164 State Horticultural Society. 



We have seen trees stunted and injured by too much pruning even 

 while they were yet young; have seen old trees die from the cutting 

 off of large limbs. Often the declining line in the life of an orchard 

 commences with some too heavy pruning that has been done "v^ith 

 good intentions. On the other hand with more space around there 

 is more room for expansion of branches and foliage. There is more 

 room in the soil for the proper amount of moisture to be used or let 

 alone as nature ma}' demand in the proper maintenance of the tree 

 and fruit. There is also room between the trees for handling tools and 

 growing plants that assist nature in supplying plant food to tliese 

 wide apart trees. 



Another point that must not be lost sight of in the water or moisture 

 supply in the earth in an extreme drouth, is that the greater part of the 

 ground penetrated by the apple tree roots is often occupied by rocks, 

 large and small, that cannot hold moisture in amount sufficient for the 

 maintenance of plants in time of drouth and great need. Clay or loose 

 earth being more porous is better fitted for this purpose. Some very 

 rocky lands may grow trees as well or better than they grow other 

 things, yet trees would likely do better in localities where there •'vas 

 more dirt. Some of our best fruit lands contain a great deal of rock, 

 yet too much rock is certainly injurious, as above stated. 



By spraying with fungicides during the early part of the season we 

 have controlled or very much lessened the bad effects of the apple scab. 

 In years of greater rainfall than this, the scab fungus appears to- destrov 

 and render so nearly useless the foliage of the trees that it falls off and 

 the fruit is prematurely ripened and rendered more susceptible to the 

 attack of bitter rot and other diseases, which might attack fruit that is 

 prematurely ripened in warm weather. We find that continually weak- 

 ening the amount of blue-stone used in Bordeaux mixture in dry weather 

 where a second, third or fourth spraying may come between rains, is 

 necessary in order to keep from burning or rusticoating the young and 

 tender fruit in the early part of the spraying season. However, a season 

 like the one just past has not occurred many times in the memorv of 

 fruit growers, and it is to be hoped that it will not be repeated in point 

 of dryness. During the dry season Leaf-rollers and Canker Worms were 

 more numerous and the continuous use of the full amount of Paris Green 

 was adhered to for each spraying. 



We had no Codling Moth during the early part of the season, but 

 very late in July and early in August they increased apparently very rap- 

 idly until they did great damage to the finest crop of apples we had ever 

 seen on our trees. 



