright heavy red, flesh firm, large in size, shape oblong. A large producer and fruit keeps well. It is a very profitable commercial apple, of which there is always a uniform demand, a late winter variety. You will not go wrong in planting York Imperial. Location for Apples. Secure rich, fertile land of a heavy character, high elevation, with plenty of air circulating, with good drainage. Avoid low lands, hollows and pockets. To Lay Off Land for Planting. First lay off a right angle in line with the slope of the land, so that in cultivating the tree rows will not be subjected to washing from excessive rains. Second measure and stake off the distance between each tree row at each end of the plot from top to bottom of the slope. Third start at first stake at bottom of slope, using a two-horse barshear plow, with ])oles as a guide, ])low out the cen- ter, then throw out three furrows on each side of the center furrow. Selection of Trees. Be certain to ])urchase thrifty trees with good tops and roots that are grown by the nurseryman from whom purchased. Have the trees dug in the nursery just as s(X)n as the leaves mature in the Fall, have them forwarded just as soon as dug. Go right to the nursery, help to load them on cars and stay right with the trees. Question. Can you tell the varieties in the nursery? Mr. Cohill. A man that is experienced in nursery work can tell it. I'e careful not to plant anything like crown gall or aphis. E. P. Garrettson. Will not the crown gall appear in the trees a year or two after planting? Mr. Cohill. It will increase. Question. Have you seen it grow that way? Mr. Cohill. Yes, and we have lost some in that way. The crown gall increases until it kills the tree. Would not advise much pruning. H there are any long roots, clip them back so as to fit in the hole nicely. Mr. Myers. How about the roots which tend to go downward? Mr. Cohill. Make the hole deep enough so as not to cut that root off. If a real long root, it might be cut off a few inches. u 1 1 70 Immediately after arrival at your railroad station take them to the prospective orchard, this is very important. Do not allow trees to remain on station platform in wind and sun for a day or two and then blame the nurseryman if they do not grow. Caring For Trees on Arrival at Orchard. At a central point in the area to be j^lanted, select a well drained location to heel in the trees, so they will be convenient for planting. To heel trees, plough out a deep furrow forty to fifty feet in length, turning the earth down the hill, using shovels to clean out furrow, i)utting loose earth on top of furrow just thrown up; this will make a slight ridge to sup])ort the body of your trees. Cut (-pen bundles of trees sj^reading them out side by side, roots in the furrow with t()])s laid down horizontally against the earth thrown up, all tops lying in the same direction. Plough another furrow right over the roots, using shovels again to clean out the furrow for the next layer of trees, continue this process until all trees are ])acked away. See that all roots are covered air tight at least twelve to thirteen inches above the bud, keep all varieties separate in sections, with each section labeled. Remove all sod, leaves, fodder, straw, boxes, etc., leaving no l)lace for mice to nest, as mice are very destructive to the roots of young trees. Plough a dee]) furrow around the upper side to drain out water. This leaves tloe trees in good sha])e for planting or should the weather interfere with planting, the trees are secure for the winter. For a Puddle Hole. Dig a hole in the ground about two feet dee]), five feet long and two feet wide, convenient to the trees, ])ut in the hole a barrel or two of water, also one hundred pounds of tobacco dust, stir thor- oughly, mixing clay, water and tobacco dust. While pruning drop the trees into this hole, roots downward, leaving them there until ready to ])lant ; this will revive the trees and kill many injurious insects, should there be any on the roots of the trees. This is also a convenient ])lace to kee]) the trees from drying out between the time of ])runing and planting. Pruning. Prune off all broken roots, also cut out all crowding and inter- locking roots. Now We Are Ready For Planting. We have a boy fourteen to sixteen years old to carry the trees from point where they are heeled in, to men planting', dropping each tree at a ])oint where the wire crosses tree row to be ])lanted. Take enough Xo. 12 galvanized wire to make two lengths from' bottom of slope to top. Use a reel on which wind wire at foot of ^f / slope. Measure off twenty feet for a border from starting, point at top and bottom, this will leave room at the end of your orchard to turn teams in cultivating, etc. Stretch out one of the wires for your first row, next measure off the distance you wish the tree rows apart and stretch the other wire ; this will be your second •"""' We use two men at each end of the wire and four men at row. the center,* using the wire to plant by. The men work in couples. The two men at ends work towards the center, the two couples at the center work in opposite directions, until they meet the men coming from the ends, then they all move over to the other wire and work back to their starting places ; then both wires are carried for- ward to their proper positions and the work goes right on. Question. How long is the wire? Mr. Cohill. One-fourth mile i-i length. Question. How do you move it? Mr. Cohill. Have men scattered along. Each has a certain section to work in. All have the same number of trees to put in. W. C. Tyson. How do you stretch that wire? Mr. Cohill. We have a reel at the foot of the slope and stretch it as tight as we can get it, with bar and brace. Dig the hole at the same time the tree is planted and make it large enough to ac- commodate the tree. Trees should be planted at least two inches deeper than they were in the nursery and on steep slopes four inches deeper than they were in the nursery. Holes must l>e dug to accommodate the tree in hand so that roots can be spread out and not touch the sides of the holes ; the subsoil must be thrown to one side replacing two to four inches of good rich soil in the bottom of the hole. One man takes the tree, spreads the roots out with one hand, and the other man with the shovel throws in a shovel full or two of good mellow rich soil, then scatters about a half pound of tobacco dust and bone meal in a hole on top of first two shovel fulls of soil. At the same time the man with the tree in his hand takes the other hand to work the soil between the roots thoroughly ; this done, one man fills the hole while the other tramps the earth solid with his feet as each shovel full is thrown in. When finished a man cannot pull a tree uj) with one hand, and if it can be pulled up with one hand we do not consider the tree properly planted. lender this system we have planted twelve hundred trees per day. The average will i)robably be one thousand trees per day, and 99^ per cent, of them grow. . We have found it dangerous to plant trees when the soil is dried out. We ])refer to plant apple trees in the Fall of the year just as early as possible after the leaves have fallen from the trees or anv time during the winter or early spring when not freezing. Si '7 II li 11 h \i I W 72 Ykklovv Tkan.si'.nrext. One of the best of Early Summer Apples. Note ilie heavy load of fruit. SOME COMMENTS ABOUT IMPORTANT APPLE VARIETIES. H. V. Couu)^ U. S. Depart went of Aijnculturc, In the many hnes of i)rogress that have occurred in the rapid development of the fruit industry in recent years, there have been none greater than the changed conceptions 'regarding the varictx ni Its relation to successful fruit culture. Though for many years following the formation of the Ameri- can I omological Society ahout the middle of the last century its most conspicuous work was along the line of variety adaptation, IS influence was apparently somewiiat restricted— much more so tiian in more recent years— and apparently not largely felt by the mass of those who were planting fruit trees. Tn the early days, the fact that a varietv was pleasing when grown m a particular place was taken as ])rima facie evidence in great numbers of instances that it would be ocfually as desirable a Hundred or a thousand miles distant where the environment was entirely different. Not so at tlie present time! There is nothing 73 more conspicuous to the discerning fruit grower and nothing more interesting than the great variability of varieties in their response to the influence of environment, for we have come to think of a variety, not as an entity in itself but of a plastic thing which is the product of. the influences under which it is grown. It is worth while in this connection to ask: "What are the influences which affect the behavior of a variety, making it valuable in one place and perhaps worthless in some other?" In other words, what constitutes the environment wdiich determines whether a va- riety inherently meritorious, is good or bad in a particular place? In the last analysis, the two great determinants or limiting factors for all plant life, and to a considerable extent also of animal life, are temperature and moisture. In the case of cultivated plants we must also add the soil factor and methods of culture. It may be doctrinal heresy to admit it but personally, I put less stress within certain rather broad limits upon the soil factor than upon any of the others that are really dominant in any particular. And for the tree fruits I ])lacc greater importance upon the character of the subsoil than upon the surface soil. To give satisfactory results with any variety of fruit, a soil must have certain characteristics. It must contain sufficient plant food in an available form to induce a good vigorous growth of wood. In other words, it must be sufficiently fertile for the end in view. To this end it must contain humus or decaying vegetable matter in considerable quantities. A soil deficient in humus, more or less broadly speaking, is an unproductive or non-fertile soil. It must be a soil that is sufficiently porous and light to permit water to percolate through it readily. Such a soil as this will also be easily ])enetrated by the roots. These last two tenets apply par- ticularly to the subsoil. I ])lace so much importance upon the subsoil because it is that very largely in which the roots are imbedded. It is the subsoil verv largely that acts as a reservoir for the moisture supply re- quired by the trees. If it is too compact and hard the moisture (loes not pass through it with sufficient freedom, either up or down, and the roots find too much obstruction to readily penetrate it for food and moisture. Given these characteristics and a soil so far as the soil factor itself is concerned may be looked upon as having the recpiisites for fruit growing. And now that I am referring to this soil factor, I want to mention one other feature. It may be that each fruit variety re- quires for maximum results its own particular type of soil but I question if we can recognize this from any practical standpoint, on the basis of the soil itself, to the extent that is sometimes assumed. The soil performs three functions in relation to a tree growing in it: (a) It serves as a means of holding the tree upright and in ])lace; (b) it is the source of mineral plant food either contained in it naturally or api)lied by the act of man; (c) it serves as the direct source from which the tree gets its supply of moisture. A soil may be too lidit in one extreme or too heavy in the opposite extreme, I i 1*1 :^.^«::?>v^;M'^;; 74 as we ordinarily use these terms, to come within the broad limits implied m the outset. """is There is a most intimate relationship between the moisture fnffL *'f,;"'f al food supply because the latter is available for the use of the tree only as it goes into solution in the water or moisture that is in in the soil. Again as soils of different types and in different conditions may have different' temperatures, there may be a temperature fac- tor involved in the relation of a particular soil to the behavior of a variety. «viwi ^i tU. .^ ""T r^'^'^'f ''m u '^?^' '^^ ^'^^^ ^^""^^ ^^^ ^ particular variety the exact type of soil both with regard to its physical condition its relation to the supply of plant food, moisture and teniperatr^fo^^ maximum results m every respect. \ ery well ! Ikit the very next season after we have reached our conclusions it may be abnormally rainy or abnormally dry or excessively hot or cold as the case may be. We at once have every factor in our scheme thrown out of adjustment and the relationships of food supply, moisture and temperature are entirely disturbed. As a result we'find our chosen variety giving maximum results perhaps on an entirely different type of soil from the one we have previously had under considera- tion, even though that type remains unchanged as a type. Then, too, we have a variety growing on a particular type of soil and giving certain results under some definite system of soil culture and orchard management. We change our svstem of management and totally different results follow. Yet the soil as a type remains the same. The thing T want to impress upon you ^ simp y this: Granting for the sake of the argument the poLi- bihty of there being varietal preferences as to soil types within the broad limitations already specified, the soil influenJes so far as they affect the behavior of a variety are constantly at work con- jointly with all the other influences which go to make un the Zr'T]\~^f " ^u'''^ '' ^''^'^y '^'' P^^'^"^t of its environ- ment It therefore follows that when we consider the matter of varietal ada])tability we must consider it in the lijrht of all the in- fluences d.at affect its behavior in any wav. A viiety may be of value or it may not be, depending upon the conditions under which It IS grown, and the better we understand those conditions the ' more nearly can we make them what we want them to be discnls'^hnt^r ""^"''7" f '"' Phases of this matter I should like to discuss but I am already too far from the point of my subject rime ^orbKls that T wander farther away, except to say that ue are m the habit of looking upon many things as pertaining to the r oil l£.'' 'V^" '^ '^''''' ^''''''''^ '^'^' ^^^ "^^t soil factors at all. drrnix' \' ? T'^ "'^^ '''^'^ ^^^^^"^"^ ^^"^ that is a matter of drainage, not of soils, per se : or too much moisture may be the result of too much rain and that is a matter of climate, m^of soils a lack of moisture, or of plant food or of humus to modify the physical condition-these have to do with soil management^ not with soil types and soil characteristics. Thit we sometimes charge them all up to the soil! Methods of culture anclTorXrc^^ m^ 75 agement are fundamental in their influence upon the adaptability and relative value of a variety. Herein lies the phenomenal suc- cess of one fruit grower and the flat failure of another when per- haps the natural advantages outside the nature of the men involved are the same in both cases. Herein the grower displays his dis- criminatipn as to the peculiar needs and requirements of each variety and his ability to meet those requirements — for not all varieties can be treated the same way with equal success in every case. And it is in the management of an orchard that soil condi- tions are properly maintained and ameliorated as the case may re- quire. To return briefly to the temperature and moisture factors. This brings us back to a consideration of the climate in its effect upon varieties — for temperature and moisture are two conspicuous elements of climate in relation to plant life. With a low tempera- ture, and as a result moisture largely in the form of ice and snow, the typical vegetation is moss, stunted evergreens and other growth which characterize the Arctic regions. Given a higher temperature and much of the moisture in the form of rain and ^\•e have the mixed, varied and abundant vegetation common to the greater part of the United States. A high temperature and the absence of rain and the Sahara and the Great American deserts appear. A maxi- mum in both temperature and rainfall and the luxuriant vegetation of the tropics is a result. Thus you will see the part played by these two limiting factors — temperature and moisture. To say that each variety of apple or peach or strawberry requires for maximum results its own particular degree of temperature and its own definite supply of moisture at ])articular periods or epochs in its seasonal life — different from every other variety— may be going farther than we have any right to go at this time, yet from an extreme point of view I think this is theoretically true. Practi- cally, the discriminations may be too minute to be of any real im- portance in most cases. Yet we know that some varieties will suc- cessfully withsand adverse climatic conditions which will utterly destroy others : so after all, there may be more in my proposition than we can now fully comprehend. But climate in its eft'ect upon plant life— and upon fruit varie- ties—is a complex matter. There is more to climate than tempera- ture and moisture even though we sometimes overlook the fact that this is so. In naming the different elements of climate we would need to mention : Precipitation (rain and snow). Temperature. Extremes of heat and cold. Times and frequency of frost. ^ Amount and intensity of sunshine. Humidity and transparency of the atmosphere. Direction and velocity of wind. And perhaps the electrification of the atmosphere. I. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. ti ■**■ >■*[ II '» 76 We can readily understand tliat some of these at least in addi- tion to temperature and moisture have a very dose relatio. "lib to the behavior and value of different varieties ^'ationsnip to Another very important matter in the adaptability of varieties .s the location and site selected for the orchard'^ There are cTum ie^aus'e oTdidr'' lof r'* the country that are practically worS because of their location, ihit when we stop to consider the sie- nficance of the location we find that it is 'mostly local cfmafe h has to do with frosts, and air drainage which are temnerature ^^nr% 'f ^•'■""^^^ "'^'^'^ '^ ^ '^-■^ture factor -and wth \\ incls etc So here again we come hack to the climate We nTust consider the climate in its several elements at every uVrn J!ut T have not forgotten that mv subject calls for some com- aXie' "for r'^ ^r"'"-, T^'f'^^''-^' ^'^°"g"' I need mak no apologies for the background I have endeavored to set un Per- haps any remarks about the adaptability of varieties that mav S X;:' e oTtlif "s'l:^ ^',?">f Tl^ ^"^^^ --"'• oth-wisete" £ case because of the setting' which I have tried to place for them . Even now before I reach the part of this discussion which gives my paper its title, I want to ask your forbearan e a Httle further. I have recently been very much interested myself in mak- .ng a sort of inventory of the apple varieties that liave^Se ml nto Amencan pomology. A portion of this inventory may not be wi h° out some interest to you because of its connection wfth your slate T -f'"^ c!