UMASS/AMHERST p 3150bbDDSim74D ^■.xk\r k }- '" . ■■4^-... :v.^u r '^ty 3: ^':\ • i^'' ..V^. I .>^, ■^^. ' ■ -^ .^-r '■''■A- '. 'V-j,; .o^-^4^^ 186^' DATE DUE 1 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS LIBRARY SB 35A V.31 1909 -^ PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRTY-FIRST SESSION OF THE AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY HELD AT ST. CATH- ARINES, CANADA SEPT. 14, 15, 16, and 17 1909 •vf Compiled by the Secretary :: Published by the Society t 34. 2.04 A ^0^ TV\ 3 GHAPEt The Du Bois Press printers and designers of catalogues rochester, n. y. I *• UNWERSITVOF AMHti^SI, MASS. ,^^^^> PREFACE The American Pomological Society continues to operate as an import- ant stimulus to fruit growing in the United States and Canada, and as a clearing house for general information bearing upon the progress and trend of orcharding in this great region. The two years closing the thirty-first biennial period have seen greater activity in the field ot fruit growing than any other similar period in the history of the Society. While many of the fruit growing factors or fundamentals, long since urged by the Society, have been systematically attacked and conclusively proved as essential to success by the Experiment Stations, thus apparently limiting the field of the Society, yet the opportunity for an extension type of effort of great importance has not been wanting, nor has the opening been overlooked. The American Pomological Society urges the growing of fruit as much for home use as for the larger commercial field. In the growing for home use, regions outside the great commercial areas are involved and questions of narrow adaptations press for answer. The views of specialists, as found in the report of the General Fruit Committee, are invaluable. In the commercial lines, co-operation is one of the keynotes of success. The present report contains experiences of the greatest service to fruit growing communities. Not less important are the papers on packing and packages. Again, in the judging and describing of fruits, the student of systematic pomology will find authoritative and approved methods of arriv- ing at the good and bad qualities of old and new varieties. I need hardly draw attention to the extreme usefulness of the Catalog of Fruits we are enabled to present our members through the co-operation of the Chief of the Division of Pomology, Colonel G. B. Brackett, of the United States Department of Agriculture. In the matter of historical record, the Society has made a consistent effort, during the past ten years, to collect data from connected regions — these usually related to the place of meeting — so that in time the history of fruit growing of the whole country shall have been written. Information of this kind is of exceptional value to the teacher and student. The re- ports should be in the library of every Agricultural College in the country. The meeting of September, 1909, was held for the first time in Canadian territory. The Society was the guest of the Ontario Government, the On- tario Fruit Growers' Association, and the Niagara District Fruit Growers' Association. The meeting was held in the interesting city of St. Catharines, which lies in the heart of Canada's most famous fruit belt. The attendance was not as large as expected, owing to., the fact of the peach .harvest of Ontario and New York being then in full swing, but the various States were well represented and the meeting, from the standpoint of papers presented and entertainment provided, was easily the most successful in recent years. The gratitude of the members to their Canadian hosts is warmly expressed elsewhere. The^ecretary, in closing this note, is able to announce that the urgent and attractive invitation of the Florida Horticultural Society, to meet in that state in 1911, has been accepted by the Executive Commitee and the next convention is accordingly scheduled for the city of Tampa, January 31, 1911, and the two following days. More specific information will be issued later. JOHN CRAIG, Secretary. 34243 CONTENTS PART I. PAGE Act of Incorporation VII Constitution and By-Laws VIII Officers for 1909-10 X Membership Lists : Life Members XVI Biennial Members XXI Deceased Members XXIX Secretary's Introduction ■ V Proceedings 1-233 PART II. Report of Chairmen of Fruit Committees 234-292 Index 293 PART III. Catalogue of Fruits 297 American Pomological Society Organized 1848. Incorporated 1887. ACT OF INCORPORATION. COMMON\\'EALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, 1887. Section 1. Patrick Barry, of Rochester, New York, Charles W. Garfield, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Benjamin G. Smith, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, J. J. Thomas, of Union Springs, New York, Prosper J. Berckmans, of Augusta, Georgia, Robert Manning, of Salem, Massa- chusetts, their associates, the Officers and Members of the Association known as the American Pomological Society, and their successors, are hereby made a corporation under the name of "American Pomological Society," for the purpose of promoting and encouraging the culture of fruit, with all the powers and privileges and subject to all the duties and liabilities set forth in the general laws which are now or may here- after be in force applicable to such corporations. Sec. 2. Said corporation may, for the purposes aforesaid, have and hold by purchase, grant, gift or otherwise, real and personal prop- erty to an amount not exceeding one hundred thousand dollars. Sec. 3. Said corporation may hold its annual meeting, or any special meeting in any place, state or county it may determine, provided that due notice shall be given to the members thereof of the time and place of said meeting. Sec. 4. Any two of the corporators above named are hereby au- thorized to call the first meeting of said corporation in the month of September next ensuing, by due notice thereof to each member of said Association. bequest from the will of the late MARSHALL P. WILDER. "Eleventh. I give to the American Pomological Society one thou- sand dollars tjie income of which shall be, from time to time, offered in Wilder Medals for objects of special merit. "Also, the further sum of four flwiisaiid dollars, for the general pur- poses of the Society." Constitution and By-Laws CONSTITUTION. Article 1. The name of this Association shall be the AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. . 2. Its object shall be the advancement of the science of Pomology. 3. It shall consist of delegates appointed by Horticultural, Agri- cultural and kindred Societies in the United States, and British America, and of such other persons as take an interest in the welfare of the Asso- ciation, and are desirous of promoting its aims. They shall pay two dollars for each session, and twenty dollars paid at one time shall con- stitute a life membership. 4. The meetings shall be held biennially, at such time and place as may be designated by the Society ; and special meetings may be con- vened at any time on the call of the President. 5. The officers shall consist of a President, a First Vice-President, one Vice-President from each State, Territory and Province, a Treas- urer and a Secretary, who shall be elected by ballot or otherwise at each biennial meeting. 6. Libraries and educational institutions may become life mem- bers upon payment of twenty dollars ; such membership shall be limited to thirty years. BY-LAWS. 1. The President shall have a general superintendence of the affairs of the Society during its vacation ; give due public notice of the time and place of meeting ; preside at its deliberations ; deliver an ad- dress on some subject relating to Pomology, at each biennial meeting; and appoint all committees unless otherwise directed. 2. In the case of the death, sickness or inability of the President, his official duties shall devolve on the First Vice-President, or such one of the Vice-Presidents as the Society may elect by ballot or otherwise. 3. The Treasurer shall receive all moneys belonging.to the Societv, and pa}' over the same on the written orders of the President. 4. There shall be a Finance Committee of three members appointed by the President at each biennial meeting. COXSTITUTIOX AND BY-LAWS ix 0. The Secretary shall, with the assistance of a reporter appointed by him, keep a record of the transactions of the Society for publication. 6. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of five mem- bers, together with the President and Vice-President, ex-oMcio, five of whom shall constitute a quorum, who shall manage the afifairs of the Society during its vacation. 7. A Chairman of hVuit Committees, for each State, Territory and Province and a General Chairman over all, shall be appointed biennially. It shall be the duty of such Chairman to appoint four additional members of his committee, and with their aid and such information as he can procure, to forward to the General Chairman one month before each biennial meeting. State P'omological Reports, to be condensed by him for publication. 8. A Standing Committee on New Fruits of American Origin, consisting of eleven members, shall be appointed by the President, immediately after his election. It shall be the duty of this Committee to report biennially on new fruits of American origin, and also to examine, and before the close of the session report on, all new seedling varieties that may be exhibited and to make an ad interim report on those that were exhibited in an unripe condition at the meeting of the Society, but had subsequently attained a state of maturity ; and on such other seed- lings as may have been submitted to their inspection during the Society's vacation. 9. A Standing Committee on Foreign Fruits, consisting of eleven members, shall be appointed, whose duties shall be similar to those of the committee in By-Law Eight. 10. A Standing Committee on Tropical and Sub-Tropical Fruits, consisting of eleven members, shall be appointed, whose duties shall be similar to those of the committee in By-Law Eight. 11. A Standing Committee on Nomenclature, consisting of seven members, shall be appointed biennially. 12. Vacancies occuring in committees shall be filled by the chair- man of each, and in case of his death or inability to serve, his place shall be supplied by the President of the Society. 13. The order of business for each meeting shall be arranged by the Executive Committee. 14. '^he Constitution or By-Laws may be altered or amended, at any regular biennial meeting, by a vote of two-thirds of the members present. Officers and Standing Committees of the American Pomological Society For 1909-1910 PRESIDENT : L. A, Goodman, Kansas City, Missouri. FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT : T. V. MuNsoN, Denison, Texas. secretary : John Craig, Ithaca, New York. treasurer : L. R. Taft, Agricultural College, Michigan. ASSISTANT secretary : L. B. JuDsoN, Ithaca, New York. VICE-PRESIDENTS FOR STATES AND PROVINCES: Alabama W. F. Heikes, Huntsville Arizona H. W. Adams, Glendale Arkansas W. G. Vincenheller, Fayetteville British Columbia R. M. Palmer, Victoria California Luther Burbank, Santa Rosa Colorado W. S. Coburn, Paonia Connecticut N. S. Piatt, New Haven Cuba C. F. Austin, Santiago de las Vegas Delaware S. H. Derby, Woodside District of Columbia. ..G. B. Brackett, Washington Florida G. L. Taber, Glen St. Mary Georgia P. J. A. Berckmans, Jr., Augusta Hawaii J. E. Higgins, Honolulu Idaho Silas Wilson, Nampa Illinois H. M. Dunlap, Savoy Indiana J. A. Burton, Mitchell Iowa C. G. Patten, Charles City OFFICERS Kansas F. W. Dixon, Holton Kentucky C. W. Matthews, Lexington Louisiana F. H. Burnette, Baton Rouge Maine D. W. Knowlton, Farmington Manitoba S. A. Bedford, Brandon Maryland C. P. Close, College Park Massachusetts W. C. Strong, Waban Michigan C. J. Monroe, South Haven Minnesota S. B. Green, St. Anthony Park Mississippi A. B. McKay, Agricultural College Missouri C. H. Dutcher, Warrensburg Montana F. B. Linfield, Bozeman Nebraska G. A. JMarshall, Arlington Nevada Ross Lewers, Franktown New Hampshire C. C. Shaw, Milford New Jersey L J. Blacknell, Titusville New Mexico Parker Earle, Roswell New York George T. Powell, Ghent North Carolina J. Van Lindley, Pomona North Dakota C. B. Waldron, Fargo Northwest Territories . . Angus Mackay, Indian Head Nova Scotia R. W. Starr, Wolfville Ohio \V. R. Lazenby, Columbus Oklahoma O. M. Morris, Stillwater Ontario A. McNeill, Ottawa Oregon E. L. Smith, Hood River Pennsylvania H. A. Chase, Philadelphia Prince Edward Island. .Rev. A. E. Burke, Alberton Porto Rico H. C. Hendrickson, Mayaguez Quebec N. E. Jack, Chateauguay Basin Rhode Island J. L. Carpenter, Cumberland South Carolina C. U.'Shepard, Summerville South Dakota H. C. Warner, Forestburg Tennessee C. A. Keff er, Knoxville Texas E. W. Kirkpatrick, McKinney Utah Thomas Judd, St. George \'ermont^ Wm. Stuart, Burlington \'irginia S. B. Woods, Charlottesville Washington N. G. Blalock, Walla Walla West Virginia S. W. Moore, Elwell Wisconsin S. H. Marshall, Madison Wvoming B. C. Buffum, Laramie xii AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY STANDING COMMITTEES EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE C. L. Watrous Des Moines, Iowa W. C. Barry Rochester, New York C. W. Garfield Grand Rapids, Michigan G. L. Taber Glen St. Mary, Florida \\\ T. Macoun Ottawa, Canada FINANCE COMMITTEE W'ynian Elliott :\Iinneapolis, Minnesota W. C. Strong Waban, ^Massachusetts E. M. Pollard Xehawka, Nebraska (GENERAL FRUIT COMMITTEE Chairman,, S. A. Beach, Ames, Iowa. Alabama W. F. Heikes, Huntsville Arizona J. A. Ream, Phoenix Arkansas Ernest Walker, Fayetteville British Columbia R. M. Palmer, Victoria California E. J. Wickson, Berkeley Colorado Wendell Paddock, Ft. Collins Connecticut N. S. Piatt, New Haven Delaware J. W. Killen, Felton District of Columbia. . .\A'. N. Irwin, Dept. of Agr., \\'ashington Florida P. H. Rolfs, Gainesville Georgia S. H. Rumph, Marshallville Hawaii J. E. Higgins, Honolulu Idaho Chas. P. Hartley, Caldwell Illinois G. J. Foster, Normal Indiana C. AI. Hobbs, Bridgeport Iowa Wesley Green, Des Moines Kansas F. W. Dixon, Holton Kentucky C. W. Mathews, Lexington Louisiana G. S. Tiebaut, Baton Rouge Maine Z. A. Gilbert, Greene Manitoba S. A. Bedford, Brandon Maryland Orlando Harrison, Berlin Massachusetts Edward B. Wilder, Dorchester Michigan C. A. Ilgenfritz, Monroe Minnesota -\. W. Latham, Minneapolis Alississippi Theo. Bechtel, Ocean Springs Missouri Paul Evans, Mountain Grove Montana K. W. Msher. T-ozcman STANDING COMMITTEES Nebraska Nevada New Brunswick New Hampshire New Jersey .... New Mexico . . New York .... North CaroHna North Dakota . Northwest Territorie Nova Scotia . . Ohio Oklahoma .... Ontario Oregon Pennsylvania . Porto Rico . . . Quebec Rhode Island . South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee .... Texas .... Utah Vermont . . A'irginia . . Washington West Virginia . .R. A. Emerson, Lincoln . .R. H. McDowell, Reno . . S. L. Peters, Oueenstown . . J. T. Harvey ,~Pittsfield ..J. T. Lovett, Little Silver . . Luther Foster, Agricultural College . . W. T. Mann, Barker . .W. N. Hutt, Raleigh . . C. B. Waldron. Fargo . .George Lang, Indian Head . . Arthur C. Starr, Starrs Point . . W. J. Green, Wooster ..H. H. Cummins. Bernards . .H. L. Hutt, Guelph . E. R. Lake. Corvallis .J- P. Stewart. State College . F. D. Gardner, Mayaguez .N. E. Jack. Chateauguay Basin .Edward P. Taft, Providence . H. B. Buist, Rock Hill .N. E. Hansen, Brookings .H. A. Morgan, Knoxville . E. J. Kyle, College Station .Thos. Judd, St. George . D. C. Hicks, North Clarendon .S. \\*. Fletcher. Blacksburg .\\ \ S. Thornber, Pullman S. W. :\Ioore, Elwell Wisconsin Frederic Cranefield, Aladison A\'voming B. C. Buffum, Laramie COMMITTEE OX NEW FRUITS OF AMERICAN ORIGIN Chairman, S. B. Green, St. Anthony Park, Minnesota. Districts 1 and 2 L. R. Taft, Agricultural College. Michigan DistrictS^S and 4 \\\ B. Alwood, Charlottesville, \'irginia Districts 5 and 7 R. C. Berckmans. Augusta, Georgia: T. V. Munson, Denison. Texas. District 6 J. A an Lindley, Pomona, North Carolina District 8 A. T. Erwin, Ames. Iowa District 9 Frederic Cranefield, Madison. Wisconsin Districts 10. 13 and 14. .Leslie T. Paull. l^^ort Collins, Colorado xiv AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Districts 11, 12 and 19. .Fabian Garcia, Mesilla Park, New Mexico Districts 15 and 16. . . .C. I. Lewis, Corvallis, Oregon Districts 17 and 18..,. E. J. Wickson, Berkeley, California COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN FRUITS Chairman, G. L. Taber, Glen St. AIary, Florida. D. G. Fairchild. .Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. B. von Herff 93 Nassau St., New York City, N. Y. F. H. Burnette Baton Rouge, Louisiana W. S. Thornber Pullman, Washington W. T. Macoun Ottawa, Canada H. Harold Hume Glen St. Mary, Fla. committee on tropical and sub-tropical fruits Chairman, A. A. Boggs, Cocoanut Grove, Florida. B. O. Clark W'ahiawa, Hawaii G. C. Roeding Fresno, California H. J. Webber Ithaca, N. Y. C. P. Taft Orange, California Mrs. Florence P. Haden Cocoanut Grove, Florida G. Onderdonk Nursery, Texas W. M. Ward Phoenix, Arizona F. D. Gardner Mayaguez, Porto Rico committee on nomenclature Chairman, G. B. Brackett, Dept. of Agr., Washington, D. C. G. Harold Powell., Department of Agriculture. \\'ashington, D. C. Benj. Buckman Farmingdale, Illinois L. R. Taft East Lansing, Alichigan Harry Stabler Yuba City, California A. G. Gulley Storrs, Connecticut J. C. Whitten Columbia, Missouri committee on revision of cat.vlogue Chairman, E. R. Lake, Dept. of Agr., Washington, D. C. E. J. Wickson Berkeley, California U. P. Hedrick Geneva. New York E. L. Smith Hood River, Oregon S. H. Fulton Washington, D. C. N. S. Piatt New Haven, Connecticut H. E. ^^^n Deman Parkslcv, Virginia STANDING COMMITTEES xv SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON SCORE CARD Chairman, F. A. Waugh, Amherst, AIassachsetts. W. A. Taylor. . .Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. J. T. Stinson Sedalia, Missouri John Craig Ithaca, New York E. S. Hubbard Federal Point, Florida special COMMITTEE ON INSPECTING AND GRADING FRUIT Chairman, A. McNeill, Ottawa, Canada. J. H. Hale S. Glastonbury. Conn. F. D. Cummings Portland, Maine G. H. Powell ^^'ashington, D. C. A. A. Boggs Cocoanut Grove, Florida C. L. Watrous Des Moines, Iowa SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON LEGISLATION IN RESPECT TO INSECTICIDES AND FUNGICIDES Orlando Harrison Berlin, j\Id. Willis T. Mann Barker, N. Y. Wm. M. Scott Washington, D. C. L. A. Goodman ex-officio, Kansas City, Mo. -^ AxMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY LIFE MEMBERS ' Alabama Polytechnic Institute Auburn, i\la. Allan, Alex. McD Goderich, Ontario Allen, Edwin New Brunswick, N. J. Alwood, Wm. B Charlottesville, Va. Appleton, Francis H 251 Marlboro St., Boston, Mass. Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. . Fayetteville, x-Vrk. Care Prof. E. Walker. Ash, John Pomfret Center, Conn. Atkins, Chas. G Bucksport, Me. Austin, Mrs. Helen V Centerville, Ind. Babcock, E. E Waitsburg, Wash. Babcock. J. Lyman Norfolk, Va. Baird, David Baird, N. J. Barry, Wm. C Rochester, N. Y. Beadle, D. W 307 Givens St., Toronto, Ont. Berckmans, Prosper J Augusta, Ga. Berryhill, J. G Des Moines, Iowa. Black, Chas Hightstown, N. J. Blackmore, John C Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zeal'd Blair, J. C. ." Urbana, 111. Blanchard, N. W Santa Paula, Cal. Block, A Santa Clara, Cal. Bridgeman, Alfred Newburgh, N. Y. Briggs, G. R Plymouth. Mass. Brill, Francis Hempstead, N. Y. Calkins, John S Station M, Los Angeles, Cal. Central Experimental Farm Ottawa, Can. Care W. T. Macoun Chase, Howard A. .. .Commonwealth Bldg., Philadelphia, Pa. Chase, Lewis Rochester, N. Y. Clapp, Wm. Channing Dorchester, Mass. Clark, lulmund S 144 Essex St., lioston, Mass. Coburn, W. S Paonia, Colo. Colman. N.J St. Louis. Mo. Cone, Mrs. Moses H Blowing Rock, N. C. Cook. David C Chicago, 111. LIST OF LIFE MEMBERS Cornell University Library Ithaca, N. Y. Care G. W. Harris. Craig, John Ithaca, N. Y. Crandall, C. S Urbana, III. Devol, W. Stowe Redlands, Cal. Dreer, W. F 714 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. Durell, E. H Woodbury, N. J. Durfee, Geo. B Fall River, Mass. Earle, Parker Roswell, N. M. Egbert, Knott C Siletz, Ore. Eshleman, John K Downington, Pa. Falconer, Wm Pittsburg, Pa. (Superintendent of Parks.) Faxon, M. B 13 Rhode Island Ave., Newport. R. I. Field, E. T Middletown, N. J. Free Library Care Miss C. G. Hancock. Sacramento, Cal. Gammon, C. W Walnut Grove, Cal. Garfield, Chas. W Grand Rapids, Mich. Gay. Leslie F Station A, Los Angeles. Cal. Gerrish, O. K Lakeville, Mass. Gold. T. S \^\^st Cornwall. Conn. Graves, S. S Geneva. X. Y. Green. E. C Brownsville. Texas Greening, Chas. E Monroe. Mich. Grosvenor. C. E Berkeley, Cal. Guy, T. W Sulphur Springs, Mo. Hansen, N. E Brookings. S. Dakota. Harris, James A Panasoffkee, Fla. Harrison. Orlando Berlin. Md. Harroun, W. S ' Santa Fe. N.- M. Hart. W. S Hawks Park, Fla. Hartevelt, A Rijswijk bijden, Haag. Holland. Heikes. W. F Huntsville. Ala. Helmer. J. W 39 Aldine Square, Chicago, 111. Herff, B.' von 93 Nassau St., New York, N. Y. Hoag, C. L Lockport, N. Y. HodgCj^ C. F Clark L^niversity. W'orcester. Mass. Holmes, E. S Grand Rapids. Mich. Horticultural Library Des Moines, la. Care of Philip Watrous. Capitol Bldg. Hunnewell Walter 87 Milk St.. Boston. Alass. Hussman, Geo. C, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Hutt. Wm. N Raleigh. N. C. Ilgenfritz, Chas. A .Monroe. Mich. xviii AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Iowa State College Ames, la. Care Prof. S. A. Beach. Irish, H. C Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Mo. Kansas Agricultural College Manhattan, Kan. Care Dr. T. J. Headle. Kansas State Horticultural Society Topeka, Kan. State Capitol. Kendall, Edward Cambridge, Mass. Kendall, Geo. F Cambridge, Mass. Kidder, N. T Milton, Mass. Kirkpatrick, T. J Springfield, O. Lake, E. R U. S. Dept. Agr., Washington, D. C. Lauman, G. N Ithaca, N. Y. Leighten, G. B. F Alfred, Me. Lindley, J. Van Pomona, N. C. Lovett, J. T Little Silver, N. J. Lyman, Henry L Charlottesville, Va. Lyons, James M 66 Hartford St., Roxbury, Mass. Lysle, Addison Fillmore, Cal. McAfee, H. B Parkville, Mo. McDowell, R. H Reno, Nev. McLaughlin, Henry Bangor, Me. Mann, William R Sharon, Mass. Marshall, Geo. A Arlington, Neb. Masters, James H Syracuse, Neb. Maud, Charles E Riverside, Cal. Meneray, F. W Crescent, la. Michigan Agricultural College Agricult'l Col'ge, Mich. Care W. J. Beal. Miller, F". R Sugar Grove, Pa. Miller, H. W Paw Paw, W. Va. Minnesota University. .. .Care S. B. Green, St. Anthony P'k, Minn. Minott, C. W 6 Beacon St., Boston, Mass. Mississippi Agricultural College Agricult'l Col'ge, Miss. Care A. B. McKay. Missouri Fruit Experiment Station Mountain Grove, Mo. Care Paul Evans. Missouri State Horticultural Society Kansas City, Mo. Care L. A. Goodman. Missouri University .... Care J. C. Whitten, Columbia, Mo. Monroe, C. J South Haven, Mich. Montana Experiment Station Bozeman, Mont. Care R. W. Fisher. Morris, O. M Pullman, Wash. LIST OF LIFE MEMBERS x Munson, D. O Falls Church, Va. Murray, R. D Key West, Fla. Myers, Wm. S 16 John St., New York City, N. Y. Neame, F. Ivo Macnade Faversham, Eng. New Mexico Ag-ricultural & Mechanical Col- lege :\Iesilla Park, N. M. Care Fabian Garcia. New York Experiment Station Geneva, N. Y. Care U. P. Hedrick. Noble, Samuel W Jenkintown, Pa. Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station Wooster, O. Care W. J. Green. Ontario Agricultural College Guelph. Ont. Care H. L. Hutt. Pearson, John M Godfrey, 111. Peart, H. S Jordan Harbor, Ont Periani. Jonathan 426 Englewood Ave., Chicago, 111. Phelps. Lyman Sanford, Fla. Phillips, J. L Blacksburg, Va. Phoenix, F. K Delevan, Wis. Price, H. L Blacksburg, Va. Public Library Care H. W. Utley, Detroit, Mich. Pullen, Alexander ^Nlilford, Del. Purington. E. F West Farmington, Me. Ouaintance, A. L... Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D. C. Quinn, P. T Newark, N. J. Ream, J. A Phoenix, Ariz. Rhode Island Experiment Station Library. .. Kingston, R. I. Richardson, Chas. E Brookline, Mass. Riehl, E. A Upper Alton, 111. Robinson, S. A Crozet, Va. Roeding. Geo. C Fresno, Cal. Rumph, Samuel H Marshallville, Ga. Russell, Gurdon W Hartford, Conn. Rust, David Horticultural Hall, Philadelphia, Pa. Sampson, F. G ^ Boardman, Fla. Selover, Edward C Auburn, N. Y. Shaw, C.^C Alilford, N. H. Shepard, C. U Summerville, S. C. Smith, Erwin F 1457 Stoughton St., Washington, D. C. Smith, Geo. W Hartford, Conn. Smith, W Geneva, N. Y. Smith, Wm. Elliott Alton, 111. Smith, Wing R Syracuse, N. Y. XX AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Stark, Clarence M Louisiana, Mo. Stark, Wm. Henry Louisiana, Mo. Starr, Robert W Wolfville, N. S. State Board of Agriculture Lincoln, Neb. Care S. C. Bassett. State Library Care Arthur H. Chase, Concord, N. H. Stewart, Henry L Middle Haddam, Conn. Streator, Geo. J. . . .Rosedale, Seaside Ave., Santa Cruz, Cal. Strong, Wm. C Waban, Mass. Swineford, Howard Richmond, Va. Swingle, W. T. .Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Taber, G. L Glen St. Mary, Fla. Taft, Edward P Providence, R. L Taylor, F. W Denver, Colo. Taylor, Thomas 238 Mass. Ave., N. E., Washington, D. C. Taylor, Wm. A 55 O St., N. E., Washington, D. C. Temple, John T Davenport, la. Templin Co (For M. B. Templin) Calla, O. Thomas, Geo. B West Chester, Pa. Townsend, B. C Bay Ridge, N. Y. Trelease, Wm Botanic Garden, St. Louis, Mo. Trowbridge, Geo. W Glendale, O. Uber, Carlton A Glencarlyn, \^a. Underwood, J. M Lake City, Minn. Van Deman, H. E. . . .3630 13th St., N. W., Washington, D. C. Van Gelder, Jacob Saugerties, N. Y. Virginia Polytechnic Institute Library Blacksburg, Va. Ward, C. W Queens, N. Y. Warren, J. R., Marathon, 23 Seymour Grove, Camberwell Victoria, Australia. Waterer, Hosea Philadelphia, Pa. Watrous, C. L Des Moines, la. Watson, B. M Jamaica Plains, Mass. Weber, Frank A Nursery Station. St. Louis, Mo. Wellborn, Jesse M Conyers, Ga. Wellhouse, F Fairmount, Kan. Wester, P.J Miami, Fla. Whitehead, John B Norfolk, Va. Wickersham, Robert A N. Paca St., Baltimore, ^Id. Care Franklin Davis Co. Wilder, Edward B Dorchester, Mass. Wilder, H. J Bureau of Soils, Washington, D. C. Williams, Flenry T Colorado Springs, Colo. Williams, |. L R. F. D. 4. Kansas Citv, Kan. LIST OF BIENNIAL MEMBERS xx Wisconsin University Madison, Wis. Wyoming University Laramie, Wyo. Yeomans, Wm. H Columbia, Conn. TWENTY YEAR MEMBERS Colorado Agricultural College Fort Collins, Colo. New York State Library Albany, N. Y. Wild & Brothers, James B Sarcoxie, Mo. (For Henry N. Wild.) THIRTY YEAR MEMBERS Crerar Library, The John ' Chicago, 111. Division of Horticulture Dept. of Agr., Raleigh, N. C. Horticultural Department Univ. of 111., Urbana, III. Maine Experiment Station Orono, Me. Maine University Library Orono, Me. Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station .. College Park, Md. Massachusetts Agricultural College Library. .Amherst, Mass. New Hampshire Experiment Station Durham, N. H. North Carolina College of Agriculture West Raleigh, N. C. Department of Horticulture. Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station. ... Corvallis, Ore. Sapporo Agricultural College Sapporo, Hokkaido. Jap. Texas Agricultural College College Station, Texas. \>rmont Experiment Station Burlington, Vt. Washington Agricultural College Pullman, Wash. BIENNIAL MEMBERS FOR 31ST BIENNIUM, 1909-10 Aldrich, H. A Neoga, 111. Allis, Clark Medina, N. Y. Anderson, J. R. .Department of /\griculture, Victoria, B. C. Armstrong, Wm Queenston, Ont. Atkinson, Wilmer 1024 Race St., Philadelphia, Pa. Augustine, H Normal, 111. Austin, C. F Cardenas, Cuba. Care Cuban Sugar-Refining Co. Auten, B. C Carthage, Mo. Bailey, L. H Ithaca, N. Y. Ballard,'%. R College Park, Md. Barker, Charles Milford, Del. Barron, Leonard 133-137 E. 16th St., New York, N. Y. Bechtel, Theodore Ocean Springs, Miss. Berckmans, L. A Augusta, Ga. Berckmans Co., P. J Augusta, Ga. Bingham, D. E Sturgeon Bav, Wis. xxii AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Blackwell, I. J Titusville, N. J. Blair, W. S..MacDonald College, St. Anne deBellevue, Can. Blake, Maurice A New Brunswick, N. J. Blessing, David S 4 N. Court St.,Harrisburg, Pa. Bonfiglioli, Gaetano. . . Via Indipendenza 27, Bologna, Italy. Brackett, A Excelsior, Minn. Brackett, G. B.. .Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Broderick, F. W Agricultural College, Winnipeg, Man. Brodie, Robert Notre Dame de Grace, Montreal, Can. Brown Brothers Co Browns Nurseries, Welland Co., Can. Brown, Newton H 2 Indian Grove, Toronto, Can. Brusse, G Decatur, Ark. Buckman, Benj Farmingdale, III. Burbank, Luther Santa Rosa, Cal. Burgoyne, W. B St. Catharines, Ont. Burke, Rev. A. E.. .119 Wellington St., W., Toronto, Can. Burnette, F. H Baton Rouge, La. Burton, Joe A Mitchell, *Ind. Card, Fred W Sylvania, Pa. Carroll, R. J., M. D Red Hook, N. Y. Charlton, John Rochester, N. Y. Chase Bros. Co Rochester, N. Y. Chase, R. G Geneva, N. Y. Clark, B. W Lockport. X. Y. Clark, V. A Urbana, III. Close, C. P College Park, Md. Coe,- E. F Elm City Nursery Co., New Haven, Conn. Cohill, E. P Hancock, Md. Collins, i^rthur J Moorestown, N. J. Collins, John S Moorestown, N. J. Conklin, Roland R Huntington, N. Y. Craig, Wm., Jr Auburn, Me. Crandall, Charles S Urbana, 111. Crawford, M Cuyahoga Falls, O. Crow, J. W Guelph, Ont. Cummings, F. D Portland, Me. Darling, Samuel T Ancon Hospital, Canal Zone, Panama. Davidson, C. M Rockwood, O. DeCamp, Geo. E Roseland, N. J. DeCou, Howard F Moorestown, N. J. Dempsey, W. H Trenton, Ont. Deputy Minister Dept. Agr., Victoria, B. C. Dickens, Albert Manhattan, Kan. Dickie, James Roseland, Va. LIST OF BIENNIAL MEMBERS xxiii Dixon, F. W Holton, Kan. Donaldson, Geo. W Cherryvale, Va. Duncan, D. 1 701 Bennett Bldg., New York City, N. Y. Dunlap, H. M Savoy, 111. Dust Sprayer Mfg. Co Kansas City, Mo. Dutcher, C. H Warrensburg, Mo. Eaton, Horace Box 1951, Boston, Mass. Elliott, Wyman 815 E. 18th St., Minneapolis, Minn. Emerson, J. B 20 E. 30th St., New York City, N. Y. Emerson, R. A Lincoln, Neb. Emory, W. A Aldershot, Ont. Engle, E. B Box 756, Harrisburg, Pa. Erwin, Arthur T Ames, la. Etter, Albert F Briceland P. O., Ettersburg, Cal. Eustace, H. J East Lansmg, Mich. Fairchild, D. G Dep't. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Fairchild, H. L Box 262, Bridgeport, Conn. Farnsworth, W. W Waterville, O. Fletcher, S. W Blacksburg, Va. Flournoy, W. T Marionville, Mo. Forkert, C Ocean Springs, Miss. Eraser, S Geneseo, N. Y. Gage, John P Vineland, N. J. Gardiner, R. H Gardiner, Me. Georgeson, C. C. . Department of Agriculture. Sitka, Alaska. Gifford, John Cocoanut Grove, Fla. Goldsborough. A. T Wesley Heights. Washington, D. C. Goldwaite, J. 0 964 Corbett St., Portland, Ore. Goodman, Mrs. L. A Kansas City, Mo. Gould,' H. P Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Graves, H. S Gainesville, Fla. Gray, W. H Eddyville, la. Green, H. M Highland Ave., Rochester, N. Y. Greene, Wesley Des Moines, la. Griesa, A. H Lawrence, Kan. Hale, J. H S. Glastonbury, Conn. Hale, J./) Byfield, Mass^ Hallock, E. B Queens, N. Y. Halsted, Byron D New Brunswick, N. J. Halsted, E. W Las Palacios, Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Harrison, J. J Painesville, O. Harrison, W. C Painesville, O. Hartwell, J. L Dixon, 111. Hicks, D. 'C North Clarendon. Vt. xxiv AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Heister, Gabriel Harrisburg-, Pa. Higgins, J. E Experiment Station, Honolulu, Hawaii. Hobbs, CM.. Bridgeport, Ind. Hodgetts, P. W Parliament Bldg.. Toronto, Ont. Hood, W. T Richmond, Va. Hooker, C. M Rochester, N. Y. Howell, W. E Box 123. Nephi, Utah. Hubbard, E. S Federal Point, Fla. Hubbard Co., T. S Fredonia, N. Y. Hume, H. Harold Glen St. Mary, Fla. Irwin, Wm. N .. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Jack, Norman E Chateauguay Basin, Quebec, Can. Jarvis, CD Storrs, Conn. Johnson, J. B Manassas, Va. Johnson, J. C Tollgate, W. Va. Johnson, T. C Va. Truck Expt. Station, Norfolk, Va. Jones, Francis C Beamsville, Ont. Judson, L. B Ithaca, N. Y. killen, J. W Felton, Del. Kimball, F. A National City, Cal. Kirkpatrick, E. W McKinney. Texas. Klingel, Rev. Clement St. Anthony, Ind. Knowlton, D. H Farmington, Me. Koiner, G. W Richmond, Va. Lagace, Jules • Fraserville, Quebec, Can. Lake, D. S Shenandoah, la. Lanskail, J. A 354 Huron St., Toronto, Ont. Latham, A. W 207 Kasota Bldg., Minneapolis, Minn. Lazenby, W. R Columbus, O. Leeson, J. R 95 South St.. Boston, Mass. Lewis, Claude I Corvallis, Ore. Lindsey, W. T Tryon, N. C Little, E. E Ames, la. Lockhart, A. L Barboursville, Va. Loop, A.I North East, Pa. Loope, T. E., M. D Eureka, Wis. Lupton, S. L Washington, D. C Care Interstate Commerce Commission, Bureau of Statistics and Accounts. Lyman, Chas. E Middletield, Conn. McCalla, W. C St. Catharines, ( )nt. McCarty, B. K Eldred, Fla. McCue, C A Newark. Del. LIST OF BIENNIAL MEMBERS xxv MacDonalcl College St. Anne de Bellevue, Canada. McFarland, J. Horace Harrisburg, Pa. AIcNeill, A Ottawa. Can. Alann. Willis T Barker. X. Y. Marks, Lafe Springdale, Ark. Marshall, Courtenay. .Care Security Oil Co., Beaumont, Tex. Marshall, S. H Charlottesville, Va. :\Iartin, Miss H. M Cornell Heights, Ithaca, N. Y. Mason, S. C Bur. Plant Industry, W'ashington. D. C. Mathews, C. W 660 S. Limestone St., Lexington, Ky. Maxwell, Wm. S Still Pond, Md. Mayer, I. H.. M. D Willowstreet, Pa. Meehan, S. Mendelson Germantown, Pa. ^liller, E. Cyrus Haydenville, Mass. Miller, G. P Romney, W. Va. Alitchell & Son, W. T Beverly, O. Alonroe, J. F MacDonald College, St. Anne de Bellevue, Canada. Moon, Samuel C Morrisville, Pa. Moore, S. W Elwell, W. Va. Munson. T. Y Denison, Texas. Munson, W. K R. F. D., Grand Rapids, Mich. Munson, W. M ]\Iorgantown, W. Va. Myers, J. B Boise, Idaho. N. C. Agricultural and Mechanical College. . .West Raleigh, N. C. Orange Judd Co 439 Lafayette St., New York City, N. Y. Oregon Nursery Co Salem, Ore. Pabor, W. E Pabor Lake, Avon Park, Fla. Painter, E. O Jacksonville, Fla. Parker, Gerald L Summerland, B. C.Can. Parnall, James E St. Catharines, Can. Patten, C. G Charles City, la. Patterson, F. G. H Winona, Ont. Pay, J. Albert St. Catharines, Ont. Peek, J. Yates 472 Putnam Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. Pfaender, Wm., Jr New Ulm, Minn. Piatt, Norman S 395 Whalley Ave., New Haven, Conn. Powell, G. Harold, Depart, of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. Powell, Geo. T Ghent, N. Y. Pratt, B. G. .B. G. Pratt Co., 11 Broadway, New York, N. Y. Price, R. H Long's Shop, Va. Reasoner, E. N Oneco, Fla. Reasoner, ]. R Urbana, III. xxvi AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Rehfuss, E. J 4414 Russell Ave., Los Angeles, Cal. Raid, W. H Tennent, N. J. Rey, M. S Sindad, Jaurez, Mexico. Reynard, G. LaTrappe Quebec, Can. Rich, W. P 38 State St., Boston, Mass. Richter, W. A Box 99, North Milwaukee, Wis. Rittenhouse, J. S Lorane, Pa. Roberts, H. L Grimsby, Ont. Robertson, Geo. A St. Catharines, Ont. Rockhill, H Conrad, la. Roesch, Lewis Fredonia, N. Y. Rolfs, P. H Gainesville, Fla. Rush, John G ; . West Willow, Pa. St. Catharines Cold Storage Co St. Catharines, Ont. Sargent, H. E Kent Scientific Museum, Grand Rapids, Mich. Sears, F. C Amherst, Mass. Shaw, Percy J Truro, N. S. Shepard, E. H Hood River, Ore. Shutt, Frank T Ottawa, Can. Simpson & Sons Vincennes, Ind. Smith, Fred A Ipswich, Mass. Smith, Theodore J Geneva, N. Y. Snyder, Waher 220 S. Charles St., Baltimore, Md. Soper, F. M Magnolia, Del. Soper, J. L Magnolia, Del. Stark, W. P Louisiana, Mo. Starnes, H. N Experiment, Ga. Sterz, H 402 Fulton St., Riverton, N. J. Stevenson, A. P Dunston, Martinsburg, W. Va. Stewart, John P Manitoba, Can. Stewart, John W State College, Pa. Storrs and Harrison Co Painesville, O. Stuart, Wm Dept. of Agr., Washington, D. C. Studley, Frank P Matteawan, N. Y. Sturgus, M. B 722 Third St., N. E., Washington, D. C. Taber, Mrs. G. L Glen St. Mary, Fla. Taber, Walter F Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Taft, L. R East Lansing, Mich. Thomas, E. W King of Prussia, Pa. Thompson, Wilfred St. Catharines, Ont. Thorp, C Weston, Mo. Troop, James Lafayette, Ind. Troyer, A. M Calhoun, Ala. Vaughan, J. C Randolph St., Chicago, 111. LIST OF BIENNIAL MEMBERS Walker, Ernest Fayetteville, Ark. Ward, John Shobden,Heresford,Eng. Ward, Dr. J. B Newark, N. J. Watts, R. L State College, Pa. Waugh, F. A Amherst, Mass. W^ayman, H. S Princeton, Mo. W^ebb, Wesley Dover, Del. Western New York Nursery Co Rochester, N. Y. Whaley, J. S 65 N. Arlington Ave., East Orange, N. J. Whately, Walter Crozet, Va. White, Herbert C Dewitt, Ga. Whyte, R. B Ottawa, Can. Williams, J. C 140 Harrison Ave., Montclair, N. J. Willis, A Ottawa, Kan. A\'ilson, Silas Nampa, Idaho. Winslow, R. M Dept. of Agr., Victoria, B. C. Winter, F. B Portsmouth, O. Wisconsin State Horticultural Society Madison, Wis. Care Mr. Frederic Cranefield. Wood, Allen L Rochester, N. Y. Wood, J. L Bristol, Va. Woods, Samuel B Charlottesville, Va. Woodward, J. W 1228 Citizens Bldg.. Cleveland, O. Woolverton, E. J Grimsby, Ont. AA'orcester Horticultural Society Worcester, Mass. Care Adin A. Hixon. Wright, W. J State College, Pa. Wundt, Karl R Burlington, la. Yaggy, L. W Hutchinson, Kan. Zion, Jas. M Clarks Hill, Ind. IMPORTANT COMMITTEES AT ST. CATHARINES MEETING. COMMITTEE ON MEMBERSHIP R. B. Whyte, C. A. Hesson, P. W. Hodgetts and W. N. Hutt. COMMITTEE ON OBITUARY Col. G. B. Brackett, Alex. McNeill and C. J. Monroe. COMMITTEE ON FINANCE S. W. Fletcher, W. R. Lazenby and J. S. Collins. COMMITTEE ON WILDER MEDALS W. A. Taylor. COMMITTEE ON CREDENTIALS F. C. Sears, J. \^an Lindley and W. S. Blair. COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONS Prof. J. C. Whitten. W. C. Barry, Prof. C. P. Close and Murray Pettit. -^ PROFESSOR W. H. RAGAN IN MEMORIAM LIFE MEMBERS F. M. Hexamer, New York, N. Y. Wm. H. Barnes, Topeka, Kan. Moses H. Cone, Blowing Rock, N. C. O. B. Hadwen, Worcester, Alass. TiNSLEY Jeter, Bethlehem, Pa. biennial members Wm. H. Ragan, Washington. D. C. J. C. Evans, Harlem, Mo. P. M. NoviK, College Park. ^Id. Foster Udell, Brockport, X. Y. T. C. Thurlow, West Newbury. Mass. W. G. Johnson, New York, N. Y. Wm. H. S. Wood, New York, N. Y. Geo. W. Gill, Columbus. O. John Black, M. D., New Castle. Del. Murray Pettit, Winona, Ont.. Can. A. W. St. John, Mena, Ark. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. William H. Ragan. a prominent figure in American Pomology for more than half a century, passed away at the Homeopathic Hospital in Washington, D. C, August 6. 1909. He was born in Putnam County. Indiana, in 1836, and was a son of the late Reuben Ragan, a well known pioneer pomologist of that state. For a number of years, until the time of his death. Prof. W. H. Ragan occupied the important position of Assistant Pomologist and Ex- pert in Nomenclature in the U. S. Department of Agriculture. He be- longed to that type of pomologists we can ill afford to lose, the type made illustrious by Wilder. Downing, Thomas and Warder. He prepared for the Department of Agriculture that series of admirable reference books on Nomenclature of Fruits, the work begun by the late T. T. Lyon. The first volume was "Nomenclature of the Apple." the second. PART I. PROCEEDINGS OF THE American Pomological Society AT THE THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION St. Catharines, Canada September 14, 15, 16 and 17, 1909 TUESDAY EVENING SESSION. St. Paul's Church, Sept. 14. The Thirty-first Biennial Session of the American Pomological Society was called to order by President Goodman in St. Paul's Church, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, at about 8 P. M. OPENING REMARKS. President Goodman : For over sixty years this Societ}- has been trying to do something to advance the interests of horticulture through- out the United States and Canada. Three things we expect to accom- plish in helping to spread this gospel of horticulture throughout all North America : greater prosperity ; happier homes ; better citizens. The American Pomological Society was organized for a special line of work, and we have been trying to follow along the path outlined by President AMlder, who was president of this Society over forty years. The Society has never held a meeting outside of the boundaries of the United States before, but we have been very close to the border a number of times, — in fact it originated in Bufifalo, and I am sure I bring you warm greetings from over the border across the lake and the other^ide of the Falls. Forty years ago it was my privilege, living in Michigan just north of Detroit, to help send boatloads of apples across the water into Canada by way of Lake St. Clair. It was my privilege also during that time to accompany a boatload into the northern part of Canada, up into Georgian Bay and to help distribute it in that neighborhood. Such 2 AMERICAN POAIULOGICAL SOCIETY times have passed, and tonight we hold our first meeting on Canadian soil. This will be a night of welcoming addresses and a planning for tomorrow's work. Tomorrow we will invite you to meet with us at the Armory to see the fruit show and flower display and meet with us dur- ing the day in discussion at the court house. After prayer by Rev. Dr. Crothers, President Goodman introduced Mayor Campbell, of St. Catharines. ADDRESS OF WELCOME BY MAYOR CAMPBELL. We feel especially honored that so many people from far distant points of the continent have visited our city, and especially honored in that your Society has selected this place as its meeting place for your thirty-first biennial conference. It is fitting, perhaps, since there are so many strangers with us on this occasion, to say a word on behalf of our city. We have about 25,000 people in this city situated on the Welland Canal, the most im- portant link in the water transportation highway of the continent, a link that is destined in the very near future to become a much more important one, and to assist in regaining and retaining for Canada the carrying trade of the North American continent. In the midst of what is called the Niagara District we find St. Catharines, the Garden City. If you were to stand on the mountain some four miles to the South of us and look towards Lake Superior and to the East and the West, you would see stretching out at your feet the most fertile valley, perhaps, that can be found on the continent of America. To the East the Niagara River, to the West Hamilton; this is what is called the Niagara District, a region about forty-five miles long, and the central point of that district is this little city. We think it is the most beautiful ciy in America, — we think so, at least — we may be wrong. We have beautiful homes, we have some beautiful streets, and we are continuing our improvements. We regret that in this Garden City there has been a great deal of that species of municipal vandalism which shows itself periodically in the destruction of beautiful trees. It has broken out here and has been rampant on occasions, but we hope with the better education of our people that it will stop, and stop for all time, and that the broken spots in our streets through the non-restoration of beautiful trees that have been taken down, will be once more what they should be by the planting of proper shade trees for retaining the beauty of our city. We have large and important manufacturing interests in St. Cath- arines, and we have in this locality the cheapest electric power to be obtained anvwhere on the continent of America, 40,000 horse j^ower THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 3 at our doors, waiting to be used, and the user can obtain this at about $15 per horse power per annum, — a very important item in the manu- facturing progress of any place. I shall not attempt to go into further detail, because I am to be followed by others who will speak or other lines, and will perhaps touch upon some things which I will necessarily omit, but I would finally and lastly say this, that it is our special delight to see you here. We extend to you fraternal greetings, and, following out the time- honored custom which is observed in the old lands, when the King enters the city of London, and in our newer lands, when important bodies come to a new municipality, I have thought it proper to extend to you. Sir, on behalf of your Society, on behalf of all the distinguished people who are here with you, the freedom of our city, and emblematic of that freedom, I will give you, Sir, this important item, which I assure you will admit you to the front door of the city, and also to the back door on any occasion you may desire to enter. I give it to you, because I appreciate you very much personally, and your Society a great deal, and as I have no immediate use for this latch-key of the city, I trust you will accept it as a taken of good fellowship. ( Presents a key, three feet long, adorned with red, white and blue ribbons, to President Goodman.) Applause. President Goodman : You have certainly given it to a "good man." (Applause) On behalf of the Society we accept your hospitality. The welcome from St. Catharines we expected, but we have a welcome now from Plon. James DutT, Minister of Agriculture for Ontario. ADDRESS BY HON. JAIMES DUFF. My mission tonight is an exceptionally pleasant one — to extend a hearty welcome for the premier Province of Ontario and of our beautiful and splendid Dominion of Canada, for Ontario is the first province of the Dominion. Your organization is becoming mature. Great changes have taken place since its inception. This is your first visit to this great Province, and coming from the great Republic, you, perhaps, find things here greater than you anticipated. We have made rapid strides here. We have one of the finest fruit belts on the North American Continent. We grow the hardier as well as the more tender fruits. Three great fruit sections exist in this Province. First, along Lake Erie's shores we grow peaches and grapes. There is an area of 12,000 acres of grapes in these counties. The district is further south than Chicago or Boston. Second, north from Lake Ontario to the Georgian Bay stretches the apple district. Third, along Lake 4 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Huron's shores, and fourth, in the valleys of the Ottawa and the St. Lawrence rivers we grow pears and apples. Our Province is so large that four divisions are necessary, our area being some 75,000 to 78,000 square miles greater than Great Britain and Ireland. Regarding fruit culture, we are in warmer latitudes than you think. Regarding the Province as a whole, as the years roll on we are surprised at the greatness of our heritage. We have at Cobalt the greatest silver camp in the world, and the most orderly. You from the other side wall be glad to hear of our progress, for in the United States you will find men that are Canadian born. They still love their land, and, on behalf of the Province, I bid you a very hearty welcome. A nice little sum of money was voted by the Legislature that St. Catharines might entertain you. I trust your visit may be most happy. On Saturday you go to Guelph, to the Ontario Agricultural College. You will see our great agricultural institution. Lately in Toronto we had a great exhibition, and every province was represented in the exhibits. Thousands of Americans were there, and some of them thought it was the best outing they had had in many a day. We farmers, living here — and seventy per cent of the people of the Province are engaged in agriculture — as well as manufacturers, wel- come you here with right good fellowship. We are proud of the connections that bind us to the old country, we are loyal to the ties that bind us to King Edward and the British Crown ; nevertheless, as neighbors and friends, we extend to you that right hand of fellow- ship which neighbors and friends should extend to each other under all and every condition. President Goodman : We could not expect anything else but a right hearty welcome from the province of Ontario. I am very glad that some of the Canadians have gotten away from Canada, because we need them in the United States. Mr. E. D. Smith was to have given a welcome on behalf of the Ontario Fruit Growers, but he was detained because of illness. Mr. W. B. Burgoyne explained that Mr. Smith was up at seven o'clock and hoped to attend, but owing to physical weakness had been compelled to stay at home. Dr. Jessup, meiuber of the local legislature, then extended a wel- come on behalf of the fruit-growing county of Lincoln. He said in part : I am pleased to meet you and extend to you a hearty welcome, joining my welcome to those who have spoken on behalf of St. Cath- THIRTY-FIRST BIEXNIAL SESSION 5 arines and the Dominion. Ontario has not been sufficiently advertised, but the Government is waking up to the situation. The G. T. R. R. passes through a fertile tract of land and it will open up immense resources. The Americans in the West have said that our West is far ahead of the Dakotas, and they are moving in rapidly. They will make good citizens under the Union Jack, and I hope 500,000 will leave the United States for our country; they are the kind of citizens we want. Again I extend a hearty welcome to this dis- tinguished body, and I trust that you will all enjoy yourselves. President Goodman: The only truly great man in all America, United States or Canada, is the man who cultivates the soil. Fruit growers are distinctly in this class. We have a place in the United States called Kansas ; I really think this gentleman must have come from Kansas. I know you will be glad to hear from Colonel Watrous, of Iowa, who will respond to the hearty welcome that we have received. Colonel Watrous : We come across the border from one nation into another, and directly we feel at home. We have enjoyed ourselves in St. Catharines, this beautiful city, and expect to enjoy ourselves a great deal more. One good thing about the American Pomological Society is that it has never gauged its rewards according to politics, religion or state lines, or national lines. Its medal of honor will go just as freely and with as good heart to a fine display from Canada as to one from Massachusetts, New York, or Missouri, and it was with that feeling that this meeting was called over here, in the hope that there might be a strengthening of the fraternal bonds between these two peoples. A great many of us have read your Kipling, — our Kipling, for he married an American wife and if that does not make him ours I do not know what will. He says that when the wild people of the jungle come together and the intentions of the strangers have not been declared, it is the custom to say, "We are of one blood, ye and we." Then there is a feast and not war. We United States people, or Americans, as we call ourselves, are coming more and more now, to realize, and to let the realization take its effect, that ye and we are of one blood. We are only cousins. You are English and Scotch and Irish at bottom, and we are English and Scotch and Irish, and that is all there is of it. We probably have a greater percentage of people from other nations than has Canada, but at bottom the American people, those who settled in Virginia and those who settled at Plymouth, were English and Irish and Scotch. All my ancestors settled in New England more than two hundred and 6 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY fifty years ago, and they were English and Irish ; I do not know whether there were any Scotch. It would not have done any harm if there had been, I think, but they were English and Irish, I know. I am glad we came over here. I wish there were more to attend the meeting from across the border. I wish I were eloquent enough to say in a fitting way some things that I think ought to be said and ought to be thought of more than they are. The time may come, how soon we do not know, when we shall all need to stand together against some people, either yellow or red, or some ambitious potentate who is anxious to rule and wants to have a scrimmage, so that it is hard work to hold him down. Lately we have been reading a great deal in the newspapers about a speech of a certain emperor in Europe, who said that if all the people of the German race stood together, they could rule the earth. I do not know that I shall live, but I have some chil- dren, and they may live to see the time when, if any ambitious person, no matter what the color of his face or what language he speaks, shall get it into his heart to oppress unduly or wrongfully any of the Anglo- Saxon race, he will find before he is through with it that he will have to settle with the last one of the nations or provinces or states speak- ing the English language before he has entirely finished his job. (Applause.) If those who speak the English language would cease their jealous- ies of one another, — little petty jealousies.