44 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



owing to the excessive number of blossoms of 1892. That year and 1893 

 being exceptional years, no account can be taken of them as a basis for 

 calculations in the future. Now, the question naturally arises, to what 

 shall we attribute this great difference in the productiveness of orchards 

 in the same latitude, if not to the absence of wind protection? Since the 

 natural windbreaks have to a great extent been removed, it now remains 

 for us to provide the necessary protection by artificial plantations. 



The Norway spruce is probably better adapted to this purpose than any 

 other evergreen. A timber belt from four to six rods wide, planted twelve 

 feet apart, upon the south and west sides of an orchard, will in a few years 

 form an efficient protection. 



It is the province of man to assist nature in producing such results as 

 he finds most desirable for his purposes, and if he removes the natural 

 protection from his orchard, and then leaves it to take care of itself, he 

 must expect to realize the usual consequences of neglect. 



As before stated, the second great cause of failure in fruitgrowing is 

 insufficient protection againt insect enemies and fungous diseases. I am 

 firmly impressed with the belief that the future success and profit of 

 apple-growing will greatly depend upon our success in protecting our 

 apples from the injury done by the codlin moth. The experiments during 

 the last few years have clearly demonstrated the efficiency of London pur- 

 ple and Paris green for the destruction of this orchard pest. I am satis- 

 fied from my own experience that the use of the arsenites in connection 

 with Bordeaux mixture is much to be preferred to using them with water 

 only, for the reason that the poison very seldom injures the foliage when 

 used in connection with Bordeaux mixture. I was very successful last 

 season in saving my plums by spraying with the following mixture: Four 

 pounds stone lime, four pounds sulphate of copper, one quarter pound of 

 London purple or Paris green, and fifty gallons of water. Spray just 

 before the trees blossom and again as soon as the marks of the curculio 

 are noticed. I was also successful in preventing the black rot on my 

 grapes by the use of the above mixture without the addition of the 

 arsenites. 



The third cause of the failure in fruit is a lack of proper fertility in the 

 soil. We can not expect to raise good stock or good crops without giving 

 the proper food and care. The same rule holds good in growing fruit. 

 With the proper knowledge of the principal ingredients of which fruits 

 are composed, we are enabled to supply to the soil that which is required 

 for their perfect growth and development. We have learned by analysis 

 that the wood of the apple tree contains 18 per cent, of lime, 16 per cent, 

 of potash, and 17 per cent, of phosphate of lime. The natural conclusion 

 from the above analysis would be that that which would be called a lime- 

 stone soil would be the best suited for orchards and vineyards, and 

 wherever deficiency of lime exists in our soils we must supply a liberal 

 amount of lime, ashes, and barnyard manure. It is a well-known fact that 

 fruit trees or vines that are properly nourished produce more and better 

 fruit, and that they are less likely to be injured by insects or diseases. 



For fear of trespassing upon your valuable time, I have only treated 

 upon a few of the most important topics relating to horticulture. I would 

 say in conclusion that, in looking over the state and seeing the dilapi- 

 dated condition of our orchards and fruit gardens, and realizing the great 

 increase of our insect enemies; also, noting the destructive climatic 

 changes which have taken place by reason of our indiscriminate destruc- 