^"'V^^''' ^S° ^^"^ was published a bulletin bv the I nited States Department of Agriculture, in the Bureau of PI- t Industry senes entitled: "Nomenclature of the Apple A catalog of the known varieties referred to in American Publira T^jLTof^Ll Tf ^r ^^■■■" '' ^-'^ -^ ^'- conirehSe character of this bulletin. The year 1804 was taken as the start- ing pomt because that is the year in which the first list of annle varieties grown in America was published. It therefore nwks tlie beginning of Amencan catalogs of varieties. The work of compimg the data for the bulletin mentioned was competed °n 1904. u.s making the period covered by it an even hundred years The American publications reviewed for the data, included the standard pomological books, horticultural society r^por? exped- "iiies, etc " ""''"" ""' ""'^"'■'^- '^-ti^-^'tnral papefs andTga- The catalog contains all known names of varieties that had ^^':^:^ to and incluclin, the year 1904 and l^r^^l vtieta na e^^ "n "J^ "^'^^^^ synonyms as well as accredited varietal names. Of the latter there are about 6,700 in number Ihis means of course that there has been that number of (^^^ffemit dr:;r;:ar"'d"rV' ''' ""r^ ^ l^^"^^^" publications h! the S clred >ears that is covered by this catalog. A bit of arithmetic innirs aireir"'""' '"^- ^'"^^ '' ^" ^^^^^^^ more than Two fnrH 1 £ / ''^'''■' ^^^''''^y^ ^"^ ""' '^^^^^^1 varieties have over forty (hfterent synonyms to their credit and others only a ^liSv <"Je blsl"" "^' '" distribution of names is not on a ^.ry ^1" 77 These totals do not include the crabs. If they are added to this inventory the number of accredited names is increased by about 375» making in all 7,075. Two hundred and seventy-five names are added to the synonyms making 8,375, thus bringing up the total number of published names, including synonyms, to about 15,400. Of the approximately 6,700 (not including the crabs) accredit- ed varietal names, the origin of about 3,900 varieties i^ known with more or less certainty and designated in the bulletin mentioned by state for the native varieties and by the country for the introduced or foreign vSorts. Of these 3,900 varieties, the origin of which is designated 309 if my account is correct, are accredited to Pennsyl- vania though in case of 42 of these — a rather large percentage to be sure — there is some question as to their being of Pennsylvania origin. Of course a large proportion of the 6,700 varieties in the cata- log, are now unknown in cultivation. This is made evident by the last revision of the American Pomological Society's "recommended lists" of varieties for cultivation in the various sections of the United States and Canada. This revision was published in June, 1Q09, as Bulletin 151 in the Bureau of Plant Industry series. The list of recommended varieties of apples contains 319 names of varieties which have been recommended by some fruit grower, professional pomologists, or others capable of giving advice in the matter for i)lanting in some section of the country. The infer- ence is then that a little more than 300 varieties include all, or at least nearly all, (not counting local sorts many of which are valu- able), of the really important sorts that are being grown at the present lime. In fact it would be surprising if this number could not be greatly reduced without loss to the apple industry. Penn- sylvania is credited with seventeen of these 319 sorts as place of origin with three additional ones that are doubtful in this respect. Forty-nine of the 319 are of foreign origin including twenty-four Russian sorts and several which originated in Canada. With so long a list of varieties from which to choose, there is some difficulty in deciding just what ones should be named in the presont connection. As a foundation for a list it is of interest to refer to tiie revised catalog of recommended varieties of the Ameri- can Pomological Society above mentioned. For the district that includes this region, the following varieties are the ones highly recommended: P>enoni, Karly Harvest, Gravenstein, Grimes, Maiden Blush, Margaret. Red Astrachan, Rome l^eauty, Smoke- house, Stavman Winesap, Wealthy, Winesap, Yellow Trans])arent, and ^'ork Imperial— fourteen varieties. P>ut Adams county is very near the border line l)etween two of the districts defined by the American Pomological Society. As the boundary limits of these districts are more or less arbitrary it may be of interest to note the highly recommended varieties in' the adjoining district. In addi- tion to the above named sorts, they arc as follows: Arkansas (Mammoth P>lack Twig) P»en Davis, P>ough (Sweet l^>ough). Pun- combe. Chenango, Gano, Golden Sweet, Horse, Ingram, Jeft'eris, lonathan, Limbertwig, Missouri, Oldenburg (Duchess of Olden- iiti *■ 78 burg), Ralls, Rambo, Red June, Red vStripe, White Pippin. This increases the list by nineteen varieties — a total of thirty-three va- rieties combining the two lists. Of the well tested commercial varieties this combined list con- tains some of the most valuable sorts suitable for planting in the middle latitudes — material for some very choice selections. And added comment about the more important of these varie- ties will serve to indicate their predominant characteristics. ]>enoni is a beautiful little apple of high quality ripening in this section the latter part of August ; too small for commercial pur])oses but excellent for home use. Early Harvest, Red Astraclian, Maiden Hlush and Gravenstein are standard early sorts probably too well known to re(|uire comment. Red Astrachan has a lot of faults but as an early variety, red in color, I know of nothing to take its place. For a first early variety Yellow Transparent has attain- ed front rank ]:)retty nearly all over the country. The tree some- times blights but it is very valuable for all of that. Smokehouse and Wealthy are early fall — probably September varieties here — of much intrinsic merit and for their season it is doubtful if there are any better for this section. Grimes and Jonathan are used as "running mates" in many sections and are of first importance. There are few varieties grown commercially that are so high in dessert ([uality as these. Excellent sorts they are, on which to make a reputation that will be a distinct market asset. Grimes scalds in storage too badly to be very satisfactory for that purpose, but as a fall sort it has few equals. C. J. Tyson. Does Grimes scald early in storage? Mr. Gould. I am inclined to think so. 1 saw some in Wash- ington a few days ago, from storage, that were very badly scalded. R. M. Eldon. Do you think they should be picked a little greener ? Mr. Gould. It is a question if they should not be picked a little riper than is customarily done. That is the case with the York Imperial. The more highly colored you can get that variety the less it will scald. Grimes Golden is one of the four varieties that they grow out in Grand \ alley of Colorado, the others being Jonathan, Winesap and Rome I>eauty. They have found, in recent years, that these four varieties are giving the greatest degree of satisfaction. Question. Is that Stayman Winesap? Mr. Gould. Xo, the common ^^'inesap. They are planting Stayman a little but not very extensively yet. These varieties are giving great satisfaction there, so they do not have the inducement to plant other varieties that might otherwise be the case. Jonathan, normally of about the same season as Grimes is an excellent storage variety and in some sections it is one of the. three or four most important commercial varieties. It has a wide range of adaptability and is being extensively planted. While it might be un- wise to plant it extensively in Adams county without more prelimi- nary tests, I am impressed' with the probability of its value. I think 79 there can be little doubt about the value of Grimes for your con- ditions when properly handled. Looking at the exhibits here and talking as I have with your people, makes me more firmly convinced that Rome Beauty and Stayman Winesap are two of the most important varieties that can be grown here, unless they develop some faults here which I know nothing about. Stayman sometimes lacks a little in color especially on young trees but as they obtain a little age, this difficulty largely disappears. Rome ])eauty may have some defects peculiar to this section which I do not know about but a short time ago one of the finest specimens of this variety that I have seen in a long time reached our office in Washington from Biglerville, this county. Winesa]), though it is a magnificent variety in New Jersey within a radius of twenty miles of Philadelphia, may api)roach its northern limit of adaptability in this section on account of the elevation, though I am not sure but that it is entirely satisfactory here. York Imperial is too well ensconced in the hearts of the fruit growers of this section to call for any comment though it is a little lacking in dessert quality. I have now referred to all of the sorts mentioned in the first list of recommended varieties, also Jonathan of the second list because of its value in conection with Grimes. The varieties recommended for the adjoining district cover conditions that are very diverse from those in the district in which Adams county occurs. Therefore a considerable j^jroportion of them arc not to be considered in the ])resent connection. Several of them, however, may well be re- ferred to briefly for the purpose of pointing out their faults as well as to indicate their merits. Arkansas, more widely known under its synonym, Mammoth Black Twig, is an excellent apple of the Winesap type and has a magnificent tree but it is generally such a shy bearer that it is un- wise to include it in a commercial orchard, except in a very few localities. Ben Davis I had intended to pass over in silence but a few (lavs ago I noticed in a report of the proceedings of the American Pomological Society, pulilislied nearly fifty years ago where John A. Warder, one of the most consiMCuous pomological geniuses this country has yet seen, recommended it to that Society with the re- m^k that he' did not wish to say much about it but that he believed "It is a variety that will yet make a noise in the world." How true this prophesy has been made into history ! Sweet Bough is widely grown in this general region of the country for an earlv sweet sort. Jeff'eris for late summer or early fall has decided merit. It is of Pennsylvania origin and doubtless deserves a greater popularity than it now has. Oldenburg (Duch- ess of Oldenburg) for a sec'ond early apple would probably be suc- cessful, though its quality is not high, and its value is entirely for culinary purposes. Question. Can we get anything to take its place? -i. 8o Mr. Gould. Williams Early Red will come nearer it than any- thing else I know. Ingram, which originated in Missouri, a probable seedling of Ralls, is valuable in some sections because of its lateness in ripen- ing and its long keeping qualities. It is a late blossoming sort and because of this fact is sometimes bears a crop of fruit when other varieties are destroyed by late spring frosts. I am not aware, however, that it has been tested in this section. It ought to be tried here for a long keeping sort. Rambo is a Pennsylvania stand- by which has much to commend it for its season though apparently it was relatively more popular formerly than it is now. White Pippin has a wide range of adai)tability as we find it doing finely in Maine, in Maryland, Missouri and Kansas to say the least, and I do not know how much more widely it is scattered but under the diversified conditions in the regions indicated, it seems practically certain that it would do well here, it has been mistaken sometimes for Yellow Xewton or Albemarle Pippin, though its dififerences are well marked to the critical eye. I have not seen it from Pennsyl- vania but think it is worthy of consideration for this section. The other varieties recommended in the second list are not sorts that I should care to commend to you for this section so will not take the time to refer further to them. In addition to these varieties there are several others that are important sorts elsewhere but do not appear to have attracted at- tention in any part of this State. I refer to Early Ripe which is an early variety of increasiffg importance in the early apple industry of Delaware and New Jersey, that ripens nearly with Yellow Transparent. In Delaware they sometimes ])ick before it is matur- ed. It is a remarkable api)le It holds to the tree well after it is matured and may be picked wdien quite green. Williams likewise is a very valuable early sort in the states just mentioned. It has sometimes been confused, however, in at least one nursery in this state with Sops-of-Wine, a very different apple, the latter being sold as Williams Favorite wdiich is also a synonym of Williams. Cornell (Cornell Fancy) is another second early sort, commonly credited to Pennsylvania — the southeastern part of the state — for its place of origin. It is a very desirable variety of high quality and I believe might with profit be given a much more prominent place in this section than it is accorded. Thaler should perhaps also be mentioned in this connection. This is a Russian variety and nearly or quite indhstinguishable from Yellow Transparent in fruit but the tree is said to be more vigor- ous than Yellow Transparent. It is very rarely grown, at least not under that name. It may be confused with Yellow Transparent in some cases. In some parts of your state, A\'agener is popular though in- clined to overbear. For a winter ap])le, however, it may have merit for your conditions, It is of good quality ; frequently recommend- ed to be used as a filler because of its early bearing and rather small size of the tree. nl'-J"M"r - 8i Another variety, one which has been attracting considerable attention m V^irginia for the past few years is Lowry. It originated m Nelson county, Virginia, a good many years ago, but it is only recently that it has become prominent. It is a beautiful red or mdistinctly striped apple of good size— a good keeper and prolific. But like all the rest of its kind it has a weak spot. It is not quite good enough in dessert quality, still it is fair in this respect. I do not know of its having been grown north of Virginia but men- tion it to call your attention to its possible value here. Now if a grower was selecting varieties to plant for a suc- cession of ripening from early to late from the varieties already mentioned, he would not want all of them unless he was under- taking to plant a variety test orchard. Individuality of choice would have a considerable range. My particular selection would be no better than that which any one else might make but if I were planting a commercial orchard in this section to include a full sequence of ripening, I think my choice, in the light of my present knowledge would be about as follows: Yellow Transparent (or Thaler), Early Ripe, Red Astrachan, Williams, Cornell, Maiden Blush, Gravenstein, Wealthy, Smokehouse, Grimes, Jonathan, Stayman Winesap, Rome Beauty and perhaps York Imperial. If I could find something to substitute for Red Astrachan I would do it but I know^ of no red variety at present that will take its place. And if I could handle to advantage more mid-season sorts I should w^ant to add Jefferis and Summer Rambo because of their merit. Question. Would you advise that many varieties for a com- mercial orchard? Mr. Gould. Yes, if you w^ant a succession of ripening to ship all the time, from the earliest ripening varieties to the winter sorts ; but otherwise, a much smaller number of varieties would be ad- visable. This selected list is rather short on winter varieties. If I should find that Winesap warranted it, I would add it to my col- lection. And Stark w^ould be an acquisition here if it will do as w^ell as it does in some sections of this state. Ordinarily it is rather coarse-grained, not particularly attractive in color and rather in- different in quality. P)Ut w^e recently received at our office in Washington specimens of this variety from this state (Landisburg or Waynesburg) that were exceptionally fine — very attractively colored, a beautiful finish and remarkably good in quality for the variety. If such fruit could be duplicated here, this would surely be an excellent variety to plant. C. J. Tyson. What reason would you have for recommend- ing it where vStayman Winesap could be grown ? Mr. Gould. Not any, unless yon wanted it to interplant for cross-pollination. It would not be wise to plant any variety with- out some other sort for cross-pollination. So far as a profitable commercial apple is concerned, I do not think it would come up to vStayman Winesap. C. J. Tyson. How about Paragon? 82 Mr. Gould. Paragon is too much like Arkansas, in that it is generally a very shy bearer. The fruit is also very much like Arkansas in every respect. It is very difficult to tell them apart. Mr. Newcomer. How about Akin? Mr. Gould. I do not know anything in particular about that apple. It is an unknown possibility for this section. It is a very i:)retty apple, red in color and good quality. I never have seen it from^ this section and do not know how it would be here. C. J. Tyson. How about ^lagnate to replace Stark? Mr. Gould. It is too early. It ripens earlier than Jonathan does. A very excellent ai)ple where it is well adapted. W. C. Tyson. What do you know of Ewalt? Mr. Gould. It is one of the old ai)ples that has been grown over a large section of the country. A pretty good variety, but I think there are enough other varieties as good, or better. W. C. Tyson. It is largely grown in Bedford county, and they regard it out there very highly as a market apple. ' Mr. Cohill. How about Maiden's lilush? Mr. Gould. I have already mentioned that variety in connec- tion with several other widely grown and generally valuable, early sorts. Sutton I'eauty would be a consideration to add to the winter season. 1 do not' know of this variety anywhere in this state but in New York it has been planted more or less in recent years and it is apparcntlv growing in popularity in that state. It of course does not follow that it would be of value in this section but its possibilities are worth consideration. Lankford, a Delaware seedling that originated nearly 70 years ago has become quite widely disseminated though it is not exten- sively grown. It may have some possibilities as a winter variety for this section. With these other winter varieties I have mentioned, if I could find evidence that they were well adapted to my location, I should ])e inclined to droj) York Imperial from my list as it isn't quite good enough in quality to conform to my standards and add one or more of these other sorts. I know^ that is a good deal like throwing a bomb and I may be slandering your most profitable variety. The fact still remains, however, that it does not rank very high in ([uality. \\e might go on in this way almost indefinitely but time for- bids anything further than to enumerate some of the varieties that are now attracting attention which have unknow^n possibilities for this section but which are w^orth testing. Perhaps in such an enumeration Delicious should head the list because of its widely advertised ([ualities and its recognized merit under suitable condi- tions. King David is its counterpart. Oliver Red under the name Senator has also been considerably advertised and planted but the tree is too susceptible to disease to recommend it. Likewise Col- lins Red has been disseminated widely under the name Chanipion and while this is productive and beautiful in appearance, it is too poor in quality to commend it to discriminating planters. The last 83 three sorts mentioned are chance seedlings from northwest Arkan- sas. Adding still others to this category, there is Akin from Illi- nois, lUoomfield from Maryland, Doctor included in the first list of ''apples most commonly cultivated" that was published in this country, though still unknown to most fruit growers, Virginia, IJeauty from southwestern Virginia; Carson from northern Ohio; the Magnate which originated apparently from the same collection of Winesap seeds that produced Stayman Wine- sap from eastern Kansas; Ensee from southern Ohio; Florence, an api)le somewhat similar to Jonathan having a fine virogous tree but less desirable in dessert quality than Jonathan from nortlnvest Arkansas ; Mother perhaps now a century old, coming originally from Massachusetts, but still largely unknown ; Coffman an early sort of much promise from Tennessee; Celestia, another sort from Ohio; Ramsdell (Ramsdell Sweet) referred doubtfully to Connecticut for its origin ; Adams, a long keeping variety of the Rambo ty])e and of good quality from lUair county, Pa. All these, and almost an endless number besides are w^orthy of some very definite consideration by those of you who are seeking a reputation for the production of apples of strictly high grade as to quality and beauty of ai)pearance. And still we need others. Of this collection, not one is per- fect ; not one that does not have some fault or objectionable feature of some kind either in fruit or tree. Following up the history of nearly all