- — and stand together, they could impose peace upon the rest of the earth, and they could make it known very promptly to any ambitious ruler that it would be an ill day for him whenever he attempted to do something that was unjust and oppressive towards any people of that race. I hope that that day may come. I am sure that it is something that all of us who speak the English language ought to give more heed to than we do now. When the American Pomological Society was formed, there would have been, I think, not any thought of coming over here to hold a meet- ing. My home was back here in New York State, in what was called the "Military Tract," which was settled largely by revolutionary sol- diers and their descendants, who gave tone to the religious and moral life of the people. I know the children were all taught to hate the British, the Indians and the Tories. We heard of the hardships that these old soldiers had endured during the Revolutionary A\'ar, and our hearts were bitter. Of course, a child believes what his father and mother believe, and he ought to; and if the father and mother are bitter toward any people, the children will be so. But those things have been passing into the l)ackground, — they have passed out of sight. As I was coming to this meeting 1 heard a professional man of a great deal of eminence wlio lives in the West, speaking in regard THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 7 to a speech of a certain eminent potentate in Europe, say, "Do you believe that this nation across the Lake would sit still and see the Germans tear England to pieces, even if they could?" He said, "I do not believe they would. I believe that before it was over with, we would say, 'Count us in also.' " And I believe they would, too. For one, I should most heartily rejoice in it, and I would do anything- I could to carry that through, and I believe the American people would. And so I am particularly glad to stand up here tonight and to thank these gentlemen for the kind welcome they have given us ; to thank them on behalf of the American Pomological Society, which is truly an American society, — it is yours just as much as ours. It was a "Yankee" institution in the first place, but it is now sixty years old, and is grown up, and I hope it may come over here with other meet- ings, and that your good fruit growers may come over there, because we have much to learn from them. Your Agricultural College at Guelph has sent down many bright, young men to our States, and we have benefited thereby. I am a little glad that the speeches I heard made here tonight, setting forth the advantages of Canada, could not be heard by all my fellow people of Iowa. Too many of them are going up into the Northwest. Our best people have been going up there and writing back that they like it. That is all very well for Canada, but it is bad for us, and if all of them could hear such speeches, there might be a great many more to go than we would want to spare. We are not jealous of Canada; it is all right; we want them to come over to us and we want our men to go over there, but we do not want you to take all our people. I wish to thank you for this glad welcome. We appreciate it and we propose to enjoy ourselves while we are here, and we will carry home a memory of your kind words and kind acts, and try to get our people more and more to think of those words of Kipling, "We be of one blood, ye and we." (Applause.) President Goodman : Scattered all over this broad land of ours are agricultural colleges and stations, state vmiversities and departments of work for agriculturists and horticulturists, fruit growers, entomologists and all of us. Among all these notable agricultural colleges we know that Cornell leads. The leader of Cornell is L. H. Bailey, and I have great pleasure in introducing him to you tonight as the speaker of the evening. Dean Bailey : Factors and means which bind people together are those which have to do with fundamental industries by which those people live, because when persons get together to discuss their fruit growing, or their stock raising, or their mining, or their corn 8 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY growing, they come together with no antagonism. In the first place, they come together with no difference of religion, or politics or blood, but they come to discuss the subjects in which all are interested as a part of their livelihood. So I have long felt that it is a great good fortune whenever any society representing a fundamental interest is really continental rather than merely national ; when it takes in as well the Canadians as the residents of the United States, and when it meets as well on one side of the line as on the other. I have had such strong feeling of the solidarity of the industrial and horticultural interests of North America, that I have tried, so far as I can, when putting into book form these fundamental interests, to have one part as well as the other represented. The American Pomological Society comes to Canada, not because it is Canada, but because the whole continent is interested in fruit grow- ing, because our problems are similar, and because our society knows no boundary. THE SATISFACTIONS IN THE RAISING OF FRUIT. BY DEAN L. H. BAILEY, N. Y. STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE. It was in 1885 that I had my first opportunity to attend a meeting of the American Pomological Society. I remember how eagerly I had looked forward to this meeting, anticipating the great satisfaction of setting my eyes on the men whose names were then known of all those who loved to grow and to discuss good fruits. Our great systems of experiment stations had not then been established ; the colleges of agriculture did not occupy the foreground ; there were few societies to which one might go for help and inspiration. The spirit of scientific inquiry had not then become dominant, with its challenge of everything proposed by everybody. There were authorities in those days, and when they spoke we did not question. I remember how I sat intently in every session and how I stood about the margins of the groups of the great men. hanging on every word that they said. Great changes have come in these twenty-five years. No one then foresaw even this quarter-post of a century. Fruit-growing has become a great continental occupation, organized on vast commercial lines ; the farther West has been opened by transportation and made fertile by the application of water ; fruits are shipped half way around the world ; great co-operative marketing organizations have come into existence ; by new breeding and new methods, the frontiers of fruit- growing have been pushed outward in every direction ; fruits are preserved and manipulated in astonishing ways; the federal and Do- THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 9 minion governments co-operate with the fruit-grower in a hundred forms ; a new type of men dominates our societies ; and writings of new kind are made by men who have come to their subjects through ?:trange routes. The whole business of fruit-growing has become com- merciahzed, and it is contributing vastly to the wealth and progress of the two nations that meet in fellowship tonight. I am part of this new time rather than of the old time ; and yet I like to think that I run back to the days of Marshall P. Wilder and C. M. Hovey and the others of their era. I well remember how, as a student. I had met these two men, and how the meeting with them was as a dream fulfilled; and I had no thought to question anything they said. And so do I remember the men whom I met and saw at that meeting in Grand Rapids now twenty-five years ago. How excited I was to see Patrick Barry, and at last to shake his hand ! What a list it was of men who have left their labors ! — F. M. Hexamer, John B. J\Ioore, Benjamin G. Smith, Robert Manning, J. W. Man- ning, Sylvester Johnson. J. L. Budd, J. C. Plumb, Peter M. Gideon, George C. Peffer, Henry M. Engle, Wm. Parry, P. M. Augur, A. J. Cay wood, George EUwanger, P. C. Reynolds, T. S. Hubbard, George W. Campbell, Wm. Saunders of Washington, T. T. Lyon, Ben- jamin Hathaway, and many others. And so do I remember the spirit of that convention. The spirit was to test and appreciate good fruits and to name them properly. Marshall P. Wilder, in the president's address, which was read in his absence, dwelt on the great influence of the Society in raising the standard of excellence by which our fruits are judged, in establishing a uniform system of rules under which fruits are to be exhibited, the great advance made by the publishing of its catalogue of approved fruits, and in the spread of correct ideas of nomenclature. He em- phasized the importance of producing new fruits by raising seedlings of the most approved kinds ; and he especially urged the Society to use all its influence to give American Pomology a high character as a science. How different all this sounds from the discussion of the present day ! The agricultural college influence in that convention was repre- sented in Professor Budd, with his continuing advocacy of the fruits and other plants of western Russia, and by our own Professor Lazenby, who had a prominent part in the work of the meeting. For myself, I took no part in the regular work or disscussions, but I tried to express my outlook in a collection of seventy-five plates of wild berries and nuts and other native fruits of Michigan ; and for this collection I received a bronze Wilder medal, which is the most coveted prize that 1 have ever won. 10 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY THE ADMIRATION OF GOOD FRUITS. We all accept the commercial fruit-growing of this ambitious day. We could not do otherwise if we would. And yet I refuse to forget the old. On the eve of this convention, I desire to arrest your atten- tion for a moment, before you plunge into your scientific and com- mercial discussions, with a brief picture of some of the satisfactions in the raising of fruits that we are in danger of forgetting. Let us stop once more to admire an apple. I see a committee of the old worthies going slowly and discriminatingly among the plates of fruits, discussing their shapes and colors and sizes, catching their fragrance, debating their origin and their history, and testing them with the utmost precaution and deliberation ; and I follow to hear their judgment. This variety is very perfect in spherical form, deeply cut at the stem, well ridged at the shallow crater, beautifully splashed and streaked with carmine-red on a yellowish green under-color, finely flecked with dots, slightly russet on the shaded side, apparently a good keeper; its texture is fine-grained and uniform, flavor mildly sub-acid, the quality good to very good ; if the tree is hardy and productive, this variety is to be recommended to the amateur for further trial. The next sample is somewhat elongated in form, rather below the average in color, the stem very long and well set and indicating a fruit that does not readily drop in windstorms, the texture exceedingly melting but the flavor slightly lacking in character and therefore rendering it of doubtful value for further test. Another sample lacks decidedly in quality, as judged by the specimens on the table, and the exhibitor is respectfully recommended to withdraw it from future exhibitions ; another kind has a very pronounced aromatic odor, which will commend it to persons desiring to grow a choice collection of interesting fruits ; still another is of good size, very firm and solid, of uniform red color, slightly oblate and therefore lending itself to easy packing, quality fair to good, and if the tree bears such uniform samples as those shown on the table it apparently gives promise of some usefulness as a market sort. My older friends can construct the remainder of the picture. In physical perfectness of form and texture and color, there is nothing in all the world that exceeds a well grown fruit. Let it lie in the palm of your hand. Close your fingers slowly about it. Feel its firm or soft and modeled surface. Put it against your cheek, and inhale its fragrance. Trace its neutral undercolors, and follow its stripes and mark its dots. If an apple, trace the eye that lies in a moulded basin. Note its stem, how it stands firmly in its cavity, and let your imagina- tion run back to the tree from which, when finally mature, it parted THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION U freely. This apple is not only the product of your labor, but it holds the essence of the year and it is in itself a thing of exquisite beauty. There is no other rondure and no other fragrance like this. I am convinced that we need much to cultivate this appreciation of the physical perfectness of the fruits that we grow. We cannot afford to lose this note from our lives, for this may contribute a good part of our satisfaction of being in the world. The discriminating appreciation that one applies to a picture or a piece of sculpture may be equally applied to any fruit that grows on the commonest tree or bush in our field. It is no doubt a mark of a well tempered mind that it can understand the significance of the forms in fruits and plants and apply it in the work of the day. I sometimes think that the rise of the culinary arts is banishing this fine old appreciation of fruits in their natural forms. There are so many ways of canning and preserving and evaporating and extract- ing the juices, so many disguises and so much fabrication, that the fruit is lost in the process. The tin can and the bottle seem to have put an insuperable barrier between us and nature, and it is difficult for us to get back to a good munch of real apples under a tree or by the fireside. The difficulty is all the greater in our congested city life, where orchards and trees are only a vacant memory or stories told to the young, and where the space in the larder is so small that apples must be purchased by the quart. The eating of good apples out of hand seems to be almost a lost art. Only the most indestructible kinds, along with leather-skinned oranges and withered bananas, seem to be purchasable in the market. The discriminating apple eater in the old world sends to a grower for samples of the kinds that he grows ; and after the inquirer has tested them in the family, and discussed them, he orders his winter supply. The American leases the matter to the cook and she orders plain apples ; and she gets them. I wonder whether in time the perfection of fabrication will not reach such a point that some fruits will be known to the great public only bv the picture on the package or on the bottle. Every process that removes us one step farther from the earth is a distinct loss to the people, and yet we are rapidly coming into the habit of taking all things at second hand. My objection to the wine of the grape is not so fliuch a question of abstinence as of the fact that I find no particular satisfaction in the shape and texture of a bottle. If one has a sensitive appreciation of the beauty in form and color and modeling of the common fruits, he will find his interest gradually extending to other products. Less than one month ago I visited Hood River valley in company with a rugged potato-grower 12 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY from the Rocky Mountains. We were amazed at the wonderful scen- ery, and captivated by the beauty of the fruits. In one orchard the owner showed us with much satisfaction a brace of apples of perfect form and glowing colors, ^^'hen the grower had properly expounded the marvels of Hood River apples, which he said were the finest in the world, my friend thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out a potato and said to the man, "Why is not that just as handsome as a Hood River apple?" And sure enough, it was. For twenty-five years this grower had been raising and selecting the old Peachblow potato, until he has a form much more perfect than the old Peachblow ever was, with a uniform delicate pink skin, smooth surface, comely shape and medium size, and with eyes very small and scarcely sunken ; and my Hood River friend admitted that a potato as well as an apple may be handsome and satisfying to the hand and to the eye, and well worth carrying in one's pocket. But this was a high-bred potato, and not one of the common lot. This episode of the potato allows me an opportunity still further to enforce my contention that we lose the fruit or the vegetable in the processes of cookery. The customary practice of "mashing" po- tatoes takes all the individuality out of the product, and the result is only so much starch. There is an important dietary side to this. Cut a thin slice across a potato and hold it to the light. Note the interior undifferentiated n;ass. and then the thick band of rind sur- lounding it. Much of the potato flavor and nutriment lies in this exterior, ^^'e slice this part away and fry, boil or otherwise fuss up the remainder. AMien we mash it, we go still further and break down the potato texture ; and in the modern method we squeeze and strain it till we eliminate every part of the potato, leaving only a pasty mass, which, in my estimation, is not fit to eat. The potato should be cooked with the rind on, if it is a good potato and well kept, and if it is necessary to remove the outer skin, the process should be per- formed after the cooking. The most toothsome part of the potato is the thick rind, and this I always eat. when at home. We have so sophisticated the potato in the modern disguised cookery that we have practically ruined it as an article of food, and we have bred a race of people that sees nothing to admire in a good and well grown potato tuber. I now want to take an excursion from the potato to the pumpkin. In all the range of vegetable products I doubt whether there is a more perfect example of pleasing form, fine modeling, attractive texture and color than in a well grown and ripe field pumpkin. Place a pump- kin on your table ; run your fingers down its smooth grooves ; trace the furrows to the poles ; take note of its form ; absorb its 'rich THIRTY-FIRST BIEXXIAL SESSION 13 color; get the tang of its odor. The roughness and ruggedness of its leaves, the sharp-angled stem strongly set, make a foil that a sculptor can not improve. Then wonder how this marvelous thing was born out of your garden soil through the medium of one small strand of a succulent stem. We all recognize the appeal of a Douquet of flowers, but we are unaware that we may have a bouquet of fruits. We have given no attention to arranging them, or any study of the kinds that consort well together, nor have we any receptacles in which effectively to .dis- play them. Yet, apples and oranges and plums and grapes and nuts, and good melons and cucumbers and peppers and onions, may be arranged into the most artistic and satisfying combinations. THE ADMIRATION OF GOOD FRUIT TREES. I would feel that I had fallen short of my obligation if I were to stop with the fruit of the tree and say nothing about the tree itself. In our haste for lawn trees of new kinds and from the uttermost parts, we forget that a fruit tree is ornamental and that it provides acceptable shade. A full grown apple-tree or pear-tree is one of the most individual and picturesque of trees. The foliage is good, the blossoms as handsome as those of fancy imported things, the fruits always interesting, and the tree is reliable. Nothing is more interest- ing than an orange tree, in the regions where it grows, with its shin- ing and ever-green leaves and its continuing flowers and fruits. The practice of planting apples and pears and sweet cherries, and other fruit and nut trees, for roadside shade and adornment is much to be commended in certain places. I know of several roadsides so planted, with wholly satisfactory results. But the point I wish specially to urge in this connection is the value of many kinds of fruit trees in real landscape work. We think of these trees as single or separate specimens, but they may be used with good result in mass planting, when it is desired to produce a given effect in a large area or in one division of a property. I do not know that anyone has worked out full plans for the combining of fruit trees, nuts and berry-bearing plants into good treatments, but it is much to be desired that this shall be done. Any of you can picture a sweep oi countryside planted to these things that would be not only novel and striking, but at the same time conformable to the best traditions of artistic rendering. I think it should be a fundamental purpose in our educational plans to acquaint the people with the common resources of the region. If this is accepted, then we cannot deprive our parks, highways and 14 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY school-grounds of the trees that bear the staple fruits. It is worth while to have an intellectual interest in a fruit tree. I know a fruit- grower who secures many prizes for his apples and his pears ; when he secures a blue ribbon, he ties it on the tree that bore the fruit. REVIEW. I have now delivered my message. I hope that it is not out of place in this busy and commercial time. In fact, I think it is all the more needed just because we are so immersed in our affairs. I plead for a cultivation of those qualities of mind that find the intellectual satisfactions in fruits because they are fruits. I think it is possible to add the spirit of the amateur to the business zeal of the commercial fruit-grower ; and then we shall have the full man. The fruits in their seasons are the marks and emblems of the year. Every morning in the year I want an apple for my breakfast; to intro- duce the day. A year ago I ate my last winter apple July 19, and this year July 25 ; and at that time the first premature fruits of the season could be eaten. The apple year makes this appeal to me : My last Winter apples I ate today. Shapely and stout in their modelled skins Securely packed in my cellar bins Two dozen good kinds of apple-spheres lay. And today I went to my orchard trees And picked me the first-ripe yellow fruits That hung far out on the swinging shoots In Summer suns and the Summer-day breeze. And thereby it was that the two years met Deep in the midst of the ripe July When the wheat was shocked and streams were dry ; And weather of Winter stayed with me yet. For I planted these orchard trees myself On hillside slopes that belong to me Where visions are wide and winds are free That all the round year might come to my shelf. And there on my shelves the white Winter through Pippin and Pearmain, Rambo, and Spy, Greening and Swaar and Spitzenburgs lie With memories tense of sun and the dew. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 15 They bring the great fields and the fence-rows here, The ground-bird's nest and the cow-bell's stroke, The tent-worm's web and the night-fire's smoke. And smell of the smartweed through all the year. They bring me the days when the ground was turned. When the trees were pruned and tilled and sprayed. When the sprouts were cut and grafts were made. When fields were cleaned and the brush-wood piles burned. And then the full days of the ripe months call For Jefferis, Dyer and Early Joe Chenango, Mother, Sweet Bough and Snow That hold the pith of high Summer and Fall. All a-sprightly and tart the crisp flesh breaks And the juices run cordial and fine Where the odors and acids combine And lie in the cells till essence awakes. I taste. of the wilds and the blowing rain And I taste of the frost and the skies ; Condensed they lie in the apple guise And then escape and restore me again. So every day all the old years end And so every day they begin ; So every day the winds come in And so every day all the months blend. [The President presented his report Avith Colonel \^^atrous in the chair.] PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. L. A. Goodman, Kansas City, Mo. By persistence and energy we bring about rapid improvement and advancemem. The horticulture of this land is fast coming to the front, and the East is adopting many of the improved methods and advanced ideas of the West, and also the West some of the best ideas of the East. We are pushing the insect war, studying and applying sprays against insects and diseases. Our scientific men are practical ; not, as some think, buried in the laboratory. Our growers are students of science, 15 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY experimenters as well as practical. The movement for agricultural education is growing'. Agricultural colleges and stations are spreading their information and influence all over our land. Because of our distances from markets, because of our extensive jjlantings, because of our peculiar conditions, we have had to study the questions of storage and distribution, each locality for itself ; and the methods of cold storage are still to be perfected. Xew districts are opening up as producers as well as consumers of our large yield of fruits. The Northwest will support a vast population that will need fruit from the South, and the Pacific Slope is now producing a large quantity of fruit for the consumers of the East. Not one-half of the lands now in farms is improved, not one-fifth of the land area of the West is yet improved. "The farms now existing," siays the Secretary of Agriculture, "could be made to produce enough to feed many times the country's population, were the best and most intensive agricultural methods of European countries applied, and still we should have a surplus for export." , HORTICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT. Fifty years after the discovery of America, sixty-five before the landing at Jamestown, the first white man, a Spaniard, reached the Missouri River, and development of the whole Central West has pro- gressed since then. It is the result not only of the natural locality, the physical and geological condition, the adaptability and the climate, but also to man and his work. This horticultural development began in 1735 and seventy years ago reached as far west as Kansas City. Today it has attained to the Pacific Coast, the Hawaiian and Phillippine Islands, in a remarkable degree. Michigan was the first state to have an agricultural college, which was established in 1857, though the Morrill bill was not signed by President Lincoln until 1862. Michigan has been a guiding star for the Central West. We always draw inspiration and instruction from her Horticultural Society, her Agricultural College and State University. We need more educational work, and Minnesota is working hard for a national law to provide rural high schools with courses suited to farming and fruit growing. The advancement along horticultural lines has been truly marvel- ous. What a field of research and promise is still open before us ! What a vast enterprise to fill our ever expanding area with fruits suited to our various climes ! What a noble beneficent work to furnish lusci- ous health-giving fruits for future generations. If after fifty years of organization we can express wonder at the great progress made, THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 17 how much more shall we marvel at the outlook before us, the oppor- tunities and resources, and the end not yet in sight. Our work is of so great magnitude, embracing an entire continent, opening up to us new resources, new demands, and calling for constant, untiring enter- prise, energy, industry, knowledge. We have made great advances during the twenty-five vears of our history, and experience from the best sources is flowing in to us every day. The spirit of investigation is now thoroughly alive, and we have opportunities for improvement such as have never been afforded to any other horticultural age on this globe. Our resources are abundant, and so kindly does nature co-operate with us that man can mould her almost to his will, and make of the rough and acrid wilding, a beauti- ful and delicious fruit ; and thus go on producing indefinitely as fine varieties as we have ever seen or known. When we review what has already been accomplished in a country so varied in soil and climate, who can set the bounds to our progress ? What do we need then ? Men. ]Men capable of reading aright the demands and opportunities and advan- tages now ofifered us. Our efforts should be united in study, labor, in recognition of the human brotherhood on our planet, of the common needs, capacity and aims of men. We must join forces — every state wath every state, every nation with every other, every one of us with each neighbor — all for the subdual of this star-world, that the best of life may be shared by each. There are many of us on this speck of a world, but there are millions yet lacking their fair share of its products, its beauty, its joy. We wish to congratulate our members on the wonderful progress that has been made during the sixty-two years of work, study, enthus- iasm. This Society has been the leader of this nation in all its horti- cultural work. It has been the electric battery of enthusiasm which has sent vibration to every part of our land. It has been the means of reaching, unifying and consolidating all the varied district, county and state Horticultural Societies of our nation, and they have looked to you as the source of inspiration for their work and ideals, and as the arbitrator of all puzzling questions. PRESENT-DAY PROGRESS. Our'^people can never understand nor appreciate the quiet influence, the positive education, the strong power, the practical information, the weeding out of wrong ideas, wrong practices, of incorrect nomenclature, of poor varieties, the putting forward of the plea for better methods, the discovery of new diseases and new insects, with the best means of combatting them. All this the societies are responsible for all over 18 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY oiir land. And yet it is so that no other organizations have undertaken so much and accompHshed so much for the good of the people as have the horticultural societies of our country. There is no limit to progress, and we believe the fruits of the earth are to become, by the help of man's thought and handiwork, more and more perfect. The march of science is ever forward, and it is our duty to keep pace with it. "What has been done can be done again, and will be done until the final culmination of all created things." ''We owe some of our fruits to thp trifling and innumerable exer- tions of a legion of small seekers, all more or less narrow, all more or less ridiculous. It is thus man acquires all his riches. There is nothing that is puerile in nature, and he who becomes impassioned of a flower, a blade of grass, a butterfly's wing, a nest, a shell, wraps his passion around a small thing that always contains a great truth. To succeed in modifying the appearance of a flower, a fruit, is insignificant in itself ; but reflect upon it for however short a while and it becomes gigantic." Orchards are spreading like waves, flooding the earth with verdure and gold. Men are studying every phase of the business. Markets are opening up in unforeseen locations. Co-operation, the key-note of the century, is being practiced in all our fruit growing sections. Systematic, conservative, careful, business-like methods are being used in the growing, gathering, packing and marketing of our products, until the land is filled with fruits. The great question now before the American horticulturist is distribution — how to scatter this fruit to the thousands who want and need them. This is the burning question that calls for keen thought, radical and wise methods. PRESENT DAY PROBLEMS. Our work in the future will call for some such rules as these. Uniform packages — be they barrels or boxes, or both, should be adopted by all states, and this Pomological Society is the one to push this idea. I can only call this to your attention and urge its pressure to a final conclusion. But better still, we must sell all our fruits by weight. Grades of Fruits — is another such important subject that we shall hail the happy day when we know what is meant by Fancy, No. 1, 2, and 3. Gradually we are nearing this end; if we continue to press it we shall soon reach the desired goal. Honesty in packages will be our salvation, both as to quantity and quality. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 19 CO-OPERATION. Co-operation in the buying of all material and in the selling of all products from the orchard is one of the great questions before us. The lot of the horticulturist — I do not know of a very rich man among them all, but I do know a great many happy, contented, moral, delightful, and hopeful people among them. The prayer, "Give me neither riches nor poverty," has been truly fulfilled for fruit growers. I believe we can all say that we have had more of pleasure than sadness, more of happiness than sorrow, more of success than failure, more of the sweet than the bitter. We have enjoyed more our associa- tion together, visited and had more good times, discussed and enjoyed our business better — and had more good fruit to eat, than any people on earth, consequently we are the happiest, even if we do often fail to have a crop and have to be economical in our daily living. Nature, as we live close to it, always has something new to tell us — something of interest and benefit for us. Failure of our crop is no failure of nature. It is just as much nature's work to take care of the insects and fungi, which destroy our crops, as it is to help us grow good fruit. Nature is always Ijusy just the same in taking care of her own and whenever our fruit, grain or trees, whenever insects, or fungi become too self-assertive, behold nature steps in and sends some parasite for the insect, some fungus for the fruit or grain, and evens up the inequality, so that the balance of life becomes normal once more. Nature gains whoever loses, the only thing for us is to do our best, give full measure of mind, and strength, be not weary in well doing, and the reward of crop, of success, of joy, of strength, of soil, will come in due time. IN MEMORIAM. The following dear friends of mine, — great workers and leaders m horticulture, have passed beyond, and the following record of their lives is here submitted : William H. Ragan, a prominent figure in American pomology for more than a half a century, passed away in Washington, D. C. August 6, 1909. He was born in Indiana, in 1836, and was the son of the late Reuben Ragan. a well known pioneer pomologist of that state. For a number of years until the time of his death Prof. W. H. Ragan occupied the important position of Assistant Pomologist and Expert in Nomenclature in the U. S. Department of Agriculture. He belonged to that type of pomologists we can ill afford to lose. — the 20 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY type made illustrious by Wilder, Downing, Thomas and Warder. He prepared for the Department that series of admirable reference books on Nomenclature of Fruits, — the work begun by the late T. T. Lyon. For more than forty years he has aided the American Pomological Society in the cause of fruit growing, especially in that country beyond the Mississippi, and for many years he was Chairman of the Committee on the Revision of the Catalogue of Fruits. He was universally beloved and naught but good can be said of him. He devoted his life to pomology and the public good. He was loyal and self-sacrificing. By his death the cause of pomology the world over suffers an irreparable loss. In the death of J. C. Evans, horticulture has lost an earnest, faith- ful, life-long friend and worker. He died in Kansas City, July 10, 1909. The Missouri State Society has lost its best member, and horticulture in this, his native state, has lost its greatest enthusiast and most valuable co-worker. Personally I wish to give expression to my own appreciation of his valuable friendship. We lose in the death of Col. J. C. Evans one of God's jewels, one whom to know was to love, to admire, respect and honor. We will never have another like him, but will always hold in deepest memory all that was best in this great, noble and good man. God picks the buds in his garden often as he walks therein, but he gathers also the full blown rose or the ripe fruit as he has done in this case, and we can only say in submission, God's will be done. The president's address was warmly received and referred to the executive committee for consideration. This committee has ordered it printed with their hearty commendation. TREASURER'S REPORT. Biennial Statement of L. R. Taft, Treasurer. 1907 L. R. Taft, Treasurer, Dr. Cr. Sept. 16. Cash on hand $992.23 1909 Sept. 13. Received Biennial membership fees. . 334.00 Sept. 13. Life Membership fees 240.00 Sept. 13. Received Sale of Proceedings 38.41 Sept. 13. Received Interest on Bonds 400.00 THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 21 1907 Sept. 17. Paid Ithaca Journal, printing programs $ 8.75 Oct. 14. Andriis & Church, Ithaca, envelopes 3.00 Oct. 14. Miss E. Jacobson, Chicago, reporting proceedings 93.75 Oct. 14. Miss G. Raby, Exposition reporter.. 4.90 Oct. 30. Lawrence & A'anBuren, Lansing, Printing 6.50 Nov. 1. Whitehead, Hoag Co., Newark, N. J., Badges ' 12.35 1908 Jan. 18. Austin Eng. Co., Albany, N. Y., Cuts for report 44.06 Mar. 4. Peter L. Krider Co., Philadelphia, Wilder medals 30.06 Mar. 4. John Craig, Secy., Postage, etc 13.50 Mar. 4. L. B. Judson, Ithaca, Express & Postage 5.10 Mar. 30. L. A. Goodman, Kansas City, Sta- tionery . 5.75 May 4. Lawrence & \^anBuren, Lansing, Printing 5.00 May 4. L. R. Taft, Treas., Postage & office expenses 19.39 July 22. Thos. G. Miller, Ithaca, envelopes. ... 1.20 Aug. 4. The Du Bois Press, Newark, N. Y., Printing proceedings 424.05 Aug. 4. L. B. Judson, Postage and express. .. . 41.83 Sept. 10. Robt. Smith Ptg. Co., Lansing, Circulars 4.75 Sept. 10. L. B. Judson, Asst. Secy., Salary. . . . 100.00 1909 Jan. 29. Andrus & Church, Ithaca, envelopes. . 3.00 Sept. 13. L. R. Taft, Postage and Safe deposit box 11.41 $2,004.64 838.35 22 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 1909 Sept. 13. Total Receipts to Date $2,004.64 Sept. 13. Total Payments to Date 838.35 Balance, Cash on hand $1,166.29 Respectfully submitted, L. R. TAFT, Treasurer. St. Catharines, Sept. 15. 1909. We have this day examined the accounts of the treasurer of the American Pomological Society and find them correct, there being since the last biennial meeting capital of $2,004.64 and disburse- ments amounting to $838.35, for which vouchers are on file, leaving a balance in the treasury of $1,166.29, for which a bank receipt is on file. S. W. Fletcher, John Collins, Auditing Committee. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 23 A CHAPTER ON ORCHARD MANAGEMENT Commercial Demonstration Orchards in College Work WEDNESDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 15, 1909. IN COURT HOUSE. The meeting was called to order by President Goodman at 10 A. M. BY PROF. W. S. BLAIR, MCDONALD COLLEGE, QUEBEC. I suppose the reason why your Secretary asked me to speak to you on the subject of "Commercial Demonstration Orchards in Colleges" is, that we have at McDonald College, Quebec, a large commercial demonstration orchard which has been planted for assisting, as far as we can, those interested in fruit growing, particularly in the Province of Quebec. I might state at the start that we are a young institution. It was only four years ago this last spring since work was commenced at that college, and since that time an equipment that has cost ithe estate of McDonald above three million dollars has been installed; that is, the equipment in buildings and the equipment of the instiution have cost about three million dollars, and he has also endowed the institu- tion with an amount representing some $5,000,000, which is designed primarily to assist those in the rural districts in the province of Quebec. I have the honor to represent the horticultural department of the insti- tution. We are affilliated with AIcGill University, and we think that we can possibly do something that will be of permanent and practical value to the people of the Province and Dominion. We are not handicapped in some ways like state institutions, because we have no state fund. We have our own fund at our disposal, or practically at our disposal, which we can use as we like. Of course we have a limited income, and must of necessity keep within that. One of the things that we decided was absolutely necessary in order to carry on our instruction work in horticulture to the best advantage was the establishment of a demonstration orchard along commercial lines. We felt that it was necessary to do this for the various reasons already outlined by Prof. Sears,* and for the purpose of carrying on some research work as well. I think the two efiforts can be combined very well. *The Secretary regrets that he has been unable to secure Professor Sears' address. An account of the Nova Scotia Demonstration orchards may be found in the report of the Dominion Fruit Growers" Convention held in Ottawa in 1905. 24 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY In our commercial orchards we have planned so that we can give instruction to our students as to what we consider the best methods for the development in the cheapest possible way of a commercial orchard in our severe climate. We have a very severe climate in the Province of Quebec, and of course are necessarily limited to a relatively small number of varieties in our commercial orchards. We have used those varieties which we consider the best so far as our present know- ledge goes, and we have used them throughout for the purpose of getting the information that we require. The chart that I have on the wall here will save considerable ex- planation, and give you a fair idea of the extent of our orchard. You will notice from this chart that we have several blocks. These blocks represent approximately about five acres, or six. We have eighteen acres in our demonstration orchard. If you will refer to the other chart it will give you an idea of the lay-out of the orchard, somewhat dififerent from the majority of orchards, and I will try to explain to you why we have laid it out in this way. The permanent trees run from north to south, right through the blocks from end to end of the field. Taking blocks 6, 10 and 11, we have approximately half a mile of the same variety of trees, a single row running right through the block. The advantage of that is. that we can cut across the different blocks, and each variety can be experimented on. You will notice that the first row is Fameuse ; the next is Patten's Greening, — used as a filler ; the next one is Fameuse. You will notice that we have 33 feet between the permanent trees, with a filler in one direction. The reason we put the fillers that way is to allow this space for cultivation across the block ; that is. from east to west across the block we carry on our cultivation experiments, or the experiments of diflr'erent kinds. So far as the varieties are concerned, it is not necessary to say anvthing about them, more than this, that I find from my short experi- ence— and my experience has been very largely in the field. — that we can get much better results by including a number of different varieties in one experiment and pooling the result, than one can by using simply one variety in any experiment. With the lay-out of this orchard you can see that we can carry on a large number of cultivation experiments by using two trees of each variety in each experiment, and these cultivation experiments will be carried along commercial lines. That is, if we cultivate from east to west it does not take any more cultivation in the operation than it would in the other direction, because we have the rows running north and south and east and west, giving us a high ridge to turn on and doing it rapidly, and in that way we have a decided advantage ; so that after we get through witli our cultivation experiments we will be able to THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 25 tell exactly what the different methods which we have introduced have cost us ; how much it has cost us to produce trees under certain condi- tions ; and we will have results of a commercial type, to tell us exactly in dollars and cents how much we made out of the operation. Another advantage in the lay-out is this, that with this number of trees, you can get approximately at the yield per acre in a very satisfactory way, that is, by taking the yield from north to south over the different blocks on the whole plantation, you have to my mind a result approximately correct as to what the average yield would be. In these cultivation experiments we do not try to do anything out of the ordinary. We take it for granted that we have already determined that certain systems are established, and we tr}^ to follow as nearly as we can those methods which we think are best, — and if we improve upon them, so much the better. For example • In one plot we are trying to determine whether cultivation is going to be better in our climate than sod or sod mulch. We are also carrying on different methods of fertilization. Another block is given up to that experiment. I would like to point out that it is bad practice in connection with orchard work to mix up too many experiments, and that is the reason why it is absolutely essential to have at least fifteen to twenty acres of orchard, in order to carry on what I consider good experimental work in connection with a college. To illustrate, I take our students — we have about twenty during the summer time — over to the orchard one period a week. We dig up the soil and examine it to determine how much moisture is in it, and compare moisture contained in the soil under different conditions of cultivation. One day we had taken up soil samples from the cultivated area, the sod mulch area and sod area, and had those tested in the laboratory. We found where the sod had not been disturbed during the year and where clover had been growing, that there was only six ' per cent moisture in the soil ; the plot adjoining that had been mulched contained sixteen per cent of moisture ; the plot adjoining that had been given clean cultivation and contained twenty per cent of moisture. These plots had received the same rainfall and the same conditions otherwise. We took samples of the soil and showed the boys at the depth of two feet where the ground had not been cultivated, where it had been cftiltivated, and where it had been mulched. The boys could see at a glance that it would be impossible for trees fo develop as they should under the condition of the sod, whereas with the sod mulch they had ideal conditions and practically the same with clean cultivation. The point I want to make is this. — that a little demonstration of this kind is worth more than two or three weeks in the lecture room. 26 AMERICAX POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY It does more to impress certain fundamental principles on the minds of the boys than any lecture work you can give them. We have in Quebec a great many people who do not understand the English language, making it rather difficult for us who do not speak the French language to do the work satisfactorily. We find with those people that this demonstration work is of the utmost importance. CO\ER CROPS. ^^'e have different cover crops growing. Our idea is this, — to determine w^hether we cannot by the use of cover crops develop a tree that is better able to withstand our severe winter conditions. We are not so much concerned in getting a cover crop that will enrich the soil, but we want to find if we can reduce the amount of winter-killing, which to my mind is largely due to the improper ripening of the tree. Just to give vou a case in point in connection with that work : Last September on the plot where oats were growing we found the soil contained only ten per cent of moisture, whereas, where there was clean cultivation, where no cover crop was grown, there was sixteen per cent of moisture, — a difference of six per cent. \\'here millet was grown on the plot alongside, there was only six per cent moisture, the rank growth of millet having caused a drying out of the soil. After that we propose to examine the tissue of the tree, and also to find the moisture content of the tree, to discover a system of cover cropping that will enable us to ripen up the wood in the best possible way for the winter. You see the advantage of having a large number of varieties is that some trees will respond dift'erent from others : they ripen at differ- ent times, and where you have a number of varieties in one test, it enables you to arrive at safer conclusions. If you are working with only one variety, you are too often likely to be carried away by some freak condition that may produce certain results, and arrive at an incorrect conclusion. Let us look at the fertilizer experiment. We are using home-mixed fertilizer to determine not so much whether our trees require phosphoric acid or not, but to determine whether in developing a young orchard we can use more of certain ingredients than others. For instance, sometimes we give a double dose of nitrogen. In another plot we give them a double dose of muriate of potash ; in another a double dose' of phosphorus. In that way we hope to get facts as to whether we can develop certain conditions in our climate. I THIRTY-FIRST BIEXXIAL SESSION 17 SPR-WIXG EXPERIMENTS. This block is laid out in somewhat the same manner as the others. We have in that block simply two varieties, !McIntosh Red and Fameuse, the two leading varieties in our section. Our idea in connection with this experiment is that it is impossible to carry on spra\ing- experi- ments in the other orchards, because, in connection with the fertilizer experiments, you must handle all your trees alike. It is impossible to get results that are sound in any other way. Spraying experiments, therefore, must be carried on in another block. Then let me say in closing that it is absolutely essential, in order to do effective work in connection with a college, to have a commercial demonstration orchard, not only for research work, but for practical demonstration work among the students. Some one has stated in con- nection with our research work that a smaller area would answer. Mv opinion is that we cannot keep too close an eye on the business end of our proposition, and if we study these propositions from the business end. it will make our work much more effective. So far as our own work at McDonald College is concerned, and so far as the lay-out of our orchards is concerned. I might say that we have not been able to do as much in those orchards as we would like, owing to the fact that we have been engaged in construction work largely to get our grounds in shape, and for that reason I have not anything more definite yet to give you at this meeting. Before I close I want to mention another institution that we have in the Province of Quebec; this is the one we have at La Trappe. controlled by the Trappist Fathers. There is a large monastery- there and a farm of 700 acres devoted to orcharding. Lately they have estab- lished an agricultural college there to supply the need of the French population of that Pro\ince for a number of years, which has lately been affiiliated with La \'alle L'niversir\-. so that we have, you might say, two institutions carrying on agricultural work in the Pro\-ince of Quebec. Prof. Renaud. in charge of that work, is here. DISCUSSION. President Goodman: We have present with us the head of the Division ot^Pomolog}' of the United States. Col. G. B. Brackett. and I will ask Col. Brackett to come up and take a seat with the president. Col. Brackett : Thank you, Mr. President, I prefer to keep a back seat. President Goodman: I see in the audience W. C. Bany. of Rochester, of Ellwanger & Barr>-. Mr. Barry's father was president 28 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY of the American Poniological Society for a number of years, and I will ask Mr. Barry to kindly come forward. President Goodman : The topic of Demonstration Orchards is now before you for discussion. A Member : I would like to ask the last speaker at what time of the year the cover crop was planted. Prof. Blair: The cover crop was sown the middle of July and first mowed in September. Mr. Reid: In regard to the mulching on Block 6. do you mulch the whole surface of the ground or only under the trees? Prof. Blair: Under the trees. A Member : How heavy would you mulch ? Prof. Blair: The mulch was the grass cut from the 16 foot strip; it would be about four inches of the loose material placed around the trees. The mulch grew on the ground; was cut on the ground and then placed around the trees. A Member: Would you probably have the same per cent of mois- ture with the grass growing, that you would have had on cultivated ground ? Prof. Blair: Xo, you would not have so much. A Member: Don't you think the grass growing between the trees reduced the moisture somewhat? Prof. Blair : Yes, it certainly did, I think. A Member : Is an orchard seeded down more liable to blight ? Prof. Blair: That is a point we are trying to get at in all our work. My opinion is that a great deal of winter killing is due to the fact that the tree, after coming into bearing, is not able to produce its fruit and also to grow well-ripened tissue, and the majority of orchards in Quebec are grown in grass. The assumption is that the trees do not have the chance to make the proper growth in the proper season and to ripen up the wood. In other words, in the spring when the tree should make active growth, it is bound up in sod ; later on in the season, when we get fall rains, and the manure is spread on the ground after the grass is cut and taken from the orchard, a late growth is stimulated in the trees, or, if manure has not been used, the ground has been lying all summer, and fall rains come on, that there is ai? abundance of plant food quickly available, and you will get a growth late in the season, which to my mind is a cause of our winter injury, coupled with the fact that the tree has been weakened physically by the production of a large quantity of fruit. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 29 Mr. Reid : Was it after the rain or during the dry time that you placed the mulch under the trees ? Prof. Blair: During- the dry time. ]\Ir. Reid : It occurred to me that it might be an advantage to place the mulch there when the ground was wet. Prof. Blair: It certainly should be placed there when the ground is wet. There are a good many things to be taken into consideration. Mr. Brackett: (Minnesota). In the locality where I live, at Lake Minnetonka, where we raise a great many apples, there is not an orchard under cultivation. It would be impossible for us to grow an orchard there under cultivation without having a majority of varieties blight, and blight to the ground. A tree that is making a rank growth is more subject to blight, and winter-killing, than trees in sod. We have a severe climate and cannot grow an orchard under cultivation. Mr. Brodie : I have an orchard of thirty-five or forty acres near ^lontreal, and we cultivate when the trees are small ; when the trees get large we seed down in grass ; but that does not mean a disadvantage to the tree ; we can cut our crop and let it lie there. \\'e return it to the soil instead of taking it off. But I get far more winter-killing when I attempt to cultivate. My system of working is to go over the ground in the spring with a disk harrow, work up the soil a little, resowing with clover, and fertilizing in the spring. By cultivating late in the fall there is danger of producing late growth and resulting winter killing. By leaving it in sod I do not mean to take off the hay, as some people do, thus removing fertilizer from the soil. Prof. H. L. Hutt: We have two excellent papers before us, one from Quebec and one from Nova Scotia, and I think the combination of these two may form an ideal for any state or province. These demon- strations from the various sections of the country are the best things for those who are engaged in practical fruit growing. That is what has been done in Ontario for some years past. About fifteen years ago, when I had charge of the work at the college at Guelph, we carried on our demonstration orchard, I might say, more for the benefit of the students for the northern part of the southern states ; but at the same time the government established fruit experiment stations in fourteen or fifteen of the various sections of the province where we had live, practical growers engaged in apple, peach and grape growing, and the work at these stations has been of much value. Those of our Ameri- can friends who have not known of this work may get reports of these stations from the Department of Agriculture, and I would be glad to send reports to any friends who would like to see what has been done in these various provinces in Ontario. 30 AMERICAN POxMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Dr. Jarvis : I should like to ask Prof. Sears if he had any trouble in getting- those volunteer orchardists to carry out the experiments and do the work required. Prof. Sears : Practically none. The only serious difliculty we had w^as where one man died, and the farm was sold, and that did lead to some complications. In fact, as we might expect, some men do better than others, but there has been no serious difficulty. There were in one or two cases men that did not live up to their promises as we would like to have them, and others lived up in various degrees, but we did not find the individual a serious factor. Prof. Sanderson : I would like to ask Prof. Sears if he can give us an approximation of the cost of these orchards. Prof. Sears: We were allowed a sum not to exceed $1,000 per year. I cannot give you anything except a very rough guess as to the cost per year on each orchard, but you can easily see that to start with, we furnish the nursery stock for the orchard, which in that case was only two acres, that made a very small outlay, we got rates on it. After that it was only traveling expenses and the spraying outfit, which later ran from $15 to $20, and the traveling expenses varied according to whether we had to go a long or short distance. The beauty of this system of demonstration orchards is that the expense is kept down. Mr. D. E. Bingham (Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) : The ^^'isconsin State Horticultural Society is establishing trial orchards ; we have some eleven over the State of Wisconsin and some of them are about ten years old, and the work has been carried on entirely through the Horticultural Society. This year some of the orchards are paying quite well. The work has been carried on along the line of testing varieties, and also to see if in different portions of our state, in a severe climate, we can make it pay. We have one at my home. Sturgeon Bay ; another in Marathon County, which is this year producing a large crop. In this way we can get valuable object lessons in localities where these trial orchards are carried on. Mr. Burton (Indiana) : Indiana has experimental orchards, not planted to demonstrate methods, but for the purpose of trying to develop new and better varieties of apples. W^e have shown up more worthless kinds in this test than we have of the really valuable varieties, and orchardists can get points as to what not to plant. Mr. Brodie (Quebec) : There is another matter in connection with our cold climate in Quebec, and that is the effect of large bodies of water on hardiness of varieties. In a district seventy miles below Quebec THIRTY-FIRST BIEXXIAL SESSION 31 we grow the Prunus domestica very successfully; sometimes the ther- mometer shows twenty below zero, but there is so much humidity in the air that we can grow these plums successfully and they are shipped by thousands of bushels to Quebec and other points ; but I have noticed in other places where there are large bodies of water, open water, like the Lachine Rapids, that there they can also grow half hardy varieties that they cannot grow two or three miles inland. But a few miles inland they can grow only the hardy Russian varieties. Mr. McNeill : I can add somewhat to what Prof. Blair has said. Having within two weeks been through the district experimented upon by Prof. Sears, I can tell him that there have been even commercial results of importance that have come from these demonstration orchards. In the Lunenburg District, quite a number of orchards have been planted and now the commercial orchard is regarded of importance by growers in Nova Scotia, and the demonstration orchards no doubt have awakened that interest. Prof. Sears : I have been out of Nova Scotia for nearly three years and no doubt things have happened since I went .away that we did not anticipate then. We found that in the neighborhood of our demonstra- tion orchards the men took new hold of their own orchards and improved them wonderfully, making a great change in the character of their plantations. President Goodman : A good example always helps. I would like to call on our friend Barry to give us a few^ minutes' talk along this line or any other line he may see fit to speak to us. Mr. Barry: I have been interested in the subject of fruit growing from my boyhood up, and I do not think that I am losing any of that interest or enthusiasm today; in fact, my interest and enthusiasm should grow rather than wane. I live in a city which had a population of perhaps 25,000 when I was born, and now has a population of nearly 200,000 people. If there was necessity for fruit growing fifty years ago. with the development all over this country, what must there be today? I will tell you how to make cities grow ; I am deeply interested in making cities grow. Cities do not grow of their own accord, but they grow through the efifort of somebody. We try to bring into the city of Rochester all the factories that we can get, and we have succeeded this year in bringing in two great manufactories ; one is gomg to employ about 1,8QB men, and another about 1.600 men. As a fruit man, as a man connected with the industries related to the soil, I can realize what those 3,400 people will want in the way of fruit. If this thing is going on all over this country, the future for fruit growing is certainly very bright, and it is something that appeals to young men. I do not 32 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY think the old men are the only ones that should devote themselves to such an important industry as this. I know some of the young men despise the farm and go away from home into the city, because they can get better pay. They can, tem- porarily, but if they are patient and willing to wait and work hard, there is no comparison between the result which comes to the man that stands behind the counter, or w'orks in a city store, and the man that has a fine farm that is under perfect cultivation. It is all in favor of the man on the farm. I believe there is one thing in all this orchard work that is of the utmost importance, and that is cultivation. I am opposed to non-cultiva- tion. There may be sections of the country where it is impossible to cultivate, but I lay down the rule, and I am convinced more than ever from what I know and observe that cultivation is all important ; you cannot raise good fruit unless you cultivate. You can modify the system as you please for certain reasons. I am heartily in accord with those gentlemen who are located in the far North and who have to adopt measures which we do not have to adopt in New York State or Canada, but I say that a great reason for failure nowadays is lack of cultivation. We cannot get a tree or shrub to grow unless we cultivate it. unless we manure it, unless we take good care of it. There are hundreds and thousands of people that need fruit. Fruit and bread are what they need to go along through this life in a healthful condition, and to supply that want is up to you and your successors, and we ought to encourage the young people all over the country to stay on the farms and not rush to the cities. THE CONTROL OF MOISTURE IN ORCHARD SOILS. By Frank T. Shutt, ]\[..A., Chemist, Dominion Experimental Farms. Practical experience and scientific work during the past fifteen years have assured us that two of the most important factors towards success in the management of commercial orchards are maintenance of soil fertility and regulation of the moisture supply. We have further learned that by the adoption of the "cover crop" system in one or an- other of its modifications, it is possible, in a very large degree, to meet the requirements of our orchards both as to plant food and. what is no less essential, an adequate soil moisture supply whereby this food \ may be utilized. It is entirely with that part of the scheme or system that has to do with the control of moisture that we shall deal in this paper, though if time permitted a large amount of most satisfactory evidence could be presented from our work as to the great value of cover crops for -^ THIRTY-FIRST BIEXXIAL SESSION 33 enrichment of the orchard soil in humus-forming material and nitrogen. EARLY PRACTICES. Prior to the time I speak of, and before orcharding became a busi- ness of large proportions in Canada, it was customary, though perhaps not universal, to allow a sod to permanently cover the orchard soil, cutting (and generally removing) the hay. Though in this way two crops may be taken each season from the same land, the plan is not one that can receive our endorsation, for unless the water table is com- paratively high or the district one in which there is an ample precipita- tion during the spring and early Nsummer months the trees will suffer ior lack of moisture. The growth of the grass removes during !May, June and the early part of July a very considerable amount of water from the soil. This is a critical time in the development of the tree and its fruits, and if a drought sets in at this season, a small crop of fruit, the greater portion of which will not be first grade, must result. In young orchards, however, are the injurious effects of sod more partic- ularly to be observed, the growth of the trees being materially retarded. It seems doubtful whether such stunted trees ever fully recover from the effects of this treatment if it is long continued, and ever become large, well-shaped, good-bearing trees. Another very old practice, bv;t one still in vogue in certain parts of Canada, is the raising of a grain crop in the young orchard. This is a "penny wise, pound foolish" method and one that cannot be too strongly condemned, for the growth of the cereal makes large demands on the soil moisture and the land dries out in the early summer very quickly unless there is an ample rain-fall — as our experi- mental data have abundantly proved. There are few crops, in our opinion, that are so hard on the young orchard, dwarfing the trees, as oats, barley and rye — simply from the fact that there is a very large amount of water required to bring them to perfection and that water is also lost from the soil through establishment of capillarity and sur- face evaporation.* It will be noticed that we have condemned sod and grain in the orchard because they abstract water from the soil which the trees need to make their full growth and properly develop their fruit. This is the chief reason undoubtedly, but there is a further one that is wQjthy of a moment's notice. The growing grass and cereal *To utilize the soil of very young orchards a hoed crop which calls for a constant cultivation or stirring of the soil ma}- be put in. This will serve to conserve moisture, keep the soil in good tilth and allow the trees to make their proper growth. The liberal manuring applied for the hoed crop will assuredly improve the soil chemically and physically- for the root system of the trees, which eventually will occupy the whole of the orchard area. 34 AAIERICAX POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY are in competition with the rootlets of the fruit trees for available ])lant food and that they succeed in this rivalry will be evident by com- paring' the amounts of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash removed in the hay and grain with the meagre amounts stored up in the young tree. Of course this feature might be obliterated by heavily manuring the sod or grain crop, but such a practice, unfortunately for the future of the orchard, is not common. Principles of Cover Cropping. The principles underlying the cover crop system as applied to a bearing orchard — a system which you must understand is an elastic one and capable of being modified according to the character of the land and the climatic conditions usually prevailing in the district may be enunciated very simply as follows : The land is ploughed in late spring — usually between the latter part of April and the middle of Alay — and kept thoroughly cultivated until early in July, when one of the legumes, generally mammoth or common red clover, is sown. This as a rule is allowed to remain till the follow- ing spring, possibly the second or third week in Alay, when the growth is turned under with the plough and the soil cultivated as many times as is deemed necessary until the beginning" of July, when clover or some other cover crop is again sown. According to the nature of the soil and the rainfall to be expected in 'the district, the dates for these opera- tions may be varied somewhat ; thus, if drought usually prevails in the early summer months the ploughing under of the clover should not be later than the middle of April — even if there be little or no spring growth — so that by cultivation the spring showers may be conserved. On the other hand, if a generous and well distributed precipitation may be expected the clover may be allowed to remain growing throughout the summer, mowing the crop when necessar}-, leaving the growth lying on the ground to act as a mulch. The objects of the system are. i)ri- marily, the enrichment of the soil with humus and nitrogen and the conservation of moisture for the use of the trees during the earlier and possibly the drier months of summer, and incidentally the aeration of the soil and the liberation of its plant food. It also includes the pro- tection by the mat of growth of the cover crop of the tree roots during the winter months. It may also be ])ointe(l out that the growth of the clover during the late summer and autumn utilizes soil moisture (that would otherwise serve to keep the trees growing and thus prevent wood duly ripening before winter,) and serves to retain the nitrates \n-<^- duced in the summer and which might otherwise be lost. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION Jo COVER CROPPINC \S. SOIL MOISTURE. The relation of cover crop, bare cultivation, sod, and the growing of a cereal to soil moisture, is a matter that has received much study at the Experimental h^arms, both in the orchard and laboratory, during the past ten years. For the full details of this work and the conclusions drawn therefrom reference may be made to the annual reports of the. Farms ; it will only be possible on the present occasion to select from the large number of experiments we have made a few typical instances that may serve to illustrate the principles enunciated. We may first take a series of two plots in sandy loam — the one carrying a crop of clover sown the year previous and which had well survived the winter, the other, cultivated and kept free from weeds throughout the season. Determinations of the soil moisture to a depth of 14 inches were made every two weeks on both plots (which were adjacent) from May 6th to October 21st. Omitting the percentages of moisture so obtained it may suffice for our purpose to show the excess of water in the plot that carried the earth mulch (i. e., over and above that in the soil carrying the clover) during the early part of the season, and, similarly, continuing the study, to demonstrate the drying out of the soil by the cover crop during the late summer and autumn months. To this end I have constructed the following tables : TABLE 1. p„- fii Excess of water, per acre - , in cultivated land. Inches ^ Tons May 6th May 20th June 3rd June 17th July 2nd 1.33 2.74 2.13 1.31 1.73 130 68 92 154 103 The greatest differences, especially during the earlier months, are observable when the precipitation is least. Thus, on May 6th, the total rainfall to date was only 1.33 inches, and the excess of moisture in favor of the "cultivated" land was practically 130 tons per acre. At this time there was a vigorous growth of the clover and much moisture was consequently being withdrawn from the soil for its development. This teaches an important less(^n. as it is from ]\Jay 1 to the middle of July that ■^^e wish particularly the trees to be supplied with all the moisture necessary for their growth. The value of cultivation during this period, if the season is dr}-, will be proportionally greater than if there is a fair rainfall. While by cidtivation and an earth mtdch we check evaporation and 36 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY thus conserve moisture in the early part of the season, the system from the 1st of July seeks to provide the orchard soil with a cover of vegetable growth, which may utilize any excess of soil moisture, thus arresting the further development of the tree, and promoting the ripening of its wood. Further benefits arising from this late sown crop are furnishing the roots of the trees with a protection against frost, enriching the soil in humus and nitrogen, thus improving it mechanically and chemically, and the assimilation and retention of the nitrates formed during summer months. It is only with regard to the withdrawal of soil moisture dur- ing the late summer months that we shall now present data. TABLE 2. Decrease in amount of water, Rainfall per acre, due to growth of cover crop and capillary Inches action. Tons July 15th 1.26 85 July 29th 1.37 121 Au?. 12th 4.17 5 Aug. 26th .29 46 .^ept. 10th .52 110 Sept. 23rd 1.68 33 Oct. 7th 1.93 54 Oct. 21st .67 26 COVER CROPS USE SOIL WATER. These results furnish convincing evidence of the drying out efifect of the cover crop and consecjuently its value in the autumn months for inducing the early ripening of the wood in districts subject to late sum- mer rains. The amounts of water which may be utilized by a growth of clover during the middle and late summer months are very large. We find that as much as 50 per cent of the soil moistiire, measured to a depth of 14 inches, can in this way be approximated. Thus on Sep- tember 10th after a month in which only .81 inches of rain fell, the orchard soil carrying a crop of clover contained, per acre, to the afore- mentioned depth 103 tons of water while the adjacent area that had been kept cultivated possessed to the same depth 214 tons. Our experiment has proved two points : the conservation by culti- vation of large amounts of moisture that may be utilized by the orchard trees during the early months of summer, and the gradual drying out of the soil by the cover crop in the autumn — a process that must assist in the checking of the trees' growth and in hastening the ripening of their wood so that they may be better |)re]:)ared to withstand the low tempera- tures of the winter. THIRTY-FIRST BIENXIAL SESSION 37 In the series of results which I shall next present we have an ex- cellent illustration of the effect of a permanent sod upon the soil's moisture. INFLUENCE OF CULTIVATION ON SOIL MOISTURE. Two adjoining plots w-ere under experiment ; the one w^as cultivated throughout the season (having been ploughed in the spring of the previous year and cultivated several times during the summer), the other was allowed to remain in sod (two year old) throughout the sea- son. The first plot was cultivated five times, from the beginning of May until the end of July; the grass on the second plot was cut three times and allowed to remain that it might act as a mulch. This is a most instructive series of results and the data, to be found in the Report of the Experimental Farms for 1903, are worthy the careful perusal of every orchardist. As in the former instance it will be necessary to confine ourselves in this presentation chiefly to a con- sideration of the differences in moisture content of the two plots, as determined at intervals of two weeks from the beginning of April to the middle of November. One or two of the more striking figures repre- senting the percentages of moisture in these two plots, however, must be given. On April 19th, Cultivated 15.31; Sod 15.88. May 31st, Cultivated 17.30; Sod 9.81. June 28th, Cultivated 18.19; Sod 13.69. July 12th. Cultivated 16.07 ; Sod 7.24. August 8th, Cultivated 14.65 ; Sod 6.47. September 20th. Cultivated 9.24; Sod 4.77. TABLE 3. Soil moisture, to a depth of 14 inches, in orchard plots under culti- vation and in sod. Date of Rainfall Excess of moisture in the cultivated plot Collection Inches Tons 1902 April 5th 1.11 April 19th .71 'i6 ^lay 3rd 2.13 59 May 17th .52 117 May 31st 1.10 192 June 14th 2.14 157 June 28th 2.01 122 July 12th .41 218 Tuly 26th 3.55 64 Aug-. 8th .24 196 Aug. ■^3rd 1.53 172 Sept. 6th .49 127 Sept. 20th .Zl 99 Oct. 4th 1.31 75 Oct. 18th 1.51 Oct. 31st 1.45 "io Nov. 15th 1.06 38 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY These two soils started out, as we have seen, with practically the same moisture content, but as the season advanced and the grass grew, the demand on the soil moisture of the plot under sod became greater and greater. This began to be evident soon after May 1st. By May 15th there was 50 per cent more moisture in the soil (to a depth of 14 inches) of the cultivated plot than in the soil covered with sod. At the end of May this difference had increase to almost 100 per cent ; in other words, there was almost twice as much moisture in the cultivated soil as that under sod, due to the conserving action of cultivation on the one plot and to loss of moisture from transpiration of the foliage and to capillary action in the soil, on the other plot. Throughout the whole growing season most marked differences in the moisture content of the soils of these two plots were observed, an.l always in the same direction. If during the two weeks previous to the collection of the samples there had been an ample rainfall — as, for instance, for the periods ending June 14th and 28th, and July 26th — the moisture content of the plots did not dififer to the same extent as after periods of comparative drought. Towards the close of the season, when vegetative growth had ceased, and the rainfall was liberal, the soils approximated more and more in their moisture content and the experiment closed, as it had begun, with soils equally moist or practically so. In the same season that these results were obtained experiments were also made with cover crops to ascertain their effect on soil moisture. The results were most decisive in showing that the sod dries out the soil to a much greater degree than the cover crop — when the latter con- sists of one of the legumes. This investigation as regards the in- fluence of sod was continued for several seasons, some of which were characterized by a fairly ample and well distributed rainfall, and all the results indicate that it can only be in exceptional cases that it would be desirable to leave the orchard in sod — and especially so when the trees are young. One further set of results obtained from sod and cultivated plots during a season of severe and exceptional drought may be very briefly stated. The series consisted of two adjoining plots with soil fairly uni- form throughout (a light sandy loam). The first was kept cultivated, the second was in sod (two years old). For some weeks previous to the first collection of samples there had been very little rain ; thus in March there were 1.96 inches, April 1.15 inches and in May .24 inches. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION TABLE 4. 39 Soil moisture to a depth of 14 inches, in orchard plots under culti- vation and in sod. Date of Cultivated In Sod Collection Per cent Tons per acre Per cent Tons per acre May 14th .May 23rd June 5th 12.03 12.65 7.76 262 277 161 5.32 4.78 3.03 107 96 60 These very striking results are discussed somewhat fully in my report for 1903 and I shall here make but one or two comments upon them. On the date of the first collection, May 14th, the soil of the culti- vated plot was to all appearances amply supplied with moisture for the requirements of orchard trees, whereas the soil of the adjoining plot, now covered with a thick, luxuriant growth of grass, was already as- suming a powdery condition. This soil carrying a sod had lost 150 tons more water, par acre, from the upper 14 inches, than the soil covered with a dry earth mulch. On Alay 23rd, in spite of the fact that there had been a precipita- tion of only .12 inches during the previous two weeks — and not enough rain at any one time to thoroughly dampen the surface of the soil — the percentage of moisture in the cultivated plot was practically the same as that found nine days earlier. By virtue of the earth mulch the loss by evaporation from the surface had been checked to such a degree that capillarity was able to maintain the moisture content. On the other hand, the plot in grass had continued to lose and now contained 11^/4 tons less moisture, per acre, than at the date of the preceding col- lection. The leaves of the trees on this plot were now wilting. Between 'Slay 23rd and June 3rd. 1)ut three one hundredths (.03) of an inch of rain fell — an amount of no practical value. On the latter date the soils were again examined. The moisture content of both plots had been considerably reduced. The cultivated plot now contained 7.76 per cent water. Probably if it had been cultivated again in this period (the^previous cultivation had been on May 12th) it would have had a higher water content. An examination of the soil under the sod showed it at this latter date (June 5th) to be in the condition of powder. It had no adhesive- ness and had the appearance of soil thoroughly dried by exposure to air. Its percentage of moisture had been reduced to 3.03. The grass 40 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY was still alive but showed very little vitality and no growth. The leaves of the orchard trees growing in this sod had begun to shrivel and fall — the trees were evidently suffering most severely and would succumb unless rain came shortly. At this date it is important to note that the cultivated soil possessed 100 tons more moisture per acre in the surface 14 inches than that of the soil in sod. The data so far presented constitute but a very small portion of the evidence that we have obtained on this subject — and provided there were time, we could discuss this matter, from our own results, from many points of view. All that is now possible will be to briefly state some of the more important conclusions from these researches and refer you, for the figures and details, to the publications of the Dominion Experimental Farms. , CONCLUSIONS. 1. The growth of rye, oats and buckwheat in the orchard has always resulted in the removal of larger amounts of soil moisture than those lost by the growth of one of the legumes — clover, hairy vetch, soya beans, etc. The draft made by the cereals upon the stores of soil moisture is more particularly between May 1st and July 15th — a period when it is most essential for the use of the orchard trees. We have found that the equivalent of approximately ten inches of rain may be lost in this period from soil carrying a grain crop, over and above that lost from a cultivated soil. It seems more than probable that the smaller amount of water lost from the soil carrying the cover crop — clover, vetch, etc., — as compared with that carrying a grain crop may be in part accounted for by the more perfect shade from the sun and protection from wind afforded by the former crops. 2. More moisture may be conserved by sowing the cover crops — hairy vetch, soy beans, horse beans — in drills and cultivating be- tween the rows from time to time throughout the summer than by sow- ing these crops broadcast. In other words, the earth mulch is more effective than the shade offered by the crop in conserving moisture. This method of growing cover crops seems to offer a means of furnish- ing material for enrichment of the soil without making any excessive demand on the soil moisture supply — and hence may prove valuable for adoption in districts that are subject to drought in the late summer. In this connection it may be remarked that it is quite possible for a soil to become so dry in the autumn months that the fruit ripens prema- turely. On such soils, of course, the ordinary cover crop, sown in July, may do more harm than good. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 41 3. There appears to be little difference between the moisture content of soils constantly cultivated throughout the summer and that of soil under a thick mulch of straw. Ten to twelve inches of straw seems to be very effective in conserving moisture, but the objections that may be urged to such a method are cost of material, application and removal — for the latter would be necessary if there was danger of the trees continuing their growth into the late autumn — and the proba- bility that the straw mulch would cause a surface development of the root system, resulting in injury to the trees from winter killing. A mulch six inches thick, composed of corn stalks, asparagus tops, old hay, etc., was found very eft"ective, both for moisture conservation and the killing out of bindweed that had taken possession of the soil. 4. Undisturbed fallow land readily dries out, and further, may be taken possession of by weeds which serve to increase the loss of mois- ture. We have instances in which such land had been found to dry out to the same extent as land in sod. The desirability of immediate cultivation after ploughing an or- chard has been shown, if soil moisture is to be conserved. A period of three or four days with the upturned soil as left by the plough may very seriously diminish the soil's store of water. 6. Rape has proven an excellent cover crop for drying out the soil in the late summer and autumn months. In this respect it is fully the equal of the legumes usually sown for this purpose. In concluding this brief and imperfect review of our work on this important subject, we may emphasize the essential points we have en- deavored to bring out. First, the very great value of cultivation for conserving soil moisture, and the desirability of employing in many districts this means, during the first three months of the growing season, to supply our orchards with the water necessary for the full develop- ment of their fruit. Secondly, we have proved the extremely ex- haustive effect on soil moisture of sod and of grain crops. Their in- jurious influence on the growth of the tree — especially the young tree — and the development of fruit, so often to be observed on dry soils, is fully accounted for by the results of our investigation. And lastly, that legumes and rape are suitable crops in most districts to sow in mid- summer, when the drying out of the soil is considered desirable to hasten the ripening of the wood before winter sets in. DISCUSSION. President Goodman : We are taking this question up at this time because of the co-ordination with the two papers which have preceded, and the discussion we have already had. I am glad the scientists and 42 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY the practical fruit growers work so closely and so harmoniously to- gether. It is a great mistake to think that scientists are not practical, and it is a great mistake to think that the practical fruit grower may not be a scientist, because there is a great deal of science in what he is trying to accomplish. Cultivation, non-cultivation, sod cultivation and cover crops, are matters for you to discuss now. Are there any ques- tions to be asked Prof. Shutt ? Prof. Blair : Our trees have only been growing two or three years, and we have nothing as yet. The first year we established our orchard the ground was not seeded down, consequently they received the cultivation first year. I wish also to be understood that I did not outline any method this morning, simply telling you what we propose to do. We are getting at this matter for the purpose of finding out whether we can get at some of the fundamental principles a little more definitely, and we thought this was the best way to go about it. Prof. Shutt : There is one point I think possibly we can get some information on. and that is. the value of cutting the grass and allowing it to remain as a mulch. We hear a great deal about that. I do not make the point particularly in this paper, but such results as we have. — we do not dogmatize on the subject. — thus far have not shown very great value of the mulch. The grass dries up very quickly, practically becomes hay, and does not really act as an effective mulch. If those present here can give me any information on the subject, from their experience, I shall be glad to hear from them. Mr. Stewart : We have been trying a number of these experiments in Pennsylvania. After three seasons we find that it is entirely nec- essary, in order to obtain a mulch that will last during the year, to add a considerable amount of straw, and even that will have largely disap- peared in many cases by the next spring. We add straw at the rate of three tons per acre, and while that is sufficient on the younger trees. up to perhaps fifteen years of age, it is not sufficient for the old trees. There are one or two cjuestions I should like to ask Prof. Shutt. He speaks of the fact that the roots under the straw rise to the sur- face and are likely to be injured. It has been our experience undcr both systems, cultivation and the sod mulch system, that the major- ity of the roots are less than 12 to 15 inches deep. \\'e have also noticed the fact that regardless of the system, there is a distinct undulation in the growth of the root from the tree out. I think that the cause of that undulation is probably a question of the soil moisture ; that during the time the greater depth was formed there was less moisture in the soil and the roots were going after it; l)ut just wliat brings them up again 1 do not know, nor exactly what should l)ring THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 43 them up under the sod or under the mulch ; that is a question that I would like to ask. Prof. Shutt : We found that the water table is by no means uni- form in a field of five or ten acres, and that is the reason, in our experi- mental work, for taking adjoining plots. Even in small areas the water table may undulate and rise and fall and make a series of curves. I think the roots follow the moisture, provided the soil will not be too hard, and I suppose that the larger development of the roots would be where there was an amount of moisture available, because undoubtedly it is moisture rather than plant food which is the limiting factor in that way. If you were to take a series of samples, make a collection of samples, I think you would find, taking soils at certain depths, that percentage of moisture at certain depths, and as a rule the water table was not a level, but followed the curves that I speak of. Have I answered your point? Mr. Stewart : My point was this, that we could practically explain the movement downward by variations in the soil moisture, that is. that seems to be a satisfactory explanation ; but I did not know^ what brings them up again. Do you know of another factor that is likely to come in there besides the groping for moisture? Prof. Shutt: No, I do not. Mr. Stewart : Another point on this sod question ; grass dries out the soil more, therefore we might expect to find a deeper root system under it than under cultivation, and in some cases I find that the run- ning roots are distinctly deeper under the sod than under cultivation, in fact, the roots were rather rising under cultivation where there was an abundant moisture supply. Prof. Shutt : I think that it is generally conceded that roots are higher in sod than in cultivation. There is a rivalry between the roots of the grass and the roots of the trees, and the roots of the sod get there first, and it is in this competitive system that the roots of the trees have to come up and take what they can get, and that they come out second best ; that has been our experience. Mr. Barry : I think that it is necessary not only to cultivate fruit trees, but it is necessary to cultivate coniferous trees, it is necessary to cultivate the land for roses, it is necessary to cultivate the land for everything that grows, so far as I know : and if we fail to keep these things in a growing condition, they lose health and they are subject to all sorts of diseases. I have a great rose garden, and I know that if I had not kept those roses growing all this summer long, there would have been black spots on the leaves, and the plants would have been defoliated now. 44 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY This question of growing things in sod is entirely contrary to my idea of culture or care, and I really do not know why it should be recommended or supported, excepting in very rare cases. Sod culture may be necessary in certain localities, few and far between, or in cer- tain climates ; but as a general proposition, what we should advocate and lay down, I think, is cultivation, and I think it should go out that this American Pomological Society recommends cultivation. I do not think we should spend so much time on a subject which is for individual and rare cases, but I do think that we should spend just as much time as we possibly can in getting a man to go to work and cultivate and get good fruit. If any of you gentlemen want to go into a nursery and want to make a success of any crop, you have got to make it grow, and grow early in the season, too; May, June and July it should make its growth, then leave it alone and let the growth ripen up. If you fail to give it cultivation during April, May and June, then you have lost the whole time, because in September it commences to ripen up its wood naturally, and that is the end. And it is so with everything; it is not a fruit tree alone, — we are dealing with all things that grow, roses and shrubs and all that. Mr. Hutt : It seems to me that there is another factor that enters into the question of cultivation, and that is soil aeration. Air is nec- essary to the roots of plants as well as moisture, and from my observa- tion it seems that in cases where the roots come up it is that thev come for air, and again when they go down they will only go down a certain distance : and the reason, to my notion, that the roots are so near the surface of the soil is that they need air. Speaking on the question of cultivation, I never can separate in my mind the question oi retaining moisture from the question of airing the soil. In the spring, our culti- vation of gardens is largely for the purpose of aerating the soil, putting air in, and as the air is warmer and warms up the water, so you can get growth better. I believe one reason why we get so much better results from the cultivation of our orchards is that the roots are thor- oughly aerated, as well as securing sufficient water in that soil. We find that also in pot experiments ; we will find when we water them we get the water in the pot, and the air bubbles up there, and when the soil is watered freely in the pot, all the vitiated air is driven out ; then when it dries out, the air is drawn in, and we have a constant process of watering and aeration alternately, and that aerating is intimately con- nected with the life and health of the plant. Mr. Brackett: (Minn.) I would like to live in a climate where I could cultivate my trees, but I do know positively that there are times that we cannot cultivate our trees. There is a difference in makin. coming into bearing, we use 8-4-4, and on young trees before coming into bearing, where we want good growth, we use 8-5-2. On trees just planted we use no manure of any kind until they start to grow and arc making new roots. Many trees are kihed annuahy by putting strong manure on the roots before the tree can get its start. Let the trees get a start, then apply the ferterlizer to the surface, cover it with a cultivator and the rains will do the rest. In May is the time to apply the fertilizer en young trees that have only been planted recently, in this locality. It might be interesting to give the changes in varieties of earh peaches in the past eighteen years. The leading market varieties, ripen- ing in May, June and early July, in our planting in 1892 were a- follows : Alexander, Early Rivers, Early Tillotson and Yellow St. John. In 1896 they were Sneed, Greensboro, Triumph and Carman, anQ"easons for these failures. 1. Custom . Custom is hard to change, — and the box package is an innovation in the East. As a rule, eastern buyers and grocers do not look with favor upon the box, partly because the profits in repack- ing and selling a barrel of indift'erently packed apples are apt to be 94 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY greater than in handling three well packed boxes. If the producer could deal direct with the consumer, it would be different ; there is no doubt but that a majority of the consumers would prefer the box, or a smaller package, if the fruit did not cost much more. 2. The Market. A good deal depends upon what a certain market prefers, in the matter of fruit packages, as well as in fruit varieties. West of the Mississippi there is special necessity for caution in this respect. Some buyers want their fruit in boxes, and others prefer bar- rels, according to the market they expect to reach. The grower who ships should be equally wise. 3. Poor Packing and Grading. More failures arise from this cause than from any other. The art of packing boxes is not acquired in an hour. It is work for specially trained men, not for the average farm help. In this respect it differs materially from barrel packing, which may be quite well done by ordinary help. Moreover, the habits of several generations of men who have packed in barrels, using "facers" and "fillers." have descended to the fruit growers of today ; and many of them find it extremely difficult to keep the smaller, poorly colored, or slightly imperfect specimens from gravitating to the bottom of the box. It will take a generation or two, perhaps, to breed out that habit. The western man deserves no credit for being more honest in this respect, for, as has been pointed out, honesty was not merely the best policy for him, but the only policy that would pay freight rates. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS. The drift is all towards the smaller package. This is in keeping with the trend of the times with respect to other commodities. There is no doubt but that the box package, or at least the smaller type of package, will some time entirely supplant the barrel. The smaller package will not necessarily be made of wood. We can expect the wooden package to be replaced, eventually, by paper, cellulose, or some other cheap material. Even now some very substantial paper boxes are on the market. When speaking of the box type of package, therefore, we refer to the size and shape of package, rather than to the material. But while the box type of package is the ideal towards which we are rapidly working, it by no means follows that every eastern fruit grower should begin packing in boxes at once. He should begin only when he is ready ; and nine tenths of the growers are not ready. To be ready for box packing means that the grower can get good boxes about as cheap as barrels, bushel for bushel ; that he is able to grow a crop of fruit, preferably of high quality varieties, at least ninety per cent of THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 95 which is fancy or No. 1 ; that he is able to command skillful and experi- enced packers ; that he is able to put a large quantity of box fruit on the market, not one year only, but year after year, so as to win a reputa- tion for the brand ; and that he ships his fruit to markets that are already familiar with the box pack and take kindly to it. At the present time not one apple grower out of ten, east of the Mississippi, is able to meet these conditions. With respect to the market, the fruit grower must recognize the different demands of two entirely different types of markets. One of these, the common or general market, will pay a fair price for good or common stock. The other, the special or fancy market, will pay a fancy price for fancy stock. At the present time the box package sup- plies the special or fancy market almost exclusively, while the barrel package supplies both, but more especially the common or general mar- ket. These two classes of markets will always exist, or as long as some people are more successful in accumulating money than others. It goes without saying that the demand for cheap or common fruit, at a fair price, will continue to be very much greater than the demand for fancy fruit as a high price ; because there are many more people who are in moderate circumstances than there are people who are able to pay fancy prices for fruit. The proportion of fruit growers who are able to grow fancy fruit is as small as the proportion of consumers who are able to pay fancy prices. Location, soil, and the varieties best adapted thereto may make it more profitable to grow staple varieties for the common market. This cheap fruit — the main supply of the great middle class of people — will be marketed in barrels to best advantage for many years to come. The successful marketing of apples in boxes depends so much upon skillful grading and packing and upon the possession of a large quantity of fruit so packed, that it seems likely that very little impetus will be given to box packing in the East except through co-operative shipping associations. Here and there an exceptional grower may find it profit- able to pack his fancy grade of certain varieties in boxes ; but it does not seem probable that box packing will make much headway in the East except through the co-operative shipping association, with its trained business manager and its crews of trained packers. The«e conclusions indicate that the eastern fruit grower should be a conservative on the subject of the box apple package. The drift is towards the smaller package — but, at the present time and for many years to come, apple growers who are so situated that they must pro- duce apples for the general or common markets — which means a majority of the growers — will find the barrel more profitable. With the advent 96 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL. SOCIETY of co-operative shipping associations, the box package will become more and more common in the East, and eventually even for the common grades of fruit. DISCUSSION. Mr. Brackett: I want to say one word in regard to what the box has done for us in the \^'est, in the central West, not in the far A\''est. Last year J. J. Hill, of the Great Northern Railroad, paid $1,000 for 100 boxes of apples to ship to England for his friends. They were the apples that took the first premium at the big show that they had in the West. I do not think we ever heard of apples selling at that price in barrels. This year he has ofifered the same thing; he has offered another thousand dollars for the best premium apples put up in boxes. If I had apples to sell that were inferior, do you know what I would do? T would not bother with a box at all. I would pick enough good apples out of those inferior apples to put a layer or two in the bottom, then I would put my inferior apples in the middle of the barrel, and put some good ones on top ; but if I had apples that were medium, all one size, you might say that were grown as they grow them in the A\'est where they take the pains to grow good apples, I would put them in a box, because the box is the package that is coming and we cannot prevent it. It is going to be the package that we are going to sell our apples in, in a very few years. Where I live in Minnesota, a few years ago, they were curiosities, those boxes of apples. The grocerymen did not want them. To-day a majority of the apples sold in Minneapolis are sold in those boxes. A buyer that wants to buy a bushel of apples takes one of those boxes home with him. If the grocer3-man opens a barrel of apples, with inferior apples in the center, the barrel will be rejected by his customers and he always has a few apples left over in that barrel that he has to lose money on. When he sells a box of apples, that is the end of that. As you see, in the cracks at the corners there is an opening, so that you can see the quality of the apples on every corner ; and our boxes, instead of being poorer, are better in the middle. I think that the box will be used all over the United States and Canada within a very few years. Mr. Thompson : From our experience during the last three years particularly, I will agree with the last speaker, that we should educate our people to get the boxes. They are better for the grower. Mr. Hart (Florida) : I agree with Mr. Brackett in regard to the box, that it will come into use and be the favorite package. If you are going to grow common apples, you can put them up in barrels and get reasonable prices for them ; but if you want to grow the sort of fruit that is supplied by only one, or two, or three, of our best grocery houses THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 97 in the city, not more than that, then get a box perhaps the size of that, but improve on that box. Plane off the edges, take off the sHvers, then dress it up with a Httle fancy paper inside, and you will be surprised at the difference in price. It will double in price. You will more than double your returns. If it costs you a dollar to produce your fruit, and you get $1.25, you make 25 cents; if you double that price, you get $2.50. You make six quarters, and your expenses are the same, except where there may be a little difference of a few cents. You can do that easily if you grow good fruit, and put it up in fancy shape, and you cannot do it in a barrel. You can reach the millionaire trade. They do not care what they pay, in fact, they do not know what they pay. The butler buys the fruit very largely, and all he is required to do is to furnish the best grade without regard to price, and I think the im- proved box will be the thing that such fruit will be put up in. The Chairman : Mr. Hart is from Florida, raises fine oranges, the finest that can be grown, and gets the highest prices of anybody in the State, so he knows what he is talking about. Mr. McNeill : Another thing that I hope will be noted here : We are hearing so far from the people that do not need any of these argu- ments. Now, I should like to hear from a man who is growing apples for the people. I have used these same arguments to people who have shipped 30,000 barrels of apples a year and so on up, as high as 200,- 000 barrels from Canada alone, — I have used these same arguments to them. They say to me, ''My boy, you are a government ofiacial, and your money comes easy." That is the way the people of Canada who actually handle the apple talk. Mr. Dempsey, will you say a word or two? Mr. Dempsey is a practical apple man, who handles apples in a commercial way, and he represents a rather different class, grows good fruit and packs it well, but he is not exactly dealing with the millionaire trade. Mr. Dempsey : The arrangement at the present time is to go into the box trade in the East. We are also striving to give you a better class of apples. There has been a wonderful improvement in our sec- tion in the East in the last "three years amongst the growers, striving to produce a class of apples that will command a better trade, and one improvement in the next few years will be the use of more boxes. Prof. Fletcher : I want to make my position perfectly clear. I am conservative in the matter of boxes. I do not believe the box is best, 1 do not believe the barrel is best, any more than I believe tillage is al- ways best, or sod always best. I think those two packages that you see on that table represent the two great classes of producers. One is the producer who is satisfied to raise the general run of fruit, who raises 98 AMERICAN POAIOLOGICAL SOCIETY quantity rather than quahty, who raises Ben Davis, who caters to the general market rather than to a special trade. For such producer I believe the barrel for years and years to come will be the suitable pack- age. On the other hand, the producer who will cater to a special trade, who will raise high