of our most valuable and best known varieties, we find where w^e can trace them to their origin that they came into being in most cases as chance seedlings, without the aid or intervention in any way of man. In this connection it may not be inconsistent for me to repeat what ^Marshall P. Wilder as President of the American Pomologi- cal Society said repeatedly 50 years and more ago: ''It w^as my first, so shall it be my continual and last advice: 'Plant the most mature and ])erfect seed of the most hardy, vigorous and valuable varieties ; and as a shorter process, insuring more certain and happy results, cross, or hybridize your best fruits.' " This advice I wish was being more commonly followed to-day. If "chance" has ac- complished so much ill the past in ])ro(lucing ap])le varieties, what are the possibilities in the production of varieties in the future, should all the knowledge of the present time regarding plant breed- ing and heredity be directed to this end? FtGURB 10— GRADING BOARD aiMHHtBaataHiarilk liiMtri I 84 1 \:\ Packing Table in General Use. (Courtesy Better Fruit.) GENERAL ORCHARD MANAGEMENT. Samukl Fr.xzkr, Orchardist, Gcncsco, N. Y. In discussing this question of General Orchard Management it may be wise to first relate the story of the beginning of our young orchards. These wero planted nearly four years ago. At that time I had the idea that the best thing for me to do would be to top work most of the trees to the varieties I intended to grow. I did not top work everything, but planted some varieties as they came direct from the nursery in order to have them as checks. I may say at the outset that I am not in favor of the top-working and have been forced to this conclusion by my own results. It may be that as time goes on I shall see reason to change my mind. Thus far I am not prepared to advise it. We have something like 150 acres of apples, the permanent varieties being Baldwin, Greening and Northern Spy. There are but 10 acres of bearing trees on the farm ; among these we found 3 Greening, 3 P>aldw^in and 3 Spy trees which appeared to be better than the others, and almost all of the wood w^e needed for top- working was taken from these trees. In order to have a complete check on the method I top-worked six rows of Greening with scions taken from an ordinary nurserv. I mav sav here that these do not show the same tvpe of foliage that we find on our own trees. We can detect individual differences in trees, and we know that in some cases these are transmitted. We began bv planting our trees in the springr with the idea of budding them in the fall. A few which were planted the fall previ- ous were grafted in the spring in the limbs, and we secured about 80 per cent, stand of the grafts put in. At the time of budding we had a small epidemic of fire blight. The nurservman had con- tracted to change the tops of the trees as I desired, therefore, he had to do the budding and grafting; and although, I told his man I did not want him to try to bud any trees which showed fire blight, 85 he would persist in taking the chance of putting a bud in and going several inches below the seat of infection. In most of such instances he managed to get the knife covered with the bacteria from the diseased tree and he would inoculate the succeeding ten trees ; and, since we were putting in four buds, one on each side of the tree we had four seats of infection. The weather was favor- able for its rapid growth and there was nothing left but to condemn the trees. Out of some 8,000 trees 2,800 showed fire blight that fall. In my judgment it was better to remove them and burn them than to try and clean it up ; so we took them all out the next spring ; and I requested the nurseryman to send me trees to replace them, which he did. In this case, however, we adopted another policy : We were able to plant the trees the last of March, and in April beginning even before there were signs of growth, we sawed the tops off at the height of 18 inches from the ground and put in a graft. I may mention that these trees were 5^-inch two-vear-old buds. General- ly speaking, we had a very good stand and these grafts would make a growth of from 212 feet to 4 feet that season; and, if it was necessary to do any more top- working, I would prefer to do this in preference to any other. Personally, I would rather grow the trees from individuals and take the time, rather than try to top work. I think J can get a better head and save much trouble after- w^ards ; for it is necessary to go over all these trees carefully, even to-day, to make sure that shoots are not coming out of the stock, and all of this difficulty is avoided when the trunk is the same as the top. Planting. In planting we usually prune the roots as little as possible, merely remove any injured roots. Prune the tops after it is set. We dig as small a hole as we can and put the roots in, and insist on the soil beine well packed round them; this is the most im- portant thing in planting. Take a tamper along and make sure that no roots are left out of contact with soil. If the tree has four limbs we do not touch it. I would not on any account cut back the ends of the branches. If it has five or six limbs I would take one or two off, leaving three or four. If it is possible, we like to space these limbs six inches apart, so that if the lowest be- gins at 18 inches from the ground the highest would be nearly 3 feet. In the case of varieties which tend to droon as R. I. Green- ing, I have left a few trees with a leader for experimental purposes, but in the bulk of the cases we have merely the four limbs. I understand from others that it is goine to be more difficult to handle these trees successfully than it would be if the leader were left. We shall know more about this matter later. The land we took was not in the best of condition. Most of it needed underdrainage in order to sfive s:ood crops and permit of proper cultivation. The land is a little too heavy for potatoes and the results we secured from tryine to grow corn between the trees were not encouraging. It seemed to shade them too much; so that we are growing the trees without any crops on the land be- ! tl Ml ! i ii' i 86 tvveen them. We plow the land or disk it as soon as possible in the spring and keep it cultivated until July or the first of August, at which time we sow a cover crop. During the past vear on 200 acres of orchard we sow^ed a mixture of i pouiul Cow Horn Turnips, 4 pounds Dwarf Essex Rape, 5 pounds Crimson Clover and 5 pounds of Red Clover per acre, and in addition, we allowed all the rag weeds, pig weeds and other weeds that would grow to come up. Some of them have made a wonderful growth the past year, growing tall enough to hide a horse. We manure the apple trees each year, with a light dressing of farm manure. The first two years we gave them a small application of probably i to 2 pounds per tree of a mixed fertilizer about 3.8.8. This i)ast year we have used Uasic Slag on some of the apples at the rate of 800 pounds ])er acre on bearing trees, and have had very marked results. Cer- tain trees were left as checks, and on them the foliage was not nearly so large, nor was the growth made this season so long. In the ])ast we have had more results from Acid Phosphate when ap- l)lied to the peaches than from any other fertilizer, but during the ])ast year we did not get anv results with either Floats at the rate of 1,200 ])ounds per acre, with 500 ])ounds of Iron Sulj)hate or from IJasic Slag at the rate of 600 pounds per acre, or Acid IMiosphate at the rate of 600 pounds per acre. The trees did not show any im])rovement over those which had nothing. We shall continue this experiment for certainly two or three more vears, since these trees are located on one of our ])est soil tvpes. Pr«ning of Peach Trees. When we plant the ])each trees we cut them off to a stub about 12 to IS inches long. On this we allow 3 limbs to grow, removing any others. Since that time these trees have not been pruned. Thev were 3 years planted last Mav and last vear thev bore a suf- ficient number of i)eaches so that the sales were $50 per acre on one block of nine acres. Our trees do not make the growth that yours do in this vicinity ; thev have not the size that yours would have, but thev are much larijer trees than those grown in orchards where heading back is practiced each year; and by al- lowing them to bear early they will get the necessary sj^read of limb and o])en center which we aim for. The trees are full of fruit ])U(ls and it hardly seems necessary to do any pruning this year, exce]:)t in the case of a variety like I^ate Crawford, which makes a great deal of wood, ^^'e shall lie able to ])ick everything from the ground next vear as we did this. As they begin to grow higher we shall head them back. On Herbert Wadsworth's Instate at .Avon, trees handled about the same wav yielded as high as 10 and ii baskets, that is one- third bushel baskets ])er tree: in other words, a yield of 3 to nearly 4 bushels of fruit. These trees had been manured during the first two years of their life. The soil is sandy and they have l)eeii kept cultivated all the time, absolutely clean tillage. The trees have not been pruned at all. Alongside is a small apple orchard, trees were planted four vears ago. Some of the I lubbardston trees had from 75 to 126 apples each, which made a good crop for so young 87 a tree ; in fact, it was necessary to thin them two or three times to prevent their over-bearing. While the limbs and tops of these trees may have a])peare(l close, this weight of fruit is giving them the necessary spread, and limbs which would apnear too close are now pulled down,, so that thev do not need to be removed. The ])ermanent trees in this orchard are I>aldwin and are the same age. Almost every tree had from 30 to 40 apples on. The results thus far secured Idv leaving the trees alone are such that we are encour- age4 cents each for planting. Pruning Old Trees. In the case of trees at the bearing age which have been neg- lected and allowed to become (|uite thick, we found it advisable to prune such only during the bearing year. Pruning them late in the season after the blossoms have fallen. In this way we have avoided any tendency of water sprouts. We find we can take much more wood out with safety than if we i)rune in a year that the tree is not bearing, and in the case of all varieties which bear every other year normally, such as l>aldwin, I would rather wait one year and prune heavily when tiiev are bearing. There is one rule we give in re^rard to the amount of wood which shall come out of a tree. It is this: i. Remove all dead wood and badly dis- eased limbs. 2. Remember that the sun must reach all parts of the tree sometime in the day. If it cannot reach a limb, either that limb or some other nnist' come out. Another rule is this: If it is a (uiestion of an upper or lower limb: save the lower. Member. Do vou knock some of the fruit off? Mr. Frazer. ^'es, but we have to thin anvway. Member. Is ;t true that in !-ome of the Xew York orchards they liave nearly eliminated the so-calletl (^ff-year? ' Mr. Frazer. Yes. It is being eliminated, even with such vane- ties as lialdwin. W. J. Case, of vSodus, has had seven successive crops of l)ald\yin. Of course, varieties like Duchess of Oldenburg and Maiden lUush bear every year with us any wav. Member. Do vou do it entirely by thinning? 88 Mr. Frazer. Thinning and pruning. We have a bearing orchard of about 6j^ acres of trees scat- tered over ten acres. It liad been neglected and was about 33 years old. The trees were 33x33 feet apart. They were all touch- ing and were too thick. The orchard was in sod and was rented for pasture for the sum of $25.00 per year and the most the crop had sold for was $75.00, according to the statement of the tenant. I paid the tenant $75.00 to let me have it ; and in May, 1906, I borrowed a sprav rig and we sprayed it. We did some pruning, taking out the dead wood. We sold the fruit on the trees that year with 400 barrels which I had ordered for $900.00. We made a ma]) of the orchard showing the varieties. The following year was the off-year, and the land was still in sod, and the crop sold for $630.00. In 1908 the land was plowed and every other tree had been removed during the previous winter. We were able to do this from our map, having carefully noted on it all trees which were of poor varieties or injured and making careful tally to find which row would need to be removed in order to leave the most good trees. We took out everv other row on the diagonal, sometimes some good trees had to come out ; in other cases we had to put a young tree in, but in spite of the loss of trees the yield that year sold for $1,320.00. The trees were pruned again, taking those which were in bearing. The following year we sold for $1,340.00 and this year, 1910, which should have been our big year we had very ])oor weather at the time the Greenings were in bloom and had a verv small cro]) of^this variety, which constitutes a large pro- portion of the orchard ; so that our yield this year will not sell for much more than $1,200.00. Spraying. Our method of spraying during the past year was to spray about the time the buds were breaking until the leaves are the size of a mouse's ear, with lime-sulphur i to 9 with 2 |X)un(ls of Arse- nate of Lead to 50 irallons. This takes care of the l>lister mite which is moving at tliat time and the Arsenate of Lead is for the bud moth and case bearers which have been a serious trouble in Western New York. We intended to sprav again just before the blossoms opened, but left it until the blossoms fell. The omission of Xo. 2 spraying was a mistake, I believe. The second year we had tlie orchard we used 1 Bordeaux mixture and Arsenate of Lead for the s|)raving after bloom, but we had so much injury from the Bordeaux that we have not used it since, using merely Arsenate of Lead. This gave us good results. We spraved the trees from 3 directions with Arsenate of Lead at the strength of 2 pounds to 50 gallons, and on trees which would bear 10 to 14 barrels we find we have applied about 17 gallons of solution to a tree in the three sprayings. This was followed in ten davs with a lieht spraying of weak Bordeaux with Arsenate of Learl. This past vear, how- ever, we chanp^ed our pohcv and used Lime-sulphur at the strength of I to ^3 with 2 pounds of Arsenate of Lead as soon as the blos- soms fell and did not apply so much to the tree, but even with this we found we encountered russeting where the fruit met the full 89 force of the spray. Where the fruit did not get the full force of the spray the Lime-sulphur tended to control the natural russeting of the fruit ; and in a neighbor's orchard where the material was put on with a hand pump at a much lower pressure than we put it on, the russeting was almost eliminated ; while in a neighbor's orchard which was not sprayed, it was quite prevalent; so that we are convinced that russeting may be due to natural causes as well as spray injury, and may result even when Lime-sulphur is used. Our modified method of this year was not thorough enough to control all the coddling moth. Next year we intend to make our Lime-sulphur much weaker probably i to 70 and resort to a thor- ough drenching of the tree as soon as the blossoms fall in order to control the coddling moth. We tried making our own concentrated Lime- Sulphur, but cussed it and quit. We had — the picnic of our lives. Your Prof. Stewart told us all about it at one of our meetings, how nice and easy it was to do. He told us how to cook it. We tried it in the basement of the creamery. It fumigated the creamery all right. Just about the time we had it all nicely cooked, for some reason it would boil over, and half of the contents of the barrel would be on the floor and sailing down the sewer before we could catch it. Someone has to boil it. I am willing to let the other fellow do it. Member. What kind of a sprayer do you use? Mr. Frazer. A Deyo engine and Goulds pump. When we spray for leaf -curl on peaches, which must be done when the land is quite soft, too soft to take our big rig on the land, we have a small one which consists of a Gould's pump and a couple of bar- rels in the box of the wagon. In the case of the currants we find we have to use a hand pump on some narrow rie such as a stone- boat in order to drive in among them. We intend to make a little narrow wagon for this purpose. Member. Do vou plant when the land is wet? Mr. Frazer. Yes. We have planted when we had to bail the water out of the holes. In some cases we filled in the soil and left the tree and the trees are doing all right. Member. Do vou plow the land or do you plant in sod? Mr. Frazer. We tried to plow all the land before plantmg, but some places we planted in the sod and plowed after. We had 20,000 trees to plant the first vear and could not get anything to- gether until the first of April. Member. I low do vou handle your peaches? Mr. Frazer. We have tried to not plow our peaches. We have worked down the weeds and cover crop by running a disk harrow over the land in four directions; this chops them up. Later we follow with the Planet Junior Orchard Tool, No. 41 or 42, putting on the narrow teeth, afterwards we put on the wide teeth. In this vvav we work up the surface soil, alternatmg some- times between the disk and the cultivator and sprine tooth harrow. We varv the tool according to the soil and its condition. As I have said before some of our land must be underdrained so that we can go on it early in the season. In regard to varieties I do -M ml 90 not feel like trying: many new ones. Our permanent trees arc the standard sorts, namely, 60 acres of Greening, 60 acres of liaklwin 20 acres of Spy are planted 50 feet by 44 feet; as fillers among these, ],lante'""^- ^' ^'^^'^^^ ^'^ tJ^e work of Im In li r I "'"'" "-^ "^^^" '^'' '^'^'''^' ^^ ^''^'^'^^ management and my Idea is to speak in general upon the essentials. Any points on which my assistance may be of aid to you. I would be only 00 glad to help 3X)u if T can. Don't hesitate to interrupt be at any time. 93 I want to bring out a point in Mr. Frazer's talk, which covers our conditions, regarding potato culture in an orchard. We allow our men to have patches. Usually they plant potatoes, with the re- sult that the fruit we harvested (the first three crops) was practi- cally worthless, hardly any value at all. Other places, where ferti- lizer, manure and cover crops were used, we had almost the same result, and it looks to us as if we would either have to grow fruit or potatoes. We plant the trees so close, 20 feet apart, that it is not profitable to raise anything between them. We pay our laboring men $1.50 per day, 15 cents an hour, and furnish married men with a house costing about $600.00 or $700.00, then charge them rent covering the interest, or $4.00 per month. We, also, give them truck patches, furnish them with wood, horse to drive to town, etc. Question. Do you give them time to raise potatoes? Mr. Cohill. We stop at four Saturday afternoons and give them horse and plow to care for them. Pruning. It is very important that young trees get proper pruning for much depends upon it in the future. In many orchards irnproper pruning is practiced, while in others no pruning whatever is done. I must say that better results can be obtained from the latter. Many orchardists have the idea that after a bunch of men have been started to pruning that all is well, and they will do the work properly. Well let me tell you that this is taking a long chance, for we have a high class of 'laboring men working for us, as well as re- sponsible foremen, but nevertheless the field manager is on the job. We do our pruning during January, February and March, keeping a force out when weather conditions will permit, usually about half time is made. These three months are usually severe but we find some very favorable weather, and with plenty of men, have time to treat each tree individually or in other words, treat each tree as though it were the only one we had. We had our inexperienced man with one of a year or more experience, making two men to each row, until the inexperienced men have been taught, then each man thereafter takes a row and is responsible for it. Each man is equipped with a saw, large pruning shears and sma hand pruners. Following behind the pruners is a boy to cover all wounds over half inch across, with white lead and linseed oil paint to prevent the exposed wood from drying out. We, also, use a bov to gather up the cut limbs and put them into piles. We use a team with light sled, with very broad, light bed, to carry the brush off to a vacant space to be burned. P>e sure to haul this brush off before growing season, because there is nothing which looks worse than trash of this sort in an orchard, and it also prevents clean cultivation. ^ , ^ r r ^ The old style of high-headed apple trees has gone out of favor with the progressive fruit growers, and the common sense method m. ^m^m I ' 94 is taking its place. The low-headed trees have the advantage of high-headed ones in being easier and cheaper to spray, prune and gather fruit from, and less injury to dropped fruit, and less injury by storm. ^ ^ The fruit will color and ripen as well. The disadvantages are none, provided they are pruned properly. There is a great difference of pruning fruit trees, bv growers college professors, -and men with theories, and one point upon which they (litter mostly is the "straight leader" and the "open head " u ^\'^ ^'^r e->'Penmente(l with the '^straight leader" and the open head methods of pruning an ai)ple tree, with the result of adopting the straight leader as the best. Question. How do you get rid of the crotch ? ^^ Mr. Cohill. Nearly all growers agree that the "straight lead- er avoids the crotch, and beginning when a whip, with careful pruning it can be entirely avoided. Question. How long do you let the leader grow before prun- ing It off? o i Mr. Cohill. Prune when planting, then the third year again. Our straight leader is much of a two-story type, for, by keeping the entire centre thinned out well when they bear, it opens up like the open head method, still getting the required support Question. How high is the first tier above ground"^ Mr. Cohill. Start them about 18 inches. Do not let them <^o straight out, make them slants ^ Question. How are you going to help it after they beein to bear? - ^ Mr. Cohill. This can be avoided, to a certain extent, by proper pruning I am going to give a table that we followed for our priin- mg as closely as possible for the first four years, using a strai-ht leader as a standard. ' & t, First Year. The first year consists of pruning done when the trees are planted but if any new shoots tend to make the tree u-isvmmetrical the tips should be pinched off in the summer to check their grosyth Ihis summer pinching of symmetrical shoots should be done when- ever necessary in the following years. Second Year. Cut out all surplus branches and prune back the foundation branches from one-third to one-half their growth, making the tree symmetrical and leaving the central leader shoots longer than the others. Avoid crotches, as they will surely split later and ruin the trees. Third Year. Do not let two branches cross or rub, and if twigs have grown on the foundation branches near the trunks do not disturb them except to cut back several buds to induce fruit spurs 95 Fourth Year. Until the trees begin to bear the foundation branches should be cut back annually to make them short and strong to support heavy loads of fruit in the future. After fruiting begins not much pruning .is necessary, except to thin out surplus growth and keep the tree symmetrical. In cutting or sawing off all limbs the cut should be made close so as not to leave a stub. This is very im- portant for wounds properly pruned heal over readily, while stubs seldom heal, thus decaying into the trunk is the result of weakening and injury to the tree. Another very common mistake is ])runing from the bottom up, but this should not be done. Prune from the top down. Fertilization. We get our fertilization in the form of manure, cover crops, and commercial fertilizer. We have excellent railroad facilities, having a siding of the W. ^\. R. R. right in our orchard. The most of our fertilizer is gotten in the form of manure, bought in the cities of 1 lagerstown, Washington and IJaltimore, in carload lots, and our teams are kept busy hauling from January to Alarch, or up until spraying season for scale. There were three cars standing on the siding when I left home, and the teams are now busy spread- ing it about the orchard. During these months vye have quite a little sledding snow, which is the best time for hauling heavy loads, so we get an un- usually heavy sui)])ly during good sledding. It is best handled in Gondola cars which average alxiut 30 tons. Question. What does your manure cost you? Mr. Cohill. Cannot say exactly but I think, at least, several dollars ])er ton. Question. Is it worth it? Mr. Cohill. Yes. The results prove it to be. Question. How many tons to the acre? Mr. Cohill. About eight or ten good wagon or sled loads, or ten forks- full to the tree. Question. Do you use any other form of fertilizer? Mr. Cohill. Yes. Cover crops and commercial fertilizer. If you have an orchard which re([uires a lot of cultivation and spray- ing, there should be two separate gangs to look after it. Both must be done thoroughly. Scale Spraying. Spraying for San Jose scale is the next work of importance with us, which we start* just as soon as weather conditions permit, and ])ush this work very hard in order to get our teams started on cultivation. If there is such a thing as a commercial orchard of any size being free from scale, I think we have one, for the State Entomologist and State Horticulturist, as well as the state orchard inspectors, go through our orchards every year and make close ob- ^^^ 96 servations and have reported free from scale. We spray annually as a preventive iismg concentrated lime and sulphur i to 8. There IS only one way in which to keep your orchard free and that is to spray every year and do it thoroughly. Just as soon as spraying is completed we start on our cultiva- tion. This year we expect to greatly increase our stock and run a separate crew of cultivators and sprayers, for cultivating really should be started when spraying starts, if the soil is in condition, and to get perfect apples it requires at least three sprayings Previ- ous to this, one force of teams have done the work, as the amount of fruit has not justified so many sprayings. Horses vs. Mules. The first thing of importance in cultivation, and in fact all orchard work where stock is required, is to select the animal to do the work, and we find the good mule our best friend in that re- spect. Emphasis on the good, for usually when vou speak of a qood ;/////r people laugh. A great many people do not know a mule only as a kicker, balker, and an animal with all sorts of bad faults but let me tell you we have a lot of good big mules that have no tricks and beat the horse at every stage of the game. We started with big horses and are replacing with big mules our experience with them prove these advantages. They eat less feed, they do almost twice the work on hot sum- mer days. A man can kill a horse in summer on a hot day but the mule can kill the man. They will stand rough treatment by in- different drivers, just like a goat in getting over rough rock— breaks and new grounds, and are just as good on the road. These quali- ties are what a fruit grower wants, and a qood big mule will fill the bill. Spraying for the Protection of the Apple. The codling moth is one of the most serious insect pests the fruit grower must combat. Data collected bv the Government and btate Experiment Stations have found that from forty to sixty per cent of the annual yield is injured bv the codling moth, which makes the fruit unfit for a market, and some almost worthless for home use. While a large number of up-to-date orchardists do spray for the pest, a vast majority do not appreciate the extent of the injury it causes. The first spraying for the codling moth should be just as soon as the petals begin falling and before the lobes of the calyx draw together This period of time is about ten days. Have a good mouthful of poison there when the larvae attempts to enter the Mr. Grove. How about spraying when in full bk)om? Mr. Cohill. We have never done that, and I could not tell you of the result. 97 Question. What kind of spray material do you use for scale? Mr. Cohill. We use lime-sulphur, but there are other prepa- rations that can be used just as successfuly. Prof. Surface. How do you dilute Lime-Sulphur for sum- mer spraying? Mr. Cohill. For coddling moth 1^2 gallons of concentrated so- lution I to 8 to 50 gallons of water used with Arsenate of Lead. Two pounds of Arsenate of Lead is universally recommended applied along with ij^ gallons of concentrated Lime and Sulphur. We used this preparation as recommended by Prof. W. M. Scott, Pathologist, Department of Agriculture, with exceedingly good re- sults. We also made the second spraying for codling moth ten days later. Cutivation. On account of the location of the Tonoloway orchards, on such hilly and rolling land, the practice of cultivation will need to be modified because they cannot be handled like an orchard on level ground. In hilly or mountainous orchards clean cultivation can- not be safely adopted, on account of the danger of serious washing away of soil, unless furrows are plowed following the contour of the land, to check this washing. We plow strips wide enough to cultivate with a harrow on each side of the tree, along the rows, in the spring and cultivate until July 15th or 1st of August. After thoroughly cultivating these strips, every other middle may be plowed, leaving one solid and one cultivated. The following year plow up the remaining middles and leave the other down in clover crop ; these strips prevent wash- ing. There isn't any land too steep to practice clean tillage by this method. After harrowing down, the fertilizer can be applied and a cover crop sown. Mr. Roberts. What kind of harrow do you use? Ans. We use a spring-tooth harrow. Question. How do you harrow the lower side of the trees on the hillside? Ans. That is a job. Go through on each side of your row with the harrow then zigzag in and out. R. M. Eldon. Have you ever tried a spring-tooth harrow on the hillside? Mr. Cohill. Yes. And I have seen it done. R. M. Eldon. It is less painful to have the hired man do it than to do it yourself. Prof. Surface. How close do you harrow to the tree? Mr. Cohill. Right up to it. There is no uncultivated ground under the trees. Question. Do you skin the trees? Mr. Cohill. Sometimes a careless workman may do a great amount of injury. This should be closely watched. W. H. Black. Do you practice that with a large tree? Mr. Cohill. Yes, where proper pruning has been done. 98 Mr. Snyder. How do you plan to plow under trees? Mr Cohill. Have an exi)erience(l man as leader, to plow the first furrow, one who is reliahle and careful not to bruise the tree. He can plow with one hand under the trees. It is rather trouble- some. C. A. Griest. How much spread of limbs have your eight- vear-old trees? Mr. Cohill. In some ])laces they touch, planted 20 feet apart. It takes width of two harrows on each side for cultivation. Prof. Surface.. Do you turn the groutid toward the tree, or use the hillside ])low ? Mr. Cohill. One year we turn toward the trees, another year away from the trees. If the land is steep, plow the lower side of tree row up the hill every year. On one farm we turned the ground toward the tree for seven years, with the result that the ground was piled high about the trees. They grew very little this summer, leaves were not bright. Mr. Rinehart. What kei)t them from growing? Mr. Cohill.We think the ground ])l()wed u]) around the trunk of the trees kei)t the air circulation away from the roots. Cover Crops. For cover cro])s we »se crimson clover, red clover and cow peas, using cow peas for a summer cover crop, and crimson clover and red clover mixed, on alternating years for our winter cover. I have with me a written account of the cost of maintaining (of what we think an ideal 30-acre a])ple orchard) for the first eight vears, with details of cultivation, cover crops, fertilizer, pruning and spraying, and would be glad to show it to anyone interested. (Ed. — Statement reproduced at end of this paper). A great many com])laints are made by growers of their cover crops not taking, and the trouble usually lies in the ground not be- ing properly pre])ared, and also if the ground is dry the seeding should be delayed until rain comes. Crimson clover especially will not germinate in dry soil. Run the harrow just ahead of the sower, not a week ahead, nor two days ahead, but the same day. C. J. Tyson. Do you cover the seed? Mr. Cohill. You can use a harrow to do that but we don't usually practice that. The important thing in my mind is getting the ground in shape and sowing at the proper time. Good Roads. T don't know how strong Adams county is for good roads. Good roads are an absolute necessity to the fruit grower, so when it is too wet to cultivate, make a good road tiirough your orchard to the ])acking house. Get out your neighbors and everybody help repair the county road to your railroad station. You had better look after this because bumping over only a few stones to the sta- tion will ruin vour fruit for market. 99 If you have a dirt road, get the county's road plow, a road scoop, and level up with split road drag. In the spring or early summer is the best time. Peaches. Although we only advertise our apples, we have 3,000 peach trees, all bearing, and from these we shipped 20 carloads this season, nearly all Elbertas and Billyeus— I shall, however, leave the peach story to Mr. Newcomer to tell the Association about the noted l)eaches of Washington county, Md. W. W. Boyer. Should IJillyeu be planted on low ground? Mr. Cohill. I should not advise Billyeus being planted on low land. Our elevation is 1,100 feet. Mr. Anderson. Do you use peaches as fillers? Mr. Cohill. We have but would never do it again. There is one thing we have had experience with in peach busi- ness, namely, using ])eaches as fillers in an apple orchard, and I certainlv would not advise anyone to do it. Mr. Keller. Why? Mr. Cohill. Because, in the first place, the trouble this year has been with the curculio, with us. I would never do it again for a number of reasons of which 1 think curculio is the most im- portant. Drive it off your peaches and it goes on the apples. We lost 90 i)er cent, of our ai)ple crop mixed in with the peaches. They require different cultivation and different spraying. Disadvantages. Greatest disadvantage is curculio which over-balanced any other advantage. The profit of our peach crop was reduced by the loss from stung ai)ples caused by curculio. Spray peach and he goes to a])])le. Early apples are better than ])eaches. R. M. Eldon. Do your peach trees overgrow the apple trees? Mr. Cohill. Our peach trees are now mixed with apple trees, a])ples 5 40 feet apart with peach fillers and at 7 years old they are coming together. C. A. Griest. What fertilizer does it require to grow peaches? Mr. Cohill. I do not remember and I did not put it down in my notes as I did not expect to talk about peaches. Will leave that to Mr. Newcomer. After there has been so much work and care to grow the fruit to perfection, the important features in harvesting the crop in- clude i)icking, grading, ])acking and erecting and maintaining a standard all combined to yield the largest net profits to the grower. Picking. It has come to be regarded among good orchardists, as im- portant not to bruise an apple as it is not to break an egg. Careful handling of the fruit is the first essential to good prices. Good packing can be brought about by careful picking. The fruit must ►( II lOO be ])icke(l at the right time, and handled with great care in getting it to the i^acking house. Do not pick all the fruit at one picking. This hokls true with nearly all varieties for if the small apples are left upon the tree they will often increase in size enough to make A No. I fruit. In i)icking, see that the whole stem is removed and without breaking off the fruit spur, as the future crop may be in- jured. Keej) the fruit out of the rain and hot sun. Mr. Newcomer. ]4ow far ai)art were your pickings? Mr. Cohill. Depending upon weather conditions, about ten days to two weeks. We use a i)icking bag and pour the fruit into a lined box made of special chn-ability, with sawed out hand-holes to lift by. Make the box to fit the wagon bed with a double decker type. Grading. We have not ado])te(l the box i)ack as yet, for the barrel has been exceedingly i)rofitable for us, although we expect to put up some boxes next year. The company thinks as long as they get $4.00 to $5.50 per barrel it beats the box. Solid cars of our Jona- thans reached tiie i)rice of $5.50 i)er barrel shipped direct from the orchard as soon as i)icked, to Xew York. We i)ack three grades of barrels, fancy, Xo. i and No. 2's. The fancy and Xo. I's ha^e a label of the orchard company, while the Xo. 2's have no identification, but marked plainly a No. 2. The fancy is a large uniform, well colored aj)i)le of the variety, while the >so. I is of a smaller uniform size, well colored, all larger than 2>^ inches. The value of accurate grading of fruit to a uniform size and a])pearance, is the selling factor of any package, be it a barrel or a box. Worming Trees. This is one of the utmost imi)ortance to a young orchard. The best time to worm is in May or Se])tember ; we worm our trees every year in the early fall. This busy little worm does a great deal of damage, and by the time we get around to him he has done what he thinks his duty in killing the trees. Washing the young trees with whale-oil soa]) is the next fall A\brk. This has a tendency to keep rabbits from tearing the tree, and is very effective against San Jose scale, and also makes the trunk and limbs clean and sm(X)th. Dilute 2 pounds of whale-oil soap to 1 gallon of water, boiling the soap until dissolved and applv to the tree, either by si)raying or put on with a whitewash brush, over the trunk, fork and main limbs. I note with interest what Mr. Frazer tells about whale-oil soap controlling the worm. We have used whale-oil soap a number of years, both fall and spring, and, though it might have effect on them during egging, I think you will find the worm there just the same. This completes the year's work, as this brings us within a few days of Christmas, and work is closed until the first of the year. So our only vacation is during the holidays. lOI •ORCHARD EXPENSE STATEMENT FOR 7 YEARS.* E. P. COHII^L. The following detailed statement by Mr. E. P. Cohill, Hancock, of his sevfen-year-old thirty-acre orchard is most valuable as a guide for Western Maryland. This orchard was handled as follows: First Year. — Xarrow strips cultivated along tree rows and cowpeas grown in middles. Second Year. — Same as first year except that crimson clover was grown instead of cowpeas. Third Year. — Same as second year. Fourth Year. — All of the ground cultivated until August when red clover seed was sown. Fifth and Sixth Years. Strips cultivated along tree rows and red ck)ver left .on middles until August when all of the ground was plowed and seeded to red clover. Seventh Year. — All of the ground cultivated until August 15 when red clover seed was sown. Two hundred pounds per acre of a mixture of 12 ])er cent, phosphoric acid and 5 per cent, potash, were a])plied August 1 5. I logs were pastured in the orchard from May i to November I during the first six years. Mr. Cohill states that the manure and clover i)lowe(l under in this orchard have increased the value of the land at least twenty dollars per acre. There are 3,000 trees set 20 feet apart each way in the 30 acres. They were planted in Xovember, 1902, and April, 1903. Labor is figured at 15 cents per hour. Statement by Mr. E. P. Cohill, Hancock. .3,000 trees at 12c $ 360.00 Plowing before i)lanting r 72.00 1st year. 1903. Fertilizer and Tobacco Dust 25.00 Planting 63.00 Manure 7S-00 Cultivating 215.00 Covv|)eas and Clover seed 78.00 By 1 log ])asture, 84.00 2nd year, 1904. Cultivating 178.00 Manure 67.00 Pruning 12.00 V>y 1 log ])asture 96.00 ^d year, 1905. Cultivating 225.00 ATanure 120.00 Pruning 26.00 IJy Hog pasture, 100.00 *From Bulletin No. 144, "Apple Culture", Maryland Agri. Exp. Station, Page 262. 