quality apples, as they do in the West, he will find the box a paying proposition. I believe both packages have their place, that neither one will take exclusive possession of the package business. EXPERIENCE IN BOXING APPLES. Mr. Goodman : We have used in our orchard a great many boxes. One year I packed 20,000 boxes, using the best part of the crop of apples that we had that year. When it comes to deciding which is the better package, I must say that I do not know, that it is entirely a ques- tion of to whom and where you expect to ship or sell your fruit. The year that we packed in boxes, the man wanted the fruit in boxes, and I sold them to him packed in boxes and he was willing to pay enough more for them to pay for packing in boxes. But very often, and almost continuously since that time our sales have been in barrel packages, and two years ago, 1907, when we had a fine crop of fruit and a very extra- ordinary price, those that sold their apples at that time got them into the hands of the purchaser and made money, but others of the growers that held their fruit lost money. Why? Because the consumers of the apples were the working men, the mechanics, the laboring men of our cities, and you know one good laboring man is worth a dozen rich men to buy fruits. He will buy more fruit than a rich man will, five times over, and eat it, but when the price gets above a certain limit he cannot afford to buy and he does not buy ; and that year it simply kept down the sales of those that stored their apples in cold storage, so that apples were sold for less money in the spring than in the fall at packing time, because these men that were buying these apples in quantities could not afford to pay the prices at which they were offered, and a great many of them lost their jobs and could not buy at all. Now then, the market to be reached must decide what package we shall use. If I am growing fruit for rich people I want to put up one fourth of the crop in packages that will sell. If I want to handle the crop easily and cheaply and perhaps get as much net money out of them, nine times out of ten I would use the barrel, so the market must help settle the question of whether to use the box or barrel. We use both and pack the choicest in the boxes and that makes a uniform pack in the barrel, better than if the large extra specimens went into the barrel with the whole pack. In other words, you can sell a lot of fancy apples out of all the fruit grown in your orchard and you can get for the No. I's and No. 2's more money and sell them better if THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 99 those fancy specimens are out than in. We get a more uniform size by taking those extraordinary specimens out. The markets must de- cide these questions and the persons to whom we sell, the demand for the fruit at the time we are selling and the conditions of the country in which we are shipping our fruit. Mr. McNeill : Prof. Fletcher has put it very well, that they should be used side by side, the smaller package for the special mar- ket, and also that he does not expect much advancement except in the hands of co-operative associations, so that this matter of handling the package, and the better fruit that comes as the result of packing in boxes, comes as the result of association. It is part and parcel of the same uplift, and you cannot push one very high without getting the other. As far as Canada is concerned, I can speak with fair knowledge of conditions, when I say that there is no great amount of packing being done here in boxes, save by the co-operative associations. There are a few individuals who are packing in boxes, but the number is infinitesimal, and you can say that box packing and co-operative associa- tions go hand in hand ; no co-operative associations, no box packing ; no box packing, no real fine, fancy fruit. CO-OPERATION IN MARKETING FRUIT PRODUCTS. J. p. DARGITZ, ACAMPO, CAL. "The subject of marketing the fruit crops is of immense import- ance to the fruit grower. The marketing of any kind of a crop is of importance but the marketing of perishable crops is of such supreme importance that it calls for special treatment. Given the best possi- ble fruit that can be produced and unless we can get it to market in the proper shape and time and place, and under the proper selling conditions, we may make a dismal failure from a commercial stand- point. "The production of the best possible fruit is a work of art and the man who succeeds in this direction has his compensation when he sees the product of his thought and toil. He works with nature. The commercial grower, on the other hand, begins the propagating of this fine fruit for the market, and even if he can succeed in keeping up the quality in a vast output he then has to turn the product of his thought ^d labor into dollars and cents in order to get his compen- sation. He works with men and it is a cold business proposition. What of the necessity of co-operation in his work? To answer this question we must take a look at existing conditions. "Shall the buyer or the seller fix the price on the product of the seller's labor? When a manufacturer makes a piece of machinery he 100 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY carefully computes the cost and adds to that enough to cover all inci- dental expenses plus a fair profit for the use of the capital and thought involved and upon this computation fixes the selling price of his product. The merchant works in a similar way. The laboring man who is reasonable works in a similar way and we have the labor union as a result. If the principle upon which they act is a good one why will it not fit in the marketing of fruits? We believe it will and that the time is very near when the fruit grower will wake up and take his stand along with his neighbors for fair play in the markets of the world. "As at present handled the marketing of fruit products is carried on in a manner exactly the reverse of all other business. "The producer has nothing whatever to do in setting the price which he should receive for his product. On the contrary the com- mercial buyer or packer or agent looks the field over and tries to figure out about what the crop is and what the market will stand, and then he rushes around and tries to buy from the producer at just as much below what he thinks the market will be as he possibly can in order that his competitor cannot buy for less and so undersell him in the open market. The success of this kind of work depends entirely upon this agent being able to buy a little lower than his competitor and tends always to depress prices. If the fruit is to be sent to a large market on consignment the commission man depends for his suc- cess upon catering to the consumer, or at least making friends with him. This again tends to depress prices and work to the disadvantage of the producer. The only solution to the difficulty is the idea of fruit growers co-operating in the marketing of their fruits. "There are a great many advantages to be gained in the matter of co-operation which might be discussed under the head of control of packing and distribution. "Packing: — There are abundant instances of the great benefit to growers or producers of fruit in getting a fancy, well graded and uniform pack of fruit. As nearly a standard package as possible should be used. The trade come to know a standard package and govern their bidding accordingly, and will view with doubt any depart- ure from even the shape of the package. It should not be too large and should be attractive and convenient to handle. Only the choicest fruit should be sent to market if you care anything about your brand. Let the other fellow send the poor fruit and take the low prices. As an illustration, on July 25th, the writer had a car of sugar prunes sell in the Philadelphia auction market at an average of $1.56 per crate, while another car from the same large orchard shipped by another THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 101 party under a different brand and pack sold for an average of $1.20 per crate. The one meant a net price for the fruit on the tree of $45.00 per ton and the other meant $25.00 per ton. One week later in the same market the same thing was repeated, the writer's car averaging $1.21 per crate and the other party's seventy-nine cents. The one meant a net price for the fruit on the tree of $20.00 per ton while the other would have been ten dollars per ton better off to have left his fruit on the trees. It is becoming pretty widely known what organization and co-operation have done in the Hood River Valley in Oregon for the apple growers. I am sure that they would not take kindly to any prop- osition looking to the breaking up of their organization. It has doubled and trebled their profits, or has brought them good profits where they had losses before, and has made their orchards famous the world over. Another matter to be attended to is the matter of proper dis- tribution. Without this there will be certain markets glutted and un- satisfactory prices, while other markets will be bare and crying for fruit at high prices. But how can this be avoided? "Distribution : — Proper distribution is the answer. But how can one grower or one small community select a market and keep other growers or producers or shippers out of it ? Of course only approximate results can be secured until enough growers can be aligned to put prac- tically the entire distribution of our fruit products under one control. This takes time and hard work, but nothing ever yet attained has come about without time and hard work. If it has it is not worth much. Us- ually the growers will look askance at any proposition which is a de- parture from established methods. It is morally certain that the com- mercial agent wull oppose it and yet I am confident that the new method will prove to be the best thing for the real honest agent. Any new thing should be looked into and carefully examined and tested before dis- carding. Everything was new once, and we would be in a sad plight indeed, if we ^would not try anything new because it was new. In this state we have an organization known as the California Fruit Dis- tributors, which has accomplished a great deal for the fruit industry of the state by undertaking the proper distribution of fruits to the dif- ferent markets. It has been in operation several years and has done much to change debit balances on fruit shipped under its care, to credit balances ior the grower. We believe, however, that as its stock is practically all held by commercial agents instead of growers, it is not yet the ideal institution for the growers. We believe most thor- oughly that the control should be vested in bona fide growers to put the business of marketing fruit products on a rational and fair basis with other lines of business, and to this end we will ever work. 102 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY "As an example of what co-operation in marketing fruit products will do, I would like to cite the California Fruit Growers Exchange of Los Angeles, which handles at present fully sixty-five per cent of all the citrus output of this state. From a condition of exceeding pre- cariousness they have brought the citrus growing business to a re- markable state of success. Competitive selling has been changed to competitive buying, and while, a few years ago, it looked like an appall- ing thing to try to market 2,000 cars of citrus fruit annually, it is now possible to market more than 30,000 cars of citrus fruit and 10,000 cars of deciduous fruit in one season and with a good reasonable profit to the grower. That Exchange has the finest selling machinery, I believe, in the world today. They gather their own market reports and crop conditions from their own salaried agents, who can have no cause for anything but a fair report to give. They have so perfected the sys- tem of packing that their name on a box of oranges or lemons means money to the grower. Buyers are anxious to get their fruit and know what it will be before they open a box. The writer has the honor to be Secretary of the California Fruit Exchange which is aiming to handle a controlling amount of the deciduous fruit shipped fresh out of this state. We have a contract with the citrus organization which gives VIS the services of their agents in gathering market and crop conditions and selling our fruit, so that we are in a position to supply our growers with daily sales bulletins and crop reports from all over the U. S. and foreign countries competing. The value of this can hardly be estimated in dollars and cents. It means an educating of the growers to feel that they are a part of a great organization for sup- plying the world's needs in the fresh fruit line. Our Exchange is purely a marketing organization and no one but a bona fide grower can become a member. Local associations pack and prepare the fruit for market and load it into the cars, and then it is turned over to the ex- change to distribute. The grower gives himself no concern further about it until it is sold and he gets his money returned to him. He is not left in ignorance all this time, about twenty to twenty-five days, but he receives daily telegraphic bulletins showing the sales of his fruit in the various markets and also the sales of his neighbors' fruit. This develops a kindly spirit of rivalry, for each grower will want to be the one who gets the top price in each car sold, and if his neighbor gets a better price, then more care is used in growing, picking and packing and this leads to much better fruit and better prices. The buyers soon find out when we go into a new market that the trade mark of Cali- fornia Fruit Exchange on deciduous fruit packages means something, as well as the brand, California Fruit Growers Exchange, on a box of oranges or lemons. It will mean money to those who grow and pre- THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 103 pare fruits for market if they will form similar organizations in every state. Not only will it aid the growers in each state, but when thus thoroughly organized these various state exchanges can co-operate with each other in the eradication of fruit pests, developing of new features in the business and perfect distribution of our fruit products, so that every family in the world can have our best fruit in plenty and at a reasonable price, and thus we shall increase our business by leaps and bounds. "The greatest advancement among fruit growers is to be found only in co-operation in the marketing of their products, and I verily believe that no good thing can be secured for them better or more quickly in any other way than through co-operation." Mr. McNeill : The opening of that paper suggested that while we, as fruit men, are meeting in St. Catharines, at the same moment in Chicago the Bankers are meeting, with this little difference, that they are 5,000 strong and we are less than 500, but they are having their meeting and they are discussing this very subject of co-operation. It is one of the chief subjects of discussion at their meeting tonight. Thgy already have a strong co-operative association, and I cannot speak for the American bankers, but I can speak for our Canadian bankers, and say this, to show the power of co-operation, that one single bank with $10,000,000 capital is able to get $70,000,000 from you, and me, and the rest of us, in the way of deposits, for nothing, and $30,000,000 more by w^ay of deposits at three per cent, and their annual reports show that they made 16.25 on the whole of it. You put your money in ten times, that is $100,000. We put our money into that thing, they only have one-tenth of the capital. By means of organization they are able to make 16.25 per cent. You and I get nothing on seventy per cent of the money we put in and three per cent on the rest. Now, there is not the slightest reason why we should not have co-operative banks as well as co-operative selling associations. We have one in Ottawa that is securing just as good results, relatively, in the matter of money as we do in the matter of selling fruit. This matter of co-operation_Js not confined to bankers alone. CO-OPERATIVE MARKETING. W. ^. REID, TENNENT, N. J., REPRESENTING THE MONMOUTH COUNTY farmers' EXCHANGE. The idea of forming an organization of farmers for the purpose of selling produce and purchasing supplies had been agitated at times in our county for a number of years, but nothing that produced prac- tical results was done till about a year and a half ago. A few of the 104 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY pioneers in this movement met informally, with the result that a com- mittee of three was sent to Only, Va., to gather information in regard to the workings of Eastern Shore Exchange. This committee, on its return, reported that this exchange had not only been a boon to its members in securing increased returns for their siveet and white pota- toes, but that it had also been a success in a business way; that its stock, par value $5.00 per share, after eight years of business was worth $12.00, and that the organization had a capital stock of $40,000.00 and a surplus of $50,000.00. At a meeting of potato growers held after the return of this committee, steps were taken to form an organization to be known as the Monmouth County Farmers' Exchange ; counsel was employed, incorporation papers were secured, and other necessary steps were taken to perfect the organization. After committees for soliciting stock had been appointed and had done their work, the stockholders were called together and organized by choosing a board of directors con- sisting of eleven members, and were then asked to determine by vote whether they w^ould choose president, vice-president, etc., or whether they wished the Board to organize by choosing its own officers. The vote was in favor of selection by the Board. After the officers had been chosen and the general manager, treasurer and other help necessary to conduct the office work had been appointed, a committee consisting of the general manager and one of the directors was sent to Only, — the headquarters of the Eastern Shore Exchange, to study the methods of conducting the business, the form and style of books used, and to learn as much as possible from their experience. The committee was cordially received and given all possible assistance by the officers of the Virginia Exchange. Our general manager on his return visited or corresponded with dealers wherever it seemed probable that we would do business. Arrangements were made with commission merchants of good and reputable standing in different cities to handle any goods that it might be deemed advisable to have sold on commission; so, that when the season opened, we had the situation fairly well in hand. Offices were erected at some nine or ten shipping stations, and tele- phones connecting with the head office were installed by the Hudson and Middlesex Telephone Co. Loading agents were employed at each shipping station ; compen- sation three cents per barrel, or its equivalent in case of apples in bas- kets ; agent to employ and pay all help and report every night to head office. We commenced business in a small way about July 10, 1908, send- ing on commission. The first sale and shipment in carload lots was THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 105 made July 21, and the last sale December 2, but the bulk of the busi- ness was done by November 1st. We handled and sold for our members 203,039 packages, — prin- cipally barrels of potatoes and apples, — charging seven and one half cents per barrel, when price did not exceed $1.50 net per barrel, and ten cents per barrel when price was more than $1.50. We sold potatoes as far north as New Hampshire, as far south as Virginia, as far west as Ohio, in 50 cities and to 121 customers. Our sales amounted to $454,414.11. Lowest price $1.45 per barrel, highest price $2.50 per barrel. Potatoes were shipped partly in sacks and partly in bulk. On July 30th our Manager had about 35 cars of potatoes on track and for sale. At that time potatoes were green, weather hot, and they had to be shipped to New York or other nearby points. He was well informed as to the market, and knew that under those conditions there was great danger of breaking the market. He told agents to request members to stop digging, shipped twenty-two cars and held thirteen over, and on Saturday, August 1st, cleaned out what was left, thirteen cars. It is nw belief that our being organized and in a position to stop digging at this time saved a crash in the market. While this has been a season of short crops of potatoes and while the price would doubtless have been above the average, yet every potato grower in our section that I have heard express himself, (whether a member of our organization or not), believes that the Monmouth County Farmers' Exchange has caused him to receive from twenty-five cents to forty cents per barrel more for his potatoes than he would have received had there been no organization. It is our belief that a grower with 2,000 barrels of potatoes and $100 of stock (the limit) has already received 400 per cent on his investment, even if he should never realize one cent on his stock. Should we desire today to turn our resources into cash and clean up. we could pay a dividend of about twenty per cent. As was to be expected in our first year's business, we had our troubles and made our share of mistakes. This being something new, some of our members lacked confidence, and being urged on by some of the local buyers, collected pay for potatoes as fast as they were delivered. We had alibut $7,000 paid up capital stock,— used about $3,000 for equipment, leaving only $4,000 working capital. As it required about ten days from date of shipment to get returns, and with shipments ranging from ten to thirty cars per day, you will readily see, with mem- bers collecting as fast as they delivered potatoes, our funds were quickly exhausted. We resolved that no member should leave the office without his pay or have to ask a second time for it. The Direc- 106 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY tors came to the rescue and financed the business by giving their notes personally endorsed. We had a number of losses on account of im- proper grading or sorting by some of our members, and also from what the trade calls "sun-pricked" potatoes, caused by digging too far ahead in hot weather and allowing them to lie too long in the sun. Had it not been for losses from these two sources, we believe the business would have paid fully 100 per cent on investment. We furnished our members with about $35,000 worth of seed potatoes from New York State and from Maine. We have ordered to date 559 tons of chemicals for home-mixing and about 300 tons ready mixed fertilizers. In looking over the net result of the first year's work of the exchange, we feel that, nothwithstanding our mistakes, drawbacks and losses, our receipts have been increased fully twelve per cent and that we have gained the confidence of the majority of our members. We also feel that our worst and hardest year is over, 'and that with our experience and increased capital we will be able to forge ahead and give better results each year. The Eastern Shore Exchange has just closed its ninth year, having handled about 1,200,000 barrels of sweet and Irish potatoes, and hav- ing done a business amounting to about $2,400,000. It has declared a dividend to its stockholders, and added about $19,000 to its surplus, making a surplus of about $70,000. In comparing its first year with our first year, we find that they did a business amounting to about $400,000 as compared with about $450,000 done by us. We now have 525 members and $30,000 paid up capital. AN EXAMPLE OF THE BENEFITS OF CO-OPERATION. Robt. Thompson, St. Catharines, Ont. 'T purpose taking only a few moments to give one example to show what has actually happened in proving what can be done by having a large number of fruit growers united and acting co-operatively, in not only preventing imposition by large combines, or a number of manufacturers uniting to raise the price of the supplies used by the fruit grower, but in actually lowering the cost to themselves and also to the general public. In the fall of 1906, owing to a large fruit crop, there was a shortage in the basket supply. A large quantity had to be imported from the United States. These baskets not being the same size as our own, we had trouble in loading cars properly and thev did not comply with the law in regard to our standard sizes, that went into efifect Jan. 1, 1907. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 107 "The basket manufacturers held a meeting early in December, 1906, and agreed to fix current prices and raised the standard six quart grape basket to $38.00 per thousand, and eleven-quart baskets to $42.00 per thousand. The growers accepted this advance grudgingly but without much open protest. In December, 1907, the basket manufact- urers again met and agreed to a further rise in prices, fixing rates at $40.00 for six quart baskets and $42.00 for eleven quart baskets. "The St. Catharines Association, which is probably the largest and strongest body of fruit growers in Canada, at once began to make arrangements and inquiries to have their supply of grape baskets man- ufactured in the United States and shipped in ; paying a duty of thirty per cent. They found that a very large order would have to be placed to warrant the American manufacturer changing his forms and making up the Canadian size. Owing, however, to the large number of growers in the Association, this was actually done and a contract closed for several hundred thousand grape baskets of Canadian size at a very much lower price. The Ontario manufacturers, on learning of this, held another meeting and at once lowered the price of six quart baskets to $38.00 per thousand and raised the prices of eleven quart baskets to $45.00, as the contract for eleven-quart baskets for the use of this Association had been closed previously. No action was nec- essary for that season. During the fruit season of 1908, the Associa- tion was approached by several of the leading basket manufacturers and solicited for their contract for 1909. The reply of the Association was that if the Canadian companies would supply them with baskets at a price not to exceed one dollar of an advance per thousand over the cost of the American ones, a contract could be closed. As a result contracts were closed with three leading basket manufacturers in Ontario to supply the Association with over a million baskets for the season of 1909. "The price fixed for baskets to the public by tlie manufacturers for the season of 1909 was $36.00 per thousand. "This is only one example out of dozens that could be given to prove that where a large number of growers are loyal to their associ- ation, thef can not only prevent prices being unduly advanced to themselves, but the general public also derives almost the same benefit as they also usually share in the reduced prices. On the one contract made in 1908 with the American firm, the association saved directly over $2,000.00 and indirectly the saving to the public and themselves would amount to manv thousands of dollars." 108 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY PACKING AND MARKETING FRUIT. S. B. Jackson, El Reno, Okla. I greatly appreciate the honor of being placed on your program and wish that I could be present at this meeting of your society. Packing and marketing fruit are the most important matters that the commercial fruit and truck grower has to contend with, as there is no profit in growing fruit unless you can market your product advan- tageously, and you cannot do this unless your pack is first class. The grower should aim to pack his fruit as attractively as he can and not be afraid to grade close, using as showy a package as he can get with a bright colored label giving his name and address. A good pack put up in this manner will establish a reputation and always find a ready sale. If the grower could follow his shipments from the orchard to the stands of Italian fruit vendors and market stalls, he would readily see the advantage of packing only sound fruit of fine appearance, in the above manner. The apple orchards of Oklahoma are so young that we do not ship very many apples, but, in a few years, we will have plenty of apples to ship to the northern and Texas markets. At present our crop is sold almost entirely in Texas and locally. Our principal fruit crop is the Elberta peach. We use the six basket carrier almost exclusively and endeavor to put up a carefully graded pack, as ungraded stuff, showing large, medium and small specimens in the same package, always sells for the market price paid for the poor- est grade. When a car of fruit such as described is consigned to commission houses, the shipper is given the lowest possible price for the entire lot, and the fruit is then repacked, graded and sorted. In this way the dealer will often realize enough from the fancy fruit repacked to pay for the car and leave a good margin. Every commission house of any size has several packers, as a great quantity of stuff that has to be repacked is received daily. If the fruit is packed properly at the packing shed, the shipper will save the freight on the stuff that has to be dumped after it reaches the market. The grower should always bear in mind the fact, that it is not on over- supply of fancy fruit that gluts our markets, but an accumulation of unmarketable, poor stuff that is a source of loss to the grower and often to the commission man. Oklahoma produces a great many cantaloupes of very fine flavor and heavily netted. The variety that does best here is a melon slightly larger than the Rocky Ford, meat salmon colored and firm. These are packed in flat crates 4 1-2x14x24, twelve melons to the crate, the mel- THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 109 ons wrapped in pink paper and placed in the crates, so that the ribs run lengthwise of the package. Fully seventy-five per cent of the fruit and truck crop of Okla- homa is marketed by this association. In the shipping season we have our representatives on the market and sell on a cash basis. We have followed this method for the past three years and experience has proven that this is the only manner in which the commercial fruit grower can realize proper returns on his products. Among other advantages that this method possesses, we are in a position to know each day the demands of the different markets and can divert cars to the strongest markets. There are twenty associations in the state auxiliary to the state association. In the shipping season we have inspectors at these points to oversee the packing of the fruit and loading cars. It would be impossible for the growers at any of these shipping points to maintain men on the market profitably, but handling the mar- keting through one office reduces the expense to the individual ship- pers and associations. DISCUSSION. Prof. Crow : I wanted to ask Mr. Reid, whom do you sell your products to. What class of trade ? Mr. Reid : Wholesalers. One party buys from ten to thirty carloads a day; that is the largest distributing center I know of, Pitts- burgh. Our general manager, in many cases, sells direct to the dealers ; in some cases we have representatives. In many cases, I sell direct from the central office by telegraph or telephone. Mr. Hart : I want to give a little instance of a saving in the California Exchange. The California Exchange bought boxes, and they were obliged to pay twenty cents a box, and they thought the mat- ter over and talked with some of the people there. They found the box people were going to freeze out some of the other men — by the way, the Fruit Exchange is not a money-making organization — and through this company they furnished these parties with the capital to do the milling and they gave them an order for 73,000,000 boxes at twelve and^one half cents, and five year delivery. I think the three years' orders have been delivered already. Everything is satisfactory up to date. So you see they saved nearly one half on the boxe5, they saved everything on nails, they saved on paper, they saved on their labor. The cost last year for running the Exchange was six and a frac- tion cents. They saved about ten cents to cover costs, and then at the 110 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY end of the season, returned the balance. It cost them six and a frac- tion cents to do their business last year and they saved over that amount on purchasing materials, so that their selling through that Exchange has absolutely cost them nothing. In the matter of the collection of claims, instead of having each individual collect his own claims, the Exchange makes those collections and the railroad claim agent and the Exchange claim agent meet in the office. They collected $150,000 last year in claims. Then in the matter of sales, they not only get returns, but they get a statement of the sales, the price of the fruit, and the party that the fruit is sold to, so that they get the whole story. You can go right to the purchasers, and find out all about it and there is not the least question of what the returns are, whether they are honest or not. There is no one that gets anything out of this except the grower himself, he controls everything. Mr. Reid : Last season we paid our general manager $2,500. our treasurer, $1,600, and then there was the expense of our bookkeeper and other amounts, so that our office expenses last year were around $10,000. Our sales in round numbers amounted to $450,000, so that it cost us between two and two and a half per cent to do the business last, year. Mr. McNeill : These items are what we need in a meeting of this kind. We have had two solid hours now on Co-operation and Packages, and I think we will all say we have had a profitable time. I would like, if time permitted, to have had two or three men that I know are perfectly competent to add something to what has already been said, but time will not permit. But a full report will be given of this, and I am sure that any deficiencies that may appear here will be supplied. This much can be said, however, that the principles upon which these American co-operative associations are working are in rnany respects quite similar to those which have made co-operation so successful in the old lands where it has done wonders for the peo- ple. Nevertheless, there are many cases in which we can take lessons from the people of the old land, from the people of Denmark particu- larly. I was noting that, as we went along in the discussion and heard the methods of working and noted how our defects could be remedied if we would take these lessons. Suffice it to say that I think that we owe a debt of gratitude to these gentlemen for giving us their ex- periences ; and the spirit in which it has been done shows that at heart co-operation is a matter of individuals : the heartiness with which the Fruit Exchange of California extended assistance to the fruit men, to the orange growers of California, the ease with which we can get at the books of the co-operative associations. — they have nothing to THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 111 hide, everything is open and above board, — is quite different from com- bines and trusts, showing that the basis of the whole thing is brotherly kindness one toward the other, the old Christlike principle, simply recognizing the brotherhood of man, that is at the base of co-operation ; and you can see it tonight in these discussions, and I hope we will have more meetings of this kind, even if it does look a little bit commercial. The Chairman: I am sure we have all enjoyed this symposium on marketing methods as conducted by Mr. McNeill and we have listened with pleasure to the papers that have been read on the various subjects coming under this head. 112 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY A CHAPTER ON LIME-SULPHUR SPRAYS The meeting was called to order by the President at 9 :30. Mr. J. P. Stewart in the chair. THE VALUE OF LIME-SULPHUR SOLUTIONS AS FUNGICIDES. ERRETT WALLACE, NEW YORK STATE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE. I have been asked to present to the members of this Society a brief report of the results thus far obtained from an investigation carried on at Cornell University, of lime sulphur solutions as fungi- cides. The work has been under the direct control of the department of Plant Pathology, directed by Professor Whetzel. Most of the ex- periments were carried out on the fruit farm of L. B. Frear of Ithaca, who co-operated with us in the work. A temporary field laboratory was established on the farm, for the study of orchard diseases at close range. The commercial solution used was the Niagara Brand, a quantity of which Mr. Frear had purchased before the experiments w^ere ar- ranged for. Since that time the Niagara Sprayer Company has pro- vided for the continuance of the work by establishing a fellowship at Cornell, leaving the work entirely under the control of the New York State College of Agriculture. I shall first briefly summarize the results of the work on Apple scab. The experimental plat consisted of a block of Rhode Island Greenings, and it was so arranged that we had almost every combina- tion as to time and number of applications with both Bordeaux and lime sulphur. Arsenate of lead was used with both, at the rate of six pounds per 100 gallons. Since we were at that time uncertain as to the result, only six trees were sprayed with the lime sulphur solu- tion. The experiment was not therefore ideally laid out, but the results are so striking as to make it of value. A mere glance at the trees is sufficient to justify certain conclusions, so far as this year's work is concerned. The apples have not yet been picked, so I cannot give figures. I have here samples of fruit resulting from each treat- ment, for your inspection. The check trees show a considerable amount of scab. The per- centage, however, is not as high as earlier in the season, since many of the affected fruits dropped, while very young. The fruit is also I THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 113 much deformed by insect injuries of various kinds. Hardly any No. 1 fruit would be gathered from these trees. In all cases where the application on June 1st, just after the blossoms had fallen, was given, either of Bordeaux or lime sulphur, the scab was well controlled regardless of the other applications. On those sprayed at this time with Bordeaux, however, the fruit was much injured by the spray. Almost every apple was more or less russetted and many very badly. In many cases, the injury, having occurred while the fruit was very young, caused it to grow one-sided or mis- shapen and often to crack open. Although not dwarfed and deformed from scab and insect injuries as were the checks, they were quite badly deformed from spray injury. Of course it so happened in this case that the weather following the application, was favorable to Bor- deaux injury and the fact that the spray was very thoroughly applied, in order to strike every apple, made it still more severe. The contrast between these apples and those on trees receiving the pure application of lime sulphur, 1-30 with six pounds arsenate of lead per 100 gal- lons, is very striking. On the latter, almost every apple is of perfect form with a smooth, healthy skin, showing no injury whatever. I have here samples representing about the average condition of each as taken from the tree. I should judge that the crop of this orchard would have been worth at least thirty per cent more, had it been sprayed with lime sulphur, instead of Bordeaux. Now of course, I do not mean to state that this difference would occur every year, or in every case. I am simply giving the results of this year's experiment. We all know, however, what is admirably shown in Professor Hedrick's bulletin on Bordeaux injury, that the latter is governed largely, even when the Bordeaux is properly made, by weather conditions that are entirely beyond our control. We can not foretell when favorable conditions will occur, and we know that the occurrence of unfavorable conditions is sufficiently frequent and destructive to occasion considerable loss, taking it one year with another. If this loss can be entirely avoided by the use of a substitute that gives fully as good results every other way, it seems to me that the problem of Bordeaux injury can be most readily solved by the use of this substitute. LBIE SULPHUR FOR BROWN ROT. OF PEACHES. The brown rot of peaches and other stone fruits has for many years been a difficult problem for fruit growers and experimenters. "How can I spray to prevent peach rot, without danger of serious leaf injury?" is the question fruit growers have been asking. Hundreds 114 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY of thousands of dollars have been lost every year for the want of such information. We are all familiar with the work of Professor Scott of Washing- ton, with the self boiled lime sulphur preparation, which was the first successful method prescribed in answer to the above question. While this has doubtless been the best method, up to the present time, one or two quite objectionable features are evident. First, the whitewashing eiTect on the fruit considerably mars its appearance, unless the last application is made long before the ripening period. Secondly, it re- quires considerable work to prepare it, as compared with a dilute com- mercial solution. Professor Scott also made foliage tests with commer- cial lime sulphur solutions, but finding that a dilution of 1-75 or even 1-100 caused more or less leaf injury, he considered it not worth while to test its fungicidal value. We began our experiments this year using the Niagara Brand Lime Sulphur, at dilutions varying from 1-50 to 1-100. Our experience was similar to that of Professor Scott. We found that when heavily applied, even at 1-100, there was considerable leaf injury and some defoliation. To be brief, we found that 1-200 was about as strong as could safely be used. This we used repeatedly, and in no case was there injury at all worthy of mention. At the same time experiments were being carried on in the lab- oratory to determine the effect of various dilutions of lime sulphur on germinating spores of the rot fungus. On microscope slides sprayed, dried, re-wet and kept in moist chambers, the germination was largely prevented by a dilution of 1-200. Spores placed directly in the solution, without first allowing it to dry, did not germinate in 1-6400. This, however, does not approx- imate conditions on the tree so nearly as the former test. Peaches were also sprayed and inoculated with spores, in which case the rot was always delayed, as compared with those similarly treated but unsprayed. With these indications we thought it worth while to try the efifect of very weak solutions on the tree. For an early test, one half of a single Alexander tree was sprayed three times with Hme sulphur solution diluted 1-200. This reduced the rot from about eighteen per cent to three per cent as picked from the tree. The sound fruit was stored to determine the effect of the spray on its keeping quality. The first picking kept six days, gave a reduction from twenty per cent to three per cent in favor of the sprayed fruit; after nine days the per- centage stood at fifty-seven and twelve. This gives us about five times as much loss in the unsprayed fruit. A second picking stored two days gave a reduction of rot from fifty per cent to nineteen per cent — more than twice as much rot in the unsprayed. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 115 On the Mountain Rose, our experiments were conducted on a much larger scale, including a block of about 75 trees. There was some variation in various parts of the plats, but roughly speaking, the rot was reduced from about thirty-five to ten per cent. A later picking gave about fifty reduced to twenty per cent. These had received only two applications, one of 1-50, very early, and 1-200 in August. It is probable that three or four late applica- tions of the latter dilution would have rendered the treatment much more effective. Five trees were sprayed only once about two weeks before picking, with 1-200. This but slightly reduced the rot at picking time, but after two days' storage more than twice as much rot was found in the un- sprayed lot ; showing, as in the previous experiments, a decided effect on the keeping quality of the fruit. These results seem to indicate that peach rot can probably be much reduced by proper use of a weak solution of commercial lime sulphur. This can be applied up to the time of picking if necessary, without staining the fruit ; and so far as rot is concerned, it is my opinion that several late applications, beginning, say a month before picking and giving about one application per week, diluted about 1-200, would be very effective. On varieties that are subject to scab or black spot, an early application would probably be necessary, since some scab infection takes place early. Where we used a dilution of 1-100 the scab was almost entirely controlled, but we made no early applica- tion at 1-200 and cannot as yet tell whether this would be effective or not. If necessary, an early application of self boiled could be given, followed later by the weak commercial solutions, when the self boiled would cause staining. I have reason to believe that whatever leaf injury occurs from lime sulphur solution occurs before the spray has first dried. For this reason the coating of spray can be almost indefinitely thickened by additional applications. This being true, we should be able to con- trol brown rot by using a dilution of commercial lime sulphur, that will not injure foliage, if we can afford to give a large enough number of applications. In other words, by using it 1-200, four times, we can apply a coating of spray as dense as a single application of 1-50 without causing leaf injury, and it will be much more evenly dis- tribute-Dear well when properly pruned. Colombar J f t- . y Franken Riesling ^ Tohanisberff Rieslinsr L^ r^ , ■ r i i. j x*- u j ^ i^ . <= s I Grafted vines from selected cuttings can be made to Trammer run c • ui bear well. Sauvignon blanc Chardonay -' Warmer localities. Burger >, P''^}f "^^"o k\ll heavy bearers. Beba J -^ Perruno Wests White Prolific 1 Vernaccia Sarda rWill bear well with proper treatment. Inzolia ^ RED WINE : Cooler localities. Petite Sirah ^ Beclan rBear well grafted. Tannat ^ Cabernet Sauvignon 1- Requires careful selection. Warmer localities. Valdepeiias "1 St. Macaire rFor dry wine — bear well. Lagrain -^ carbera i-Can be made to bear by proper pruning. Pagadebito J Alicante Bouschet "| (jrenache ^ J-Heavy bearers, for sweet wine. Morastel ; Tinta Amarella J RAISIN GRAPES. ,, I For large raisins — a selected form of Muscat of ^"'^^'^o I Alexandria. Sultanina ^For Sultana raisins. Black Corinth [For currants — requires special treatment to bear. 206 AMERICAN POAIOLOGICAL SOCIETY LIST OF TABLE AND SHIPPING GRAPES FOR TRIAL IN CALIFORNIA. WHITE. Luglienga Olivette de Cadenet Dattier de Beyrouth White Persian Pizzutello Ohanez Servan Chaouch Very early. Good shipper. Very large. Fine quality. Striking shape. Very late. Very late. Fine quality. RED. Rose Sultanina Flame Muscat Seedless. Red form of raisin muscat. Rodites .Muk Doight de Deesse Red Persian Zabalkanski r-Require trellising and hot climate J BLACK. Dodrelabi Moscatello fine Madresfield Court Syn. Gros. Colman. Promising fo Does not ship well. A fine Black Muscat. AMERICAN VARIETIES Royal Isabella Winchell Catawba Black. White. Red. NEWER VARIETIES OF GRAPES. Geo. C. Roeding, Fresno, Cal. It is safe to say that in no State in the Union has such remarkable progress been made in grape cnhnre as in California. This is undoubt- j edly due to the fact that the climatic conditions are of such a favorable ' nature that all types of the Vinifera grapes, which is the species grown almost exclusively in Europe and eastern Asia, find conditions for their perfect development, practically the same as from where they ■ originated. As far as that is concerned, the American types' of grapes can be successfully grown but their planting has been limited, for out- side of their local table use, they have but little commercial value, and even for this purpose the demand is slight. In the eastern states, wine is made from a number of these varieties, but the very fact that such wines have a decidedly foxey flavor, has prevented their coming into general tise ; for sucli wines, no matter how manipulated, can never be j THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 207 made to have the dehcate aroma, delicious flavor and exquisite color of the wines made from grapes which are the genuine wine types. No state in the Union has such a variety of climates, and for that matter, soils, as California, so it is not at all surprising that every variety of grape from the Old World should find localities in California where they can be grown with equal success. It is not strange, knowing these facts, that the coast counties one hundred miles north and south of San Franc'sco should be so well adapted for the production of light dry wines ; that in the counties from fifty to ninety miles inland and one hundred and fifty miles north and south from the metropolis, should be so favorably situated for table grape culture, raisin making and for the production of sherries, ports and the heavier class of wines, and for very fine brandies. Turning to the southern part of the state and taking Los Angeles as a central point, conditions are found here for making excellent wine, and table grapes of fair quality can be grown, while in the extremely southern section of the state, in what is termed the "Colorado Desert," there is a wide field for the development of early ripening varieties which will withstand the extreme heat, it being no uncommon thing for the temperature to range from 116 degrees to 120 degrees F. in the shade, even in the early summer months. There is such an endless variety of wine varieties, each country in Europe having its own special sorts, it would be useless to make any attempt to discuss them, and my remarks will be fonfined entirely to the table varieties, which after all are better understood than the wine types, the trade names of which have no bearing in most cases to the grape from which they are made. From a California standpoint, the only variety of American grape which has reached any prominence commercially is the Pierce or Isa- bella Regia, which was originated by J. P. Pierce of Santa Clara. As its name signifies, it is an improved Isabella. The berries are very large, almost round, jet black with decided blue bloom ; the vine is a very vigorous grower with large foliage. It ripens late, usually toward the latter part of September. As far as flavor is concerned, it has the pronounced foxey taste found in all American varieties of table grapes. Its thick skin, late ripening qualities, make a valuable sort for table and shipping purposes. The only influence which could bring about greater interest in the American types of grapes will be the demand for grape juice. The public has become accustomed to the flavor which this grape imparts to their beverage and they call for it. Since the prohibition movement has become so strong, there has been a tendency to make grape juice from 208 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY the yinifera sorts and the industry promises to develop, providing the public can be educated to take kindly to the marked difference in flavor of the two types. Fortunately for California, the United States Department of Agri- culture has established experimental vineyard plots in the northern, central and southern sections of the state, for the purpose of determin- ing the value of the many varieties of phylloxera-resistant roots in our soils, and in doing this, they are also grafting innumerable sorts of vini- fera and American varieties on these roots for the purpose of determin- ing their affinity as well as their relative value commercially. Vari- eties of grapes are being imported from all parts of the world, and eventually the collection will be of vast importance, for vine growers will have the advantage of the advice and experience of experts in guiding them in their work. No greater mistake can be made by growers than to plant exten- sively of some, so called "new sort" from Europe, until its merits have been fully investigated in a small way to begin with. I have been very much interested in introducing many new vari- eties of table grapes in recent years, but my experience has been such that I would never recommend planting extensively for the reason that many of the so called new varieties are in many cases old sorts with a new name. As an illustration, the Malaga, a very large, white shipping grape, has been received under the following names from France : Panse Blanche, Pause de Roquevaire, Pause Jaune. If there is any difference in any of these varieties, it is difficult to detect. It is a grave mistake to be constantly offering new varieties for sale, which may not have been fully tested first. What our grape growing industry requires, and in this respect it does not differ from other lines of fruit growing, is the eliminaton of varieties of question- able merit. It will finally be the nurserymen themselves who will have to effectively enforce this condition of affairs, by not cataloguing any varieties, unless they are valuable for the purpose for which they are to be used. 4 One of the most desirable varieties of recent introduction and one which gives great promise as a table grape for home use as well as shipping is the Dattier de Beyrouth or Rosaki. It is used in Asia Minor for table as well as raisin purposes. Ripens earlier than the Alalaga. and the vine is fully as strong a grower and if anything a heavier bearer. The bunches are large, slightly shouldered and the berries are loose, never compact, this one point adding very materially to its value as a shipping grape. The berries are very large, quite oval, skin lliin. l)ut tough, greenish at first l)ut ttuMiing to a beautiful golden aml)er wlien mature. \'cry juicy and sweet with little or no THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 209 acidity. Its keeping qualities are unsurpassed and it has the remarkable adaptability of being useful both for early as well as late shipping. Among the seedless grapes, the only one of genuine merit is the so-called "Thompson Seedless," another Asia Minor variety which is used there exclusively as a raisin grape. Its true name is Sultanina Blanc. It ripens early and when properly pruned, produces bunches of large size. The latest sport of this variety is Sultanina Rose, identical with the former sort, except in color, which is a shade of rose pink. It will add largely to the value of the white variety in making up as- sorted crates, as the contrast in the package will be very striking. Among other meritorious varieties are the Lady Finger (Pizutella di Roma), a slender white grape deriving its name from its close re- semblance to a lady's finger; Olivette de Vendemian, a white grape of the Almeria type, but giving promise of being far superior to that vari- ety; the berries are larger, it is not so subject to mildew and it is a more prolific bearer : Gros Guillavmie, an immense black grape, of high flavor and great keeping qualities and superior as a shipping and table grape to the Gros Colman and Gros Maroc. The varieties most extensively shipped now are Malaga, Flame Tokay, Emperor, Black Cornichon, all of which are excellent carriers. None of these varieties are of particularly fine flavor, however, and what California needs above everything else in the line of shipping grapes is varieties combining carrying qualities with a high degree of flavor. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FINAL RESOLUTIONS. Whereas — The members of the American Pomological Society have been so royally entertained by the Department of Agriculture of the Province of Ontario, the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association, the Niagara District Fruit Growers' Association, the St. Catharines Horti- cultural Society, and the citizens of St. Catharines, comprising the local committee, and Whereas — Messrs. W. B. Burgoyne. H. S. Peart and P. W. Hodgetts have been so untiring in their efforts in arranging for and in conducting the excursions into the fruit districts, and Wkiereas — Messrs. R. J. Fleming, J. A. Smith, E. D. Smith, Murray Pettit and Adolphus Pettit so generously showered their choicest fruits to the delegation of visiting members to their beautifully kept orchards. Therefore be it resolved — That the heartiest thanks of the Amer- ican Pomological Society be tendered to these gentlemen and organi- 210 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY zations and others not mentioned above, for making this visit to St. Catharines such a memorable and pleasant one. C. P. Close, Maryland. R. B. Whyte, Ontario. W. C. Barry, New York. Unanimously adopted : The following resolution was then read by the Secretary: To Prevent Importation of Injurious Insects. Whereas — The agriculture and horticulture of the United States have suffered tremendous losses through the depredations of insects and plant diseases which have been imported from foreign countries, and WtiEREAS-^Many of such importations are preventible, and Whereas — There is now no legislation authorizing the inspection of such imports by federal officials. Therefore be it resolved — That the American Pomological So- ciety urges upon Congress the necessity of legislation which will pro- vide for the most effective prevention of the importation of insect pests and plant diseases which may be practicable, and that a special legisla- tive committee, which shall be representative of the horticultural in- terests of the country, be appointed to aid in the formulation and pas- sage of such legislation. Prof. Taft : I move the adoption of the resolution. Mr. Goodman : The question calls for a special committee ; I be- lieve we ought to adopt that resolution, the committee can be appointed later. Motion to adopt was put to vote and carried, and the Chairman stated that the committee would be appointed later by the President. For Pure Insecticides and Fungicides. Resolved — That the American Pomological Society cordially en- dorses the bill introduced in Congress (H. R. 21,318, S. 6,515 of the 60th Congress), entitled "A bill for preventing the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded Paris greens, lead ar- senates, and other insecticides, and also fungicides, and for regulating the traffic therein," and urges upon the horticultural interests of the United States the necessity for such control of the purity and quality of insecticides and fungicides. (Submitted by E. D. Sanderson, New Hampshire). On motion of Colonel Watrous, the report was unanimously adopted bv a rising vote. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 211 REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN FRUITS. G. L. Taber, Chairman. Mr. President : — The only report which your committee has to make this year is the following from Mr. \\\ T. Macoun, member of the committee from Ottawa, Canada : Pruniis tomentosa — downy-leaved cherry. A very interesting and what promises to be a useful fruit in some parts of Canada is Primus tomentosa, a native of North China, Man- churia and Japan. This tree is closely related to the apricot, and be- longs to the sub-genus Armeniaca. The fruit resembles a cherry very much both in appearance and taste. Seed was obtained from the Ar- nold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Mass., U. S., by the Director, and planted at the Experimental Farm. In 1900 the trees were set out, and they began fruiting in 1903. The trees or bushes, as they really are, have proved quite hardy, and while the flower buds do not escape injury every winter, as a rule at least part of them do. The bush is comparatively low^-growing and the fruit borne almost to the ground, so that a large portion of the fruit buds are usually protected by snow. The leaves are broad-oval in shape, narrowing abruptly near the apex to a point. They are somewhat dull in color, wrinkled above and quite downy or tomentose on both sides, as are also the twigs. The margins of the leaves are serrated. The flowers are white or pinkish, and are borne singly or in groups of two to five on last year's wood. They have very short stems or are almost sessile. The fruit ripens at Ottawa during the latter part of July. Following is a description of it: — Primus tomentosa. — Roundish or globular, slightly heart-shaped; half an inch in diameter ; cavity medium ; stem very short ; suture a rather indistinct line ; apex rounded or almost flat ; bright scarlet ; no dots ; no bloom ; skin slightly hairy, thin, tender ; flesh tender, juicy ; stone small, oval, almost free ; subacid, slightly astringent, pleasant flavor ; quality above medium, almost good. Fruit separates readily from stem. Very easily picked. Stem re- mains on bush. The seedlings of P. tomentosa vary considerably. The seedling.Jescribed is one of the best of them. When canned the fruit of Prtinus tomentosa is quite pleasant to the taste, reminding one of sweet cherries, while the stones which are left in owing to the small size of the fruit give a distinctly pleasant flavor to it. \Miile this fruit mav not be grown where the ordinary cherries will 212 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY succeed, it should prove quite useful in the colder parts of the country, especially where there is a good depth of snow to ensure regular crops. The Secretary then presented to the convention one of the veteran fruit growers of Ontario, Mr. A. M. Smith, who has been a member of the American Pomological Society for over thirty years. Mr. Smith : I had the good fortune to be born on the American side of the river and it was there that I took my first lessons in fruit growing, and I think it is a pretty good country over there. I was quite well satisfied to live there, but I thought over the border here was an opening; there was a fruit line that would perhaps grow in extent equal to the Niagara District, as it was then called ; but I had not the faintest idea when I first went to fruit growing in Ontario, that the industry would ever amount to the enormous proportions that it has reached at the present time. I had the honor to assist in planting the first commercial peach orchard in Ontario, in the Niagara District, and I am glad indeed to live to see the success of the business. I have sometimes attended Pomological meetings, but the last few years I have not been very well. I have not been able to take part here today, but I am glad to welcome you all here to Canada ; we are all one people and engaged in one great and good cause. President Goodman : That is fine sentiment indeed. Is there any- thing else now that you would like to bring forward ? Mr. Burton was granted permission to explain the mechanism of a platform wagon, so constructed that when the tongue was turned in one direction, the hind wheels moved in another, enabling the wagon's being driven round and round a tree without running into it. The Secretary: A resolution was passed by this convention ap- pointing a committee to co-operate in the formulation of a law which would prohibit the introduction of injurious pests and diseases into the United States. That committee has not been appointed. Is it the pleasure of the Society that the Executive Committee appoint that com- mittee, or would you like them appointed by the President on the floor? This is an important matter, and one in which this Society is asked to co-operate with other horticultural organizations in the United States. Mr. Close : I think plenty of time should be taken in the appoint- ing of this committee, and I believe it might be well to leave the ap- pointment of the committee to the President and the Executive Com- mittee. President Goodman: The President would be willing to appoint that committee, did he know in all parts of the United States just the persons to put on, but in connection with the Executive Committee the President will take that up. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 213 Col. Watrous : I hope a good, strong committee may be appointed to undertake that work, because there has been a struggle for years to get some federal law in regard to the importation of dangerous insect pests, and certain interests have defeated legislation. I believe that such work ought to be in the hands of the Federal government and not be left to the states. President Goodman : A successful meeting never demands a great crowd. I think that at this meeting not as many members perhaps from different parts of the United States have been present, yet at no meeting of the American Pomological Society that I ever attended, it seems as if we got really as much genuine information and practical discussion of matters as we have here at this meeting, and those of you who have been in the audience during these sessions I am sure will cor- roborate what I have to say. And now, in conclusion of this great meeting and this fine time and this grand entertainment that we have had here, I want to personally express to the local people my hearty appreciation of every step that they have taken in this matter. I want to say to Mr. Burgoyne and to his co-workers that they have done ad- mirably; it has opened our eyes. I never took a trip in my life that I enjoyed more than that trip yesterday afternoon, — beautiful orchards, beautiful shade trees and evergreens, the delight of my heart all the way through. I think that you are deserving of all the praise that I have ever heard of you. I want to thank the local people for the very pleasant time that we have had there. Mr. Burgoyne : It has been an extreme pleasure to us to do what little we could toward making your visit to St. Catharines one that you could fully enjoy and look back to with pleasure after it was over. I hope that you will all come with us this afternoon on the automobile excursion to Niagara, and that every member that can do so will go to- morrow on the excursion to Guelph. You will enjoy the trip all the way up and they will be glad to entertain you at the Agricultural Col- lege. I thank you on behalf of the committee for your words of appre- ciation of our efforts. Adjourned. 214 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY A CHAPTER ON HISTORY OF FRUIT GROWING. A HISTORICAL SKETCH OF FRUIT GROWING IN THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO. Linus Woolverton, Grimsby, Ontario. It is now about three hundred years since the first fruit trees were planted by the early French colonists in the Province of Ontario. Of their plantations there still remain some very large old pear trees along the Detroit River which will repay a visit from the antiquary. But it was not until toward the end of the eighteenth century that any considerable progress in fruit growing was made, for soon after the formation of the LTnited States of America and the Declaration of Inde- pendence a large number of colonists, known as United Empire Loyal- ists, came across the line and were given tracts of land as a reward for their devotion to the British Crown. Small orchards of some forty or fifty apple trees and perhaps a dozen pear trees and a few pie cherry trees would be planted by each colonist. Then later these seedling apple trees were top grafted to good varieties about eight or ten feet up from the ground. Two of these old veterans still stand upon my fruit farm near Grimsby, and they show very prominently the great rings where the grafts were inserted more than a hundred years ago. One of these trees is a Fall Pippin, the other a Gloria Mundi. In an old note-book of my grandfather, Dennis Woolverton, I found a list of the varieties he used in top grafting the old orchard, and I think the list may be of some interest in this connection, viz. : John Claus Early French Reinette, Early Harvest from Queenston, Swayzie Pomme Grise (probably also from Queenston), Rhode Island Yellow Fall Sweet, Colin Howards September Sweet, Pumpkin Sweet, Pie Sweet, Sweet Billy Bound, Large Greening, Ribston from Enfard, Rhode Island Greening, Snow, Spitzenburg, Orange Pippin, Farmers' Long Keeping, Newtown Pippin, Blue Pearmain, Crook's Large Sweet, Claus' Early Sweet, Large Fall Sweet, Large Pippin. During the nineteenth century extraordinary progress was made in fruit growing in the Province of Ontario. This is largely the result of the excellent work accomplished by the Ontario Fruit Growers' As- sociation, which was first formed as the F. G. A. of Upper Canada on the 9th of January, 1859, in the city of Hamilton, with eighteen constituent members, of which my father was one. \\'ith him I attended the meet- ings as a boy of twelve. Of these early members the only survivor is Mr. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 215 A. M. Smith of Port Dalhousie. This gentleman was an enthusiast in fruit growing and was the first to take advantage of the express com- pany for distributing fruits over the Great Western Railway, then just put through from the Niagara River to Windsor. To him much credit is due as the pioneer in extending our markets and in planting on the Woolverton homestead at Grimsby the first large plantation of peach trees in Ontario, at least if an orchard of five acres may be spoken of as large in these days. The first printed report of the Association was published in 1863, and took up the work of the Society since 1861 in a small pamphlet of forty-four pages. From a perusal of this we find a large number of varieties were being planted in the province ; some seventy varieties of apples ; sixty-four of pears ; twenty-seven of plums ; eighteen of cherries ; twenty of strawberries and thirty of grapes. Of the strawberries there is not one except perhaps the old Wilson's Albany that is planted today, and of the grapes only three or four. Here are some of the varieties of strawberries : Black Prince, Crimson Cone, Early Scarlet, Hovey, Hooker, Jenny Lind, Ohio ^Mammoth, etc. In 1868 the good work of the Assopiation in diffusing reliable in- formation concerning the best varieties of fruits and the best methods of their cultivation was so fully recognized that the Department of Agriculture for Ontario began making an annual grant, which was at first $350, but which was afterwards increased to $1800. This enabled the Society to have a paid secretary to give his time to the work. Di- rectors were appointed to represent the various sections of the province who became active workers for the encouragement of fruit growing. Meetings of the whole body were held in various parts of the province to discuss methods and varieties. No secrets were withheld but each gave the others the full benefit of his experience. In 1877 a monthly journal, called the Canadian Horticulturist, was undertaken by the Association as a means of still further increasing the general interest of this profitable industry, and this publication resulted in greatly booming the planting of fruit trees in the province ; the mem- bership of the Association, each of whom was entitled to receive the monthly journal, grew into the thousands. It has become necessary in later years to cease to boom the industry and instead to give attention to improving the methods of packing and sale. In 1^6 another important agent in the development of fruit cul- ture in Ontario was undertaken by the Department of Agriculture, viz. : the establishment of the Ontario Fruit Experiment Stations. About a dozen of these fruit testing stations were established and fully sup- plied with varieties. Their work covered the province from end to end and their reports have been invaluable to fruit growers. For ex- 216 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY ample, over one thousand varieties of fruits were tested by them with the object of tinding out those best adapted to the various sections of the province, and as a result of the work, a list of fruits recommended for planting in each part has been published. Out of this work has grown the necessity of a Central Fruit Farm, especially devoted to the raising of new varieties and to the solution of various problems in hor- ticulture. This led the Department of Agriculture to establish the Jordan Harbor Experimental Fruit Farm, with its staff of officers and equipment, by which no doubt much valuable work will be accomplished. Another result of these organized efforts to advance the fruit in- dustry was the enactment by the Dominion government, at the request of the Association, of the Inspection and Sale Act which provides a fixed definition of certain grades of apples, viz.: (a) Fancy; (b) No. 1 and (c) No. 2; together with the appointment of a staff of inspectors with power to condemn any closed package not containing fruit marked according to grade, or any open package in which the contents are in- ferior to that shown on the face, and to subject the offenders to a fine. To give some idea of the progress of commercial apple growing in Ontario, we note that fifty years ago there were very few orchards of any extent in the province. These were planted simply for home use and for near markets. ■ Some of the fruit was hand picked and put away in the cellars for winter use at home, the windfalls were made into cider and vinegar and the bulk of the crop shaken down and carried in wagons to the nearest town for immediate use. Nobody thought of the export market, unless perhaps a few fruit dealers in the city of Mon- treal or other port towns. Now it is estimated that there are over 228,- 000 acres of apple trees growing in the orchards of our province, and a very large export trade of apples in barrels and boxes has been estab- lished to Great Britain, Germany, France, the United States and to our own great Northwest. Statistics are tiresome, but in this connection it may be of interest to quote from our last Dominion census ( 1901 ) the following table, showing the extent of the fruit interest in Ontario at that time, which of course has vastly increased during the decade now almost completed. Not bearing Bearing Total Trees Bushels Value Acres 228,013 38.002 Capital Valur Apple Trees Peach Trees 1,989,983 470,772 280,175 628 237,797 7,551,636 811,725 564,798 999.091 446 556 9,541,619 1.282,497 844,973 1,685,719 684,348 13,631,264 5^9,482 487,759 337,108 132,177 53,407,815 539.482 1 1 365,819 1 252,831 1 1 297,398 J 134,201,950 11,400,600 Cherry Trees Total 3,665,350 10,373,806 14,039,156 15,127,790 4,863,345 266,015 45,602,550 THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 217 But I am extending this sketch at too great length. I would like to give some details showing the work accomplished in our province in the origination of new. varieties of fruits ; as for example the work of Rev. E. B. Stevenson of Guelph in new varieties of strawberries, among which we notice Delia K and ]\iaple Bank ; of W. H. Mills of Hamilton, the originator of the Mills grape ; of P. C. Dempsey of Albany, the orig- inator of the Trenton and Walter apples and of the Dempsey pear ; of Charles Arnold of Paris, who originated the Ontario apple, and several varieties of grapes and raspberries. And in closing, I would like to pay a well deserved tribute to the most distinguished hybridist among us. I refer to Dr. Wm. Saunders, for many years an active member of the Association, who when engaged in other business gave much valuable time and private means to the originating of new and valuable varieties of fruit in his garden and experimental grounds at London, Ontario. The results of his work in hybridisation were so promising that when the Dominion Experimental Farms were established the choice of a man for the important position of director of the whole system fell upon Dr. Saunders. The appointment has been fully justified, for the Doctor has united eminent ability with intense love for the work and zeal in its prosecution. The names of the four gentlemen last named reflect honor upon the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario, for each in turn has occupied the chair of President. APPLE GROWING IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. Wm. S. Perrine. Centralia. ITS EARLY STAGES. From forty to sixty years ago and even later, apple trees pro- duced almost annual crops of magnificent fruit with little or no care. As a rule these orchards were only a few acres in extent, and were composed of many varieties. Trees produced enormous crops of remarkable perfection, so that southern Illinois was boomed as the "Garden Spot of the World," and especially as the best fruit country on earth. The older growers who passed through all this are inclined to smile at the growers of the Far W^est whQ- think their own valley the best and only place to grow fruit. During the next fifteen years larger orchards were planted — some of them commercial orchards of forty acres or more. The number of varieties was greatly reduced, only the best producing varieties being planted. The trees still produce large crops of apples of excellent qual- ity as a rule. 218 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY PERIOD OF GREAT EXPANSION. As the shipping facilities improved and the demand for apples in- creased, apple growing became much more profitable than during the early period. In many instances growers received almost fabulous amounts for the apples from a single tree, as well as from their small and larger orchards. Ben Davis was especially profitable, producing more regularly and more abrfndant crops which sold for prices per barrel as good as or better than most other varieties. These crops were produced with little or no care. Spraying was unknown and would have seemed un- necessary if it had been known. These conditions led to a great expansion in the apple business. Almost every farmer or land owner planted orchards. Many large commercial orchards were planted, varying in extent from one to seven or eight hundred acres. Ninety per cent or more of these trees were Ben Davis. Many growers planted straight Ben Davis, while some planted partly such varieties as Winesap. Jonathan and Rome Beauty. The trees were closely planted and in solid blocks, even where more than one variety were grown. PRESENT SITUATION. ' Even with this enormous increase in orchards of bearing age — now aggregating tens of thousands of acres, — the production of apples has been growing less and. less. Most of these orchards were planted with the expectation that they would bear large and regular crops with but little if any care, after the trees reached bearing age, and most of the growers have been true to their original convictions. About ten per cent of the orchards are being cared for along lines advocated by the Experiment Station, and those practiced by the most successful growers. But even where the best methods are followed, the orchards are quite often a disappointment, not bearing nearly so well as they did twenty or thirty years ago. WHY ORCHARDS DO NOT BLOOM. I will not presume to answer this question — simply to discuss it. It is the height of folly to expect uncared-for orchards to produce profitable crops of fruit in this day; they will not do it even in the famous apple sections of the Far West. An uncared-for orchard is not only unprofitable and an encumbrance of the ground, but it is a public nuisance. It should be either cared for or cut down. But why do not the well-cared-for orchards bear better? Perhaps the most important reason is lack of sufficient cross pollen- THIRTV-IMRST lUKXXlAL SESSIOX 219 ization. As I said before, most of our bearing orchards of today are either of one variety or in large solid blocks. A few orchards planted to several varieties mixed up through the orchard are producing very much better than those of one or two varieties planted straight. Another reason for unsatisfactory yield from orchards is that they are too closely planted — many being as close as twenty-five feet each way or closer. Double that distance would be better. Another cause of crop failure in this section is spring frosts or bad, wet weather during bloom. It is very doubtful if orchard heating would be practical in this country. Heavy cross pollenization is prob- ably the best way to avoid loss of crop from the above causes. In a small orchard of three acres we have ten or twelve varieties. It seldom freezes hard enough, or the weather is seldom bad enough during bloom, so but that we have a crop of apples on these trees, when we have the bloom. Without exception varieties in this small orchard fruit much heavier than the same varieties in our large solid blocks in our com- mercial orchards. This is one reason, as we have intimated before, why the small orchards of forty years ago bore so well. They were composed of many varieties. A fourth reason why even the well-cared-for orchards often fail to fruit is the lack of plant food. In many cases, when the orchards were planted the soil was more or less depleted, — perhaps would not produce more than twenty-five or thirty bushels of corn per acre. The orchard has been growing for twenty-five years, still further exhaust- ing the soil. In most cases little or no plant food has been added. If the grower is shy on cultivation, what plant food he has in the soil is locked up. If he has been a heavy cultivator, and has not made use of cover crops, his plant food is more or less locked up because his humus is exhausted. Most of our old orchards would be greatly benefitted by either a liberal application of stable manure or the plowing under of a heavy growth of some leguminous cover crop, to which has been added phosphate rock. We have more potash than anything else, but probably it would pay to apply potassium. There are other reasons why our orchards do not bear as they might. We have already spoken of the too close planting. Lack of proper mruning should be mentioned. Growers are inclined to prune not at all or too much. There is also room for improvement in spray- ing. We need to spray thoroughly at the right time, and with the right mixture. Sometimes it is better not to spray than to spray. The grower who starts in before the bloom and sprays heavily every ten days or 220 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY two weeks with a standard mixture of Bordeaux and poison will come to grief. He will very likely ruin his fruit with russet, and so injure his foliage as to prevent the trees from setting fruit buds for the next season. This is for southern Illinois. In some sections they seem to be able to spray heavily with a strong Bordeaux without injury, but we can not do it. THE OUTLOOK. There never was a time when the outlook was so encouraging to me as a commercial grower here in southern Illinois. I am not so narrow minded as to think that we have the best and only place to grow apples. There is no best place, but some sections are better than others. The grower, wherever he may be, must adapt the latest scientific and practical knowledge to his local conditions. If our apple trees are not doing as well as they did forty years ago, there are reasons for it, and it is for the grower to find out what the trees need and give it to them. If our orchards need cross pollenization, provide it by top working, even in orchards twenty-five years old. If they are starving, feed them with the kind of plant food they need. If they are too closely planted, cut out — not simply advise the other fellow to do it, but do it ourselves. In short, whatever the trees need, we must give it to them. We must not neglect any of the essential things. A grower who practices as well as preaches will have bountiful crops quite frequently and some apples almost every year. Statistics show that the production of apples is getting less and less in the United States, while consumption is increasing, or would if good apples were to be had at reasonable prices. If every grower of southern Illinois would wake up and make his trees do what it is possible to make them do. New York and every other section would "sit up and take notice" and the threatened world's fam- ine of apples would be postponed for at least a generation. APPLE GROWING IN WESTERN CANADA. A. P. Stevenson, Nelson, Manitoba, Can. The growing of apples in this province has been attempted from its early settlement, but the peculiar and at some times severe climatic condi- tions prevailing with us, and the absence of suitable varieties have been the cause of much discouragement to the early pioneers of the work. Consequently the belief became general that apples could not be grown anywhere in the West. The varieties first planted were those usually THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 221 grown in eastern provinces. These varieties were all lacking in hardi- ness and were usually found on the brush pile the year following planting. The introduction of a large number of hardy Russian varieties over twenty years ago, together with a better knowledge of horticulture, has been of great benefit to us. We have thereby been benefitted to such an extent that during the past ten and eleven years large numbers of these hardy and desirable fruit trees have been planted and in some localities with very gratifying results. A fair amount of success has attended our own efiforts in the grow- ing of these hardy apple trees and fruits during the past twenty years. This being so, a few notes on some of the varieties of apples that have fruited with us for a number of years may perhaps be of some interest. Location. The best location for an orchard is land that is reason- ably high, in an area where the trees may get good air drainage, and thus avoid the danger from the spring frosts. A close shelter belt should be grown on the south and west to prevent injury from south and west winds in summer. On the north a shelter belt should also be grown, but the orchard should be comparatively open on the east to admit a free circulation of air. The fruit trees must be far enough away from the windbreak to prevent their being robbed of soil moisture by the latter. The best slopes for an orchard are those that fall to the north and east. Our own orchard has a southern exposure, and from it fair results have been obtained. A western exposure is, without doubt, the most unfavorable. Soil. The best soil adapted to the growing of apples is a deep, friable clay loam that is well drained, either naturally or by ditching, and that does not sufifer from too much moisture. Trees can also be grown successfully on sandy loam with clay sub-soil. A sub-soil that is of a sandy gravel is perhaps the least adapted for fruit trees. Kind of Trees to Buy. It is important in buying trees to get those that are thrifty. Young trees are better than those that are old. It usually happens that a tree set out at two years old will bear as soon as one set out at three years. I notice that of the thousands of fruit trees that are planted in the Okanagan Valley, B. C, the great majority ^re only one year old when planted out in orchard form. Root Killing. Our Manitoba winters are sometimes very hard on apple trees. Occasionally we have a dry fall, coupled with light snow- falls and extremely cold weather. If our trees are not grafted on hardy roots such as Siberian crab (Pyrus Baccata) then the conditions are right for root killing. 222 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Plant in o^. Soil should be prepared as for a first class crop of roots. The holes should be dug so that the roots can be evenly spread out, and the fine top soil worked among the roots with the fingers, and then trample firmly. The surface should be left loose and saucer-shaped towards the tree. Plant trees on clay loam three inches deeper than they stood in the nursery. On light soil at least six inches deeper than they stood in the nursery row. The best time to plant trees is in the spring, as no success has at- tended fall planting with us. Sometimes planters get their trees in the fall and heel them for the winter in a trench. This method gives fair results if done properly. Plant in spring as early as the ground is in good condition, and lean the stems southwest so as to shade the stems and help prevent injury from sun-scald. The proper distance between the trees will depend somewhat on varieties planted, as some are spreading growers and some are very upright in habit. Sixteen feet apart each way we consider would be about right. We give our orchard clean cultivation, that is, keeping a dust blanket on the land to protect from drouth. After trees have come into bearing we mulch every winter with a liberal coating of well rotted manure. No mulch is given the young trees, unless winter gives promise- of being one with very light snow fall. Low headed trees are the best for high latitude and for any latitude, for that matter. Branch your trees about a foot from the ground. Tall trunks suffer much from sunscald. This is a serious trouble with us, and it is caused by alternate freezing and thaw- ing of the trunk on the southwest side, especially during the month of March. This causes the bark to die and fall off, allowing decay to take hold of the wood. We have always made a practice of protecting the trunks of our trees with burlap paper and sometimes with boards, but never with tar-paper, as the latter has an injurious effect on young trees. Very little pruning is necessary, and is best done in June, as the wounds will then heal over very quickly. Do not allow the eastern man among your trees to prune them under any circumstances, unless he is willing to adopt western methods. Description of Some Varieties Fruited. The following notes on some of the varieties of the large apple that have been bearing with us for a numljer of years may be of some interest when we take into con- sideration the fact that a great many varieties are hardy until they come into fall bearing, when they quickly succumb as a result of the weakened condition caused by the heavy crop especially if the following winter happens to be a severe one. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 223 Anism. Trees sixteen years planted, height sixteen feet, first full crop nine years ago, fruit medium in size, finely grained, juicy, an ex- tremely beautiful and attractive apple. Would class this variety as being of the second degree of hardiness. Season November to January. Antonovka. Trees eighteen years planted, height nineteen feet, first crop eight years ago ; size of fruit large ; color, straw yellow ; flavor, spicy, pleasant. A fine, large, attractive fruit and one of the best of the Russian varieties. The tree is of the first degree of hardiness. Season October to November. Charlamoff. Trees eighteen years planted, height eighteen feet, first full crop nine years ago. Size of fruit conical ; color yellow with red stripes ; flesh white, fine grained, pleasant. The tree is a strong, regular spreading grower, and of the first degree of hardiness. Season September, November. Simbirsk. Trees eighteen years planted, height nineteen feet, in full bearing nine years ago. Size of fruit medium to large ; flesh white, pleasant, sharp acid. A very beautiful and extremely early fruit that sells well but requires to be carefully handled. Tree is a spreading grower, of great vigor and of the first degree of hardiness. Season August to October. Wealthy. Trees twenty years planted, height eighteen feet, in full bearing nine years ago. Size of fruit medium to large ; color nearly covered bright red ; quality best. Tree moderately vigorous and of the second degree of hardiness ; a heavy and regular bearer. Season October to January. Hibernal. Trees eighteen years planted, height eighteen feet, in full bearing ten years ago. The strong points of this variety are the great health, hardiness, and productiveness of the tree and the fine size, beauty and cooking qualities of the fruit. Although it is not classed as an eating apple, we find that when it is fully ripened it suits the taste of fully half of those who try it. The flavor is a sharp acid, with a slight crab-like astringency. In 1905 one tree alone on our grounds produced four barrels of fine, large apples. The tree is a spreading grower, and is without doubt the extreme limit of hardiness of all the apples. Of all the apple trees that may be recommended for farmers in Western -Canada these should be the first. If they cannot raise these varieties they cannot raise any. Of the thirty varieties of large apples we have already fruited, there are yet a large number worthy of special mention on account of their hardiness and early bearing qualities, but this can be reserved for some future paper ; this one being already long enough. 224 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY PEACH GROWING IN KENTUCKY. T. L. Button. Bedford, Ky. When the subject of peach growing is first thought of by one inex- perienced in growing this kiscious fruit, the question naturally arises : 'Where can peaches be grown,' and in answer I would say in almost every part of the United States, and possibly in parts of Canada, with proper attention and management. The old notion that the peach is a tropical tree and must have a warm climate is not a fact. Peaches have been grown very successfully in some of our most in- hospitable climates along our northern borders, in limited quantities, but the climate best suited for the peach in all its excellence is one of middle latitude where there is neither extreme cold or extreme heat. While Kentucky is not listed as one of the prominent fruit growing states, her climate and soil are capable of producing the finest fruits and no state in the Union can produce peaches with better flavor and color than Kentucky. Her climate is very similar, in many respects, to that of China, which is probably the native home of the peach, and her soil in considerable part of the state is ideal for the production of the very finest peaches. I am daily shipping peaches to Cincinnati. Louis- ville and Indianapolis, and once in a while to Lexington. Ky.. all nearby and most excellent markets, that sell for fancy prices this season. This fruit was thoroughly sprayed and well thinned, and the or- chard is well cultivated, and is netting something like $500.00 per acre for well grown trees. Elbertas have netted me as much as $1,000.00 per acre, but it might be well to state that my orchards are located in the best peach growing section of Kentucky, where we have a warm, well drained, sandy freestone soil underlayed with a red clay subsoil, which is ideal peach land, and well adapted to growing the peach commercially. In planting commercial orchards proximity to large markets and ease of shipment should never be forgotten. An excellent location may be worthless owing to lack of transportation facilities. The best peach growing section of Kentucky is near the, Ohio river and extends up and down the river for one or two hundred miles. W^e are in easy reach of Indiana])olis, Indiana; Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky. Our peaches are picked one day and put on sale the next morning on these markets, which take all the fruit grown in our section, but if these markets were not sufficient. Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburg are in reasonable reach where we can ship peaches without icing. The further discussion of this subject will be from the standpoint THIRTY-FIRST BIEXXIAL SESSION' 225 of growing peaches in a commercial way, and will be taken up in the order as practiced in Kentucky. The selection of a site for the peach orchard is the first vital ques- tion to decide, as here alone often depends success or failure. On nearly every large Kentucky farm in the peach growing section, some fields are first class for peaches and others are worthless for the growing of this fruit, and as a general rule one grower in every twenty- five never finds this out until too late. In general the higher lands are to be selected, and here in Kentucky a northern exposure is decidedly better than any other, on account of retarding the blooming season a few days, which often means a crop here in this latitude. Late spring frosts destroy about one-half or more of the peach crops in Kentucky. Having decided on soil, site and location with reference to getting the fruit to market, the next thing is the preparation of the land for planting. This should be plowed and cultivated as carefully as for a crop of wheat, corn or potatoes. The land should then be cross-marked for the planting of the trees at the intersections. In general trees are planted about a rod apart here, however, a better plan is to plant one way twenty feet by twelve or fifteen the other. The richer the soil the further apart the trees should be. At the time of planting a map of the orchard showing the location of each variety should be made for future use. This should be done in the planting of all kinds of fruits and the neglect of this frequently causes much inconvenience. The selection of the trees is a matter of much importance. It is not necessary that they should be very large, but the trunks should be well grown and stocky and the roots abundant and as little injured as possible, and by all means healthy. I practice trimming the tops to a whip fifteen to twenty inches and shortening the roots to four to six inches before planting. Care must be taken that the trees are not set shallow — that is, on top of the earth — nor buried much deeper than they stood in the original nursery. They should not be set in hard earth, nor should the holes be filled with clods, stones and rubbish, but with mellow earth well tramped down. In buying trees the planter should deal with nurserymen only who have by honest dealing gained a well- merited reputation. It is better to pay two prices for trees of an as- sured character than to take as a gift trees from a doubtful source. VARIETIES BEST FOR KENTUCKY. The selection of varieties is a matter of great importance, and no general rule can be laid down. Many excellent varieties do well only in restricted localities. The really best peach I know — the Crawford — 226 AMERICAN' POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY is too easily winter killed, and too uncertain a bearer, to be planted largely. Other highly flavored varieties either rot badly or are too tender to ship ■ well. The Elberta, while not a high quality peach, is more extensively planted in Kentucky than all other varieties put to- gether, and is the greatest money maker of any known variety. Smocks Salways, and several other similar kinds are grown in limited quantities here. Yellow peaches sell for 25c to 50c more per bushel than the white varieties on all our markets. A variety for commercial purposes should combine as many good qualities as possible, but at the same time the demand of the buyers must be met. The grower who contemplates setting an orchard for profit will do well to stick closely to well-tried sorts. If he is planting for home use or pleasure, then he may select a wider range of varieties, including all the choicer sorts, irrespective of other considerations. The man who is in the business to make money can well afford to let his neighbor try all the new sorts. CULTIVATION OF THE ORCHARD. The orchard subsequent to planting should be cultivated thoroughly and carefully. The practice of successful growers here varies to some extent in this particular. Some cultivate the orchard from the start with some such crop as corn or tobacco, planted among the trees for the first two or three years. Others cultivate no crop in connection with the cultivation of the young orchards. Either plan gives good results under proper management. Under no consideration should small grain be sown in a peach orchard, and when the trees come into bearing no kind of a crop should be planted in the orchard. All cultivation should be done early in the season and stop by the first or middle of July. After the trees come into bearing deep plowing should be avoided, and shallow cultivations repeated every week or ten days from early spring to some time in July. The peach tree is almost as sensitive to clean cultivation as cotton or tobacco, and no man can expect to be very successful in the cultivation of the peach who allows his trees to stand in grass and weeds or fails to give them clean tillage during at least a part of the season. PRUNING. When the trees are cut to whips at, or before planting, some three or four of the most vigorous shoots should be selected to form the new top, care being taken that they come out from difTerent sides of the stem and not too close together, but at a distance of several inches up and down the trunk. When the ])ranches from these buds have grown to be several inches in diameter they should support a spreading or vase- THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 227 shaped top. The proper starting- of the new top is a matter of consider- able importance, for if all the branches have been allowed to grow out from nearly the same point on the trunk, when the tree has matured the giving way of a single limb under weight of fruit or stress of wind is very apt to involve all the rest and split the trunk from top to bottom. The main aim in pruning the peach should be to keep the tree free from dead wood and full to the main trunk nearly wnth small branches capable of bearing fruit. Care should be taken in pruning to avoid cutting away bearing branches from the base of the limbs, for by this method long, straggling Ijranches, having fruit-bearing wood at the top only, are often produced. Low spreading trees with the fruit close to the ground are best. USE OF COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS. Our Kentucky peach lands respond most liberally to fertilizers when intelligently used. Muriate, or sulphate of potash may be used in large quantities without injury. Potash salts and phosphates make the correct mixture for Kentucky soil, and the most barren yellow looking fields can be made to produce enormous crops of luscious fruit year after year by proper attention to cultivation and fertilization. FUNGOUS DISEASES AND INSECT PESTS MOST TROUBLESOME IN KENTUCKY. Brown rot is the most serious fungous disease afifecting the peach in Kentucky, often destroying whole crops in a few days. In hot, wet weather it spreads with great rapidity on the fruit, and even attacks the peaches in the baskets on the way to market and while on the fruit stand. It is a disease that winters over on the rotted or mummied fruit of the previous year which either remain hanging on the tree or have fallen to the ground, and is to be combated only by destroying all af- fected fruit. Spraying with copper fungicides greatly alleviates this trouble. The peach tree borer and the curculio are the two most trouble- some insect pests in Kentucky. The borer can best be controlled by hilling the trees in June and catching the borers in the fall when they are found on the trunk of the trees just below the top of the hill. The curculio can only be controlled by thorough spraying. Arsenical sprays have pro-^n entirely satisfactory with the writer in controlling the curculio. THINNING. Of all the paying orchard operations in Kentucky this one of thin- ning the fruit is most neglected, while in fact when the trees over bear 228 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY no other orchard work pays better. The paying results of thinning are size, flavor and color, the most desirable points to be attained in suc- cessful peach-growing. PICKING AND MARKETING THE FRUIT. Picking and packing are matters that require the personal attention of the grower more closely than any other requirements of the business. These cannot be trusted to hired labor without strict oversight. The peach should be picked and packed as carefully as the orange; should never be bruised in handling ; should be carefully assorted by grades ; and should be put up for market with an eye to attractiveness, so that the best prices may be obtained. There is just the right time to pick a peach, and this can be learned only by experience ; a day too early and the peaches are green, a day too late and they are over ripe. No fruit requires greater expedition and better judgment in picking and market- ing than the peach. Here is where the business end of the business comes in. In general Kentucky fruit growers are very careless as to the manner of shipping fruit to market, and the result is generally poor prices. One of the greatest difficulties in the way of successful peach growing in Kentucky is the ignorance of the growers. In conclusion I might say that the labor involved in successful peach growing in Kentucky is great and the discouragements not a few. The proportion of failures to success is about as two to one and very- few are the Kentucky men who become "peach kings." PROGRAM OF THE AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Thirty-First Biennial Conference, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, September 14-17, 1909. Officers — L. A. Goodman, President, Kansas City, Mo. ; T. V. Munson, 1st Vice-President, Denison, Texas ; C. L. Watrous. Chairman Executive Committee, Des Moines, Iowa; S. A. Beach, Ames, Iowa, Chairman General Fruit Committee ; John Craig, Secretary, Ithaca, N. Y. ; L. R. Taft, Treasurer, Agricultural College, Michigan. Biennial membership, $2.00. Life membership, $20.00. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1909. opening SESSION, OPERA HOUSE, 7:30 P. M. Call to Order, President L. A. Goodman ; Invocation, Welcome to Ontario, Hon. Jas. Duff, Minister of Agriculture for On- I THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 229 tario; Welcome on Behalf of Fruit Growers, E. D. Smith, Ex. M. P., Winona, Ont. ; Response, Col. C. L. Watrous, Des Moines, Iowa ; Ad- dress, "The Satisfactions in Raising Fruits," Dean L. H. Bailey, New York State College of Agriculture ; Appointment of Committees. WEDNESDAY, 9:30 A. M., COURT HOUSE. (Program of following sessions may be changed if thought de- sirable). Reports of Committees; "Demonstration Orchards for New England," Professor F. C. Sears, Amherst, Mass. ; "Commercial Demon- stration Orchards in College Work," Professor W. S. Blair, McDonald College, Quebec ; "Citrus Trifoliata in its Relation to the Citrus In- dustry," Mr. G. L. Taber, Glen St. Mary, Fla. WEDNESDAY, 2 P. M., COURT HOUSE. Report of Committee on Credentials ; "Commercial Peach Grow- ing in the South," J. Van Lindley, Pomona, N. C. ; "Hardiness of the Peach," Professor J. C. Whitten. Columbia, Mo. ; "Little Peach," Mr. M. B. Waite, Bureau of Plant Industry. Washington, D. C. ; "How to Grow English Gooseberries free from Mildew," Mr. Robert B. Whyte, Ottawa ; "Controlling the Codling Moth," Mr. L. Caesar, Guelph. WEDNESDAY, 7:30 P. M., COURT HOUSE. Symposium on Marketing Methods : In charge of Mr. A. N. Mc Neill, Division of Fruits, Dept. of Agriculture, Ottawa. "The Box Package : Its Uses and Limitations," Director S. W. Fletcher, Blacks- burg, Va. ; "Co-operative Marketing," W. H. Reid, Tennent, N. J. ; "Packing and Marketing." S. B. Jackson, El Reno, Okla. THURSDAY, A. M. Excursion to Grimsby Park and Stony Creek, as per Special An- nouncement. For full information apply to Excursion Committee. Those wishing to participate in these excursions will be required to register their names with the persons in charge. THURSDAY, 2 P. M. "Sulphur Sprays," Errett Wallace, Dept. of Plant Pathology, N. Y. State College of Agriculture; "Sulphur Sprays," Mr. J. Norris Barnes, Yalesville,^onn. ; "Sulphur Sprays," W. M. Scott, Bureau of Plant In- dustry, Washington, D. C. ; "Sulphur Sprays," Mr. John D. Herr, Lan- caster, Pa. ; "Does Presence of Pear Trees in the Apple Orchard In- crease the Tendency of the Latter to Blight?" Mr. Joel A. Burton, Or- leans, Ind. ; Adaptation of Varieties to Soil Conditions — Col. G. B. Brackett, U. S. Pomologist, Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington, D. 230 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY C. ; A-Ir. Robert Broclie, Westmount. Montreal, Canada; Mr. H. J. Wilder, Bureau of Soils, Washington, D. C. ; Modifications of Fruit by Diverse Soil and Climatic Conditions — H. P. Gould, Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington, D. C. THURSDAY, 7:30 p. M. President's Address, Mr. L. A. Goodman, Kansas City ; "A Study of Varieties," Professor W. N. Hutt. Raleigh, N. C. ; "Some Conclus- ions Drawn from Thirty Years' Experience in Testing Grapes." Mr. Murray Pettit, Winona, Ont. ; "Newer Varieties of Grapes for the Southwest," Professor T. V. Munson, Denison, Texas ; "Newer Varie- ties of Grapes in California," Professor Frederic T. Bioletti, Berkeley, California. FRIDAY A. M. Excursion to Queenstown and Old Niagara. (Details later). FRIDAY, 2 p. M. "Sod Mulch Orchards in Ohio," Professor W. R. Lazenby, Colum- bus, Ohio ; "Effect of Various Cover Crops on Amount of Soil Mois- ture," Mr. F. T. Shutt, F. R. S., Chemist Dominion Experimental Farms, Ottawa, Can. ; "Apple Growing in Southern Illinois," Mr. W. S. Perrine, Centralia, 111. ; "Oriental Pears and their Hybrids," Mr. John S. Collins, Moorestown, N. J.; "Commercial Fruit Growing in British Columbia," Commissioner W. E. Scott, Salt Spring Island, B. C. ; "Fruit Growing in Saskatchewan," Mr. Angus Mackay, Dominion Exp. Farm, Indian Flead ; "Fruit Growing in Manitoba," Mr. A. P. Stevenson, Nelson, Man. FRIDAY, 7 :30 p. M. "Pecan Growing: a Southern Horticultural Industry," Mr. H. Harold Hume, Glen St. Mary, Fla. : "Pecan Growing in Louisana," Mr. Sam H. James, Mound, La. ; "Nut Culture in New Jersey," Mr. Horace J. Roberts, Moorestown, N. J. ; "Chestnut Culture in Pennsylvania," Mr. John G. Reist, Mount Joy, Pa. ; "A Sketch of the History of Fruit Growing in Ontario," Mr. Linus Woolverton, Grimsby, Ont.; Final Resolutions ; Adjournment. Committees in Charge. General Executive Committee — Chairman, E. D. Smith, Winona; Vice-Chairman, W. B. Burgoyne, St. Catharines ; Secretary, P. W. Hodgetts, Toronto; Vice-Secretary, C. A. Hesson, St. Catharines. Exhibition — W. B. Burgoyne, St. Catharines, Ont. ; M. Pettit, THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 231 Winona, Ont. ; W. H. Bunting, St. Catharines, Ont. ; A. W. Peart, Bur- lington, Ont. ; James E. Johnson, Simcoe, Ont. ; W. C. McCalla, St. Catharines, Ont. ; R. Thompson, St. Catharines, Ont. Reception — Mayor Campbell, St. Catharines, Ont. ; Judge Carman, St. Catharines, Ont. ; G. W. Hodgetts, St. Catharines, Ont. ; W. B, Bur- goyne, St. Catharines, Ont. ; G. A. Robertson, St. Catharines, Ont. ; Pro- fessor Hutt, Guelph, Ont. ; George Burch, St. Catharines, Ont. ; R. B. Wh}'te, Ottawa, Ont. ; Major Roberts, Grimsby, Ont. ; M. Pettit, Win- ona, Ont. ; Hugh McSloy, St. Catharines, Ont. ; W. H. Merritt, St. Catharines, Ont. ; D. B. Crombie, St. Catharines, Ont. ; R. W. Leonard, St. Catharines, Ont. Excursion — E. D. Smith, Winona, Ont. ; H. S. Peart, Jordan Har- bor, Ont. ; R. Thompson, St. Catharines, Onf. ; C. E. Fisher, St. Cath- arines, Ont. ; F. G. Stewart, Homer, Ont. ; Major Roberts, Grims- by, Ont. ; Colonel Carlisle, St. Catharines, Ont. Hall — Alderman Petrie, St. Catharines, Ont. ; A. G. Sangster, St. Catharines, Ont. ; John Dawson, St. Catharines, Ont. ; W. H. Bunting, St. Catharines, Ont. ; W. C. McCalla, St. Catharines, Ont. Hotel and Billeting — A. G. Sangster, St. Catharines, Ont. ; N. R. MacGregor, St. Catharines, Ont. ; John Dawson, St. Catharines, Ont. Finance — Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Vice- Secretary. Programme (for consultation if necessary) — Professor Ma- coun, Ottawa, Ont. : Professor Hutt, Guelph, Ont. ; H. S. Peart, Jordan Harbor, Ont. ; A. M. Smith, St. Catharines, Ont. ; A. H. Pettit, Grimsby, Ont. ; A. McNeill, Ottawa, Ont. ; L. Woolverton, Grimsby, Ont. Publicity and Railway Rates — Colonel Carlisle, St. Catharines, Ont. ; W. H. Buntrng, St. Catharines, Ont. ; G. W. Hodgetts, St. Cath- arines, Ont. ; W. B. Burgoyne, St. Catharines, Ont. Committee Reports — We may expect a valuable report from the Chairman of the General Fruit Committee. This details the trend of fruit growing and the problems connected therewith in the different parts of the country. Other Standing Committees, on packing, grading, scoring and inspecting, will report. exhibits and wilder medals. All e^ibits will be judged upon their merit. Such as are found worthy will be awarded Wilder silver or bronze medals or honorable mention. Exhibits of new fruits, of collections of seedlings or hybrids, of fruits showing the influence of cultural methods, are especially desired. Those intending to exhibit should notify the Secretary at as early 232 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY a date as possible. All exhibits should be forwarded, express prepaid, to the Chairman on exhibition, W. B. Burgoyne, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The package should be accompanied by a statement certifying to the fact that the fruit is for exhibition only. Entry blanks will be provided by the Secretary. HOTELS. The headquarters of the convention will be established at the Welland House. Rates, $3.00 and upwards, American plan. All per- sons desiring to secure rooms in advance should write to A. G. Sangster, Esq., St. Catharines, who is Chairman of the Committee on Hotels and Billeting. Accommodations will be available for all at reasonable rates. RAILWAY RATES. It has been found impracticable to secure railway concessions. The ordinary summer tourist rates for those residing at a distance should be obtained. St. Catharines is only a few miles from Niagara Falls. It lies in the famous Lake Ontario fruit belt of Canada where a splendid system of intensive culture is practiced. The Society for Horticultural Science meets on the day preceding the opening of the convention of the American Pomological Society. Do not forget the excursions through Ontario's famous orcharding region. CHAIRMEN OF IMPORTANT PERMANENT AD INTERIM COMMITTEES OF THE AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. Pome. Fruits — C. W. Garfield, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Grapes — S. A. Beach, Ames, Iowa. Small Fruits — W. J. Green. Wooster. Ohio. Citrus Fruits — G. L. Taber, Glen Saint Mary, Florida. Tropical and Sub-tropical — E. J. Wickson, Berkeley, California. AUds — H. E. Van Deman, Washington, D. C. EXCURSION TO GUELPH. The Pomological Convention at St. Catharines wound up with an excursion to the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, on Saturday September 18th, as a grand finale. The weather was all that could have been wished for, and a good turnout of delegates and local horticultur- ists were on hand at eight o'clock to take the train for Guelph. The first forty miles of the trip was through the orchards and vineyards of THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 233 the Niagara district between St. Catharines and Hamilton. In this way the visitors had an opportunity of seeing the back ends of the farms in- stead of the fronts, as on their trolley ride a couple of days previous. All enjoyed the delightful scenery looking from the mountain down over the Dundas Valley and through the rolling farming lands between there and Guelph. On arriving at Guelph the party was received by President Creelman and taken at once to lunch. The afternoon was spent in visiting the various departments of the College. Here they had a chance to study all phases of agriculture and horticultural work from the live stock and poultry yards to the grains, fruits and flowers. Nat- urally the work of the Horticultural Department received most atten- tion, and the party took note of all branches of this work from the or- chards and vegetable gardens to the study of trees, ornamental shrubs and flowers on the spacious lawns. Possibly one of the most attractive features was the exhibit of wax models of fruits and vegetables in the museum. Under the direction of Prof. Hutt this collection has been in preparation for several years, and the artist, Mrs. Stanley Potter, has made here a wonderful collection of lifelike specimens of all kinds of Canadian fruits and vegetables. To the ladies of the party a visit through Macdonald Institute and Hall was of particular interest. The lady students had newly entered upon their term's work and were not making much display of their at- tainments, but from the fact that there are forty or fifty names on the waiting list, awaiting opportunity for entrance to this institution, it is evident that the young women of Ontario appreciate the opportunities afforded them at the College. In the boys' department, too, the Col- lege is full to over flowing, and a request has been made to the Govern- ment for increased accommodation. From the College many of the delegates scattered to their various homes, while the return trip to St. Catharines was made in due time, all feeling satisfied they had had a most enjoyable and profitable day. 234 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY PART II. Report of the General Fruit Committee REMARKS BY S. A. BEACH, CHAIRMAN. In reviewing the development of pomological affairs during the biennial period which has elapsed since the last meeting of this society, it is clear that significant changes in pomological industries are pro- gressing in various sections of the continent. I shall not attempt to review all of these, but rather call attention to some which at present appear most noteworthy. The rapid development of commercial orcharding in the inter- mountain and Pacific coast region is having a marked influence upon the orchard interests of the eastern portions of the continent. The Eastern fruit grower finds that his markets are being invaded more and more by the orchard products of the West and South. The East- ern apple growers in particular are feeling this competition, and it is especially marked in those grades which are sold as fancy stock. The prospects are that such competition will become keener in the very near future, and undoubtedly wnll continue to increase for an indefinite period. It is estimated that within five years the fruit output of the deciduous orchards in the inter-mountain region and on the Pacific slope will be doubled. For example, Oregon reports 40.000 acres of bearing apple orchards, and it is stated that within ten years the area will increase in that state to 200,000 acres, or, possibly, even twice that amount. Ad- joining states are making "similar progress- In view of these conditions, the report of Chairman Mann of New York State is especially significant in that it indicates a definite move- ment on the part of the Eastern fruit growers looking toward the secur- ing of standard and uniform packages, standard grades for fruit and distinct and definite marks for fruit in packages. Equally significant of prospective improvement in the commercial fruit interests of New York State is the recent organization of leading fruit growers of West- ern New York, with headquarters at Rochester, under the name of "Growers and Shippers Exchange." Chairman Mann states: "The need of standard and uniform packages, and of standard grades, and such marks as shall have a distinct and definite meaning so that the grade and quality of fruit in the package upon which they are THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 235 placed shall be distinctly and definitely known, is becoming more and more clearly recognized. At the present time there is a more wide- spread and growing public sentiment in favor of these improvements than at any past time. "Our leading growers are actively interested in the effort to secure national legislation to provide for standard packages, and a standard grade for apples for interstate commerce, and in the effort to perfect a satisfactory bill for this purpose our two great horticultural societies, The Western New York Horticultural Society and The New York State Fruit Growers' Association, have been directly represented by regu- larly appointed delegates. It is believed that a bill has now been formu- lated that will prove acceptable to our growers. This bill will be intro- duced into Congress at the coming regular session. "A movement of the highest importance in its possibilities for the improvement of the commercial conditions of the fruit interests of our state is the recent organization of the Growers and Shippers Exchange, incorporated under the laws of New York for $40,000.00, and designed to act as a clearing house for growers and shippers. Its officers are recognized as men of ability and character and it is confidently believed they will work out a successful plan of operation. ''Cold storages are continually increasing in number, and the sys- tem of pre-cooling cars before starting fruit to market is receiving the serious attention of shippers." The reports of the other chairmen are worthy of careful attention. They are herewith presented in full. The following statement was sent by the chairman of the General Fruit Committee to each of the State Chairmen : "To Chairmen of State Fruit Committees: In making your report please feel at liberty to treat those subjects which appear to be of most importance whether or not they are included in the following list. I would suggest that the topics named below are worthy of especial attention. 1. Improvements in methods of gathering, grading, handling and shipping fruit. 2. Associations or organizations of fruit growers and shippers for the purpose of marketing fruit or purchasing supplies. 3. Opening of new markets or other changes in fruit trade. 4. A^arieties worthy of special mention, either new ones w^hich are proving valuable or old ones which are being supersc?ded by something better. State the particular faults or the points of excellence which are determining the course of the varietv. 236 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 5. Name your leading commercial varieties indicating the regions where chiefly cultivated. 6. Noteworthy information concerning injurious insects or plant diseases. 7. Progress and present status of orchard and nursery inspection. 8. Development of cold storage and transportation of fruit under refrigeration. NOVA SCOTIA— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICT L R. w. STARR, Chairman. There is great improvement in gathering, handling, grading, pack- ing, and storing fruit ; more skill and care, and better tools being used for the various purposes, and the work is becoming thoroughly sys- tematized, especially in the larger orchards. Not much has yet been done by growers to form associations for packing and marketing. One has been formed with success and its out- put well received in the markets. If this continues to do well, others will soon follow. Some dealers have bought large lots ungraded, but their methods of handling, and packing, have not raised the reputation of our fruit. New Markets — Some few shipments have been made to South Africa with good results. The West Indies and Mexico have taken a few hundred barrels ; these markets, and those further South as Brazil, Argentina, and even Australia, are capable of profitable develop- ment, if proper transportation can be had- At present our main export is to London, Liverpool and Glasgow. A few years ago we had a growing market in Germany, but that has been destroyed by unfortunate, and ill advised tariff restrictions. We have many varieties on trial, some of which, as Ontario, Wage- ner, Wealthy. Oldenburg, Dudley, Baxter, &c., grow and bear remark- ably well, but as yet have not made much record in the markets abroad. Cox Orange, on warm, light soils, with good cultivation, is doing well and brings fancy prices in London for table and dessert. Wellington is also wanted for cooking, at fancy prices. It bears well, but is subject to "Black Spot." "Fusicladium dendriticum," a serious fault in this climate. Of the older varieties, Fameuse and all its kin or family have been discarded by orchardists, because of that failing. Yellow Belle- fleur has the same weakness, and for a time was discarded, but our local markets demanded it, and careful spraying with Bordeaux is mak- ing it again a success, so that we must still rate it with the standard varieties for home use and local markets. Ben Davis has been quite THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 237 largely planted and for a time made fair prices abroad, but the quality is so poor that it will only sell when nothing better is offered. The leading commercial varieties of this Valley are Gravenstein, Ribston, Blenheim, Tompkins King, Baldwin, Northern Spy, Stark, Fallawater, Nonpareil, Yellow Bellefleur, Golden Russet, Hubbardston, Rhode Island Greening and Alexander. Beside these we grow many others, too many in fact, both summer, autumn, and winter varieties. Of injurious insects we have a full share and only by careful and constant management do we keep them in check. Fungous diseases are also prevalent and must be treated. Spraying with arsenited Bordeaux is almost universal, and this year the lime-sulphur compound has been tried in several orchards with success. Last season and this, in several localities, the "Canker Worm" has been very destructive ; spraying did not kill, probably not applied early enough, and the trees were defoliated. In the fall the trees were banded with a composition of rosin and cas- tor oil in the proportion of 7 to 9 by weight, and thousands of the females were caught. Where this was done thoroughly and they were not al- lowed to bridge the bands with dead bodies, the work was effectual. We have had a slight attack of the Brown-tail moth in the Western part of the Valley. As soon as discovered, energetic measures were taken to try to stamp them out, by collecting the nests and spraying the trees. By this means we have kept them in check so far, but we fear that they may get into the forest, and beyond our reach- The only inspection we have had, beside the search for Brown-tail moth, was for the "San Jose scale," and we are glad to say, that so far we have been unable to find it in the Province. Cold storage as yet is only talked about and is not an actuality with us. If we can get our fruit well cooled before placing in the steamship, and thoroughly fan-ventilated during the voyage, we expect to have it arrive in good order. NEW HAMPSHIRE— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 1 AND 2. c. c. SHAW, Chairman. Regarding the fruit industry of New Hampshire, I think I may say improvements are being made all along the lines of growing and packing the various varieties, biit more so with the apple, which leads all other varieties largely. Very little interest seems to be taken in growing pears. I do not recall more than two or three instances where pears have been planted within the last ten years. While peaches seem to hold out greater inducements through the Southern section of the .state where quite a number of small orchards have been set out annually 238 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY the last few years, and one or two thousand trees this season, plums receive very little attention, so also with quinces. We have a few enterprising farmers who have been quite successful in growing grapes, one party, a neighbor of the writer, grows from eight to ten tons annually. Of the smaller fruits I know of no large plantations, but patches of from an acre to a few square rods are very common. We have a state horticultural society, organized in 1893, enjoying a small endowment from the state, which has enabled it to hold field meetings and annual exhibitions in various sections of the state, making all meetings and exhibits free to the public, while we pay small premiums to the exhibitors and thus have been able to reach and interest our farmers, and encourage them to grow more and better fruits. We have abundant evidence of the good influence of the society. The Northern part of our state is thought to be too cold for grow- ing the apple, pear, peach and grape, and yet there are creditable excep- tions to their condition as there are a few men who, having courage, have made grand success in apples by selecting hardy varieties. In methods of packing apples, our growers mostly adhere to the barrel as being more convenient to handle and more acceptable to the commission men; still there are a few who use bushel boxes, more especially for their summer and fall varieties. The writer has for thirty odd years shipped his Astrachan, Williams, Gravenstein and Hub- bardston in boxes, usually getting as much for a bushel, when proper- ly packed, as for a barrel of the later varieties. In varieties, the Baldwin easily leads all others, followed by the Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening, Roxbury and Golden Russet, Yellow Belleflower, Red Astrachan, Williams, Gravenstein, Hubbard- ston ; and more recently the Mcintosh and Wealthy have been freely planted, and promise well for the finer trade. Of new varieties of apples I may say some of our enterprising growers are setting a few trees of Arctic, Delicious, Senator, King David, Ben Hur, Baxter, Gano and others. One essential feature to success is lacking- with our growers, and that is co-operation in liuyin.i;- their fertilizers and packages and in sell- ing the fruit. The markets of the world are open to us. it is true, and our fruit is desired; but the comjiaratively small grower always fails to receive the attention his products are entitled to, for the reason that large lots are most attractive to buyers. Of insects, we have our full share. The tent caterpillar. Curculio, Brown-tail Moth, Gypsy Motli. vSan Jose Scale, are all with us, and seem to be prospering, although much progress has been made within the last few N-ears in c(introllinm: them. Spraying them has 1)een regarded THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 239 by most growers as a useless expense, until within the last two or three years they have come to see the good results derived from it and are fast providing themselves with spraying outfits. In the neighbor- hood of the writer, there were ten orchards sprayed this spring, where there was one three years ago. They are, learning to use insecticides on other crops, very much to their advantage also. Cold storage, other than in cellars under dwellings and out build- ings, has not been very much practiced in this state. Still a great deal is said about the matter, and its advantages are recognized, and it is thought to be only a question of time, not in the very distant future, when cold storage plants will come into common use either through co- operation of the growers, or capital investments. Very little inspection of orchards has been done in the state, aside from the work of the Governmental Department of Agriculture. VERMONT— POAIOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 1 AND 2. D. c. HICKS, Chairman. The past year (1908) and the present one (1909) have been marked by below a ten (10) year average of nearly all fruit crops, the excep- tions being a heavy crop of cherries and summer apples in 1908 and good crops of currants, gooseberries and plums in the present year. Prices have been well maintained on all fruits, as demand was good and supply of home-grown fruit short. Right here I would like to emphasize the fact that the consumption of all kinds of fresh fruits has greatly increased in the last decade. With this demand, has come a more critical consumer, one who not only knows the best varieties and their seasons, but demands fruit free from blemish and well ripened. When such is obtainable, the fruit vender makes quick' sales even when prices are high. As an illustration in point, last winter, shortly after New Year's one of the largest dealers in our home city, unable to secure any fancy home grown apples, ordered' a few boxes of Oregon (Hood River) apples, which he sold at 60c. per dozen and even at this high price there was a ready sale. As the coming winter and fall home crop will be so short, I understand tire dealers will endeavor to secure a supply of these Pacific Coast apples to -meet the demands of their best trade. No complaint camfe as respects quality ifi these apples. The varieties were Rome Beauty, Esopus Spitz- ■ enburg, Mammoth Black Twig and White Pearmain. While" speaking of quality, the writer wishes to be put on record as asserting' that thfe apples grown in Oregon, Washington, and the inter-temiinal Aralleys of Utah, Colorado and Idaho, are equal in this respect to, tliose grown 240 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY in any section of the United States and Canada. The convincing agen- cies have been personal tests of samples, and the unbiased opinion of a man who knows the apples that supply our Northern and Eastern markets. With the soon to come, cheaper and better facilities of transporta- tion and expert grading and packing of the fruit from these far away sections, our home growers must expect to meet with the keenest com- petition, and Vermont apple growers have the fight of their lives yet to come, if they keep control of the apple trade in their home markets. While the apple as a fruit can be grown in all the cultivated sections of our state, the production of the finest commercial varieties is con- fined to limited areas. The largest of these is the Champlain Valley, that part of it contiguous to the Lake. Here are found the largest orchards. A small proportion of them are well cared for, and the fruit from these, in the years of good crops, has found ready sale at fancy prices in Boston and New York markets. Last season, very little fruit was shipped out of the state, and this season, if my reports are verified, our large towns will have to get supplies of winter apples from outside sources. Late keeping varieties like Northern Spy, Baldwin, Rhode Island Greening and Esopus Spitz- enburg will not make a crop larger than 40 per cent of a 10 year aver- age. Fall and early winter fruit, I believe, will be in supply for local needs. The most dreaded insect foe to the apple in Vermont is the Pulp or Railroad worm, or maggot. It now infests all sections of the state, and very few varieties are exempt from its attack. The only method left open to the orchardist, to control its ravages in a measure, is the pasturing of sheep or swine in the orchards. In the writer's orchard, but three va- rieties, so far, have been entirely exempt — Opalescent, Blue Pearmain and Jacob Sweet. Leaf-eating insects have not been in such numbers as to greatly damage orchardsin any section of the state. The most dreaded fungous disease in the apple orchard is "Canker." This seems to be on the increase. It is most destructive in orchards with a southerly slope. The varieties that seem to be the most sensitive to its attack are Baldwin, Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening, Esopus Spitzenburg, Roxbury Russet, Pound Sweet and Canada Red. Blight in pears and Black Knot in plums and cherries have not been troublesome for several years. Growers who keep their trees in thrifty growth and have a watch- ful eye easily keep these growths in check. The packages most in use are the standard apple barrel for apples and pears, and the quart basket for cherries and plums. Small fruit growing has lost ground since my last report four years ago. The most THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 241 potent cause of the decline is the scarcity of help to care for and pick the crop. I am not able to learn of any increase in cold storage facilities in the last two years either for private or public use. Apple jelly, cider vinegar and boiled cider are by-products of the apple crop. Evaporating plants to work up fall, summer and the sec- onds of the winter fruit, would be very beneficial to our growers ; but this industry, so profitable in many states, has not been started in Ver- mont as yet. All of the unsalable fruit is either fed out to cattle and swine or put into the cider mills, whose product, otherwise than what is used in the by-products mentioned above and what is used up as a beverage while in the sweet state, is rather a curse than a blessing to the people of our Commonwealth. As yet we have no laws on nursery and orchard inspection in this state. As far as my information goes we have no organizations of fruit growers and shippers for the purpose of selling fruit and purchasing the necessary supplies, although in the lower Champlain Valley and at a few points on the east side of the state private individuals make a business of buying the fruit of certain orchards or varieties, regrading, packing and shipping to parties in the larger cities outside the state. From authentic sources, I learn that the sales of nursery stock in the state for the last four years have increased about 30 per cent. This includes all kinds of fruit and ornamentals grown outside the state. A very small amount is grown in Vermont, but a very considerable addition is yearly made to our orchards by the engrafting of seedling trees and the re-topping of such varieties as have little value in the markets. Two varieties that give excellent results along this line are Talman Sweet and Blue Pearmain. Sweet apples have only a limited sale in home markets. Jacob Sweet is the best late keeping sweet apple I have grown. The tree is a strong grower and is fully as productive as Pound Sweet- The fruit in size is large to very large ; color greenish yellow with red cheek ; quality excellent ; fine grained and very sweet ; season February to April. Opalescent, a new apple for New England, from the middle West, gives promise of value here as a fancy dessert fruit. I have been ac- quainted with the tree and fruit of this variety ever since its introduc- tion by ancOhio firm some ten years ago. The tree is a rapid grower, upright, spreading, somewhat inclined at bearing age to be pendulous ; the color of the bark is a distinct shade of olive green and is easily iden- tified in nursery or orchard by this characteristic alone. The fruit is of high color, the prevailing eflfect is a brilliant red : the skin is 242 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY smooth, tough and susceptible to a high poHsh. I note the quality as best to very best. As grown here it will keep in ordinary storage till April. I have never put this apple in cold storage, but feel certain that it would behave well under this condition. A pear that seems worthy of more extended planting is McLaugh- lin. It is the best grower and bearer in my orchard of 25 varieties. Its time of ripening fills in the vacancy between Tyson and Clapp Favorite. Size of fruit medium to large. Color at ripening a golden yellow. I note quality as good to very good. A most excellent pear for canning or pickling. The two best summer pears ripening in August are Tyson and Gifford, the last named ripening ten days earlier than Tyson. Both are of excellent quality and good annual bearers. Tyson comes the nearest to being blight proof of any variety in my collection. A plum which is not new, but is little grown in New England, is Bonne St. Ann. I have fruited it a few times and consider it the best of the Damson family- It is a rapid upright grower, with a heavy leathery foliage. It blooms a little late and is very hardy in tree and fruit bud. The fruit is large ; color dark blue. It ripens with Lombard and is a most excellent canning plum. The State Horticultural Society is doing good work and is slowly though steadily gaining in membership and influence. MAINE POMOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 1 AND 2. D. H. Knowlton, Chairman. In answer to questions submitted (see page 227). 1. A little better culture, but otherwise methods are about the same. It may be noted that there is increased interest in packing fruit in boxes. 2. No general fruit organizations have been formed. It is one of the subjects brought up at nearly all our fruit meetings, but as yet the fruit growers are unwilling to take an active part in such organizations. 3. All our fruits when placed in the markets in good condition sell for fair prices. 4. Baldwin, Ben Davis and Northern Spy are the leading vari- eties. It is true, here, however, that more Ben Davis have been planted the past year than any other variety. "There is more money in growing them," writes one of my correspondents. 5. In addition to the above varieties Rhode Island Greening and Roxbury Russet are grown in some localities where soil conditions are particularly favorable. The same is true of several other varieties, but THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 243 less Baldwins are being set and more Stark, which our people like a little better themselves than the Ben Davis. 6. Insect pests of various kinds have been numerous. Last year the Hcterocampa guttavtta did much injury to the forests, especially the maple and beech. A fungus or parasite destroyed many, but many escaped. This year they are at work again and doing great injury. In some cases they are working on the apple trees. Growers are alarmed over the situation and more spraying is being done. 7. Here is what one correspondent writes with reference to spraying : "Partial, not satisfactory, does not go far enough." 8. Nothing tangible has been done. The need is great, and it would seem that storage action must come soon. MASSACHUSETTS— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICT 2. ABEL F. STEVENS, Chairman, Assisted by N. B. \Miite. FRUITS. Never was there a time in our history when there was a greater interest in fruit culture than today. Massachusetts has originated more new varieties which are standard today than any other state in the Union. The intelligent production of new and choice seedlings is at the present time at high water mark, for more new varieties of special merit are in sight than have been produced in the past twenty-five years, among new apples, grapes and small fruits. Of new seedling ap- ples we mention only two : "Bay State," a Winter Gravenstein, and "Pomona," a superb variety for market and table. The new grapes include a large variety of very promising seed- lings that will soon be given to the public by the veteran hybridist, N. B. White. Among these arfe several of extra' quality, both black and white varieties. Many new varieties of small fruits have been brought out in the past few years. These include : Strawberries : Barrymore, Hub. Hustler, Golden Gate, Nellie Stev- ens- Red Raspberries : Woodside Prolific. Red Currants : Stevens Superb. Gooseberries : Anderson, Chase. There are also many unnamed varieties of exceedingly great prom- ise in sight. Standard varieties of fruits in the state for 1909 are fully up to the normal in quality, color and quantity but not in size, owing to the 244 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY climatic conditions that have prevailed during the past two years. Our fruit growers have had to contend with a protracted drought during the growing season for nearly three years, yet with intensive culture, high fertilization, systematic spraying, our fruits are very fine in three of the five requisites for perfect fruit. Never before in the history of horticulture has the cultivator been compelled to combat such hordes of insects injurious both to tree and fruit as at the present day. Our commercial, and many private orchards are menaced by "San Jose Scale" and other species. These must be destroyed or our trees will be killed in a few years. We use very suc- cessfully both lime and sulphur compound and miscible oils, spraying while the trees are dormant. We find the oils equally as efficacious as the compound, while much easier applied. We have in Massachusetts two of the most dangerous insects known to the science of entomology, viz. "Gypsy" and "Brown-tail" moths, the larvae of which are woefully damaging to nearly all species of fruit trees. These are fought by treating the "egg-clusters" of the Gypsy Moth with prepared creosote and the young "caterpillar nests" of the "Brown-tail" moths by cutting off and burning them and spray- ing all foliage from May to July with arsenate of lead, 10 lbs. to 100 gallons of water. By these methods we control their ravages. SPRAYING. In experimenting with fungicides, in spraying for rust, mold fungus, mildew spots on leaf and scab on fruit, we find a most efficacious remedy in "Benzoate," using at the rate of 2 lbs. to 50 gallons of water. We believe this will soon supersede Bordeaux as an effectual fungicide with- out producing the scald on thin-skinned varieties of apples in storage. REPORT ON GRAPES BY N. B. WHITE. In making a report on grapes I am compelled to confine myself mainly to my own grounds as there are but few grapes grown in this locality. So far as I am informed, grapes came through the winter in fine condition. But the cold, wet weather, the latter part of May and the first of June, caused the vines to blossom late, and was very damag- ing to the pollen and stigma, causing in many cases imperfect clusters. Although the grape is a child of the sun, it needs to have its feet moist, and the long continued drouth has been very damaging to some species and varieties, a result that will be of great value in showing the greatest drouth-resisting species. It has been quite noticeable on my grounds that the vines having largely in their make-up the blood of Vitis Lincecumii (a southern THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 245 species) have not suffered at all from the drouth, while vines of our native Vitis labrusca growing side by side were dying. The com- bining of Lincecumii with our native species gives a vine of great vigor and productiveness, often producing clusters 12 to 15 inches in length. I have one vine on my place with one arm thirty feet long carrying 150 clusters, many of which measure twelve inches in length, and are of a good quality. I have quite a number of hybrids of Vitis vulpina, V. labrusca and V. vinifera, that might not attract much attention on the show table, being rather small (medium) in cluster, but are especially adapted to the production of unfermented grape juice, they being vigor- ous, hardy, and productive. I have also a collection of our native labrusca grapes, the largest known to me, some measuring one inch in diameter. They are hardy and productive and are especially adapted to the making of jellies, and, as every housekeeper knows, are better for that purpose than the best table grapes. This class of grapes should be perpetuated. They would be a good grape to grow for market. I have seen them selling in Boston market as high as the best table grapes. They are hardy and sure croppers. But commercially, the most profitable use of the grape will soon be the production of unfermented grape juice. One-fifth of the grape crop of New York last season was put into unfermented grape juice, and New England is capable of producing that commodity for export, as foreign grapes do not make a good unfermented article. For table grapes I would mention, in the order named, King Philip, Amber Queen, and Worden. The Amber Queen needs to be grown with some other kind blossoming at the same time, as its pollen is imperfect. It is a delicious grape of the Delaware class and is inclined to over- bear. REPORTS ON SMALL FRUITS. The small fruit crop of Massachusetts consists almost entirely of the strawberry, in fact we hardly grow enough currants, raspberries, gooseberries and blackberries to supply our own markets, for these fruits are shipped here in large quantities from New York, New Jersey and the West. The strawberry is cultivated in Massachusetts almost entirely in matted rows, the plants standing fifteen to eighteen inches apart and the rows from three and one-half to four feet apart. Most growers use a great deal of stable manure supplemented with bone meal, tankage and wood ashes ; this combination of fertilizers makes good strong plants that will produce well. The average yield per acre in Massachusetts this 246 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY year was about 6,000 quarts, though in some sections there were acres that produced over 10,000 quarts. The best varieties for the market in this section of the country, are Glen Mary, Sample, Parsons Beauty, Haverland, Dtinlap, Meade, Stevens Late, Senator Dunlap, and in some places, Marshall, which, while it will not produce a large crop, sells for a much higher price than other varieties. Our markets were overstocked with strawberries this season so that the prices realized were not satisfactory. Good berries sold from five to ten cents per quart, while fancy ones ranged from ten to twenty cents per quart. Marshall berries brought the highest prices, some sell- ing for forty cents early in the season. Among the newer varieties of strawberries the most promising- grown in ]ylassachusetts are Barrymore, Golden Gate and Highland. Currants are grown very little here for market, there being only a few commercial plantations in the state. Most of the crop that reaches the market in Massachusetts is the surplus supply from the home gar- dens. There is a call, however, for the large (cherry) varieties, the fruit bringing from eight to twelve cents a quart. In commercial plant- ings of currants the bushes are set from three to five ft. in the row and the rows eight ft. apart. Clean cultivation is practiced and stable manure, supplemented by wood ashes and bone, is largely used for fertilizer. Fay, Cherry and Wilder are most commonly grown in this state. Perfection, London Market and Comet appear to be promising new varieties, although none of these have the high color of Fay. Gooseber- ries also are not a commercial crop in Massachusetts, probably less than 200 bushels reaching the market from our growers. There is a fair market for green gooseberries, though as yet our people have not taken really kindly to them ; no doubt in future the large varieties will be used for dessert fruit. Gooseberries are cultivated much the same as cur- rants. Downing is the best variety for commercial planting, while Houghton and Josselyn are used to some extent. Of the large varieties Columbus, Triumph and Industry are the best. At the exhibition of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society on July 17th, there was exhibited a new gooseberry, a seedling from seed brought from Denmark. This gooseberry has been grown here for five years and has never mildewed. The fruit is large, averaging two inches in length, is pale green in color and of very fine flavor- The skin is thin, but there is sufficient foliage on the bushes to protect the fruit from the sun. The berry is known as Anderson's No. 10. Raspberries are grown in small areas near many of our smaller THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 247 cities, so that the product is largely used locally, and what we grow in Massachusetts does not affect the wholesale market. Prices on raspberries range from eight to twelve cents per pint. Raspberries are planted three by six feet apart and allowed to make a close hedge row. Clean cultivation is generally practiced and the ground fertilized with stable manure, while some growers also use in addition to this some of the complete fertilizers or wood ashes and bone meal. Canes are tied fifty wires and pinched at about four feet. Winter protection is necessary in most parts of Massachusetts, so the canes are laid down and covered with earth. Cuthbert is the most commonly grown, but Marlboro and Colum- bian are still to be found. Herbert is the most promising new variety. No black caps are grown. Much the same condition prevails for the blackberry as has been noted for the raspberry, except that there are not as many blackber- ries as raspberries grown. Culture is about the same as for the raspberry, no winter pro- tection being necessary. Market prices vary from eight to twelve cents per quart. The acreage for all small fruits in Massachusetts is about the same as last year, there being some slight increase on strawberry plantings. In Connecticut we have about the same scale condition as for a few years back, readily controlled on peach trees, but creating more or less damage on apple trees even where sprayed with lime and sulphur. Our people have largely turned to scalecide and other oil mixtures as being more penetrating and effective for apple trees- Our peach and young apple orchards are in the hands of wide awake men who accept the conditions of disease and insects as a part of the business and deal with them accordingly, consequently as peach trees go out by age or disease, they are renewed on the same or new land by the same parties. Peaches are not much grown north of Connecticut and for this year at least are the leading fruit here. All are sprayed with lime and sulphur ; leaf curl and scab mostly disappears. Each grower is his own inspector throughout the state. We have markets at home for most of our fruit, but peaches, which are largely shipped, and some strawberries are in Boston the next morn- ing after^they are gathered. The sixteen qt. stave basket, either with or without a cloth cover, is the one almost universally used for peaches. Our crop of peaches this year will be a heavy one. With apples now and for the last five years, barrenness has been our worst drawback. We think our country is a natural hqme for tjbe^ 248 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY apple, the tree growing to great size and living to a great age, but cli- matic or some unknown condition has prevented a full fruiting for some time. We would like to know what it is. On account of loss of village trees from scale, markets for family use, especially in summer and fall, are better than ever. I will quote the cash received from fruit of six full grown Gravenstein trees in 1907, which was $200.00. The fruit from one of the six brought $50.00. The Connecticut Pomological Society has been of great aid in form- ulating reports of fruit crops, but we have no marketing organization as yet. Our railroads give us a reliable and quick service. The Gypsy moth that was in the one place in eastern Connecticut has been greatly reduced and is in a fair way for extinction there. Prof. A. G. Gulley of the Connecticut Agricultural College at Storrs, in the eastern part of the state, says : The Windham apple, an old local sort, is having favorable notice and is being propagated. It is of the Blue Pearmain type. "Yellows is showing up very sharply. Its worst feature is the tendency to attack trees three to five years old. Black Knot promises to sweep the whole plum class, both Japan and European. I never saw such serious attacks before. Apple crop very light. We shall have the smallest crop in years. Trees generally healthy and doing well." NEW YORK POMOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 1, 2 AND 3. WILLIS T. MANN, Chairman, Assisted by T. B. Wilson, and Irving A. Wilcox. The great and increasing magnitude of the fruit interests of New York has led to a growing recognition by the leading fruit growers of our state of the need of improved commercial standards and methods in the marketing of our products. The need of standard and uniform packages, and of standard grades, and such marks as shall have a distinct and definite meaning so that the grade and quality of fruit in the package upon which they are placed shall be distinctly and definitely known, is becoming more and more clearly recognized. At the present time there is a more widespread and growing public sentiment in favor of these improvements than at any past time. Our leading growers are actively interested in the effort to secure national legislation to provide for standard packages, and a standard grade for apples for interstate commerce, and in the effort to perfect a satisfactory bill for this purpose our two great horticultural societies. The Western New York Horticultural Society and The New York TFIIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION' 249 State Fruit Growers' Association, have been directly represented by regularly appointed delegates. It is believed that a bill has now been formulated that will prove acceptable to our g^rowers. This bill will be introduced into Congress at the coming regular session. A movement of the highest importance in its possibilities for the improvement of the commercial conditions of the fruit interests of our state is the recent organization of the Growers and Shippers Exchange, incorporated under the laws of New York for $40,000.00, and designed to act as a clearing house for growers and shippers. Its officers are recognized as men of ability and character and it is con- fidently believed they will work out a successful plan of operation. Cold storages are continually increasing in number, and the system of pre-cooling cars before starting fruit to market is receiving the seri- ous attention of shippers. In regard to varieties there is at the present time a strengthening of faith in the older and well-tried sorts of commercial value. Among apples there is an increasing interest in "low-down" trees, and in the "filler" system of planting. In orchards of this character such varieties as Duchess of Oldenburg, Wealthy, Boiken, Wagener, and sometimes Ben Davis, Twenty Ounce and Hubbardston are used as fillers. Even the old Rhode Island Greening under this system is proving to be a very early bearer. Renewed interest is also shown in some of the old varieties of high quality, such as Esopus Spitzenburg and Swaar which have long been neglected. The general alarm over the San Jose scale has passed away, and it is now looked upon as only one of the many pests that requires the constant vigilance of the successful fruit grower. More interest is manifested at the present time in improved sprays in the desire to find something less injurious to tree and fruit than the Bordeaux mixture has proved to be during recent years- The value of the lime-sulphur spray for summer treatments is now being investigated. PENNSYLVANIA— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 2, 3 AND 4. R. L. Watts, Chairman. Theje is marked improvement in the handling of fruit in this state. Greater care is exercised in picking, grading, packing, and marketing. Properly handled fruit generally finds quick sale at good prices, while inferior grades are not wanted and the prices are low. A few orchard- ists are growing choice apples, such as Stayman Winesap, and packing in bushel boxes. These are packed at harvest and placed in city storage 250 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY houses and held until prices are satisfactory. The few growers who have tried this method of marketing are greatly pleased with the results. The fruit growers' organizations include the Adams County Hor- ticultural Association and the Erie County Horticultural Association. The markets of this state are unexcelled, but are poorly supplied with high grade fruits of any kind. Millions of bushels of apples are produced by general farmers who give little if any attention to fertilizing, cultivating, pruning and spraying. The Stayman Winesap apple is receiving much more attention than any other variety. It is being quite largely planted in various parts of the state. The few orchards of this variety that have come into bearing are satisfactory. It is especially desirable as a box apple. The trees come into bearing early and the fine quality of fruit makes it a winner every- where. The trees are hardy, vigorous and prolific- I do not know of any new fruits that are making a great record in this state. A very few of the standard varieties that mean the most to our commercial growers are mentioned below. APPLES. Baldzvin — The most popular apple in the state. Grown in every county, but succeeds best at high altitudes and in soils where the chestnut thrives. On account of its tendency to bear every other year and of the fruit to drop before harvested, the variety is not a general favorite among commercial growers. It is a profitable apple, however, when properly handled, and adapted to location where planted. York Imperial — This is the leading commercial apple in the South- eastern part of the state. Perhaps 75 per cent of the trees in the Adams County district are York Imperial. The lack of quality is about the only point raised against this variety. Northern Spy — No better apple is grown in this state. It is popular in northern sections and a few growers are considering handling it in boxes in the Eastern markets. Rome Beauty — Possesses many good points. Loses quality soon after mid-winter. Summer Rambo — A superb summer apple, and profitable with sev- eral growers. PEARS- There are very few large orchards in the state. Best and leading varieties are Bartlett, Seckel, Lawrence and Clairgeau. Bosc is also good. Blight makes the crop very uncertain and generally unsatis- factory. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 251 PEACHES. Elberta is probably the most largely planted. Many other varieties are grown, as Iron Mountain, Smock, Stump, Sneed, Crosby, Ray, Late Crawford, Old Mixon, Champion and Fox. PLUMS. The Japanese plums are not popular. The York State prune is probably our greatest commercial variety. It succeeds wherever the German prune thrives. It is a highly profitable variety in Erie County. Other desirable varieties are Lombard, Abundance and Bavay. Trees of many other varieties are found here and there, but the ones mentioned are most extensively planted. CHERRIES. Early Richmond is the most popular sour cherry, but Montmorency is better and will probably take its place in commercial orchards. All of the sweet varieties may be found. Windsor does remarkably well in the mountainous districts. GRAPES. Concord — Probably ninety-five per cent of the grapes in the Erie grape belt is Concord. Other varieties of importance are Moore Early, Delaware, Niagara and ^^^orden. STRAWBERRIES. Sample, Wm. Belt, Gandy, Brandywine, Champion. Bubach and Clyde, do well, but there are probably hundreds of varieties planted in this state. RASPBERRIES. Cuthbert is the leading red raspberry. Gregg, Cumberland and Kansas most popular black caps. BLACKBERRIES. Snyder leads as a commercial variety. Other varieties planted are Kittatinny, Eldorado, Erie, Rathbim, Wilson and Early Harvest. GOOSEBERRIES. Dowjjing is far in the lead. ' CURRANTS. Fay most largely planted. Wilder and Eclipse are profitable. No special information on insects and plant diseases. The leading orchardists control the scale, codling moth and other destructive insects 252 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY and diseases, while these enemies play havoc in the hundreds of orchards owned by general farmers. Nursery and Orchard inspection work is in charge of Prof. H. A. Surface, State Economic Zoologist, and splendid service is being rendered for nurserymen as well as fruit growers. Very little progress has been made in storage for fruits outside of cities. ONTARIO— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 1 AND 2. J. W. Crow, Chairman. The practice of using one-year-old nursery stock, which prevails so largely in other sections, is conspicuous by its absence from this Province. Our nurserymen have not as yet made any attempt to cultivate a demand for this class of stock, and it must be said, too, that our growers have not yet learned to ask for stock of this nature. Trees, as ordinarily procured from the nurseries, are two or three years of age. Many growers are heading the trees lower than formerly, and in most of our apple sections three feet would be considered a fairly short trunk. Our peach growers are alive to the advantages of low-headed trees, and are heading in many cases as low as twelve inches. In spite of a great deal of excellent work which has been done in the Province during past years, I fear it must be said that spraying is not so general as it should be. We have a number of men who have for some time been securing the very best possible results in spraying for codling moth and apple scab ; but the influence of their examples does not seem to spread very fast. Power sprayers are coming into gradual use, but at the present time most of the spraying in this Province is done by hand power. Arsenate of lead is coming into rather general use in place of Paris Green, and Bordeaux Mixture is still a standard remedy for apple scab- Some few experiments have been made with lime and sulphur as a summer spray, but as yet the use of this latter has not become at all common. I am glad to say that the practice of thinning is extending quite rapidly. Many of our best growers of winter apples now thin their entire crop. Peach growers, of course, have been following this prac- tice for some years. PACKING. It is worthy of note that with respect to the general handling of fruit and the packing of the same, there has been decided improvement. Peaches are now commonly graded to uniform size and repacked. This THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 253 is usually done in a shed or building near or in the orchard. Most of the apple shipping associations operate on the central packing house plan ; but it is noteworthy that some of those who have been most prominent in advocating this system are now going back to the practice of packing in the orchard. In one instance at least, this has been due to dissatis- faction on the part of the growers, many of them thinking that they should have received credit for a larger percentage of No. I's than could actually be found when their fruit was run over the table. Some of our very best packers have been for years packing in the orchard, and overcoming by a very thorough inspection the tendency to secure a pack lacking in uniformity. The barrel is still the most generally used package for apples, but some few associations are beginning to pack their fancy fruit in boxes. One association has been using boxes for the export trade for a number of years with splendid success. The de- merits of the packages ordinarily used for tender fruits in the Province are very forcibly brought out by long distance shipment. The old style twenty-four basket veneer crate with handle, which has been the stand- ard strawberry and raspberry package, must go, and the same may be said (although probably with less reason) of others of our packages. For long distance shipment a package must be of the proper size and form for loading in a car, and must permit of aeration of the fruit within the package to as great an extent as possible. Our growers and ship- pers are preparing, through the influence of the lessons learned this season in shipping to Winnipeg and the Canadian Northwest, to adopt different styles of packages from those now in use. CO-OPERATION. There are in the province at the present time some thirty-five co- operative growers' selling associations, and the doctrine of co-operation in selling is becoming widely known. It is proposed to incorporate the local associations into a Provincial organization for the purpose of pur- chasing supplies in bulk, and also for the purpose of bringing to perfec- tion some system of securing reliable information on market prices and crop prospects- We still have a large class of private buyers oper- ating in the apple belts and also in the tender-fruit belt of the Niagara district. Too many farmers stick to the plan of selling their fruit in the lump, but with the spread of information and business methods this practice is becoming less and less noticeable each year. Several fruit buy^s of the Niagara district have recently organized a company for the distribution of Ontario fruits in Winnipeg and other north- western markets. A growers' organization for the same purpose is in progress of formation. The markets of western Canada are receiving a great deal of attention at the present time, and the co-operative method 254 AMERICAN' POMO 1X)(;ICAL SOCIETY of supplying- the same seems to promise the greatest degree of benefit to the Ontario growers. AInch might be said, were this the time and place, on the benefits secured through co-operative fruit selling. Figures could be given which would show the remarkable development of fruit- growing which has followed in many sections the inauguration of this plan. Acreage has increased, yields have increased, population is drawn into the district, and the increased price of fruit has returned in the form of profits. The Cold Storage & Forwarding Co., a growers' organization of St. Catharines, in the Niagara District, forwarded several cars of straw- berries to Winnipeg this season. They have been shipping larger quant- ities to the West this year than ever before. They operate a cold storage plant, and have on many occasrons derived special benefit from the pre-cooling they have been able to give before the fruit is loaded on the car. They have also made several attempts to cool carloads after loading, but on account of the small capacity of their plant only partial success has been secured. The Dominion Government has been giving some little consideration to the question of cold storage and refrigerator transportation, and the value of pre-cooling systems is coming to be highly appreciated. Last year the Dominion Government donated cold storage space on steamships to the Old Country for the use of growers. This year they are operating again along a similar line. The San Jose scale, which was introduced into this Province some few years ago, has become established in several important fruit sections, but is not considered to be spreading very rapidly at the present time- Growers who have become familiar with the scale have learned to control it, and no longer fear its ravages. The codling moth is probably our most serious insect pest, but demonstration after demonstration has been given of the practicability of controlling this insect by spraying. It is only a question of time until all our orchardists will be harvesting fruit of high grade. What has been said of the codling moth might be said also with equal truth of apple scab. Quite a number of cases of crown gall have come to the notice of authorities of recent years, and this year there has been inaugurated a thorough nursery inspection for crown gall, San Jose scale, etc. This year, too, the orchard survey idea has been introduced into the Province, and in four important fruit sections a careful study of existing conditions is going on. It is expected that through the information thus gained, much good will accrue to the growers in each respective section. An educational movement of considerable importance remains to be mentioned, 'i^ie Department of Agriculture, acting in conjunction with the Department of Education, has established district represent- THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 255 atives in eleven counties. These men are all graduates of the Agricul- tural College, and their work is general instruction of the farmers in their respective districts, together with the teaching of agriculture in the county high school. The plan was inaugurated in June, 1907. and has so far met with very gratifying success. Ultimately, it is expected that each county will be supplied with a representative. The fruit-grow- ing industry will undoubtedly derive very great benefit from the new system as the fruit growers are alive to the financial possibilities of their business and are eager for information on various subjects connected therewith. ' The fruit crop of the Province this year is decidedly satisfactory. No records are being broken, but general prosperity is the keynote. The difficulties of transportation and selling are at the present time fac- tors which limit the expansion of the fruit industry in this Province ; but these are gradually straightening themselves out, and one may safely prophesy remarkable development of the fruit industry in Ontario. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICT 3. W. N. Irwin, Chairman. Fruit conditions in the District of Columbia, with the exception of raspberries and strawberries, show no change over my report of 1907. This season being an unusual one for small fruits, raspberries and straw- berries were better than for several years, and while prices did not rule high, there was a good demand for well graded fruits throughout the season. Drought, insects, fungous diseases, careless grading and rough handling are prolific causes of large quantities of inferior fruits sold in our markets here. Perhaps one half of the fruits and vegetables shipped to our mark- ets are hauled from the cars to the commission houses over a very rough block-stone pavement. This jolting with the rough handling in loading and unloading is responsible for a considerable percentage of actual loss to the growers. I have frequently, when cutting a cantaloupe, found the contents otf its cavity a mass of sloppy seeds and pulp, not at all appetiz- ing as it should appear. Growers, carriers, handlers and dealers would find it profitable work to eliminate these plain causes of damage to tender fruits and vegetables. 256 AMERICAN' POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OHIO— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 2 AND 4. W. J. Green. Chairman. Fruit culture has undergone some changes in Ohio within a de- cade, but the quantity of fruit produced has not been greatly affected. On the northern border, along the shores of Lake Erie, the area devoted to peach culture has been greatly extended but the extension lias been nearly all in one region, confined mostly to Ottawa county. The plantings have not been in large orchards, but the areas covered each year on individual farms have been from one to ten acres. In this region grape culture had declined and peach trees have been planted on the grounds formerly occupied by vineyards. In this region there has been but little loss of peach trees due to the yellows, but in other parts of the state the disease has wrought great havoc. In two well defined peach regions, viz : Athens and Muskingum Counties, where ten years ago there were considerable areas in peach orchards and many car loads of peaches shipped out every year when there was a crop, the industry has been almost wiped out. There was but little eflfort made in Athens and Muskingum Coun- ties to combat the disease and but few orchards have been renewed. In Ottawa county there is a concerted effort to stay the progress of the disease and replanting is practiced. There has been a considerable decline in grape culture in the lake regions, but not enough to stimulate prices greatly. This crop is still of great commercial importance. The fact is well established, however, that grape growers in the interior of the state can successfully compete in their home markets with those situated along the lake shore, hence the vineyard area of the state is not likely to be greatly lessened. Although not more noticeable, the changes in apple culture are greater than in the case of any other fruit. The family orchards which once furnished large quantities of fruit in excess of the needs of the owners are no longer a factor in apple production. Seldom do they pro- duce enough fruit for the rural population and never an appreciable quantity for market. Rut few of these orchards receive any care. They are fast going to decay and the end of most of them is in sight. On comparatively few farms have young orchards been planted and those which have been started are given but little care. Apple production for market has not kept pace with tiie demands. The commercial orchards which are in bearing are inadequate to meet the demands, but this is in part due to the fact that the most approved methods have not, in all cases, been followed in caring for them. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 257 There is evidence, however, of a decided change in methods to meet existing conditions. Aloreover there is a growing beHef that much of the state is pecidiarly adapted to apple culture and that by- adopting improved methods much which has been lost may be regained. There is a great deal of genuine interest in the subject amounting to enthusiasm in a great many cases. The outlook for the utilizing of our hill lands for apple culture is brighter than ever before. The apple industry was quite largely developed in the hill region, especially in Washington County many years ago, but cultivation was seldom given the orchards because of the difficulty of preventing wash- ing. Spraying was also neglected and the Rome Beauty being the lead- ing variety the result was an almost total crop failure for many succes- sive seasons. Some successful demonstrations of the value of spraying and the practicability of mulching have been made which have aroused unusual interest and assure the restoration and extension of the apple industry in this locality. The restoration of fertility, the conservation of moisture and the prevention of erosion by mulching combine to make this method of orcharding essential to complete success in the region named. It has not been generally adopted but has to a sufficient extent to show its feasibility. The mulching of apple orchards is practiced to a consider- able extent in all parts of the state, but only occasionally in the case of other fruits. On the other hand peach orchards are almost generally cultivated. Clean cultivation during the early part of the season without cover crops is the almost universal practice. The marketing of fruit by associations has been practiced success- fully for a considerable time, but has been confined to peaches and grapes. The selling of peaches by auction has come into vogue recently and bids fair to become a permanent custom. The practice is carried on without an organization of any kind wherever there is a sufficient quantity of fruit to warrant the auctioneer setting up his block. Growers who sell by this method are not under restrictions to follow it exclusively, as in the case of selling through associations. Nursery inspection is carried on by the State Board of Agriculture. Orchard inspection is secondary to nursery inspection and is car- ried on onl9 as far as means will permit. Inspection has done much to prevent the spread of some classes of insects and the Department is in position to head off undesirable importations. The appearance of the San Jose scale marked the beginning of the inspection work and in spite of the fact that much has been done 258 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY to keep the nurseries reasonably free from this pest, great havoc has been wrought to fruit trees in towns and cities and in many small orchards. The commercial orchardists have been benefited rather than damaged by the scale, but to the owner of a town lot who wishes to cultivate fruit in a small way it continues to be a menace. The state can in certain cases enforce treatment, but as inspection must first be made and as this is limited to such as can be done with the funds available, it is evident that without large resources but little can be done for the lot owner in the way of protection against careless neighbors. In short, with the support given, inspection cannot go much beyond the nurseries. The effect is to put fruit growing more and more in the hands of professional growers and to discourage the grower for home use. The varieties most commonly grown for commercial purpose are as follows : Apples — Northern section — Baldwin, Northern Spy, Grimes, Jona- than, Hubbardston, Ben Davis, Wealthy, Maiden Blush, Yellow Trans- parent, Oldenburg. For the southern section, Baldwin and Northern Spy are omitted and Rome Beauty added to the above list. Peaches — In the northern section, Elberta, Smock and Salway are grown almost exclusively. In the southern section. Carman, Champion and Mountain Rose are sometimes included. Pears — Bartlett, Anjou, Angouleme and Kieft'er are grown more than any other varieties in all sections- Plums — Reine Claude, Bavay, Lombard, Shropshire, Damson. Gueii, German Prune and Bradshaw are the varieties most commonly planted. C hemes — Dyehouse, Early Richmond, ^Montmorency and English Morello are planted more than any others. Grapes — Concord, Worden, Delaware, Catawba and Niagara are planted more than any other sorts. INDIANA— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 2 AND 4. C. ^I. Ilobbs, Chainnaii. Indiana has not yet reached the stage in fruit growing where she grows enough for her own use. Thousands of dollars worth of fruit of all kinds are every season shipped in from the outside. Our, soil with proper management is as suitable for fruit growing as that of any locality. Our climate is more fickle than some. Our fight with fung- THIRTY-FTRST BIEXXIAL SESSION 259 ous diseases and insect pests is common to all. No state is more favorably located as to convenience to market and facilities for shipping. Our chief defect is an intelligent interest in the business. With modern, up-to-date methods of fruit growing, Indiana should produce all the fruit she uses and export large quantities annually. This is especially true of apples. We have demonstrated that for quantity, quality and size we can grow as fine apples in Indiana as can be grown anywhere. While we have not the dry air and sunshine to produce as high color as the new apple growing sections of the West, we have superior quality, nearness to the best markets, and are in position to grow apples for the masses because we can put them on the market much cheaper than when they must be shipped long distances. With proper attention as to the selection of soil, situation and varieties, and proper cultivation, {)runing, spraying, &c., there is no question about the success of fruit growing here. At the last session of our legislature the State Entomologist was given $15,000 with which to combat insect pests and plant diseases from without and within the State- The Horticultural Department at the Experiment Station at Purdue University received an appropriation of $10,000 for promoting the horticultural interests of the State. The Station is now making arrangements to take up orchard demonstration work in every community in the State where there is enough interest to justify it. These increased facilities for furthering the fruit interests and the good prices of horticultural products for the past few years will certainly advance the horticultural interests of the State as never before. There are no large fruit growing centers in the State, so we have no organizations for handling and selling fruit products. In some sec- tions of the State the cantaloupe and water melon industry is develop- ing rapidly. This State has for several years grown tomatoes very ex- tensively for the canneries. With our natural advantages and the aids that modern science brings us, and with intelligent industry, there is no question but Indiana will forge to the front in horticultural lines. We have nothing new to present as to orchard management, market- ing or insect control. All fruits, except peaches, are probably a short crop this year on account of the drought last year and the cold wet weather of early spring. The apple crop throughout the State is the lightest the writer has ever known. We have this season a good, healthy foliage and good growth, giving promise of a full crop next year. The interest in commercial apple growing is increasing and a number of large apple orchards- are being planted. 260 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY ILLINOIS— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 4 AND 8. George J. Foster, Chairman. Assisted by H. A. Aldrich, L. R. Bryant, E. A. Riehl, and J. W. Stanton. The rapid increase of population in the Central West the past few years, together with the geographical position of the state with its great wealth and variety of productive soil, places Illinois in the very front rank of the fruit growing states ; and no finer fruit, such as apples, plums, peaches, sour cherries, grapes and small fruits, is grown in any state, or more of it, than is grown in Illinois. The apple of course ranks first and not only fills a large place in the great and nearby markets of America, but is also being largely exported to the foreign markets of the world, where the Illinois apple holds a commanding position. Among the many varieties grown, there is none perhaps that ranks higher in quality than Jonathan with Grimes Golden a close second, fol- lowed by Aiken, Wagener, Huntsman, Winesap and York Imperial, while the Ben Davis leads all for quantity and is not excelled in ship- ping qualities, with Gano considered as a twin brother. Peaches, always prolific in the Southern half of the state, have for some years, owing to the mild winters, brought excellent crops in all parts of the state so that all the local markets have been largely supplied with home grown fruit. Native plums are grown in immense quantities in the Northern, while the Japan and foreign sorts are grown largely in the Southern part of the state. Grapes are abundant in all sections, with Concord, Moore Early, Worden and Niagara as the leading vari- eties. In small fruits the strawberry is the most popular and the money maker, and notwithstanding the vast acreage devoted to its culture, is always in demand. The Dunlap, Gandy, Aroma, Warfield and Haver- land are leading sorts in the order named. Blackcap raspberries which bore an excellent crop the past season are led by the Gregg and Cumberland, while among the many red sorts pressing forward for recognition, we still cling to the Cuthbert and Turner as two of the best ; the former for shipping and the latter for the home market. Snyder Blackberry, Josselyn Gooseberry, the Cherry and White Dutch Currant and Lucretia Dewberry are all prominent in their line. Among the old native fruits of the state which are being improved and cultivated, perhaps none are more pronounced or common in the markets now than the persimmon, which formerly was considered edible only after the fruit had been touched by frost, but now may be eaten THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 261 from September till January, which has been accomplished through care- ful selection and cultivation. The system of inspection of nurseries and orchards is very efficient, and under the direction of State Entomologist Forbes is carried out to the letter, so that injurious insects and plant diseases are being held in control to a great extent. WEST VIRGINIA— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICT 4. S. A\\ Moore, Chairman. Those interested in the development of fruit growing in West Virginia have great reason to be encouraged. The people are at last awakening, as it were, to the realization of the fact, that our state is one of the best in the Union for the production of fruit of the highest quality- Not only do our people talk the planting of large orchards, but they have organized strong companies which are fast transforming our wild, rugged, brush-covered mountain tops into beautiful and profitable orchards. While there are some sections of the state that have been recognized for years as being especially adapted to the production of fruit (viz., the Eastern and Northern Panhandle), this recognition was brought about more by the successful efforts of a few men, who happened to be fruit cranks, as we sometimes hear such people called, than by any special superiority of these sections over the rest of the state. But during the past few years our people generally have come to realize the adaptabil- ity of the entire state to fruit growing. West Virginia might well be divided into five fruit sections, viz : The Northern Panhandle, the Central, the Western, or Ohio River, the East- ern Panhandle and the Greenbrier Valley or Southern. Each of these sections has peculiar adaptabilities and possibilities. They vary accord- ing to soil and altitude. This is especially noticeable in the study of varieties and the time of ripening of the same variety in the different sections, as well as in color and quality. Another distinguishing feature is the different varieties that succeed in the different sections. If a man fancies Spy, Greening and the like, then he may suit himself by seeking some of our high altitudes in the central section. If his taste should run to such^^yarieties as Ben Davis, Rome Beauty and Grimes, then he may find the soil and climate that best suits their development in the West- ern or Ohio River section. If he wants Willow Twig as his principal crop, our Northern Panhandle has long been noted for their production, while in the Eastern Panhandle may be found very profitable orchards 262 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY of the York Imperial ; and Winesap, Grimes and many others suc- ceed admirably. Notwithstanding commercial development has been slow in the Greenbrier section, there are, perhaps, more varieties grown there to perfection than in any other section in the State, and when developed, it promises to be the leading apple region in West Virginia. The principal commercial varieties of the State are the York Im- perial, Willow Twig, Rome Beauty, Mammoth Black Twig, Winesap, Ben Davis, Gano and Grimes Golden. These fill more barrels as they are over more territory, while locally there may be found over the State a long list of early summer, fall and winter apples whose qual- ities are unexcelled. Among those that succeed and should be grown more extensively are Kinnaird Choice, Jefferis, Wealthy, Yellow Trans- parent, Shannon, Delicious, Senator, Wagener, Fall Rambo, Mother, Pound Royal, Porter, Summer Rambo and Stayman. The special need in the horticultural development of West Vir- ginia today is more trained young men who are full of energy, en- thusiasm and love of the work, who will study our various soils, alti- tudes and markets, both home and distant, and then plant accordingly- The mines, timber, railroads and other developments have attracted the attention of the people, and horticultural advancement has been neg- lected. Fruit organizations have been overlooked and each grower left to hunt a market for his products. Cold storage is receiving more atten- tion of late and the high prices for fruit the past year have encouraged growers to prepare storage. Spraying is much more general, and the commercial orchards as a rule are receiving several applications. Orchard and nursery inspection receives prompt and careful attention. Still we have more San Jose scale than our growers think they need. Picking, grading and packing of fruit do not receive the attention they should and for this more than any other reason, our fruit does not give the returns it might. When we use more care in packing and put our fancy fruit up in a . neat package with each specimen paper wrapped, then we shall receive some such prices as do our fellow work- ers in those famous western sections, for we have quality unsurpassed. ARKANSAS— DISTRICTS 4 AND 7. Ernest Walker, Chainnou State Fniit Committee. A recent writer has said that "if Arkansas were walled in, and cut off from all communication with the outside world, she could to a greater degree than any other state supply herself from her own resources with everything that grows, is dug from the earth, gathered in the air, or caught in the waters." Owing to her vast extent and her topography THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 263 ranging from 116 feet along the Mississippi to a general elevation of ],500 feet above sea level for the northwest third of the state and the west, with her rolling lands, prairies, rich valleys and mountains, she certainly presents a great range of climate, and of agricultural and industrial possibilities. Industrial progress, comparatively slow for a number of years fol- lowing the civil war, in recent years has been phenomenal. There has been great improvement in conditions on the farms. Neat, prosperous frame dwellings, and barns everywhere dot the landscape. Farmers as a rule ride in buggies and carriages and have the best strains of poul- try, hogs, horses and cattle from pedigreed sources. For the ten year period beginning with 1895, real and personal property in the state increased from $180,568,946 to $299,730,877, an increase of $119,161,931. In 1900 the total valuation was little over $200,000,000. The five year period closing 1905 therefore represents the bulk of the increase amounting practically to 50 per cent. The develop- ment of the great fruit and horticultural interests, it is believed, has been an important factor in this development. The apple and peach orchard interests have grown to vast proportions, and have served to attract the attention of the world, and invite immigration in a more effective manner than could have resulted in any other way. Some years ago if you had asked an Arkansas boy to spell apple, he would likely have said c-o-t-t-o-n. Today were you to ask him to spell apple, he would likely answer A-r-k-a-n-s-a-s. You might correct him and say, "No, that spells opportunity;" but he would insist on his way being correct and I have no doubt would at last convince you that he was right. Formerly when a person traveling over the country replied in answer to your question that he was from Arkansas, you smiled. So accustomed was the Arkansan to this smile that when abroad and any one asked this question, he fortified himself against the smile which he had come to expect by replying, "I am from Arkansas — now laugh, durn ye." But all this is changed. The vast and varied resources of the state are now known through all the land, and development is by leaps and bounds. Once a poor and humble citizen, Arkansas has become a prince — the rail splitter, a Lincoln. The star of the State's greatness long obscured by the mists and fogs hanging low on the horizon has at last emerged above them, and now hangs serene and lustrous in the southern sky, oneCof the brightest stars in the firmament. Apples have for some years been grown on a large scale in north- west Arkansas. Plantings have been vastly increased in the past few years. For years no attention was given to spraying, pruning and cul- tivation. At first when insects and fungous diseases made little trouble, 264 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY good fruit was produced without such care, but the tribute demanded by such factors has increased from year to year till growers have come to realize the necessity of a change in their treatment of orchards if the reputation already made is to be maintained. During the past few years the San Jose scale has increased rapidly and will undoubtedly have the effect of putting apple growing upon a higher plane. The indifferent grower will be compelled to adopt improved methods or be forced into other lines. For this reason the writer believes the out- look for apple growing in Ozarks is better than ever. Rapid improve- ment in orchard methods has been made during the past four or five years. SPRAYING BIDS FAIR TO BECOME UNIVERSAL. In 1900 the writer knew of but one man in the state who was en- deavoring to follow the teachings of the Experiment Stations in the matter of spraying. At present there are thousands of sprayers in use including numbers of the various makes of power rigs. The chief troubles are codling moth, curculio, phyllosticta, scab and bitter rot. These troubles are now controlled successfully by spraying. SPRAYING FOR HEALTHY FOLIAGE. An orchard the writer had under charge has produced good crops of apples four years in five, and in comparison with the poorly cared for orchards m the same neighborhood has produced ten sound apples to their one. The average grower as a rule sprays for fruit. When there is no crop he considers there is nothing to spray for. It is plain, how- ever, that in this the grower has been making a serious mistake. We must spray for sound foliage whenever necessary. That means spray- ing when necessary whether there is a fruit crop or not. The present year the crop is being borne on the older trees, and the best yields are in the orchards which have been having good care. Young trees are not bearing although their age and the season led tlie grower to expect a yield. Young trees are sometimes greatly weakened by premature loss of their foliage, as in the case of older trees, which tends to interfere with bearing. They should be sprayed when necessary the same as bearing trees. PRUNING. Pruning was wholly neglected a few years ago. At present the practice is becoming general. Orchardists have abandoned their old ideas. It is probable that more brush has been cut out of Arkansas orchards in the past two or three years than in twenty previously. Bark cankers originating in wounds are common in this climate, which doubt- THIRTY-FIRST BIEXXIAL SESSION 265 less in connection with rough or crude practice was responsible for the former prejudice against pruning. When properly done, however, and the wounds protected by a water proof coat, no evil results follow even on Ben Davis which it was formerly argued would not stand pruning. GREATER PLANTING DISTANCES. Greater distances also are allowed apple trees than formerly. It is seldom now apple orchards are planted closer than 30 feet, whereas formerly they were often planted 25x25 — 24x2-1 — 16x24 and even 16x16 ft. The fact that trees bear young and grow rather dwarf here in comparison w4th apple trees at the North, and were supposed to last only about fifteen years, led to this error. Is it true that apple orchards are short lived in the Ozarks ? No, not if given reasonably good care. BETTER VARIETIES. In the past the bulk of the plantings were Ben Davis. The Ben bears young and is an attractive apple as grown here. It is a much better apple also than the same variety grown in most other states. Two things have been learned regarding this apple ; one is that its quality, juiciness and weight may be greatly improved by feeding the trees; the other that we should in new plantings put out some other varieties than Ben. Recent plantings include such varieties as Jonathan, Grimes Golden, Black Ben (Ragan), Collins, Winesap, and Gano. Some Stayman \Mnesap are being planted, also King David and Delicious. Jonathan and Black Ben have been more extensively planted than others in the newer plantings. York Imperial is a good old apple of greater hardiness than most others. It does well here and should be planted more. The Delicious seems to be of special promise here. A few trees planted near Springdale ten years ago are said to have borne four crops in ten years. I visited these trees about Aug. 14th and was pleased to find them loaded. The trees were in excellent condition. The apples were then about the size of large sized Winesaps and although still green at this time were good eating, being tender and juicy. Scab and codling moth were injuring the fruit on an unsprayed tree, but the sprayed trees were carrying smooth sound fruit. SMALLER ORCHARDS. Formerly the ambition seemed to be in the direction of large orchards. There must be orchards extensive enough to load cars at a given point, but the vast orchard, especially when the working capital or skill of the owner does not correspond, has never been a great success. 266 AAIERICAX POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY IMPROVEMENT OF LANDS AND TILLAGE. The use of humus orchard crops, and winter cover crops is rapidly increasing. The value and objects of cultivation are better and more generally understood. The use of commercial fertilizer is rapidly increasing. RESULTS OF INTENSIVE CULTIVATION. It has been shown that it is possible with better care to produce ten good apples where much of the time we have in recent years been producing one. Our growers have learned that it is far better to increase production by better care of existing plantings, than to increase it by enlarging the orchard. The results mentioned above were not obtained by highly intensive and expensive methods, but were the results of merely reasonably good care — attention not to one or two things — but to all the factors which enter into healthfulness and comfort of orchard trees. CUTTING OUT THE OFF YEARS. Off Years : Frost and climate have often been blamed in the past for "off years" when the real cause existed rather in the treatment the orchard was receiving. A run-down condition of the soil in connec- tion with over-bearing, lack of cultivation and of spraying has been the cause of most of our "off years." As the writer has pointed out, spray- ing is an important factor in doing away with "off years." Our orchards often lose most of their foliage by the middle of August from fungus attacks on the foliage. On such trees the leaf buds are not properly nourished. Buds formed tend to swell during the autumn, producing sometimes a fall bloom, or if not that, are in poor condition for winter. Trees should hold their foliage intact till Nov. 1st, and do so when the orchards are properly sprayed and cared for. GRADING AND PACKING. The competition with skillful production in other states is having its effect on our growers. Our growers in the past have not fully appre- ciated the value of careful grading and packing. However, some of the worst packing has been done not by the orchardist himself, but by the buyers who, as is very common, buy the apples in the orchard and pack them themselves. There has been too little uniformity in this matter. Until the past few years it has been "every fellow for him- self." BETTER PACKING. The barrel and bulk shipment have in the past been practically the only method of shipping. In the past few years there has been some THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 267 increase in the use of the bushel box for the bettter grades of apples. When the plantings of such varieties as Jonathan. Grimes and others made during the past few years come into full bearing, no doubt the bushel box will be more used than at present. CO-OPERATIOX. The Farmers Union is helping in this matter in encouraging co- operation and passing all fruit sold through the hands of official grad- ers and inspectors. At the important shipping points there are now local business organizations as a rule wdiich are giving increased atten- tion to standards and grading up to them. The Farmers Union and big organizations like the Ozark Fruit Association are pressing these points and are accomplishing great good in another way. viz : in securing better distribution. They have their agents in the large markets with which they are in telegraphic commun- ication. In this way the glutting of certain markets and losses result- ing, especially in the case of perishable fruits like strawberries and peaches, are avoided. A highly successful co-operative association is in operation at Gentry. An account of this organization is given below in a paper by O. W. Patterson, the Secretary. COLD STORAGE. There are cold storage plants at several points and others being added from year to 3'ear. Our growers now appreciate the fact better than ever before that it does not pay to attempt to store any but No. 1 fruit and that must not be allowed to lie around after packing if it is expected to keep properly. Failure to observe this requirement or ignorance of it has taught some orchard men the lesson of experience. Fifty cents a barrel for the season seems rather high for storage. Were the supply of storage fruit more regular season by season, a reduction would doubtless be made for storage. Good fruit correctly handled readily keeps in storage, and if sold by February may be shipped out by simply "plugging" the barrels. Poor fruit stored requires "re-run- ning" and a loss of 40 per cent by decay is not uncommon. A barrel of storage apples opened up is dripping with condensed moisture in a few minutes, producing conditions favorable for rapid decay. If apples could be shipped without opening and re-running there wouldr not be the tendency to "go down" so quickly out of storage. If on removal from storage, apples could be left closed tight and warmed up slowly, the tendency to "go down" so quickly would largely be over- come. In taking out apples for family use my plan has been to leave the barrels unopened, roll them into the cellar and cover them up with old carpets. After about three or four days they may be opened. On 268 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY taking out a supply cover the open end with the carpet. Handled this way, the "sweating" is avoided and the apples may be kept several weeks with but little loss from decay. SHIPPING ABROAD. In 1906 there was made an attempt by Arkansas and Missouri growers to ship apples to England through the firm of Geo. R. Meeker •and Co. of New York. Several train loads were shipped, but the whole venture was disastrous. The apples were reported back at first as selling at good prices and readily at $4.10 a barrel for Ben Davis, and it seemed they all were sold — but the firm failed — and all the growers ever got out for the several train loads was $5,000.00. Otherwise the shipment was a success. An advance of about $1.75 a barrel or a good bond on the part of the large operator would have made the success still greater. DRIED FRUIT. Apple dryers have been utilized for some years for taking care of the less perfect apples which formerly went to waste in large quan- tities. In a good year the output of these dryers amounts to about 8,000,000 pounds. Many of the dryers are of a rather crude character, but at a number of the important shipping points are found evaporators provided with the most modern improvements and having a capacity of several thousand pounds of dried fruit a day. At Bentonville is an apple brandy distillery said to have the largest capacity of any such plant in the world. This is a means of saving thousands ot bushels of apples which would otherwise likely go to waste. CIDER AND VINEGAR. With the cheap acid vinegar to compete with there has not been much encouragement to make cider vinegar. Since the passage of the Federal Pure Food law in 1906 conditions have improved some, but we need a properly inforced state law to supplement the national. A large vinegar plant has been in operation in Rogers for the past three years. There is also a plant of consider- able capacity at Siloam Springs. The first has a capacity of some 5,000 bushels a day. CANNING. Home canners have come into extensive use the past three years. . Their capacity ranges from 400 or 500 quart cans a day to 5,000. These ' canners may be had cheaply and are of immense value in taking care of the surplus which in the past has often been allowed to go to waste in large quantities. A number of large machine canning plants have THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 269 come into existence the past two years. Plants of large capacity are those at Prairie Grove, Springdale, Fayetteville, Bentonville, Russel- ville and a few other points. These plants can tomatoes, apples, peaches, strawberries, sweet potatoes. The plant at Prairie Grove is thoroughly modern and especially well equipped. This plant has in cultivation 90 acres of tomatoes of its own this year besides quantities contracted for in the neighborhood. THE PEACH INDUSTRY. A great many Elberta peaches were planted in Northwest Arkansas a few years ago, but the climate is not as well suited to the peach in the winter apple district as it is in that southward on the southern slopes of the Ozarks and Washita Mountains. There peaches bear from seven to nine crops in ten, while in Northwest Arkansas the Elberta produces a crop only about two or three times in ten years. If we expect to grow peaches here it is evident that we must find varieties hardier in bud than the Elberta. One of the causes of this tenderness is the loss of foliage in summer through the effects of "shot-hole fungus," run down soils, and lack of cultivation. With proper care and spraying, peach orchards hold their foliage till November. The loss of foliage as in the case of apple, cherries and plums, results in a tendency of the buds to swell in the fall, which puts them in poor condition to stand the winter. But in addition to this we have alterations of cold and warmth during the winter in the high altitudes of the state which are extremely trying. The sensitiveness of the peach causes its buds to swell during these warm periods. Then follows a cold snap which may destroy the buds. In a perfectly dormant condition the buds would have stood the cold uninjured. The real peach belt of Arkansas is along the southern slopes of the winter apple area. During the past six to eight years immense areas have been set to peaches in the belt mentioned. A full peach crop in Crawford County would now amount to about 700 car loads. At Hor- atio where there is the 3,200 acre planting of the Southern Orchard Planting Association, a full crop at present would amount to 800 to 1,000 car loads. Clarksville, Ozark, DeQueen, Paris, Hackett City, Russ- elville, are other important peach growing points. A full crop in the .state at present would amount roughly speaking to about 3.500 car loads. There is the same improvement going on in peach culture that was mentioned for apples. There is danger at some points of produc- tion outstripping transportation facilities, where a single variety is grown, and the product must all be moved out over a single railroad. Summer Apples — Growers at Van Buren and some other points in the peach district have been planting summer apples in recent years. 270 A^IERICAX PO.MOLOGICAL SOCIETY They have found them profitable. Winter apples do well on the higher elevations in the peach district. Plums — The plum is not receiving the attention commercially it deserves. The Damson, German Prune, Red June. Burbank, "Gold," Wickson, Poole Pride and Wild Goose all do well with proper care. Cherries — The sour cherries promise to be profitable and are re- ceiving increased attention. The leading varieties planted are Early Richmond. Montmorency, May Duke, English Morello, and Wragg. Sweet cherries apparently do no good. I recently saw some cherries, however, which I took to be Knight's Early Black, which were magnifi- cent. I was told the tree was about twelve years old and had been bearing almost annually. It is growing in a city yard at Fayetteville in rich limestone soil. Pears — Pears have been receiving but limited attention in a com- mericial way on account of the liability to blight, which, of course, may be said of many other states. Ucker Brothers have a sixty acre planting, principally Kiefifer and Garber, near Fayetteville. M. F. H. Smeltzer at Van Buren has been having good success on a limited scale. The worst experience comes to those who are ignorant of the nature of the disease and the conditions which favor it. Nuts — Pecans could doubtless be planted to advantage in the alluvial lands in the cotton section of the state. Large trees are found wild along the water courses here and there. Some trees of large size are growing near White River, a few miles from Fayetteville. A few of our citizens are manifesting an interest in planting pecans in the cotton section of the state in the river valleys. BUSH FRUITS. Currants, so far as I have learned, do not succeed here. The goose- berry, with spraying to control mildew, promises to succeed. Houghton and Smith Improved are the kinds of greatest value. Of red raspberries, the Cuthbert and Cumberland are most satis- factory. Turner is not grown as much as formerly. The black ca])s are less satisfactory. Of these Kansas is probably the best. This fruit is grown commercially in a limited way. Blackberries are not in less favor than a few years ago as a com- mercial fruit. Fewer are grown than a few years ago. The Early Harvest has been the leading berry grown. Many of the berries form- erly shipped are now canned. Strawberries — Strawberries are one of the important fruit crops. Van Buren and Judsonia are the leading growers. Judsonia shipments the present season amounted to some 300 car loads. Other important points are Fayetteville, Johnson, Springdale, Rogers, Siloam Springs. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 271 and Gentry, each shipping from forty to ninety cars according to the sea- son. A few years ago a single grower at Fayetteville had 300 acres in strawberries, using 1,500 pickers and loading as high as 15 cars a day. The average yield under the system followed has been low. The tendency at present is toward smaller acreage and more intensive methods. Ex- celsior, Klondyke and Aroma are the varieties now in favor; Michel and Crescent are now almost wholly neglected. Grapes — Grapes are not grown extensively as a commercial crop at present. This is the home of the Cynthiana, one of the finest wine grapes. The conditions are as well suited to grape growing as anywhere in the world. Our grapes mature in advance of the grapes of Western -Vcw York and Ohio, and should find good market conditions but for the fact that they strike the season of peaches and other fruit. Formerly Saline County was an extensive producer of grapes and wine, but the industry has declined. At Tontitown, the famous Italian settlement near Fayetteville, grapes receive much attention, and are grown suc- cessfully. Most of the product is made into wine. Father P. Bandini is the directing genius in this prosperous settlement. Black rot is en- tirely controlled by spraying. On account of this trouble it would be use- less to attempt grape growing here without spraying. Altus is a point where grapes receive attention in a moderate way. The product is mostly used for wine. The Vinola Wine Ranch at Silver Springs also produces wine. Mr. C. A. Stark is the proprietor. D. Compton at Gentry gives attention to grapes. M. F. Scott, at Slatonville, formerly had sixty acres in grapes, principally Delaware, and was shipping in car lots, but has retired from fruit growing. J. E. Trahin formerly grew grapes rather extensively at Fayetteville. He passed away a few months since and his vineyards have declined. At Altus we have a man in the person of Professor Joseph Bachman of whom the state should feel proud. He is the Arkansas Munson. He is a well posted grape grower and breeder. Recently I received from him samples of three new grapes, which he has recently originated and fruited. He sent them as "Red, White and Blue." The Red, No. 91, is a cross between Delaware and Lady Washington ; it has a small compact bunch of medium sized berries with tough skin and unique flavor. The White, No. 20, is a cross between Delaware and Gov.Ross. It is a compact double shouldered bunch of large size with rather small berries of the very highest quality. The Blue, No. 93, is a cross between Brighton and Campbell Early. The bunch is large, compact, unshouldered, and would weigh nearly a pound. The berries are about the size of Campbell Early, but the compactness of bunch and I think the quality of the berries are a considerable improvement over that variety, and that is saying a good deal. It has about the same season and is altogether the finest black grape I ever saw. Mr. Bachman considers 272 A.MERICAX POMOLOGICAl. SOCIETY them three of the best American grapes and I am not incHned to dis- agree with him. I was less favorably impressed with the red, however, than with the other two. Bachman is the originator also of Starks Star, Sun Rise, Banner, and Sun Set. He is now testing several other promising seedlings, the results of his crosses. One is a large white grape Lindley x Triumph. Another is a yellow grape of large size and very promising, representing a cross Brighton x Rommel. No matter how promising otherwise a vine may be if weak, or unproductive, Mr. Bachman destroys it. A few words concerning the life of this man may not be out of place. I am sorry to state that about a year since he suffered a slight stroke of paralysis from which he has not fully recovered. At the time I heard from him he was visiting his sister, !Mrs. Bruhwiler. at Oklahoma City and endeavoring to regain his temporarily impaired health. Joseph Bachman was born in Muswanger (a mountain village) Canton Lucerne, Switzerland, October 28, 1852. He was educated in the primary, secondary and Normal school. Later he taught school and was organist at the church in Hohen- rain. In 1881, his health failing, he was given a vacation of one year, but decided to proceed to the United States, and locate in a warmer climate. He found his way to Altus, Arkansas, where he has since remained, devoting his life to fruit growing and his leisure to the production of new varieties. From boyhood he has been a lover of nature, birds, trees and horticulture, the bountiful vine being a source of special interest to him and of pleasure. AN EXAMPI^E OF SUCCESSFUL CO-OPERATION IN FRUIT GROWING IN ARKANSAS. The following address was made at the last meeting of the Arkansas State Horticultural Society, January, 1909. As the plan has been so successful in operation under the management of Mr. Patterson, the pa- per was listened to with great interest. I give it here as likely to be of interest in this report. Mr. O. W. Patterson, Gentry, Ark., spoke as follows : Air. President, ladies and gentlemen : I was not aware that I was to be called upon to explain to this body how I made money running a canning plant and evaporator. Unexpectedly to me yesterday it was suggested that I make a little talk, in an extemporaneous way of course, to the Fruit Growers Association on what has been accomplished by our organization in a co-operative way. It is a pretty good rule of business to keep your business matters to yourself. We have yet in these towns, I expect, a good many competitors, and to go into details of how, with THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 273 a business organization, to make a success and make money would not be discreet. Ladies and gentlemen : — The Gentry Fruit Growers Association is a local organization, and consists of 107 fruit growers of Gentry, Arkansas, and vicinity. We have been organized under the laws of the state of Arkansas since February, 1900, if I mistake not. When we first incorporated, we started with a capital stock of $2,500.00. This is divided into 100 shares of $25.00 each. Each member of the association, on becoming a member, purchases at least one share of stock, Ijut it was made very easy for the membership in the beginning in a financial way, as the association took a note for the $25.00, not negoti- able and drawing no interest. Each man, on becoming a member of the association, paid one dollar down. This one dollar was endorsed on the back of the $25.00 note. Of course each member of this association was liable for assessment up to at least $25.00. We went along with this organization for two or three years with- out any place of meeting, and without any facilities for the transaction of our business, and when we had carloads of berries we unloaded them practically from the wagon into the car. We soon found this very inconvenient, and we purchased, in the first place, a shed and re- modeled it for a meeting place for our growers, and for a place for receiving crates and loading on cars. This apple shed was on a side track, and we were frequently interfered with seriously by switching of cars — the local as it came in. Sometimes having a car half loaded, or two-thirds loaded, it was jerked so badly and the crates mixed so, that we had to unload and reload from the beginning. As a consequence, after consulting together, the growers decided it would be a good in- vestment, and that it was essential, with the amount of fruit we had to ship, to have a track of our own. The capital stock of the company at this time had been increased (the 100 shares of stock had been taken) to $10,000.00. The association then put in a side track of its own, and a large shipping shed — I think the best in the country, I have not seen any its equal — and instead of handling simply berries, it began to handle berries, peaches and apples, shipping all these fruits for the members of the association. We also handled all packages required by members of the association, and bought them by car loads and delivered them to members of the association at cost. The next move made by the association was the purchase of an evaporafor. We bought the large evaporator in town and moved it down near the site of our shipping shed. It was needed, and we equipped it and operated it from the profits that we made from the evaporator. No assessment was made on the membership, so there was not a member of the association paid a dollar for it. It was purchased, remodeled, and 274 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY operated during the season of 1906. That season, many of you will remember, was a disastrous season, yet we paid for an evaporator and had some surplus left, so that our growers, as an organization, had this evaporator as their profit, and as their property without contributing a cent for it. The following year, 1907, we purchased another evaporator, and we rented two more, so that, for the year 1907, we operated four evap- orators. The same policy was pursued. The evaporators that had been purchased, and all their equipment and machinery, were paid for out of the profits of these evaporators, and what they realized from the sale of the fruit, so this association had four — all paid for — no encumbrance whatever. . In addition to this, in 1906, I failed to state, up to that time, the members had paid in ten dollars on their stock; in other words, assessments had been made from year to year until each member had paid in ten dollars. Remember that this stock called for $25.00. In 1906 the association declared a dividend of $5.00 on each share of stock, to be applied on the payment of stock, so that in January, 1907, this pay- ment was endorsed as payment on the stock, making $15.00 paid, $10.00 by the growers and $5.00 by the association. At the close of 1907 the association declared a dividend of $10.00 on the stock, to be applied on the stock, making it full paid ; in other words, each of our growers has a full share of stock. The association as a business organization has paid $15.00 and made them a present of their notes. These have been surrendered to the growers, and they own their stock fully paid and non-assessable. The year 1908 we purchased a canning plant. We equipped it with the best modern improvements and machinery, and we have a canning plant that can put up berries, peaches, apples, sweet potatoes and tomatoes — I expect from fifteen to twenty thousand cans per day. In addition to this, the association during the last spring purchased an eighty acre tract of timber land. We shall put in this spring forty acres in strawberries as an association. The remaining forty acres we expect to put in strawberries one year from the coming spring, or 1910. We have, as an association, just begun co-operation; we are just getting a fair start in co-operation. I want to say that I believe that before the fruit growers of northwest Arkansas can make a success, and the fruit growers of southwest Missouri also, before they can make a permanent and lasting success, we must do just what the fruit growers of Colorado, just what the fruit growers of Washington and Oregon and Idaho have done. You know how we dispose of our apple crop. A man comes in here to a local firm and buys our apples for speculation. They are not particularly interested in estab- THIRTY-FIRST BIEXXIAL SESSION 275 lishino^ or creating a reputation for this country for growing, putting up and packing good fruit. They are in it. as we all are, for the money. The grower's interest is something more than that. His interest is not dimply the making of some money for this year. He is here per- !iianently. We ought to be more interested right now, as apple grow- ers, as shippers of fruit, in the quality of the fruit Ave grow and what we pack and put on the market, than the result we are to obtain in dollars and cents this year or next 3^ear, and till we appreciate this fact I believe we will never reach the ground that has teen reached by Washington. Colorado and Idaho growers, where their apples can sell anywhere in the state (provided the price is right) without inspec- tion. Buyers know what the quality is, and their fruits find a ready sale. I made quite an extensive trip in Texas last spring, and in every market where I went I found that Arkansas had a "black eye" when it came to the apple proposition. "Why", they said, "Arkansas is the natural territory for us to draw our supplies from — you commence in July and August ; we cannot get them anywhere else ; we are compelled to take your fruit. As long as we cannot get it anywhere else we buy it, but just the minute we can buy it from other sections where they take pains in grading and cultivation, we take the other apples ; we simply have to cut you out." There it is. We lose the market because of our indifiference and shiftlessness. Let me tell you a little experience of one association trying to pack fruit right. In our fruit shed we attempted to have one organization pack fruit as it ought to be packed, and in a few instances they came back to us this way ; "Those culls that you put out were put into boxes and sent to Kansas City, and here are the returns on them ; I got as much lor them as you got for good apples." \Miat are you going to do about it? If you are going to ship apples you are driven to grading or going out of business. In Washington and Idaho and Colorado the Growers Association compels attention to this matter. They furnish the pack- ages ; they inspect the orchard ; they see that these orchards are properly pruned, cultivated and sprayed ; that those apples are properly packed, and fruit growers in those sections are expelled from the association unless they comply with the rules and regulations. Just so long as we pursue the course we are pursuing, we are going to meet failure, and the time is soon coming when it will be impossible to sell except during ther little time we have the advantage in season over another section. Now a strong local organization ought to be in a position to serve everv fruit grower in this community in handling and receiving fruit, and receiving it and grading it and shipping it out. We can save our 276 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY fruit when prices are low so we are not justified in shipping it out. We can save it. We can evaporate our fruit ; we can work up the products of the orchard that are not fit for canning and evaporating into vinegar, and this is a thing we contemplate doing this coming year if we have an apple crop, viz : adding to our plant a vinegar plant — ■ something that we need very much. Then we feel that we will be in a position to give our friends, the fruit growers of Gentry and vicinity, good service in a co-operative way; that is, honest co-operation, full and complete. We hope the day will soon come when we can give the fruit growers of Gentry the blessings of not only partial co-opera- tion, but full and complete co-operation, and I believe if we take it up and study it as business men and reasonable men (and we must look to our interests) we will more and more appreciate the value and neces- sity of it. There is nothing else to do. We have a condition that is humiliating to us — it is to me. In every branch or line of business you take hold of, you run up against organization at the other end, and every man who handles the products that grow has had certain proof of this fact in the last few years. You all know this who have handled canned goods — who have handled apples extensively, evaporated or fresh — you know that a large per- centage of the business of the country is being done through brokers, and there is the wholesale house, and the commission house, and they each take their per cent and we pay the insurance broker and the job- bing house their per cent and the retail grocer his per cent, and the transportation charges. These things are taking the profit, be sure they are to get their profits ; there is nothing uncertain about it. When you add these percentages and these profits to the low price of fruit that goes to the grower, the consumer at last has to pay an exorbitant price for the fruits we grow. I say it is humiliating that for the goods we produce and sell they make the rules and regulations. For instance you sell a car load of canned goods through any jobber or broker in the country, he will say to you "Those are the usual terms ; those are the terms which have been made by the wholesale trade." We, the pro- ducers, have nothing to say about it. But suppose now you sell those tomatoes at seventy-five cents on the track, the pul)lic will be saved needless expense and the fruit grower uncertainty, worry and loss. Now when they are subject to inspection and accept- ance, the seventy-five cents loses one and one-half per cent ; that is, the grower accepts that discount. Now I believe if the fruit growers of this country were organized in these local organizations, and if the local organizations would meet and discuss these questions, meet witii a view of understanding the agreement and terms which are set forth, I believe we could do much to cut out the unnecessary expenses. Con- THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 277 sequently I am highly in favor of strong local organizations at every important point. There is not a problem that comes to the front with so much force for us as this co-operative movement. But there is hardly a point along this line, the Kansas Gity South- ern R. R., and the Frisco, in the eleven years I have been in this country — hardly a point at which there have not been dissatisfied people who, in- stead of remaining with the association and working with them in the right for the right and condemning the wrong and seeking to right wrongs when committed, rebel against what the majority believe to be right and just, jeopardizing in that way the shipment of car loads; and everyone who has had experience in shipping by car loads knows there is twenty-five to fifty per cent made that way as against express. But they say that instead of supporting the organization that they will with- draw and form another association. As intelligent men, we ought to get together in these different localities in organizations, and co-operate, and do everything possible in our powder, through organization and legis- lation, to promote our interests as growers and producers. If we fail to do that conditions are going to be as they are or w'orse. IOWA— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 8 and 9. Wesley Greene, Chairman. The present status in fruit culture in rnis state may be described as the transitional period, — a breaking away from the home supply to that of the commercial orchard. The markets of the state are well supplied with fruit during the summer and fall months, but sometimes the demand during the winter must be supplied from other localities. Facilities for cold storage are not equal to the demand, nor are there factories enough to convert the waste fruits of the orchard and vine- yard into merchantable products. It is yet too early in the history of fruit culture in this state, to localize the different industries. It is only 120 years since the first orchard was planted within the boundaries of a territory which did not become a state until 57 years thereafter. Scarcely any planting was done until 1837, when settlements began along the eastern border. Since that time they have gradually extended over the entire state. It is scarcely more than twenty years since the last acro: available for tillage within our borders has been turned under by the plow. The richness of the soil and the abundance of forage produced thereon has given quicker returns to the husbandman, when it was fed to animals, than could have been expected from an orchard of apples ; but with increasing wealth and higher prices paid for lands the tendency has been toward the more productive acreage devoted to 278 AiMERICAX PO.MOLOGICAL SOCIETY fruit culture. In time orchards will displace many of the less remun- erative and more transitory grain and stock farms. These conditions will adjust themselves during the present century, when there will be a well defined acreage devoted to the different fruits. Commercial orchards and vineyards will find permanent locations on the bluffs along the water courses, and vegetable gardens will occupy the alluvial soils and level uplands between the river valleys. The small growers in localities where more fruit is grown than needed for immediate consumption have found it convenient and profitable to combine their efl:"orts, and have organized fruit shipping associations. Many of these have been reasonably successful. In some instances where failures have occurred, they resulted from a lack of rigid inspection and keeping up the grade of fruit to the standard required by careful and discriminating buyers. A more systematic and uniform method of packing fruit for market obtains where the product is handled by an association, than where the individual grower ships his own fruit. We are glad to note the increase in the number of these associations since the last meeting of the Society. The success of these Associations will tend to specialize the work and limit the number of varieties grown in the dififerent districts. Our growers are already beginning to realize that to compete with the higher grades of fruit ofifered in the market from other localities, they must put up an equally good or better grade of fruit, or sur- render the business to their competitors. Too many varieties of little value on the market are still being planted in the state ; the tendency, however, toward a smaller number is gaining strength, and in a few years the list of commercial apples will be confined to three or four varieties, probably the Wealthy, Jonathan, and one from the Ben Davis family. The leading" commercial varieties are : — Apples — Oldenburg, Wealthy, Jonathan, Grimes Golden, Winesap and Ben Davis. Cherries — Early Richmond and Montmorency. Plums — Americana varieties : De Soto, Forest Garden and \\^^- ant. Grapes — Moore's Early and Concord. Strawberries — Dunlap and Warfield. None of the newer varieties of apples have taken the place of the older sorts, though Patten's Greening is on the list for general plant- ing in the 9th District. The State Horticultural Society has been main- taining experimental stations since 1883, and much good work has been done in the breeding of fruits better adapted to the climatic condi- tions of the upper Mississippi V'alley. Some promising seedling apples THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 279 were shown at the meeting in Norfolk two years ago from the sta- tion at Charles City, where a large number of seedlings of known parentage are now under trial and in nursery rows, and much hope is entertained as to the final result of the work being done at this station. Inspection of nurseries has been carried on in a systematic manner, and nursery stock grown within the state is free from San Jose scale. The plum curculio and codling moth are the worst insect enemies of the orchard, and apple scab, cherry leaf spot and anthracnose of raspberry have caused considerable anxiety and much spraying of orchards and berry plantations by fruit growers who are alive to the gravity of the situation. A summary of the reports on the condition of the fruit crop in Iowa for this year 1909 is as follows :— Summer apples, fifty-four per cent, fall apples fifty-seven per cent, winter apples fifty-three per cent, Americana plums forty-five per cent, Domestica plums twenty-seven per cent. Japanese plums thirteen per cent, peaches less than one per cent, cherries forty-five per cent, grapes seventy-nine per cent, raspberries sixty-four per cent, blackberries eighty-seven per cent, and strawberries seventy-nine per cent, of a full crop. Heavy frost, with ice, the first week in May, killed much of the bloom on the tree fruits. Some favorable results from experiments on smudging and the use of fire in the orchard to prevent injury to the bloom have been reported, which may lead to further efforts to pro- tect the fruit crop from damage by late frosts. KANSAS— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 8 AND 10. F. W. Dixon, Chairman. The fruit crop in this state is so near a failure this season that there is really nothing to report. Letters from different parts of the state all concur that this is the greatest failure of fruit in a number of years. Leading commercial varieties are just the same as reported in our last report. Many insects and fungous diseases are mostly the cause of failure. Nursery and orchard inspection has made much progress in the last year. A large state appropriation helped very much to increase this. San Jose scale has made its appearance in this state and a vigorous effort has been made to stamp it out. 280 AMERICAN PO.MOLOGICAL SOCIETY LOUISIANA— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 6 AND 7. G. L. Tiebout, Chairman, Assisted by A. H. Rosenfeld. STRAWBERRIES. From 3,000 to 4,000 acres of strawberries are planted on the Illinois Central Railroad north of New Orleans and the acreage is increasing. The season of 1908 was especially prosperous and most of the output was sold at high prices, f. o. b. the loading station. Independence and Ponchatoula are the largest shipping points. All of the berries are loaded in refrigerator cars, inspected, and sold or consigned, through well organized shipping associations. The Klondyke (Louisiana) is still the popular berry because of its good shipping qualities, it being very firm and especially attractive because of its rich color. There are no serious insects and fungous troubles. No plants are allowed to bear more than two crops. ORANGES. The orange acreage is on the increase along the Gulf Coast. Plaque- mines parish reports 2,200 acres, with a yield of 106,440 boxes. The Argentine ant is proving to be a very serious pest and no effective remedy has been found. This insect eats the blossoms, but it more seriously affects the trees indirectly by colonizing the various scale insects which prey on citrus fruits. NURSERY INSPECTION. The State Crop Pest Commission inspects all trees and plants grown for sale and prohibits the sale of such as are diseased or infested with dangerous insects. The percentage of infestation of the nurser- ies by the San Jose scale is small because of the rigid inspection. The number of pecan trees grown in the nurseries has increased, practically 100 per cent more being grown in 1908 than in 1907. CALIFORNIA— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 15, 16. 17, 18, 19. E. J. Wickson, Chairniaii. 1. The most notable improvements in handling fruits for long distance shipment are those definitely described or suggested by the results of investigations of Mr. G. Harold Powell and his associates of the Bureau of Plant Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture. Full data of this work in its earlier stages are given in Bulletin 123 of the Bureau on "The Decay of Oranges While in Transit from California." ]\Ir. Powell has also given attention to local cold storage of all kinds of fruits and to the handling of deciduous THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 281 fruits for shipment, especially the picking, packing and shipment of table grapes. In all these activities several requirements have been demonstrated to be essential to success, viz: 1. Gathering, grading and packing the fruit without mechanical injury by hand, cutting tools or packing house machinery. 2. The quick removal of heat from fruit and car before starting on the long haul and not trusting to icing in transit to accomplish this, as formerly. To meet the first requirement sharp points of clippers have been rounded, finger nails have been pared or picking gloves furnished, springs have been put under trucks, packing house machinery has been brought as nearly to a level as possible to prevent high drops, and regular inspection of fruit undertaken in orchard and packing house to ensure freedom from even minute cuts or bruises. To meet the second requirement, pre-cooling establishments are already provided at several shipping points so that cars and contents are brought to a low temperature before moving. Although Mr. Powell's conclusions were foreknown by a few of our most careful fruit handlers, the recog- nition of their importance and the resulting modification of methods of handling and improved appliances therefor are clearly due to his invaluable efforts. 2. Progress is continually being made in organization to over- come difficulties in large-scale fruit shipments. The California Fruit Distributors, an organization of growers, growers' associations and dealers, now controls distribution so that large excess of shipments to any point is prevented and the result has been an increased average selling price. The California Fruit Growers' Exchange is a central organization comprised of about fifty local exchanges whose member- ship is composed of citrus fruit growers in as many districts. The manager of this exchange regulates shipments, determines what amount each of the local exchanges shall ship at any time and holds sales of the fruit by its agents at all leading eastern points. The exchange now handles about sixty per cent of the citrus fruit, the balance being handled by independent growers and by dealers. The result has been a constant effort for wider and more intelligent distribution of the fruit and better sales. A tribute to the success of the organization is found in the visit to California of a representative body of Florida orange growers last winter and the undertaking of organization in Florida under the management of a man who held an important position with the California exchange. No attempt is made to fix prices except in filling direct orders. In the deciduous fruit trade the California Fruit Exchange, a growers' organization, is each year handling a larger amount, but the weight of the trade is conducted by individuals and companies, subject only to the destination work of the Fruit Distrib- 282 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY iitors. Organizations of large dried fruit specialties, like the prune and the raisin, operate for a time, but no enduring organization has yet been achieved. The almond growers have a spasmodic way of getting together. The English walnut growers in Southern California have a price-fixing organization which has managed to hold together and to accomplish much good in spite of occasional mistakes in fixing prices too high. 3. A measure of the development of distant markets for Cali- fornia fruits and fruit products can be had from the records of ship- ments beyond state lines during the last decade, viz. : 1898 1908 tons tons Fresh deciduous fruits 69,732 161,224 Dried deciduous fruits 76,667 133,846 Oranges and Lemons 180,658 399,094 Nuts 5,815 10,887 Raisins 47,796 29,601 Canned fruits 52,219 85,135 Totals 432,887 819,787 The raisin product has not experienced the reduction indicated ; in 1908 some of the raisin shipments are included in the "dried fruit" entry and the figures are not accurate. In the intervening years be- tween 1898 and 1908 some of the entries were larger and others less. The contrasting years fairly show the increase in a decade which is a little more than eighty-seven per cent. 4. During 1907 and 1908 I had the pleasure of thoroughly revis- ing my records of the standing of fruit varieties in the Pacific States, and furnished the results to Professor W. H. Ragan for use in prepar- ing Bulletin 151 of the Bureau of Plant Industry, "Fruits Recommend- ed by the American Pomological Society for cultivation in the various Sections of the United States and Canada." This publication by Pro- fessor Ragan, together with his monumental monographs on the no- menclature of the apple and the pear, entitle him to the special thanks of the Society whose name he honors by his devoted pomological work. 5. In my work the commercial point of view was continually occupied, as we have very small amateur interests and very few fruits are distinctively grown for home use. New varieties have to meet commercial tests and are hardly spoken of with respect until they do. Professor Ragan's lists, so far as my districts are included in them, are those varieties found to be commercially best in the regions where chiefly cultivated. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 283 6. The fumigation treatment with hydrocyanic acid gas has come to be practically the only approved method with scale insects of all kinds on citrus trees. The latest information concerning its use in Cal- ifornia is to be found in Bulletin 79 of the Bureau of Entomology, en- titled, "Fumigation Investigations in California," by R. S. Woglum, just published. For scale insects on deciduous trees the factory-made lime-sulphur preparations have largely displaced the home-boiled pro- duct. For the codling moth and leaf-eating insects generally, lead arsenate has largely displaced Paris green. The pear thrips seems to be this year our most baffling insect pest, especially upon prunes, though other fruits are also injured. This insect is being especially studied in California by experts of the United States Department of Agriculture, while a new introduction, the Argentine ant, has oc- cupied the chief attention of the entomologists of the California Experi- ment Station. Fortunately, this insect does not promise to be as great a fruit pest as its characterization in Louisiana led us to apprehend. Of plant diseases the pear blight, both upon pears and apples, is our most formidable menace to the trees it attacks. During the last two years it has shown less virulence and more amenability to cutting-out methods and our Bartlett pear industry promises to endure longer than was indicated by experts when the blight was under full head- way four years ago. This year's eastern shipments were large and profitable. 7. The legislature of 1909 made important modifications in the county horticultural law, providing that county commissioners could only be selected from those pronounced eligible and qualified by a State Board of Examiners. Operations are just beginning under this system, which is expected to increase the efficiency of the service by exclusion of those who can show only political qualifications. The horticultural service in some counties is now as faithful and expert as could be desired. It is hoped that the new law may secure all counties which desire to provide for it as good service as the few now enjoy. 8. The great advance in transportation under refrigeration through pre-cooling practices has been noted under topic No. 1, above. Cold storage in centers of population and at central shipping points is each year commanding more attention and constant effort is made to reduce difficulties. Mr. Powell and his staff are giving due attention to this matter. Experiments are in progress by large handlers of oranges in the hope of always having supplies of well matured fruit to escape from the pressure of furnishing partly ripened fruit plucked too soon to meet the demand for extra early shipments. There is much promise in this line of effort. 284 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY NEVADA. Prof. S. A. Beach: Dear Sir — The following notes on Nevada fruits are submitted in accordance with suggestions in your letter of July 8. There has been little change in orchard methods in two years past. An occasional farmer — who does better work than the average — talks of cutting down his orchard to avoid doing much work and receiving little in cash. As a rule the orchard is maintained to supply the home with fruit, with fairly large sales by some men. As usual Ross Lewis of Frank- town continues to raise good fruit and puts his name on each box or crate. Regarding improvements in methods of gathering, grading, and shipping, Lincoln County is making the most progress as a county, making a specialty in some sections of a muskmelon that is handled with the view of making it high standard and uniform in quality. One called the Christmas melon is grown, picked and placed for a time in bran, bringing it to table condition at Christmas. While speaking of Lincoln County, the railroad recently built has brought it in touch with the markets of Los Angeles, Salt Lake, and to some extent, Denver. Oranges and lemons are uncertain ; the Thompson seedless grape is grown as a raisin grape. Figs and almonds do well, pome- granates of rather extra quality. We have no fruit growers' associa- tions, and the markets are the small towns and mining camps with the exception of those mentioned for Lincoln County. In the planting of new orchards to apples the Spitzenburg and Newtown, or Newton, are chiefly used. Speaking of topic six, pear blight is doing much less damage than formerly. The codling moth is reported as having been sharply checked in Western Nevada last season by a freeze that took the apple crop and the remaining insects were destroyed by parasites with the result of very few showing this year. The inspection, all factors considered, has been very inefficient. Nothing heard from for topic eight. H. S. Starrett, of Battle Mountain, says that only a very limited amount is grown in some of the mountain canyons and when the frost spares it, from one half to one third of the time includes apples, pears, plums, peaches and cherries. We use new boxes and have no insects. Fruit is sold in the local markets at fair prices. For this year it is a practical failure in this section of the State. Truly yours, R. H. McDowell. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 285 HAWAII— J. Edgar Higgins, Chairman. THE PINEAPPLE. The two chief fruits that have attained commercial importance in Hawaii are the pineapple and the banana. The fresh fruit shipping of pineapples has attained importance during the last eight years. The pineapple is marketed as a canned product in much larger quanti- ties than as fresh fruit. The pack since the year 1903, expressed in cases of two dozen each, has been about as follows : 1903 10,000 cases 1904 18,000 cases 1905 40,000 cases 1906 77,000 cases 1907 185,000 cases 1908 350,000 cases 1909 550,000 (estimated) Improvements have been made, however, in methods of gather- ing and shipping pineapples, which are resulting in larger exportations of fresh fruit. The growers, the Hawaii Experiment Station, and the steamship companies have conducted co-operative experiments in fresh pineapple shipping, inckiding shipments to all the chief markets on the Pacific Coast and inland as far as Chicago, in car load lots. Enterpris- ing growers have shipped by express to the Atlantic Coast. Several commercial shipments of carload lots have followed this experimental work, and there is a prospect for the opening up of new markets for this fruit in the near future. The Hawaii exhibit at the Alaska- Yukon-Pacific Exposition has done much to advertise Hawaiian pine- apples and is greatly increasing the demand for both canned and fresh fruit. An association of most of the largest growers has been formed chiefly for the purpose of advertising and selling the canned product. This association has adopted, among other methods, the use of some of the larger family magazines such as "The Ladies' Home Journal." This experiment has proved very successful. InsQ^ts and plant diseases. There are two insects that have been of economic importance to the pineapple growers. These are the pine- apple-scale (Diaspis bromeliae), and the mealy-bug (Pseudococcus citri). With proper methods of cultivation and the fumigation of plants before setting out, neither of these insects is likely to become devastatinof. 286 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY The so-called pineapple disease of sugar-cane {Thielaviopsis eth- accticus) has caused considerable losses in the transportation of fresh fruit. As in the case of so many other fresh fruit rots, it has been found that the evil efifects of this fungus can be, to a large degree, over- come by careful handling and packing and by the proper cooling and drying of the fruit, thus avoiding the numerous infections which take place by careless handling and also avoiding the moist, hot atmosphere which favors the development of fungi. Experiments have shown that fruit is sometimes gathered when its temperature is as high as 105 degrees, or higher. This fruit must be held in a cool packing-house until this excessive heat has been eliminated. Usually a single night is sufficient. By this means also the cut stems become dried and thus more resistant to fungus attacks. On the whole, the pineapple industry is in a prosperous and de- veloping condition. BANANAS. The banana industry is just about holding its own. For some years past the exports of bananas to the mainland have amounted to about 15,000 bunches per month. These have been wholly of the Chinese, or Cavendishii, variety. The Hawaii Experiment Station and the Board of Agriculture and Forestry of the Territory of Hawaii made an introduction of the Jamaica, or Martinique, variety from Costa Rica several years ago. These are now beginning to enter the market. They are now selling at prices about fifty per cent in advance of the Chinese, for shipping purposes. THE AVOCADO. The avocado is a promising fruit for a new industry in Hawaii. Many very excellent varieties of seedling origin are now growing in Hawaii and the culture of this species has passed the experimental stage so far as garden areas are concerned. It is now only necessary to establish orchards and introduce this fruit in a large way on the American markets. THE MANGO. The mango is another fruit offering opportunities similar to those presented by the avocado. Methods of propagation have been devised which make it possible to grow the mango on a commercial scale. There are in Hawaii today some of the world's choicest varieties of mango. A few choice seedlings have originated here and several varieties have been introdviced from India and elsewhere. THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 287 OREGON. ROSS LEWIS— Franktown H. S. STARRETT— Battle Mountain H. A. COWINS— Ely H. F. DANGBERG— Mindon-Douglass Co. Committee x\ppointed. Only Starrett reported. No notable improvements in methods of gathering, grading, hand- ling and shipping fruit have been introduced in the state in the past two years. The practice of packing apples and pears in boxes is uni- versal in Oregon. It is found in practice that the box should be marked to show not only the number of tiers of fruit it contains, but also the actual number of apples in the box, and also to indicate by numbers both the grower and the individual who placed the fruit in the box. The essential to success in the use of the box as a package for apples and pears is that every apple or pear in a given box be of practically the same size and merit. The number of associations of fruit growers for the purpose of marketing fruit grows as the fruit-growing industry develops. These associations engage to a limited extent in the purchase of fruit growers' supplies for the members thereof, and frequently save the members considerable sums of money by obtaining reductions from retail prices on account of the large quantities bought. No new tnarkets have recently been found for Oregon fruit, with the exception that a limited quantity of apples have been shipped to Australasia. The Oriental markets for American fruits increase their demands slowly. The best Asiatic market for Oregon apples is in Siberia, the Russian residents in which consume considerable quan- tities of apples. The Lambert Cherry continues to grow in popularity in this state. The reasons for its popularity are its great size, beauty, good quality, and lateness in maturing. The Lambert and the Bing cherries are super- seding the Black Republican as a shipping cherry. The reasons are that they are much larger, of better quality, and almost equal to it in adaptation to shipment for great distances. The leading apples commercially in Oregon are the Yellow New- town and Esopus Spitzenburg. Other varieties which are grown for market ^here to a considerable extent are the Jonathan, Baldwin, Ben Davis, Gano, Red Cheek. Gravenstein, Winesap. The Yellow New- town and Esopus Spitzenburg are especially grown at Hood River and in the Rogue River valley; the Gano in the Grand Ronde valley; the Jonathan in all districts ; the Gravenstein in Coos County ; the Northern Spy in Columbia County. 288 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY The leading pears are the Bartlett, the Cornice, Winter Nelis, Anjou, and Bosc. The P. Barry is coming- into favor, but is not grown yet extensively. The leading prune is the Italian (Fellemberg). The Prune d'Agen is second in importance. The market cherries are the Royal Anne or Napoleon Bigarreau, Lambert, Bing, Black Republican. Many other varieties are grown to some extent. The leading strawberry for long-distance shipment is the Clark Seedling; for home markets, the Magoon for main crop and Excelsior and Gold Dollar for early. The latter has not yet been thoroughly tested but promises to take the place of all others as a first early in the home markets in Oregon. No variety except the Clark Seedling is grow^n at Hood River, the most important strawberry shipping point in Oregon. So far as known, no new insect pests or plant diseases attacking fruit trees have established themselves in Oregon in the past two years. The lime-sulphur solution is growing in favor as a substitute for Bordeaux mixture for preventing scab of apples and pears, and for most other purposes for which the Bordeaux mixture is used. By reason of improved public sentiment the amount of work which can be done in orchard inspection in this state is increasing materially from year to year. The practice of condemning as a nuisance all wormy or scale-infected fruit offered for sale or packed for shipment proves very useful in promoting effective spraying among the class of growers who raise fruit as a side issue and sell on home markets. Nur- series are inspected annually, but the requirements that all nursery trees be fumigated or dipped before shipment is believed in this state to be much more effective than nursery inspection in preventing the dissemina- tion of the common pests and diseases. All perishable fruits which go east from this state are sent in re- frigerator cars. Precooling has barely commenced. There are a num- Ijer of cold storage plants in the state. ARIZONA— POMOLOGICAL DISTRICTS 13 AND 19. J. A. Ream, Chairman, Assisted by J. Eliot Coit. Arizona at the present time is experiencing a great development in all horticultural lines. The advanced state of the work on the Govern- ment Reclamation projects at Roosevelt for the Salt River Valley and at Yuma for the lower Colorado River Valley is largely responsible for that development. Variety lists for Arizona are hard to give, for while the rancher in Salt River Valley is harvesting his grain and his potatoes, the man THIRTY-FIRST BIENNIAL SESSION 289 at Flagstaff, seventy miles north and over a mile higher, is just finishing planting his oats and potatoes. The apples for the southern valleys are Red Astrachan, Maiden Blush, Gravenstein, White Pearmain, Ben Davis ; for the upper valleys Mr. W. A. Jordan of Jerome and Mr. Luther Green of Solomonville recommend the same as above with the addition of Early Harvest, Red June, Black Ben Davis. Gano, Arkansas Black, Mammoth Black Twig, Newton Pippin, Springdale, Ralls, Willow Twig, Winesap, Eso- pus and Wolf River. Apricots — All varieties do well in the south. Newcastle and Royal are most largely planted. Almonds — IXL, Ne Plus Ultra, Nonpareil and Paper Shell. Blackberries — Crandall Early and Kittinany. Dates — The experimental date orchard of the Arizona Experi- ment Station and U. S. Department of Agriculture is developing finely, but is not old enough yet to determine definitely the status of many of the varieties. It is very probable that the commercial varieties of the future will be Arizona seedlings from the best of the imported trees. So far the best are Rhars, Tedala. Maktuni, Purdy. Simmons, Iteema and Harra. CITRUS FRUITS. Orange — Washington Navel, Valencia, Ruby, Malta, Parson Brown, St. Michael. Jaffa. Pomelo — ]Marsh Seedless and Triumph. Lemon — Eureka, Villa Franca and Lisbon. Tangerine — Dancy. The Navel is pre-eminently the orange for planting at present. Figs — All varieties grow well : Mission, White Adriatic, Smyrna. Grapes — A few years ago growers at Mesa in the Salt River Valley were pulling out their Thompson Seedless because they could find no market at two cents per pound. Now, owang to improved ship- ping facilities, they are selling at six cents, and more are being planted. Varieties — Thompson Seedless, Muscat, Mission, Purple Damascus, Rose of Peru, Chasselas de Fontainebleau. Olives — Mission, best for all purposes; Manzanillo and Nevadillo Blanco i^ pickles ; and for oil Pendulina, Razzo and Corregiolo. Peaches — Planters at the South should plant heavily of the very early and very late varieties and light of mid-season varieties. People are largely gone during the heated term, so the market is not so good ; it is so hot a good peach cannot stand being put on the market, and the ravages of the large green beetle are especially severe on 290 AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY mid-season . varieties. Admiral Dewey, Alexander, Imperial, Wheat- land, Elberta, Sulphide Cling, Belle of Georgia, Krummel, Salway are the best all around varieties. Nectarines — Boston, New White. Plums — Prunes and the European plums are of no value in the South, the trees being unable to stand the heat; Doris, Climax, Wick- son, Burbank, Marianna. Quinces — All varieties do well ; Orange, Champion, Smyrna, Meech. Strawberries— Fragaria Chilensis is native in the higher altitudes of the Territory and varieties containing blood of that species nearly all do well ; Arizona, Lady Thompson, Texas, Michel Early. In a general way it is true that plant diseases affecting the above-ground parts of plants are comparatively few in the arid South- west. It is also true, however, that from causes at present not well understood such troubles are increasing in number. Diseases suc-h as pear blight, tomato foliage blight, melon leaf blight, rose mildew, grape mildew, onion mildew, have all damaged crops to a greater or less extent during the year. Diseases which affect the roots of plants, whether of bacterial or fungous origin, are very common ; and such diseases as Alfalfa root rot, crown gall of drupe fruits, root rot of apple, etc., continue to cause serious loss. The scale insects, such as the San Jose Scale, which do such serious damage in more humid climates, have never become trouble- some here, as the dry air and intense sunlight keep the scale confined to the interior and well shaded parts of the trees. Destructive citrus scales have not as yet secured a foothold in the Territory. The chief insect pest of the citrus trees is at present a species of thrips — "Euthrips tritici"— which disfigures the leaves, scars the fruit and injures its selling value. The codling moth is well distributed over the fruit growing regions and must be persistently fought if pome fruits free from worms are to be produced. The large green beetle — "Alarhina mutabilis" — continues to de- vour large quantities of figs, peaches, grapes and plums which ripen between July 25th and September 15th. A very good inspection law was passed by the last Legislature. WISCONSIN POMOLOGICAL DISTRICT 9. By Frederic Cranefield, Madison. The fruit industry in Wisconsin is making steady progress. The THIRTY-F[RST BIENNIAL SESSION 291 raising of summer and fall apples for Chicago and the "northwest" cities is now well established. Growers are receiving very satisfactory prices for Duchess, Mc- Mahan and Wealthy apples on these markets largely on account of the high* quality of the fruit. Spraying is the rule rather than the exception among apple growers and the work is thoroughly done. Arsenate of lead is rapidly displacing paris green as an insecticide. The raising of cherries in the Door County Peninsula is increasing rapidly. With the planting in 1910 the cherry orchards in the immediate vicinity of Sturgeon Bay will probably exceed 600 acres. The 1909 crop from four different orchards in this locality brought a trifle over 500 dollars per acre from orchards 10 to 12 years old. The growing of strawberries and blackberries is increasing steadily especially in the vicinity of Sparta where the growers have combined to market the crop. Reports from six different points — in 1908 show that Wisconsin growers sent to markets outside of the state 104,150 bushels of apples, 46,500 bushels of strawberries, 7,500 bushels of blackberries, 3,500 bushels of cherries and 650 bushels of plums, a fair beginning. VARIETIES. The trend in apple planting is wholly toward fall varieties. Duch- ess, McMahan and Wealthy are highest in favor. Early Richmond and Montmorency are the leaders in cherries. In small fruits the usual variety is found with Warfield and Dunlap slightly in advance. Eldorado is displacing Ancient Briton and Stone in blackberries. Grapes are not grown to any extent. All bush fruits require winter protection for best results. No new fruits of special merit have been brought forward during the past two years. The following is a partial list of fruits which have originated in Wisconsin : FRUITS OF WISCONSIN ORIGIN. Crabs — Brier and Gibb. Apples — Gem City, Newell, Plumb Cider, McMahan, Northwestern Greening, Windsor, Milwaukee, Pewaukee and Wolf River. Plums — De Soto. Grapes — Janesville. Blackberries — Ancient Briton and Stone. Raspberries — Loudon. Strazvberries — Jessie. Of this list the only winter apples are Northwestern and Windsor. We borrow Malinda from Minnesota but we still need two or three more winter varieties for the farm orchard, hardy and of good quality. 292 AMERICAN POiMOLOGICAL SOCIETY Wisconsin has its full quota of diseases and insect pests including scab, blight, codling moth and oyster shell scale, but so far has escaped any severe visitation of the San Jose scale. The Oyster Shell Scale has caused considerable damage in commer- cial orchards as well as in small plantations and will undoubtedly de- stroy many of the latter unless checked. Lime-sulphur wash has proven an efficient remedy where given a thorough trial. The outlook on the whole is decidedly encouraging. Wisconsin presents splendid opportunities in certain lines of fruit growing. We have suitable land and plenty of varieties adapted to our climate ; we have also excellent markets and good transportation facilities. Wc need most of all men to develop our resources. We want no more small farm orchards carried merely as a side line and neglected as to the essentials of orchard management, but want men who know the fruit business from top to bottom. For these there are opportunities equal to any to be found anywhere. INDEX Adaptability of Varieties to Soil and Climate 143 Adaptation of Apple Trees to Soil 159 Address of Welcome 2 Apple Growing in Southern Illinois 218 Apple Growing in Western Canada 221 Arizona 289 Arkansas 263 Bailey, L. H. 8 Benefits of Co-operation 105 Bioletti, Frederic T 198 Blair, W. S 23 Box Apple Package, The 89 Brackett, G. B. 143 Brodie, Robert 159 Burton, Joe A 131 Button, T. L 225 Caesar, L 75 California 281 Campbell, Mayor 2 Chestnut Culture in Pa 194 Citrus Trifoliata in Relation to Citrus Industry 53 Codling Moth, Controlling 75 Collins, John S 177 Commercial Demonstration Orchards 23 Commercial Peach Growing in the South 61 Co-operation in Marketing Fruit Products 99 Co-operative Marketing 103 Dargitz, J. P 99 District of Columbia 256 Dufif, Hon. James 3 English Gooseberries Free from Mildew 80 Excursion to Guelph 233 Foreign Fruits, report on ... .- 212 Fletcher, S. W 89 Fruit Growing in Ontario 215 General Fruit Committee Report 235 Goodman, L. A 15 Gould, H. P 153 Grape Culture in Cold Districts 166 293 294 INDEX Grape Growing in Niagara District 197 Grapes, Newer Varieties 206 Grapes in California 198 Hawaii 286 Hume, H. H. • 182 Hutt, W. N 161 Illinois . . . .' 261 In Memoriam xxix Indiana 259 Iowa 278 Jackson, S. B. 108 James, Sam H 188 Kansas 280 Lazenby, Wm. R 49 Lime-Sulphur, Self-Boiled 116 Lime-Sulphur Solutions as l<\mgicides . . . 112 Lindley, J. Van 61 Little Peach 66 Louisiana 281 Macoun, W. T 166 Maine 243 Massachusetts . . 244 Modification by Soil and Climate 153 Moisture in Orchard Soils 32 New Hampshire 238 New York 249 Nominating Committee 169 Nova Scotia 237 Ohio 257 Ontario 253 Oregon . 288 Oriental Pears and Their Hybrids 177 Packages for Apples 89 Packing and Marketing Fruit 108 Peach Growing in Kentucky 225 Pear Trees and Apple Blight 131 Pecan Growing 182 Pecans, The Truth About 188 Pennsylvania 250 Perrine, Wm. S 218 Pettit, Murray 197 President's Address 15 Program 229 Reid, W. H 103 Reist. J. Clarence 194 INDEX 295 Reports and Resolutions: Ad Interim 169, 172 Credentials 171 Final Resolutions 210 Foreign Fruits 212 General Fruit Committee 235 Nominations 169 Wilder Medals 170 Roeding. Geo. C 206 Satisfactions in the Raising of I'ruit ... 8 Scott, W. M. ...':... . ■ 116 Shutt, Frank T 32 Sod and Mulch System in Ohio 49 Soil Adaptation to Apples 138 Stevenson, A. P 221 Taber, G. L 53 Taft, L. R 20 Thompson, Robert 105 Treasurer's Report 20 \'arieties, A Study of 161 X'ermont 240 W'aite. M. B 66 Wallace, Errett 112 W'est Mrginia 262 Whyte, R. B 80 Wilder, H. J 138 Wilder Medals 170 Wisconsin 291 Woolverton, Linus 21 3 PART III Catalogue of Fruits 1909 /T^ ^^' -r '^•• ■ r -.4' '•^^-'S*' ■i^^ ^■I."'->Vt>^'"> v. -,->i^'