102 4th year. 1906. Cultivating, ' 318.00 ]\Ianure, 125.00 Pruning, 12.00 Clover seed, i7-00 By Hog pasture 171.00 5th year, 1907. Cultivating 260.00 :\lanure i35-00 Pruning 22.00 Spraying 86.00 r.y Hog pasture 150.00 By Apples and Cider, 65.00 6tli yeaF. 1908. tullivating 367.00 ^Manure 60.00 Pruning 20.00 Spraying and material 225.00 r>y Hog pasture 141.00 By 150 bbls. Apples and Cider, 308.00 Clover seed 24.00 Picking, packing and handling ai)])les, 63.00 7th year, 1909. Cultivating -r 165.00 [Manure, 115.00 Pruning 17.00 Spraying and material 293.00 Fertilizers, 78.00 Picking, packing and handling 255.00 By Hog pasture 192.00 By 850 bbls. Apples and Cider, 1.952.00 $3,259.00 $4,173-00 These figures show that uj) to the end of the seventh year the orchard has not been self-supporting by $914.00, yet if we consider the increased value of the land, due to manure and cover crops, at $20.00 per acre the deficit is reduced to $314.00. Some old apple trees on land purchased by ^^r. Cohill several years ago have produced a full crop of a|)])les each year for the last five years. Another orchardist in Washington County makes the following statement from memory as he has not kept accurate records : The trees cost $4.80 i)er acre and the planting $1.00 per acre. Crops were grown among the trees for the first five years and about paid the rurming ex])enses of the orchard. l>en Davis began to bear at eight years and York at twelve years of age. At the present time one-half of the orchard is twenty-one years old and the other half eighteen years and the most ])rofitable crop brought $150.00 per acre while the average income is about $90.00 ])er acre. The crop is good on bearing years and al)out one-fourth of a crop on off years. S])raying costs Si 5.00 per acre, pruning $1.50, picking, etc., $16.00 annually. 103 Mr. Lupton. The beauty of this fruit growing business of ours, Mr. President, is that no two of us agree. Mr. Cohill seems to think that the future of apple growing is going to be in the hands of commercial or company orchardists. My belief is that it is the reverse that is likely to happen. It seems to me as soon as fruit growing gets beyond a man's personal attention he runs up against obstacles that are almost unsurmountable. My own belief is that the small grower, the man who has 10 acres in orchard, will be the man who will look after the best trade and get the fancy prices. We large growers will have to take ours to the cider-mill or to the canners. 1 feel like encouraging the small grower. I differ with Mr. Cohill in another particular. I think we should not plant (irimes Golden too freely. There is no question as to its quality, but it is universally conceded to be a shy bearer compared with York Imperial and some other varieties. To make the same amount of money out of Grimes Golden as York Imperial you would have to get twice as much per barrel. You have Stayman Winesap here that is worthy of going on the exhibition table anywhere. Very much better than those I brought up from Winchester. We have small lots of Grimes Golden all over the County of Frederick. We had a considerable output of Grimes this year, and they were very fine but the increase price was not enough to justify planting largely, then again the tree is subject to a blight that kills it anywhere from 10 to 15 years. Even as a filler, the disposition of the tree to be a shy bearer is a disadvantage. Many of our people are thinking highly of the Duchess. Our experience with the Duchess is very limited, planting so recently that on that point my own information is not worth much, but still our people are very much in favor of the Duchess. . Question. Would you think it worth while to work Gnmes on York Imperial? Mr. Lupton. I know so little about working one variety on another, that is, which variety is best to top work on another va- riety, that I hesitate to answer. You will have to get the advice of some expert in the Agricultural Department. My practice of planting trees in the fall is not so good as Mr. Cohill's. I always try to dig the holes so as to have them ready when the trees come. I never heel in the trees if I can help it. Plant right in the ground as soon as I get them, and plant deep and well. Question. Do you think it would be an advantage to soak the roots long enough to revive the trees? Mr. Lupton. I do not know just how much reviving they need, just how long they have been out of the ground. It might do to drop them in a puddle and leave them there a few minutes. I want to get them in the ground as soon as possible. I hardly be- lieve, for small ])lantings as most of us are likely to do, that it is necessary to dig the holes until we get the trees. Question. Is it an advantage to have dry soil or wet soil for planting? Mr. Lupton. It has been our experience to have the ground fairly dry, otherwise our clay soils are apt to bake. , ) I I04 THE PROCESS OF DILUTION OF CONCENTRATED LIME-SULPHUR SOLUTION. 105 ProI'. J. P. Stewart. J The following description and data are from Bulletin No. 99 of the Pennsylvania Experiment Sta- tion prepared hy Prof. J. P. Stewart, whose work has heen so beneficial to orchardists : THE HYDROMETER. This is an instrument much like that used in testing acids in dairy work, but with a wider range, and is used in determining the density of the con- centrate preparatory to the dilution. These instru- ments are made in two scales, the specific gravity and the Beaume, both of which may be placed on the same instrument. Densities are expressed by the former in decimals and by the latter in degrees. The Beaume scale is somewhat easier to read, but the other is more convenient to use, inasmuch as the re- quired dilutions can be obtained more directly from it. A desirable range is from 1,000 to 1.32 or 1.35 on the specific gravity scale or from o to 35 degrees or 3S degrees Beaume. Such instruments have been put up according to these specifications and are de- scri])ed herein. They are simple in use and indis- pensable in the accurate dilution of concentrated so- lutions. THE PROCESS^ OF DILUTION. r \ In the application of any concentrate, either home-made or commercial, it is essential that a definite method of dilution be followed. Two solutions may look exactly alike and yet differ widely in density, so that any accurate method must be based primarily on the density of the concentrate that is being diluted. Moreover,, we believe that recommendations based on the density of diluted spray are preferable to those based on the number of dilutions', even when accompanied by a statement of the concentrate's density. Accurate dilution is very simple a.nd easily accomplished with the aid of a hydrometer having a spccilic gravity scale. (The presence of foreign soluble materials or of much roily sediment in the sample will vitiate the test, a fact which must be taken into account — the former especially in solutions of unknown preparation. Also, for exact work the temperature of the con- centrate should be within about 10° of that stated on the outside of the instrument.) Sprays of any desired density may be obtained from any com- centrate by simply getting the reading of the concentrate and dividing the decimal of thvs reading by the decimal of the sprav desired. For example, if the reading of the concentrate is 1.27 (about 31° Beaume), to get a spray of 1.03 density we divide the .27 by .03 and obtain 9, which is the number of dilutions required and which of course is obtained bv adding (-/>/// volumes of water. In this ve are simply applying the general'fact that the density of the solution heavier than water varies inversely with the number of dilutions. Adams County York Tmpkrlxls — ''None Better Grown." POTATO GROWING IN YOUNG ORCHARDS. Samukl Frazkr, Orchardist, Gcncsco, N. Y, The question of growing a crop in an orchard is one which we can discuss and probably agree to disagree u])on. The prime object in growing potatoes is to make money. I am informed that your value of land is from $50.00 to $70.00 an acre. Your average yield of potatoes is somewhere near 90 bushels. So far as the value of the land is concerned you would be perfectly safe in using it for ])otato-growing. In fact, any land which will grow a good crop of potatoes and is under $200.00 an acre in value may be used for that cro]), while if the same land should rise in value so that it is worth $300.00 or $400.00 ])er acre and the yield should not be in- creased it is doubtful whetlier ])otatoes could be erown at a profit. We have then one other factor to consider and that is the question of yield. Ts it adecpiate to cover the cost of production? How much does it cost to produce an acre of potatoes? After you have ])aid this item and the rent and the interest on the money have you anything left? If you have not there is no use growing potatoes. In this cro]) you have to compete with many sections which are particularly adapted to Dotato-c:rowing. For instance, Northern New York, Maine and parts of New England, so far as the main crop is concerned. In regard to early varieties. You are in competition with other states. It is a ciuestion for each one to find out whether potato-growing is profitable for themselves. If potato-growing is 1(1 I 06 not ill itself profitable then it certainly should not be nut in an orchard with the idea of ^ettin^ a certain sum back t a th orchard expenses. It is quite possible that you could charge oft $8.00 an acre from the working expenses to trees, but I consider It IS really unwise to try and grow the potatoes close to the trees 1 would certainly leave 4 feet, the next year 6 feet, and later ei^ht feet on each side of the row of trees. If the orchard be plai fed ^ h lers there is so little land left that I doubt whether it will pay Orchards are worth so much more than potatoes that 1 would seri- crop in them. If the money crop grown is highly productive Jeter Or'' ^^^^./^Jj^^^vily upon the soil I thhik it\youid be better. Or again, it might be better to run the orchards in the ex- tensive fashion, vyithout a crop and concentrate on three of four acres on some other part of the farm and in this way earn su - ficient money to carry the orchard. Or, we can look af the matter ni another light, and that is, one which I use in almost all other crops, namely, you determine first whether you have or can secure enough money to grow the crop until harvest. If you undertake o grow radishes you may have to wait but six weeks; if you at- rvon nl^T ^'^'''^'' r' "'^>; ^'^^' ^^ ^^^^ ^^"^ «^ five months: It you plan to grow apples you have to wait six or seven years I thmk It xyould be better to look at the subject from a business stand- cron Zu i7- '^ ^'1 T''^^' ?^''^^ ""^^ ^'' ^^^"^^ ^^>^ to carry the crop until It IS ready to produce some revenue, and devote all the energy of the land to that crop. I hoped at one time that I could do otherwise but I have been forced to this position by experience 1 realize that my experience may be decidedly different from that of yours in this locality, and flierefore, hesitate to advise you whether you should or should not grow potatoes in a youn- or- chard. In some sections of New York our growers report adverse- ly on growing potatoes, especially in peach orchards. They have had such poor results that they consider that they have lost two or hree years growth of the trees, owing to the iiifluence of the po- tatoes upon the peach trees; and if a potato crop makes $10.00 per acre, net, it is doing well, and in some cases we may get $2000 or more net; but should that be secured by the loss of one peach crop or one apple crop we have a very large contra-account ; for the one apple or peach crop will probably be worth as much money to us as five potato crops. Then, agrain, when a man is working potatoes there is a tendency to sacrifice the trees, which does not happen when there is no crop being grown. Another point with us IS that we need organic matter in the soil, and are not able to secure enough to grow profitable crops of potatoes unless we have a rota- tion of perhaps clover or meadow one or two years in four and the orchard does not lend itself very well to such a practice. To return to our first question that of cost of production it miglit be wise to take one other crop as a sample The V S De partment of Agriculture has been determining the cost of produc- tion of certain crops in AFinncsota and they find that it costs about $6.00 an acre for labor, teams, seed, etc., to produce a crop of wheat. J his does not include any charge for rent If now the 107 land be worth $50.00 an acre it would take $3.00 an acre to pay the interest on the $50.00; therefore, this is a legitimate rental and would bring the cost of production to $9.00. If the land be worth $150.00 an acre our renial would be not $3.00 but $9.00 and our cost of production would be $15.00. If we secure no more yield on the $150.00 land than we do on the $50.00 we find it would become unprofitable to try and grow wheat; for with an average yield of 14 bushels at $1.00 per bushel there would be nothing but loss; so that we may say that with our present mode of farming no man can attem])t to try and grow a profitable average crop of wheat on land worth more than $100.00 an acre. He simply must cast round for some other type of farming. Our potato-growing involves a larger outlay for labor than wheat-growing. The im- portant thing to remember is that rent should not constitute more than a certain ])ercentage of the total cost, so that any crop which involves considerable labor can be grown on higher priced land than a crop which involves little labor, and we find that potato- growing has its limit, that is, about $300.00 per acre. In other words, we cannot afford to pay more than $18.00 an acre rent for land for potato-growing, and with average yields, no man could af- ford to pay this. Xo 90-bushel crop of potatoes could aft'ord such a sum, in fact, it could not afford to pay much more than $3.00 or $4.00 rent. Orchard land on the other hand, with the large amount of labor involved and large amount expended for packages, frequent- ly running to $100.00 per acre or more, can pay a higher rent than potato-growing, and yet, not have the rent a higher percentage of the total expense. So that we are really trying to grow a crop of fruit trees which will warrant the expenditure of a considerable sum of money in order to secure returns as soon as possible, and, at the same time, trying to devote part of the same land to a crop which will not warrant any such exi)en(liture. This, however, is but one way in which the two crops conflict. The growing of po- tatoes gives no opportunity for the incorporation of a large quan- tity of organic matter. C. J. Tyson. Our method is to grow an early crop of potatoes this year and then seecj the land to crimson clover and the clover is turned in the following spring and that year a late variety of potatoes is ])lante(l, the land being seeded to rye after this, which is in turn ])lowed under and the following year the system is con- tinued. In this way we incorporate organic matter and can grow our orchards. Mr. F. I am glad Mr. Tyson gave this, because it shows a method which has been evolved to meet this situation, and it really comes back to each individual to determine whether it pays or not. I merely state the question as I see it and then want you to figure it out for yourselves. I would like to give the figures which have been issued by the U. S. Department of Agriculture in regard to the cost of growing potatoes without fertilizer in Minnesota. The statistics given in the table were collected from a large potato and grain farm in Clay county. Northwestern Minnesota, where 300 to 400 acres of potatoes are grown annually. During the II io8 years 1902-7 no fertilizers were used. These figures allow no charge for superintendence, which might be permitted to pass on a small farm where the farmer worked himself, but would be a factor on a large farm. Cost of Producing Potatoes on Unfertilized Land. Seed (12. 1 bus.) o Plowing, *'.'.'.'.*."* ^ "^ Harrowing ^'^E^ Cutting seed, -^ ^ Planting, V.V.V.V.V.".' .' .' '^^ Weeding (horse weeder), ............'.'. f^^ Cultivating, 3 times [[[[ '^-^ Spraying, 3 times, '^^-^ Paris green, '^o~^ Bluestone, ^ q Digging, ......'. -^^^ Picking up 127 bus. at S'A per bu. and' board, *■:■'.'.■." l'^ Haulmg and storing, ^^"^ Machinery cost, ^^ Land rental, ... . ^^ 3.000 26.366 The actual cost of production was 21 cents per bushel. It is not stated whether the alx)ve yield was total crop or saleable, but If the former then the actual cost of saleable potatoes per bushel woidd be nearer 30 cents than 20 cents. I think you will agree that this cost is low. ^ Cost of Producing Potatoes on Fertilized Land. Spring plowing, ^ Harrowing, 4 times, ^-^17 Cost of seed ( 14.1 bus.), q-7^5 Cutting seed, 0.472 Treating seed '^^^ Corrosive sublimate, -'^^ Planting .....'..'.'.'.".*.'.'.' '^'^^ Fertilizers "^^ Weeding, twice, ^'^^ Cultivating, 3 times -^^7 Spraying, 4 times. . . ^-^^j Paris Green, ) -440 Lime, [- Bluestone, ) • ^-^^S I^'Rging Picking up 162 bus. at 3^c per'bu.' and board; : '. '. l^X iiauling, stormg and sorting, ^'^^"^ Macbinery cost, .' 33^ 7 Land rental . -^^ 3.000 37.721 The interesting thing, however, is the fact that even when ferti- lizers were apolied the cost of growing a bushel was greater bv 2/^ cents per bushel than when no fertilizer was applied The in- crease was not sufficient to pay for the cost of the fertilizer. An- other point IS that not all of the gain is saleable. T do not sup- pose the saleable potatoes were produced for less than 30 cents 109 per bushel. Do you think you can produce them for less? This last year in New York State we are being offered anywhere from 25 to 35 cents per bushel for our potatoes. You cannot grow them for that money; our yield is not high enough. If you secure 100 bushels i)er acre of which 80 are marketable, and vou get 50 cents per bushel you have $40.00 ])er acre. Personally, I cannot grow potatoes for less than $50.00 per acre, and the Maine Station find that it costs them $69.00 per acre, but under their conditions even this expenditure was profitable at 50 cents per bushel, but not at 30 cents. Ten-acre Field. Plowing at $2.00 per acre, Harrowing, 5 times, $3.00 per acre, Fertilizer (borne mixture), $30.00 per ton, Seed ( 130 bus.) at 75c per bu., Disinfecting seed (la])or and material), Cutting seed (by hand) at 6c per bu., Planting, team and 2 men, 3 days, $5.00 Harrowing or weeding before crop is up, 4 times, Cultivating crop, 8 times, at $3-50» ; • • •. Spraying, 6 times, ($1.00 per acre each application) Hand hoeing and pulling weeds once (if necessary), Digging and hauling to storehouse or station at $15.00 per acre, Rent of land (5 per cent, on $50.00 per acre value), 10 acres, Depreciation of implements (plows, harrows, planter, sprayer, digger, etc.), value $250.00 at 10 per cent., Value of crop, 225 bus. per acre, (2,250 bus. at 50c), Value, per acre Cost of growing, per acre, $112.50 69.93 $20.00 17.50 225.00 97^0 3.00 7.80 15.00 10.50 28.00 60.00 15.00 150.00 25.00 25.00 $699.30 $1,125.00 Net profit per acre $ 42-59 It will be seen that it cost 31 cents per bushel to produce the above crop. Just determine the actual cost and see if the business l)ays, whether it is worth bothering^ with. Tf it will not pay to grow ])otatoes alone it will not pay to bring them into the orchard. Member. How much commercial fertilizer will vou use? Mr. F. We have generally applied about 10 tons of manure with 600 pounds of mixed fertilizer made up of 100 pounds of sulphate of ammonia, 400 of acid phosphate, 100 of muriate of potash. We prefer the sulphate of ammonia to nitrate of soda. Member. If the crop costs as much to grow as we get out of it, may the gain be said to be the cultivation and growth of the orchard ? Mr. F. We think if the trees be given a space of from 4 to 8 feet on each side of the trees from the first year to the fourth that it would be legitimate to charge $8.00 per acre of the total expense against the field to trees. There is one thing vou must remember, and that is, that we cannot incorporate the organic matter so well in the future as we can when the trees are young. You cannot grow it under the trees when the trees are well grown. no Mr. Cohill. Do you think the potatoes have any effect upon the fruit? Mr. F. I do not know. I stated that it has been reported to have an injurious effect upon peach tres. I have not seen it upon apple trees. Mr. Cohill. We have allowed our men to grow i)otatoes among some apple trees and it seems to have had a bad effect upon the trees and the fruit. Mr. Newcomer. What would you suggest growing with fruit? You want to make it self-supporting. Mr. F. 1 have tried growing crops to make it self-supporting, but have sto])ped. I tried potatoes one year, the next year grow- ing a cover croj) and then the third vear growing potatoes. They have just about paid their way and that involves a certain amount more work for nothing. Mr. Anderson. Is there danger of fire blight due to the in- crease from fertilizers or i)utting too much fertilizer on the land? Mr. F. There is not with us. On a large proportion of the land we plant in New York it is necessary to bring the land up. I know that on sandy land in New Jersey there is much danger from fire blight if the trees be manured. We try to get the trees to grow all they will, and I hope to get them bearing as soon as we can. If they can be made to bear at six years, I would rather have them do so, even if their life be reduced to 30 or 40 years. I think it will be better than to have the trees act as they have for some of my neig^hbors, that is, growing and never bearing any apples until 20 and the main consolation they have is that they will leave something to their grandchildten. T want them to do some- thing while I am alive, so that I can spend the money, rather than grow it for some other man to s])end. I want them to be of some use to me. The tree then is my crop. I find 1 am not big enough to look after the trees and several other crops at the same time, or else I am too lazy, so I am cutting out all of the extras that I possibly can. In years of plenty we are bound to meet European competi- tion. In England I have seen some farms which would turn off average yields of 750 bushels per acre. These were i)roduced so that everything over 25 cents per bushel was gain. They can afford to pay our duty of 25 cents per bushel and the low freight charges and com])ete with us as soon as our ])rices go up to 70 cents. The sea coast prices are never as high as those of St. Ivouis. This is one of the things we must consider in the potato-growing business. Three hundred bushels is as easily grown as too is with us. Dr. Stover. Do you sow buckwheat? Mr. F. Sometimes. Frecpiently we sow crimson clover, with red clover with it as a cover cro]) in our orchards. Mr. Fiddler. Tlow is a poor man going to grow trees without some crop between? Mr. F. The man must be a good financier. Do as the other men do in finance. When they have an idea and lack ca])ital ; float the proposition. Or else, develop some other part of the farm III and make it carry it; or get some other crop than potatoes. If potatoes cannot be grown ])rofitably, consider strawberries. Mr. Snyder. Do you ever have trouble with flea beetles on the apples? Mr. F. No, we never have. Mr. Snyder. We have had trouble from the flea beetles leav- ing the ])otatoes and attacking the foliage of the apples. Member. Is pear blight contagious? Mr. F. Yes. It can be transmitted from the pear to the apple. For instance, if a knife or saw or pruning shears are used to cut off an infected limb and are then used on the following tree the healthy tree may be inoculated. The tools should be disinfected in corrosive sublimate after each cut, or the cut should be disin- fected after it is made, whenever there is much fire blight preva- lent. One other difficulty in potato-growing among apples is that for potato production, the land should be plowed deeply. Ten inches of deep soil is none too much for good potatoes. By giving such a plowing, especially if we approach closely to the trees we may do considerable damage. Member. Is it better to grovy a])ples and ]K)tatoes with or- ganic matter than commercial goods? Mr. F. In my case 1 needed organic matter. The texture of the soil \yas not good enough and fertilizers would not improve it. The land had lieen rented for a number of years and had been skinned ; it needed humus. This took time to grow or else one would need to put on large quantities of manure. Then land tend- ed to bake, but as soon as it became enriched \yith organic matter the tendency to bake (lisa])peare(l. We needed organic matter both for a])])les and ])otatoes. Mr. Rinehart. Do you want i)lenty of organic matter for peaches ? Mr. F. We have not had any trouble in getting too much. I hesitate to answer the (piestion for you in that way, because my conditions are not yours, and I cannot form an opinion of what I should tell you. Member. How much wood do your trees grow in one year? Mr. F. Apples will make 3 to 4 feet of wood. Greening is one of our best growers. One of our g(XKl trees is about 8 feet in diameter at three years old. Other varieties, such as I lubbard- ston, Mcintosh and \\'agner are small grrowers and would not make anything like this growth. There is one other (|uestion and that is in regard to the sup])ly of seed. Whenever you ])ut more labor on a crop or you put more time in s])raying or ap])lv more fertilizer it must be paid for, but it costs no more to ])lant a potato which is ca])al)le of giving 200 bushels j)er acre than it does to plant one whose maximum is 100 bushels. We know there are individual potatoes whose maximum yield is, say one pound, and there are others which can give us five pounds, and yet occupy no more land. It would seem to me that if one is going into potato-growing it is necessary to grow some of the best individuals. I do not say best varieties, because in my ex])erience, there is just as much difference 112 between the yields of iiulivicluals in a variety as there is between the varieties themselves. Therefore, I would urge you to consider this question. The ability of the individual to produce a crop can be determined by trial. If you select i,ooo good potatoes or 500 the method of operation would be about as follows : Take a piece of land no better or worse than the average and prepare it the same as for the rest of the crop. Prepare to plant by hand. Take the tubers to the field, having them, say 8 ounces each, so that they will make 4 nice sized sets. Plant them, probably 15 inches a])art in the rows and leave a space of 18 or 20 inches between each four, that is, each individual potato will make 4 sets and will give you four plants. If you have 1,000 you will have 4,000 hills. By leaving a little space between every four there will be less lia- bility of mixing when digging. Cultivate and spray the crop as you have done before and plan to dig it by hand, throwing the four hills from each individual together so that it will make a thou- sand piles. Now, carefully go over each and throw out all the ]X)or hills. Put all the good ones into individual bags or weigh them in the field, probably 10 will be found to produce a heavier yield than any others. These should be kept bv themselves and all of the crop planted in a row, so that we have 10 rows, each ])lanted with the progeny of one individual. If they continue to yield well these can be saved, but probably one or two may loose in vigor. They will need to be dropped. Those which hold up can be kept and put into a multiplying plot until enough can be secured for seed. If this be ke])t u]) each year one will increase the productive power of his strain of potatoes. It has been shown by this means that the yield can be increased considerably. There is one difficulty which immediately comes in in regard to the fruit grower turning potato grower. He probably intends to be a fruit grower and is merely using potatoes as a stop-jyap for a little while, and there- fore, it does not ap])eal to him to go ahead and reach the summit of the potato-growing profession, and it may not appear to be worth while to undertake such a piece of work as this outlined. This is one of the difficulties of the situation and one of the reasons why I feel that I cannot look after more than one or two things and need to contract rather than spread myself out over more. To l>e a success all one needs is to be able to grow one variety of one crop better than anvbodv else. There is one other problem, that is the securing of a good saw for prunine. We have had considerable difficulty but think we have a good tool now in the No. 20 Disston Pruning Saw. It is a modified Xo. 7 Ship Can^enter's Saw, which this firm has kindly changed at the suegestion of myself and others. We think it is a good tool. At the point it is but an inch wide, the back is hol- lowed ; it is 26 inches long and has the largest handle ever ])ut on a saw, so that a man can use it with his mitten on his hand. -I «■ ••r -mm^ 113 Adams County Strawberkiks are Bicautifui. and Delicious. CO-OPERATION IN MARKETING APPLES. Hon. S. L. Luptox, Winchester, Va. Your president has invited me to talk to you this afternoon on **Co-operation in Marketing Apples,'' and, as on day before yester- day, I think I will ask to modify the program and call my talk, **Co-o])eration in Orcharding." Co-operation extends all through the business of orcharding, not only in the marketing of the fruit but in the growing of the orchard as well. I do not know just why your president wanted this discussion this afternoon unless because you have failed, in your attempts at practical organization as we have done in X'irginia, or unless you have tried and succeeded, as we have not done in \ irginia. Mr. Cohill thinks the small apple grower will be put out of business by the large company or syndi- cate orchards. I believe that, if his business is properly managed, the small fruit grower will, in the future, raise the best fruit and secure the larger returns, provided he secures proper organization. There is quite a difi'erence between fruit growing and ordinary farming. Most farmers consider fruit growing, to some extent, as a side issue. In the first place, if any of you gentlemen have 50 bushels of wheat or a load of corn to sell, you bring this grain to the market and you are certain to get the market price for that pro- duce. You knovy the ])rice of timothy hay. No matter how small your crop may be, and no matter how little pains you have taken to ascertain the price, you get the market price. That is not so in fruit growing. You raise your crop of fruit and you are ready to sell it, then it becomes at once a battle of wits between you and the buyer. You are at a loss whether to store, to sell it to a local buyer or ship it yourself. You have no notion where or to whom to ship. When you decide where to send the fruit you will likely strike the lowest market. Let us see in what way a fruit growers' organization can help us leaving out of consideration for the moment any question of selling the fruit. y : M :i :!' 114 A number of you niay be planting trees in the near future. You have no co-operation. Each man is selecting his own orchard site and his own trees. Wliat mistakes is he likely to make? First the mistake of location. Wliat way could co-operation help the orchardist in selecting a location for his orchard? I take it that perhaps you may have 150 acres of land and that you probably wish to plant part of that land in fruit trees. Whose advice are you going to take? It seems to me the question of location is such a very serious matter that it is going to involve your whole career as a fruit grower. If you have expert advice here in your county, well and good. The chances are, however, that you do not have, l^erhaps some of you do not agree with me in what I am about to say, but in view of the grave mistakes that I have made, 1 am very slow in taking any serious steps in advance without the advice of the Department of Agriculture, or the Experiment Station. Are you able as individ- uals to secure the services of an expert in soil conditions to come here and locate your orchard for you? You i\.'ouhi be in position to secure such advice if ten. twcntv or fiftv of you need his services at the same time. You could not secure such help without an or- ganization. Suppose, again, after selecting the site of your orchard, you are troul3led about where to buy the trees. What you are most interested in is getting a sound, healthy tree. You are pestered to death by peo])le who want to sell trees. You do not know whether to buy from a local nurseryman or from a nurseryman outside of the county or state. What are \iVA to do? Send for an expert again. Have this gentleman go to the nursery and select the trees. The large fruit grower can afford to do this. The small fruit grower cannot. 1 have been extremely fortunate in this regard, having spent the last twenty years in Washington. I have been able to secure the help of these men in my own individual work as I could not have secured it otherwise. The Government has a small experi- mental orchard ])lot on my jjlace, where they have been experi- menting three or four years. They tell me what fertilizer is to be ap])lied, the cover cro])s to be put on the land and tell me how to treat the trees. The result of that experiment on my place has been an eye- ()l)ener to me. A year ago the fruit growers in the immediate neighborhood around Winchester held a field meeting in my orchard along in September. It was a most satisfactory meeting, and wx were very much gratified indeed, that a great number of ladies came out from the citv of Winchester. When Dr. Waite wanted the ex])erimental block in my orchard I told him I would rather he would take some other man's orchard, because I did not want to be bothered. Ihit, owing to certain con- litions he thought he found there, he wanted to secure my place. The benefits have been so far in excess of any trouble that it would not do to mention it. After that meeting our fruit growers began to see things. 'V! tl ( 115 After we started picking apples it occurred to me to try an experiment Our apple pickers, about fifty in number, were iust ordmary labormg men, some could not read or write. Men who came down out of the mountains to help pick apples. I said to Ur. Waite, I am gomg to get all my laborers over here and let you lecture to them just like you did to the fruit growers Dr White iias a very peculiar facility for expressing himself, so that any sort of mtelligence can understand him. When the lecture began I saw at once that the men were intensely interested and every one of those men are better apple pickers to-day from that experience, tliey asked mtedigent questions and seemed to understand what was gomg on. So much for expert information. The small fruit growers get anxious about selling, they do not know what they will get for their fruit. They want to sell just as soon as they can. One of my neighbors will sell his apples on the 20th of August no matter what the price. If three or four more do that It breaks the market for the rest of us. It is customary with us to sell the fruit on the trees before picking time, usually contracting for the sale in August or September. One year when ten or twelve of us had about 25,000 barrels and we tried to organize, all we could get the growers to do was to sign a paper agreeing not to sell their apples before the first of September. After seven or eight or ten of us had signed up contro hng 20.000 or 25,000 barrels of apples, we carried that paper around the neighborhood to get some others not to sell their apples Ihe other growers said "Xo, we will not do that. We won't sign up with you because we may not be ready to sell when vou are ready and we do not know whether we want to take the price you do or not. ^ Then everyone of those small growers sUbsequentlv did in- dividually, what they refused to do collectively, that is they said, Ihose fellows have a big lot of fruit tied up until September i and we will just wait until they sell and we will get just as much as they will and not tie ourselves up either." Xobody did sell until after the ist of September. There were 60.000 barrels of app es sold on that one day. When the buyers had bought our apples they claimed to have enough apples. di■• J- ur ii6 of apples tied up. The result of thist co-operation was that the apple prices sprung from $2.25 and $2.50 to $3.00 and $4.00, al- though the two organizations really controlled very little fruit. You gentlemen are very much interested in spray materials at this time. 1 found you talking exactly like our own people talk. One gentleman was asking the price of some brand of material. Another was asking what his neighbor was going to pay for ''Scale- cide." Another one what his spray machinery was going to cost. So many people talking about the price of things and so few about the value of things. I wish our people would talk more about the value of things and less about the price. Fruit growing is not a cheaj) man's job. Why could not an organization help us in buying our si)ray material and machines. One of the things all of us of this section need most, is the co-operation of an organization that will confine us to a standard pack. Let us forget that we are going to sell this fruit at all. Get up a series of co-operative organizations. Have delegates of every organization meet together and decide what the ap])le pack would be. Down in \'irginia the ai)i)le buyers come from New Orleans and Xew York. Ten or fifteen were there in one season. Six were there yet when I left on Tuesday, of this week. One man came bring- ing five or six men with him and planning to hire fifteen or twenty more, llefore we knew it he had i)ickcd uj) six, eight or ten of our best workmen, and boomed the i)rice of our labor. It has gotten so now that it is difiicult to get experienced hel]) because these apple buyers i)ick them all up. An efficient organization could own or at least help this situation. I believe I am the only grower in Frederick county who does not have a man re])resenting the buyer come in his orchard to superintend the packing. Under no circumstances will I have an- other man to come in my orchard to suj^erintend my work. So far as I know, every man in the country permits a buyer's repre- sentative do this work. Please consider that these (|uestions have nothing to do with the price. Forget price for the moment and remember that if we grow the right sort of fruit and put it up right it will sell itself. We know what a tremendous development in fruit growing is taking ])lace out in the J^acific Northwest. It may be a great deal bigger from tliis point than if we were out there, but we know something about the character of their fruit, and the only thing that makes fruit growing possible in that country is the close ef- fective organization they have perfected. The object is to i)ut the small fruit grower on the same level with the large one, and by combining to standardize the i)acking and grading of fruit. I am quite sure that there is no sort of dis- position on the part of any of our people large or small, to be 'jeal- ous. We should get together for the one purpose of standardizing fruit i)acking and i)ackages of this whole eastern country, and you can't helj) but succeed, you can't help but realize the profits from such an organization. I do not know anything that has so injured the fruit business as the disposition, not' only of the growers, but .'X ii ■'.'.•-I 1!^ 117 the buyers who are just as bad, to deceive the public by putting good apples in the end of the barrel and bad ones in the middle. I never saw a barrel of apples fixed up in that way until some fruit buyer showed me how to do it. Please understand that I do not claim to be any better or more honest than my neighbor. This is not so much a question of morals as of plain business common sense. Last year I had a printed guarantee put in the package. The apples were uniform throughout the package and so guaranteed. I made a bargain that it was to be done that way yet during the picking season the buyer came out to my orchard a half dozen times insisting on my not putting that guarantee in the barrel. I le said my ai)ples were no better than other j^eoples apples, which was I)robably true and that the guarantee would interfere with the sale of the fruit he bought from other people. Maybe this will be true also but the guarantee goes in the future. It is going to take a year when we people here in the East, can't get but 75 cents or a dollar per barrel for our apples, and per- haps not that to make us organize. Then we will begin to sit u]) and take notice, but as long as we can get good prices for our apples then we are going to feel as independent as we have been feeling. Hut you certainly can get together on these other propositions that I have mentioned. I do not want to take up too much of your time because there are other gentlemen to speak, but let me express the hoj)e that you will not understand or think that I have come to Pennsylvania to teach you a lesson. We have been in the business longer and the truth of the matter is we are having too good luck. We would be better off, in some respects, if we did not have such gcxxl crops and such good ])rices, although I cannot say that I hope there will be a change in this respect. I have come here simply to tell you our own troubles, and T could like nothing better than to have some of you gentlemen to come down next year and tell us you have an organization that is doing something, doing good work. If anything that I have said can hasten that moment and bring it to anything like a success, you will rise uj) and call me blessed in the lean years which are sure to come and which without organ- ization will find you unprepared when they do come. C. J. Tyson. I think we owe Sen. Lupton special thanks for his address and hope that we are going to take it ,to ourselves and get a lot out of it. The experience he had along the line of guar- anteeing the ])ack is one that will work out splendidly. We have been using a similar arrangement for five or six years, stamping a guarantee on the head of the barrel. It has brought back inquiries for fruit and has worked nicely. If we start in with a determin- ation of that kind it is going to lead to our putting up fruit that will do as much for us as any co-operation we could get up. Question. Can you get experts in \ irginia to pack apples, in boxes? Mr. Lupton. We had, in our section this year, some few ex- pert apple packers. Some of them were very satisfactory and some were not. Some had worked at Hood River. I wish that, if you people have an apple crop, ten or twelve of you would get together I ii8 and hire an expert apple packer, and try the box package in a small way at least. Question. What would such a man cost? Mr. Lupton. We paid our man $3.00 per day and expenses. I think, to many of us, it was well worth the money, and I have seriously thought of sending or going to Hood River and getting an apple packer to come in here and pack our barrels. We had some men who got interested and there was a marked improvement in their work. The difficulty was in finding men who wanted to try to learn to do these things. Question. Do you have native helj) who can pack in boxes? Mr. Lupton. \'ery little. The apples that I brought here were packed by a packer from Florida. The best day's work he did was 80 boxes. Did it all himself. The apples were run through a grader made by him. lie had them graded in three sizes and claimed he could pack 100 boxes a day, and did pack 80 boxes in one dav. Question. Do you put only one grade of apples in a barrel? Mr. Lupton. \\'e try not to pack two grades in the same barrel. I presume our methods in this res])ect are simriar to your own, that is No. i fruit to be 2y2 inches and up and No. 2 fruit below 2J/2 inches down as small as we can sell them. It has always been thought that it is impossible to grade apples with a mechanical grader, but I believe it can be done. It is certainly not convenient nor proper to have women and girls help us if we continue to pack in the o])en, as we now do, and I think ni the future we will have to build ])acking sheds and do our ])acking under cover. Question. How far do you think you can haul the fruit to be packed ? Mr. Lupton. I have 200 acres in one block and will put a packing shed in the middle of the orchard. If I could put a cen- tral ])lant at the railroad station the question might be solved. I understand, from several sources, that is being done in some cases. Hauling the fruit to the station to be ])acked would be all right if not too far and the roads were good. Apples Fkom Unspkaykd Tkkks. Lakck Pike, Cri.i.s. Smam. Pile On The Ric.HT, Sakeahle Fkiit. (Photo l)y Pcairs.) 119 Sprayed Once With Arsenate Of Lead And Bordeaux Mixture. Larce Pile Not Woumy (Saeeadee), Smai.e Pile Wormy. (Photo by Pcairs.) PEACH GROWING IN MARYLAND. Aarox Xkwcomkr. Orchardisf, Smithburg, Md. I would like to ask how many ])each growers there are in the audience IMease hold u]) your hands. Quite a few. I want to say this, but not in the way of flattery, if you can grow peaches as good as the apples you have here on exhibition you have a fine peach country. It looks to me as if you have good peach soil, one that will give the fruit high color and excellent quality and that is the only kind that it ])ays to grow. 1 have been growing peaches for about ciglit years. Naturally some mistakes have been made but I feel that we have learned some things that are of value to us. They may not a])])ly to your locality. Location as to Elevation. In selecting a site for a peach orchard I would first consider the elevation. I prefer an altitude of from 725 to 1,000 feet above sea level. Member. Where would you go to find that elevation? Mr. Newcomer. In any mountain section. Member. Do they not grow good peaches in the low sections of Delaware and New Jersey ? Mr. Newcomer. Yes, but New Jersey has conditions which we do not. The ocean breezes temper the atmosphere. It does not get as cold there as it does here. We can grow peaches almost anywhere but we cannot ])rofluce the large, beautiful, high quality commercial peach with any success under 700 feet. I prefer an elevation of from 725 to 1,000 feet. Soil Adaptation. Another important matter to consider is soil conditions. For myself I would want one of tliree soil types; either sandstone with a clay subsoil or a black slate with clay subsoil, or a deep chestnut slate soil with a mixture of sandy loam and clay as a sub- soil. I believe peaches will not do well on a rocky shale soil. I ifjl' il I20 do not mean that peaches will not grow on other kinds of soil only that I have found the ones mentioned best for me in the order named. I traveled in five states two years ago prospecting for peach soil and finally came back to our South Mountain district. We have the best soil and the best elevation. Peaches can be grown in the southern states but they do not have the flavor of ours. It is understood by a great many peo])le that peaches will do best on a poor soil. I prefer the best I can get of one of the types men- tioned. It is possible to grow peaches on poor soil by fertilizing ])retty well and growing lots of cow peas, crimson clover or red clover as a cover crop to turn down, but if the soil is naturally rich we avoid that expense. Preparing Ground For Planting. T like to plow the ground deej), 8 to lo inches, being careful to do a thorough job. It is then well harrowed with a spring tooth harrow, until a good seed bed is secured. The field is scored one way with a shovel plow making the furrows 17 feet apart. It is then marked out the other way with a barshear plow with furrows 20 feet apart setting the plow to run as deeply as possible. The trees are set exactly on the cross mark. Quite a few growers plant closer than 17x20 feet but we have learned that a closer planting is not best. One of my orchards was set 17x20 and another 18x18. We find the 17x20 best. It is covenient to spray and cultivate and later will have plenty of air and sunlight. Selection of Trees. It is quite a ])roblem to know where to get exactly the kind of trees you want, of the right variety, true to name, healthy and vigor- ous. You should know your nurseryman. I prefer a tree 3 to 4 feet or an early budded, June bud 3 to 4 feet if it is grown in the southern states or southern nursery. Examine your trees care- fully before ])lanting to see that they are healthy and of right kind. You cannot always tell about the kind but can almost always dis- tinguish between a white and yellow pieach, by the bark. A white peach will have red bark on one side and dark ])urple on the other, while a yellow ])each will have a rather bright yellow bark on one side and a reddish-brown on the other. Varieties. If you are ])lanting a commercial orchard in Adams county or in Frederick or Washington counties, Maryland, and wish to have a succession extending over a i)eriod of about Tx) days I would not select over 8 to 10 varieties. If possible you should have enough of a variety or be able to combine with a neighbor so as to make enough to shi]) carloads. To do this, if you have 1,000 trees of a variety you can ])ick over 500 of them on alternate days. You can alw^ays do better in selling at home or in ship])ing if you have car- loads. \Mth onlv local lots vou are at the mercv of the commis- sion man unless as suggested before you can co-operate with neigh- bors to load full carloads. I think co-operation is one of the im- K',r^'.-'.': 121 portant things for the orchardist. Then if there is a good man at the selling end he can divert the cars after shipping and place them where they will bring the most money. For a succession I would use Greensboro, Carman. Hiley, Champion, Slappey. Belle Georgia, Captain Ede, Elberta, Late Crawford, Mathews Beauty, Munson Free, Fox Seedling, Geary's Holdon, Klondyke, Salway and Iron Mountain. Salway does well high up on the mountain slopes where it does riot mildew^ Do not plant September peaches below 750 feet elevation if you wish success. Pruning. liefore planting I trim the roots that are broken and cut back those that are very long so as to make them uniform, always being careful to make the cut slanting on the under side of the root so that the cut surface will come into contact with the bottom of the furrow\ It will callous over more readily and soon send out small feeding roots. If trees are planted in the Fall we do not trim tops till the following spring. Spring planted trees are pruned as soon as set. If a low-headed tree is desired, cut back the main stem to ten of twelve inches. If a high-headed tree is preferred cut to 2?^ to 30 inches. As the tree grows during the summer cut oflf all but 3 or 4 of the main branches which should be used for the future frame work of the tree. These main limbs should be trained to grow as nearly at an angle of 45° as possible, then the trees will be easily sprayed and the fruit can be nearly all picked from the ground without the use of a stepladder. All centres should be kept cut out to admit sunlight. Cultivation. The first and second years after planting the orchard, I plow^ it with a barshear plow following with spring tooth har- row and ])lant to corn, potatoes or canteloi)es, to make the orchard self-supporting till it comes into bearing, which is usually the third year after planting. The following years, when the orchard is in bearing, we give only shallow cultivation with a spring tooth or disc harrow. This cultivation commences as early in spring as possible so as not to endanger bloom and tender fruit, in case of cold weather. We cannot begin much before March 20th without danger. On one occasion I had part of an orchard harrowed w^hen the weather was cold and had a lot of damage on the cultivated part and none on the other portion. The cultivation seemed to lower the temperature to the danger point. We continue the cultivation every four or five days until the 15th of July. In this way a fine crop of peaches can be grow^n and a k)t of strong hardy fruit buds developed for the next year's crop. Maintaining Fertility. I believe in fertilizing the trees well. A fertilizer which con- tains 2 per cent, of Nitrogen, 8 per cent, of Phosphoric Acid and lo per cent, of Potash seems to be a good balanced fertilizer. I use from 300 to 1,000 pounds of this mixture per acre annually, com- II \i .; til i!f: 122 I meiicing the second year after the orchard is planted. As a cover crop and to assist ni maintaining fertihty I use crimson clover, win- ter vetch and cow peas. These add much in the way of humus or vegetable matter. Spraying. As a remedy for San Jose scale I would use home-made Con- centrated Lmie-bulphur solution— 15 pounds Sulphur, 20 pounds J.mie or some good brand of Concentrated Lime-Sulphur made by a reliable firm. I tried Scalecide and Target IJrand Oil on a lar/e scale and it nearly put us out of business. Quite a lot of trees were killed and a lot more were injured so that it uill take some time for them to recover. You cannot grow peaches without spraying them well. As a summer spray for fungus diseases we have been very successful with Bordeaux mixture— 2 pounds Blue btone, 6 pounds Lime to 50 gallons of water. We are thinking of trying some home-made Concentrated Lime-Sulphur the coming summer. ^ Thinning. \\e always thin the fruit hard. One year took off over 4,000 bushels. We were at it three weeks. The neighbors said, "New- comer is a crank," but we had nice fruit. By thinning the fruit so that peaches are from four to six inches apart on the limbs we grow hue large specimens for fancy packing which bring highest prices If you are doubtfutas to the wisdom of thinning try it 01 six Elberta trees leaving the next six unthinned and note closely the result at picking time. The improved condition of the present crop IS not by any means the onlv advantage of thinning Per- haps the most important of all is the protection of the tree against breaking as it is almost sure to do when overloaded, and against the robbing of vitality which would impair its future usefulness Do not wear out your trees by allowing them to over-bear. Picking and Packing. When harvesting the crop, all fruit is hauled to the packing house. I very much prefer ladies to do the packing. Would not give a cent for a man to pack peaches for me. Never saw a grower yet who could pack peaches like a lady. She has more taste and neatness about it, and will put up packages that will sell for more money every time. We use the half-bushel Delaware basket and the Georgia Carrier. All fancy and extra fancv grades are packed in carriers. Member. Do you use a grading machine? Mr. Newcomer. If the peaches run clean of rot and defects the grader works well. Otherwise hand grading is best. Member. Does not Salway mildew and crack? Mr. Newcomer. Salwav does not crack or mildew on high elevations, 800 to 1,000 feet. 123 How THE York Imperiai. Grows in Adams County (Every Apple Perfect.) SOILS OF THE SOUTH MOUNTAIN DISTRICT AND THEIR ADAPTATION TO VARIETIES OF APPLES. H. J. Wilder. It is difficult to describe in a half hour's time the adaptation of various kinds of soil to the many varieties of apples. We are not accustomed to talk about the soil even though trying to get our living from erowing crops in it. We are not vet in the habit of thinking in soil terms. Some dav we shall do this. And the growers of special crops, the fruit growers, the vegetable growers, ets., will be the first to realize the need for so doing. The numer- ous requests for soil facts that come to the Bureau of Soils from leading orchardists indicate that the desire for a much more inti- mate knowledge of the soil is already here. But meanwhile it is "*i'";j! 124 no easy matter to come at once to a common understanding so that a given statement means the same thing to all of us. So to- day I am going to talk first about soils in general leaving the mat- ter of type adaptation until later. In studying soils, as in other things, we begin by making a few large groups. This is commonly done by classifying the rocks from which the soils have been derived. Thus we have limestone soils, sandstone soils, shale soils, granitic soils, etc., and in that part of the South Mountain district in this immediate vicinity you have many finer divisions, even, such as ''white flint," "gray flint," "copperstone,'' "mountain stone," etc. A p^roup of soils is desig- nated by the soil series name. Thus the valley limestone soils were named the Hagerstown series because thev were first mapped in the vicinity of Hagerstown, Md. And in similar manner other names have been selected to designate main groups or series of soils. Leaving the stone content and the gravel content out of con- sideration we are accustomed to speak of soils as clays, sands and loams, or some combination of these terms such as sandy loams, clay loams, etc. What do these terms mean? Analysis of a true clay will alwavs show that the ])er cent, of exceedingly fine particles is relatively high and where the amount is as much as 35 per cent, of the soil mass it gives to the soil a definite character, in fact seems the determining factor in the way the soil behaves when worked. If plowed or cultivated when wet such a soil will clod badly. Soils are sometimes found which analyze as much as 50 per cent, of clay, but I know of^none so heavv in this state. A soil that wouKl be maDued as a sand, on the other hand, is composed ])rincipally of particles much coarser than the grains of clay. Through such a soil water percolates rapidly and we think of it as a drouthy soil. Between these two extremes, then, of sand and clay, the coarsest soil particles and the finest there is a wide range of sizes. A true loam is a mixture of a large number of different sized ])articles. It is a medium mixture in which clay, medium and fine sands and silt are well balanced. When there is a little too much sand for this medium mixture of loam the soil is called a sandy loam, but where there is a little too much clay for the same classification the soil is called a clay loam. This phase of classification, as you will note, is based solelv on the size of the soil grains, and determines the so-called texture of the soil. r>ut there are also stiiT soils, mellow soils, mealv soils, and so on. This is brought about by a difTerence in the arranqcmcnt of the various sizes of soil particles. Two soils mav analyze practi- cally the same, /. c, their textures may show no material differ- ences and vet after a rain the one has to be dried out much more thoroughly than the other before it can be worked without clod- ding. This is due to the differences in the soil structure. Suppose we reduce this to fractions having a common denominator, as we used to do in school. Some of you have tried packing apples in boxes, and until experience has been acnuired it is not easv to come out even If all apples were of the same size it would be an easy matter. Rut there are all sorts of variations in size, and it take's patience to work out the best C(^mbination. Apples of different m 125 sizes have to be arranged to fill a given space, and there is almost no limit to the number of combinations that could be made if we did not assort and pack according to standard grades. Now soil particles vary as much in size, relatively, as do ap- ples, and hence the soil mixture is exceedingly uneven. All sorts of combination packs have been made and in some of them the particles fit together so snugly that they do not readily crowd apart when a little rootlet tries to find its way down among them. And remember that in ])lant and tree growth a tiny rootlet always has to blaze the path downward into the soil, the big strong root being a later development. Stiffness, or its opposite mellowness, depends upon the arrangement of the soil grains and not upon their si::e ; upon the structure, not upon the texture of the soil. Contrary to common opinion the most clayey soils are not the stiffest soils. Bricks are not made of clay alone, but of a rather definite mixture of clay and particular grades of sand. Sometimes we find subsoils that ap])roach in varying degree a bricklike com- position. If brought to the surface by the plow, exposed to the air and left undisturbed for a short time the clods bake, and then are reduced with much difficulty. This could be prevented at the surface if the harrow had followed the plow closely, and if stable manure or other organic matter had been mixed with the soil, but a deep subsoil of this sort is not so easily improved nor is it in- viting to a well-branched fibrous root system. The root systems of some varieties of apples, furthermore, overcome a stiff structured subsoil much more successfully than others. In one of the large orchards of the southern Ozark country Ben Davis trees failed in certain spots. They were very unthrifty and not infrequently died. Yet elsewhere in the same row, with identical slope, exposure and treatment the trees were in excellent condition, and bore heav- ily. The owner believed, too, that there could have been no varia- tion in the stock. An examination of the subsoil showed it to be exceedingly stiff wherever the trees were effected. Following this cue tliroughout the orchard it was found that another varietv (Mammoth Black Twig) was not effected at all by the stiff sub- soil as the roots forced their way down through it, and the trees shovyed excellent growth. Not satisfied that the chemical condi- tion of the soil in this case might not have some influence upon the unthrifty trees I had made chemical analyses of these soils, but the results showed that there were no chemical differences worth noting. In this particular case it was annarent that the Ben Davis would not thrive on so stiff a subsoil, whereas the Mammoth l»lack Twig could successfully overcome it. I do not need to call your attention to the self-evident fact that the condition of this subsoil was not amenable to practicable improvement by the addition of humus, notwithstanding the fact that by this means surface soils may to some extent be changed. In a less pronounced case the growth of deep-rooted crops such as the legumes would have ereatlv improved the physical condition of the upper subsoil, but once the orchard is planted, or at least after it has reached bearing aee, the practical orchardist will hardly try to leave cover crops under his trees so many months of the - a-nara^T.*. 126 growing season that their root systems will be sufficiently developed to add humus to the lower subsoil. Yet the roots of a well-de- veloped apple tree reach far into the subsoil. The roots of plants and trees do not get their moisture from free ground water, /. c, water that may flow out in surface streams and underdrains, but from the thin films of moisture that surround every soil ])article. This moisture is called capillary water. A tree can get no ])lant food from the soil except as it is obtained in dissolved form, not in free ground water but in the soil film or cai)illary moisture. H^nce the importance of the texture and structure of the subsoil, as well as that of the surface soil is at once a])])are!it. I have indicated some of the main factors considered in the study and classification of soils. When studying soils in the field we follow out the crop results as related to and depending u])on the soil conditions. Thus we are enabled to compare crop results as influenced by a large number of soil variations and to draw some conclusions in regard to the adaptation of certain soils to certain crops and to different varieties of the same cro]). Having dwelt at some length upon the importance of soil se- lection, T want to call your attention at this point to the fact that the character of the soil ui)on which a crop is (jrown is only one of several factors necessary for successful crop ])roduction. Climatic conditions embracing not onlv absolute temperatures, but also the rainfall, air drainage, soil drainage as influenced bv topo- graphy— the only kind conj^tdered until recently — elevation both above sea level and with reference to local topography, fertiliza- tion, and care of orchards are all important. No one of these factors may be studied effectivelv unless the other factors influenc- ing production can be balanced. So soil comparisons can only be of value when the other conditions are equalized, and to do this a large number of field comparisons is essential. The adaptation of varieties of apples to tvpes of soil can be studied with hope of ar- riving at definite results only bv considering first the behavior of specific varieties u|X)n specific well-defined types of soil. In the South Mountain realdwin conditions. This makes it possible to grow Bald- wins at altitudes higher than yours along the Blue Ridge in north- ern \'irginia. In both places it becomes a fall apple and as such is not as desirable as where it remains a true winter sort. In northern Pennsylvania, New York and New England where it is at home, this variety is best grown on deep friable loams and heavy sandy loams with loamy subsoils. Farther south heavier soils are better. I hope you will soon find as a result of thorough tests a suf- ficient number of good commercial sorts so that you will not need to use Baldwin, and I believe that in time this will be done. It is well not to try to beat the other feUow at his job, and that is alx)ut what you are trying to do in growing: Baldwins. Your i^resident asked me to talk alx)ut local conditions so far as possible and this covers, I riiink, your most important varieties. To illustrate further the range of soil adaj^tation to specific uses it may be worth while to mention the effect of soil influence on some other crops. In the Connecticut \'alley of Massachusetts and Connecticut, for instance, the character of the soil has been the determining factor in crop selection. You will pardon me, I am sure, if I select to illustrate conditions there, my father's farm where most of my life was spent until 21 years old, and where I have been able to follow closely the crooning conditions and man- agement until the present time. It is a long rectangular farm that is typical of soil conditions over a broad scope of territory. Three types of soil are found, as illustrated in the following dia- gram. (See Fig. i). The soils are all alluvial, the range in elevation is in only one case as much as 13 feet, and within any one of the soil divisions the surface is nearly level. The fine sandy loam at the west end of the farm is the best type of soil for wra])per-leaf tobacco, though worthless for the pro- duction of filler leaf, hence a normal price is $150.00 to $200.00, or even more, per acre. It is also a good onion soil but brings no more profitable returns from that cro]) than the loam at the east end of the farm which, with the same culture treatment gives a cigar leaf so much thicker and ])oorer in quality that no one longer persists in trying to grow tobacco on it. Plence, a relative price for this soil type is $100.00 an acre, where the location is in every way equal to the other. The silt loam in the middle of the farm is worthless for tobacco, mediocre for onions, and so used almost 131 I'^.f'r^Zt^i^/ '^'^' ^"'^ ^'^''' ^' ^ '''''^' '''' P^i^^e is $50.00 to $75.00 an acre. WEST 3 U U V c c o u Vb mile Silt loam Corn and Grass $50 to $75 an acre Length of Farm >i mile Fine sandv loam Tobacco and onions ;>2oo an acre Vs mile ^ Silt loam Corn and V Grass ^ $So to $75 ^ an acre H mile Loam 1 Onions, Corn, Grass but no Tobacco $100 an acre Terrace Ascent Terrace Descent Terrace Ascent 30 feet 10 feet 15 feet EAST fi Fig. I. Showing diagram of farm located in the Connecticut River Valley and including in its exteni three distinct soil types. Double lines represent Public Highways. It should be noted, too. that the best of the tobacco lands con- tain the very low organic content of 1.5 to 2.75 per cent., notwith- standing plentiful applications of stable manure. Hence the nat- ural adaptation of that soil does not depend, it need hardly be said, on the organic content; neither may other soils of that locality, such as the loam at the east end of the farm mentioned, be so amended by the addition of humus as to produce leaf satisfactory in quality. Yet it is just as favorable as the first for the growth of cigar leaf in every respect save that of texture and structure. Here, then, is a very definite illustration of how the physical char- acter of the soil has not only been the determining factor in the se- lection of specific crops for the different types of soil on a given farm, and for a linear distance of at least 75 miles in two states, but these specific adaptations to special crops have in turn been the princi|:>al basis of land valuation there for the last half century. This case is not unique. There are many cases in different states which illustrate the same principle of soil adaptation and definite soil requirements for the best results. These are not theories but facts based upon and demonstrated by well-developed agricultural practices. In view of these facts it does not seem strange that our fruits also should give a wide range of results as grown on different soils, and that equal results with a given variety of apple, for instance, are not obtained from diverse soil conditions. ■iw.«w& i.'^cr: wst^HfvmBVDi^HiVHPVi 132 SPRAYING your fruit trees with a good spray pump assures results. When you buy, get the Be^. A good spray pump earns big profits and lasts for years. The "ECLIPSE" is a grood pump. As pradtical fruit growers we w^ere using the common sprayers in our orchards— found their defedts and then invented THE ECLIPSE. Its success praaldwin. I i)late Smokehouse. T plate Smith Cider. I i)late Pound. Robert Garretson, 19 plates — 5 plates York Imperial. 2 plates Stark. 1 plate Russet. 2 plates Ben Davis. I plate Grindstone. I plate for name. 2 plates Yellow Belleflower. T plate Winesap. I plate Taft Potato. I plate Early Clark Potato. I plate Snow Potato. I plate Burpee Potato. 136 \ HORTICULTURAL REQUISITES (NOT THE CHEAPEST— BUT THE BEST) I EVERYTHING FOR THE ORCHARD SEND FOR CATALOGS AGENTS WANTED IN UNOCCUPIED TERRITORY EDWIN C. TYSON FLORA DALE, PA. REPRESENTING SUSQUEHANNA FERTILIZER CO. B. G. PRATT COMPANY BOWKER INSECTICIDE CO. GOULD MANUFACTURING CO. JOHN S. TILLEY E. C. BROWN CO. BATEMAN MFG. CO. FRUIT GROWERS SAW CO. ^37 r W. S. Adams, 9 plates and one box — I plate Baldwin. - I plate Northern Spy. 1 plate Stark, plate Pound. plate Jonathan. i plate Winter Doctor, plate Paragon. 2 plates Sutton Beauty. • box York Stripe. Box apples not wrapped. Joel V. Garrettson & Son, 24 plates-- 2 P|ates ^Lehigh County seedling 6 plates York Imperial. "^ '" 2 plates Stark. 2 plates Langford. 2 plates Baldwin. I plate York County Cheese. 1 plate lUack Twig. I plate Tariseime Walnut. 1 plate Frau(iuette Walnut. I plate seedling \\ alnut. 2 plates Stayman. 1 plate seedling. 1 plate B. Sweet. E. P. Garrettson, 15 plates — 2 plates York County Cheese. 5 plates York Imperial. I plate Domine. 2 plates Baldwin. • 3 plates Kieffer Pear. 2 ])lates Stayman. Anthony Deardorf, 7 plates — I plate Wagner. 1 plate Stark. I plate York Imperial. 2 plates York Stripe. I plate Pound. i plate Smith Cider. Geo. R. Routzahn, 7 plates — I plate R. I. Greening. ( plate Pippin. I I I plate York Imperial, plate Pound, plate Paradise. H. M. Keller, 16 plates— 1 i)late Wagner. 1 plate Baldwin. 4 plates York Imperial. 2 ])latcs Baldwin. 2 plates Ben Davis. 2 plates York Stripe. I plate American lUush. I plate Winter Uananna. 1 plate Stark. 2 plates Rome l^eauty. 1 plate Gold Smith Seed Corn. Rufus Lawver, 9 jdates — 2 plates Winesap. 2 plates Stayman. I plate Wealthy. 3 plates Gano. 1 plate Rome Beauty. F. B. Fidler, I i)late Kiefler Pears. H. G. Baugher, 3 {)lates Northern Spy. A. I. Weidner, 4 plates — 2 i)lates (irimes Golden. 2 ])lates York Imperial Reuben Wert, ii ii I i 3 plates Baldwin. T ])latc Rome i>eauty. G. P. Myers, 8 plates — 5 plates not named. ..Mtm 138 ^ ^ 2i J^*3^'3s'3^ '-Si^*^.'^^'^ »3k-^«^.«'v 'j^'^'ij^'g*^ -j^'^-^*^ »^»2^-2^«^ »j^«^»^»^ »^.»^^.^.^ »^«^«^.^ . :^^ 9997 99>77 9-779 7-7779 9«799 7*799 9*799 9979 •7999 • I WRITE FOR OUR COMPREHENSIVE BOOKLET ON SPRAYING % I * <» ^i^ 4^ i Save Your Crops From Insedt Pe^s Demand Hemingway* s Pure Lead Arsenate Do not accept inferior makes. Insist upon getting Hemingway's and thereby be assured of good results. Your apple crop comes but once a year. You cannot af- ford to take any chances with the poison you use. Our Standard Product has done the work in all the great fruit growing districts. The guarantee is on every package. A perfect product — prop- erly packed — honest prices. Stocks car- ried in all fruit growing centres. • Hemingway's London Purple Co., Ltd. 64-66 Water St., NEW YORK 0/ V If 1/ I Hi) l> 0/ I I I \l> 'C-'C- ^^^^ 9^99 ^^^^ ^- ^ 139 Oscar Rice, 2 plates Jonathan. C. E. RafiFensperger, 6 plates — 2 plates Baldwin. 4 plates York Imperial. Isaiah Test, I plate North Star Potatoes. F. C. Trostle, 4 plates — 2 plates Paragon. i plate Baldwin. I plate Stark. Tyson Brothers, 3 boxes — I box York Imperial. 2 boxes Stayman. Commercial pack each appk wrapped. S. L. Lupton, Winchester, Va. — I box Albemarle Pippin. I box Stayman. Regular Commercial pack (wrapped). :\Ir. Lupton very kindly invited all to sample these boxes of apples. They were of excellent flavor and were greatly enjoyed. Established 44 Years Grape Vines Largest Stock and Best Varieties ^ For garden and vineyard plant- ing ; also Currants, Gooseber- ries and other small fruit plants. Parties intending to plant are re- quested to correspond with us. Our Catalogue is Free T. S. HUBBARD CO. FREDONIA. N. Y. Insure Your Property in The Adams County Mutual Fire Insurance Comp'y HOME OFFICE : GETTYSBURG 0. P. Mcpherson. President H. C. PICKING. Vice President G. H. BUEHLER. Secretary J. ELMER MUSSELMAN. Treasurer MANAGERS H. C. Picking Gettysburg J. W. Taughinbaugh Hunterstown 1. S. Miller East Berlin J. D. Neiderer McSherrystown D. R. MussELMAN Fairfield Abia Smucker Littlestown C. L. LONGSDORF Flora Dale John N. Hersh New Oxford Harvey A. Scott. Gettysburg. R. F. D. 4 C. H. Pearson York Springs I 1 141 I40 ADAMS COUNTY FRUIT RECORDS Shipments Over Gettysburg & Harrisburg R. R. II ROYSTER FERTILIZERS ••Founded on MERIT and based on QUALITY** Gettysburg . . (G. K: H. R. R.) Tf^AOE MA«K F.S.Royster Guano Co. ^ cc » N H Qi O Northern Division Biglerville V II REGISTERED. Office 1259-1269 Calvert Bldi^., Baltimore, Md. The celebrated ROYSTER^FERTILIZERS are not new. We are simply bringing to the North and East a privilege heretofore enjoyed only by the South. By the building of our Baltimore plant we are bringing these cele- brated brands within the reach of the fertilizer buyers and users, of the North and East. All we ask is that they be tried alongside of any and all others, so that they can have an opportunity to demonstrate their own worth. The re- sult will take care of itself. We want reliable agents throughout the territory. None others need apply. Our travelers are now in the field. It will pay you to reserve at least a part of your fertilizer needs for ROYSTER GOODS. "Founded on MERIT and based on QUALITY" o H H N H 90 Ouernsey, Bendersville Gardners . ROYSTER FERTILIZERS Starners Hunters Run (Goodyear) G. & II. R. R.. Total 905 906 907 909 910 905 906 907 908 909 910 903 905 906 907 908 909 910 903 905 906 907 908 909 QIC 903 905 906 907 908 909 910 905 906 907 908 909 910 903 905 906 907 908 909 910 903 905 906 907 908 909 9io M 00 318 28 127 12 50 8813 7932 2785 I7164 4956 10785 20017 2870 I77I I414 4798 2173 7320 11659 4163 4000 ITO9 2824 2264 3531 5628 997 912 6905 433 2275 1566 682 664 1572 487 1825 2500 625 160 295 1417 1704 1289 2103 17468 15617 6295 34797 12017 27037 43523 V) 333 987 165 4216 137 1500 2413 1 166 1329 2760 1267 2351 1561 6268 1200 2132 985 5215 CO M M M CB m 651 28 127 12 50 9800 7932 2950 21380 4956 I 0922 2I517 5283 2937 2743 7858 2173 7320 12926 4163 6351 2670 9092 2264 4731 7760 1982 6127 65 53 20 142 33 73 144 35 20 18 52 <5 49 86 28 42 18 61 15 32 52 13 41 ' ii F F F F F F F F F F F F F P F p F p F p F p F p F p ^ ^ ^ ^^ F F F F F F F ^P^P P PFpFpF ^ F ^ F F FFFFFF PFpFpFpFpFpFp ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ J^ F F F F F F *^ P ^ P i^^ P ^^ P F p F p F ^ ^ F F F F F F F F F F F P i P F p F p F p F p F p Fig. 1 F F F F F F F J? F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F P P P F F p p F F F P P P p F F ^ F F P P P F 1' F F P P P p F F F F F F P P p F F F F F F P P p F F F F F F P P p Fig. 2 F F F F 1^' F F F F P F F F F F F Two METHODS OF HkxAGOX.U. PkaXTIXG WiTir FIM.KRS P rei)resents Permanent Trees -lui] ' * ^^ " .1 Fillers are on.itte.l i„ center of ea.-h , .'s „„ „ ," '"""V"" "' '"""• "nee of or.-hard after fillers are re „ o e n " "•"*" """''^ "''''*''"' each filler oeeunies the ..Z T I '" ^ ""'"•'"' '" ^^'f- - tl'"t pern.anent r ' Ki! Vi" r';r\"' ''V'""'«*"'" ♦--«"• ^—1 l-.V the one variet,, «,.el, .....t he thl^ne, .he ' a . L^i t Ih ;' """"''"•^ "-^ r> K Kleinfelter, U. S., (Adv.), 150 Knous, David, 40 L Lafean Apple Package and Grade Bill 26, 27 Ladders Best for CJrchard, 28, 136 Lime Sulphur as a Spray for Fruit Diseases, 29, 30 For Brown Rot of Peach, 35 vScott's Self-Boiled, 35 For San Jose Scale 43 Commercial and Home-made Compared, 30-31 Method of Making, 30-35 Strength to Use Conunercial, 34-104 Lupton, S. L., ^ ^ 37, 103, 1 13, 1 18 "Lime Sulphur Preparations for Summer Spraying of Orchards" 29 M Memhership — Roll of, 3, 5, 7, 9, II, 13 Constitutional Requirement for, 15 Minutes of igio. Synopsis of, 26 XForrill & Morley, (Adv.), 132 MJarketing 24, 62 Musselman Canning Co., ( Adv.) 14 Myers, L. M 58 ATanhattan Oil Co., (Adv.), 10 Michener, ^Nlrs., 67 N Nursery Stock, Rules for Ordering 38 Newcomer, Aaron 36, 56, 66, 67, 82, 100, 1 10 Nozzles \ , 42 Nurseries, 16, 146, 148 o Officers- List of 3 Consist of, T5 Duties of 17-10 Object of Association 15 ( )r(lcr of 1 Uisiness TQ "Orchard ^fanagement" 46, 84, 92 Orchard, Potatoes in T05 vSelecling Site for 38, 49. 50, 69, 114, 1 19 Crops in 40 Value of small 48 Laying off of 69, 70 Expenses, of growing, 101-103 Orner. P. S., ( Adv.) 148 P Potato Machincrv 18 Pratt Co.. P>. O..' (Adv.) 12 President's .Address 2^ T^-uning Tools 03. T T2, 136 Pruning .\pi)le Trees 39. 40. S4. 9^ Peach Trees 57, ^\ T2T Importance of proper 58. 95 n 1 it I * 1 I H 1 54 p r P F P F P F P F P F P p 1' P F P J^^ P F P F P F P p F P F P F P F P F P 7^" P p F P F P F P F P F P F P p F P F P F P F P F P F P p P P P Fig. 3 P P P o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Fig. 4 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o p P P P p P F F F F F F P P P P P P F F F F F F P P P P P P F F F Fig. F 5 F F Fig. C O o o o o o p F P F P F F P F P F P P F P F P F F P F P F P P F P F P F F P F P F P Fig. 3 QiiiiKMinx systom of planting— "p" IVrmanont Treos, -p" Fillors Fig. 4 Sqnaro Planting. Fig. .-> Scpiaro Planting im,>ro].erlv thinned. Fig (] IVoper thinning of Square Planting. ! 155 Piece Root rs. Whole Root ^ Potato Growing in Orchards, iqc Peach, Marketing of, oS Tn> As Fillers, :::::::::::::::::::;;::::' ' m "Growing m Maryland" j jg Varieties of, •. . ,f^ Prickett, J. w., ■■'■**';:".;;v.;;;;;;;;;;;;;"26 42 is Planting, Method of, 70, 85 90 R Root Systems, Extent of -g^ Co, 6r Roberts, Arthnr, ^ ' ' ^7 Read, (;. P., (Adv.), ". .'.■.■.'.■.■.■.■.■.'.'.■.■■.■.'.■.■ 4 ''Snccessful Orcharding in Virginia" '. 37 vSpray Apparatus, .' 2, 18, 41, 42. 8g, ip, 1 36 Si)rav Materials 6, 8, 10, 12, 20, 33, 88, 97, 132, 136 ^^^' VT'^^' •. 73, 1 19-123 J"()il Adaptation X2S Stewart, Prof. J. P., 104-1 54 vSnyder, K. P gj^ g^, no Sod Mulch -2 Surface, Prof. If. A 97, 98 Scott, W. M., (Address), ' ' 2() J^tover, Or. J. G p, t 10 Small F'ruits 27 vSpraying, . . . .^ 88, 95, 122 vSpraying in Sunnner g5 Strainer, • 154 T Tillage, Advantage of 51 Trees — Selecting 69, 120, 146 1 reading of 40 lUidding 7-s, Grafting 3Q Age of ^ Trinnning Peach Trees T2T U-V Varieties. Xumber of Apple 7^ Apples 65. 72, 77, To^ Peaches 120 Vreeland Chemical Co.. ( Adv. ) 8 \V Wages 9X T t8 Wilder. H. J 123 Worming Trees too Western .Maryland Railroad. Shipments Over T43 Seventh Annual Convention will be Held December I3» I4> I5» IpH- .-M-^^ '5^ I i i